Somewhere up there, Domenic N. “Zip” Raiola is smiling.

Trying to follow in the footsteps of a legend like the late Dom Raiola would be a monumental task for any coach. And, that’s putting it mildly. But current Mt. Hope High School boys’ basketball coach Jeff Grifka has certainly developed his own hoops legacy from the man who taught him the finer points of the game a few decades ago.

“Coach Raiola taught me so much, it’s unbelievable,” said Grifka, whose Huskies captured the regular season Division III championship recently. “Like Coach Raiola, I put a great deal of emphasis on defense. He always preached that offense wins games, but defense wins championships.”

The Late Zip Raiola passed away Oct. 17, 2018, at the age of 89, after a storybook career as head basketball coach at the former Bristol High School and later at Mt. Hope High. During five decades of coaching and more than 500 career victories, he retired in 2005 as the winningest high school basketball coach in the state of Rhode Island.

Having played for this remarkable man during his high school days, Jeff was a member of Raiola’s 1991-1992 championship team, the 1992-93 runner-up team, and the 1993-94 championship team.

Coach Grifka’s extensive athletic and personal background was a perfect indication of how this young man would help develop youth basketball talent.

Mt. Hope High athletic director Christy Belisle knows full well how important Coach Grifka and his coaching staff has been to the boys’ basketball program.

“Jeff doesn't talk about it much, but I think sports and the military taught him selflessness,” she said. “He, in turn, is passing on the lessons of sacrifice, commitment and discipline to his players. He has taught this group of players graduating for seven years. Since sixth grade, he has been grooming those who played for him to put your team before yourself. I think we all got to see what happens when kids buy in.”

She continued, “There were a lot of character lessons on their way to the championship. And a lot of second chances and redemption lessons for young men who love basketball to learn. These boys were lucky to play not just for Jeff but the entire coaching staff. Some of them know it. Some will grow into knowing it. I am really proud of what they accomplished together.”

More about Jeff Grifka
Jeff was an All-Division performer and one of the smartest and highest-scoring guards on the basketball team. Not only that, but he also excelled in football and baseball and was eventually inducted into the Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame, Class of 1994.

Originally from Michigan, Grifka moved to Bristol in 1985. He is the son of Gary and Patricia Grifka. He also has two brothers, Jason and Jerrod. Jeff and his wife Katie also have two daughters, Giuliana and Gabriella.

Following his graduation from Mt. Hope High School in 1994, Jeff went on to Dean College and played basketball there for two years. After that, he entered the Navy as a Construction Mechanic in the Seabees. He stayed in the Navy Reserves for seven and a half years and later transferred over to the RI Air National Guard in 2003. He retired from the Air National Guard in 2018 after more than 22 years of service.

A man always willing to improve his stock in life, Jeff graduated from Rhode Island College with a Bachelor’s Degree in history, and finished his Education Degree from Providence College in 2001. In 2010, he was deployed to Iraq for four and a half months.

As previously mentioned, Jeff played high school basketball for Coach Raiola for three years, two as a Bristol Colt, and the first year of Mt. Hope High School in 1993-94.

He later played basketball at Dean College for two years, and coached the Kickemuit Middle School boys’ team from 2011-2018. He’s been the head coach at Mt. Hope since 2018, winning a championship in 2018-19, and qualifying for playoffs the next season. And, of course, he just added another title to his coaching resume recently.

Away from the basketball court, Jeff has worked at Calcutt Middle School in Central Falls for four years, and has been employed at Kickemuit Middle School as the Social Studies lead teacher since 2011. He’s also been named “Teacher of the Year” on a couple of occasions.

Jeff taught a substance abuse program National Guard Bureau to elementary students throughout the state of Rhode Island, and also worked at Camp Fogarty as a high ropes instructor for the National Guard Bureau. He’s also H.E.R.O.E.S. Team Social Studies Teacher and KMS Community Service Club Advisor.

Back on the hardwood, Grifka knows things may get a little tougher next year at the possibility of the Huskies moving up a division while losing a host of outstanding senior performers. But nothing has been decided yet as of this writing. He will miss the talents of graduating seniors Joshua DeWolf, Rick Julien, Bruce McGuire, Faceson Hicks, Chris Frawley, Clinton Joseph, Tom Nichols, Xavier Vieira, Logan Justa and Nick Andreozzi. That’s a major portion of the roster and a lot of offensive firepower, but the coach remains upbeat.

“Thankfully, I have a great staff working with me,” he added, “including assistant coach Mike Delmage, jayvee and assistant coach Tim Thorpe, and freshman coach Tom Fullen. I couldn’t ask for anything more. They’ve all been tremendous.”

Coach Grifka anxiously looks ahead to the 2022-23 campaign.

“I think we’ll have some good young talent coming up, adding to our returnees from this year’s squad,” he explained.

Then again, Jeff can always revert to Dom Raiola’s way of thinking in that defense wins championships.