EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School boys’ basketball team recently completed its annual summer slate of activities, including participation in the Johnston League where the locals played 10 regular season games over five weeks and reached the semifinals of the playoffs.

East Providence finished the 9-1 record good for a share of first place in the standings with one three Bishop Hendricken entrants. The Townies beat host Johnston in the quarterfinals before falling to Central in the semis. The Knights were defeated for the championship for the aforementioned first-place Hawks outfit.

“We’re just trying to get these kids better, stronger,” EPHS head coach Joe Andrade said of his summer league philosophy. “Some of the kids definitely excelled, matured for sure.”

Andrade said, in particular, junior Xavier Hazard and senior Max Collins took their games to a “different level” in recent months.

For Hazard, he said, “It’s just confidence. He’s shooting lights out. He’s shooting the ball very, very well. You could make the argument he’s one of the best shooters in the state, if not the best.

Of Collins, Andrade said, “His leadership has improvement. He’s not getting down on himself or his teammates. He’s making the extra pass. He’s on the ball more, distributing better.”

Because of the signs he showed this summer, Andrade said he expects Collins to share more time at point with junior standout Trey Rezendes, which should allow the latter to roam the court more freely this winter.

Rezendes, it should be noted, has begun to receive interest from lower level Division I college programs, including an offer from Sacred Heart University in Hartford which plays in the Northeast Conference.

“It’s good that Trey is getting noticed, but with that comes pressure and with that comes expectations and kids are going to be gunning for you,” Andrade said of Rezendes’ emergence as one of the top players in the state.

Of the time frame overall, Andrade said he was pleased with the effort put in by those who participated regularly, including the 10-15 players who lifted weights three times a week.

“I think we had a good summer,” Andrade added. “I’m trying to get these kids to buy into the team, to trust each other. I think we’re about 85-90 percent there. That’s a good place to start next season from.”

Mass. tourney
East Providence’s summer also included two wins and loss at the Wally Seaver Invitational in Massachusetts to benefit ALS.

The locals lost to Newton (Mass.) North by eight points in their opener then defeated Franklin (Mass.) by seven and a team from Victor, N.Y. by three. Newton North ended up defeated EPHS rival LaSalle by 18 in the championship game. Hazard and Collins were the leading scorers for the Townies in their wins, scoring 20 apiece.

“All three teams were good. they would be high level Division I teams in Rhode Island,” said Andrade, adding of his team’s performance in the two victories, “We looked very good.”

He continued, “It was a good weekend. The teams we played were good and physical and shot the 3 well.”

Realignment
East Providence and the rest of the Rhode Island Division I ranks found out their sub-groupings for the next two winters after the Interscholastic League announced the latest realignments for boys’ basketball through the 2023-24 season.

The 16-team D-I is broken down into four subgroups. The Townies, as they have recently, share a quartet with LaSalle with Narragansett and East Greenwich added in to form I-B. LaSalle was ranked third when combining its successes in recent years with the Rams’ performance on the court. East Providence was ranked sixth, ‘Gansett 11th and E.G. 14th.

As for the rest of the league, Hendricken, Cumberland, Portsmouth and Cranston East constitute I-A. I-C is Mt. Pleasant, Smithfield, Barrington and Central while I-D is Classical, North Kingstown, Westerly and Woonsocket.

Andrade, who said his sentiment was shared throughout the coaching ranks, was not particularly pleased with how the divergence in locations between some of the schools, which he also said hinders neighboring rivalries.

“I thought they were going to do (realignment) geography-wise, but they decided to snake it,” Andrade added, referring to how the teams were ranked and eventually grouped together.

He continued, “I don’t think the subgroups are balanced at all, and its ridiculous Westerly and Woonsocket are in the same subdivision. It’s crazy, but we’ll fine. We should be good.”