Time is now for EPHS boys' hoopsters

Townies have all the elements to contend for league, state championships

By Mike Rego
Posted 12/7/22

EAST PROVIDENCE — The time is likely now for the current crop of East Providence High School boys’ basketball players, who enter the 2022-23 season not only a year older, but hopefully a …

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Time is now for EPHS boys' hoopsters

Townies have all the elements to contend for league, state championships

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — The time is likely now for the current crop of East Providence High School boys’ basketball players, who enter the 2022-23 season not only a year older, but hopefully a bit a wiser and with more savvy.

The Townies compiled an 11-8 record in their Division I games last winter and finished 15-9 overall. One of those league losses came as sixth-seeded East Providence was upset by 11th-seeded Central in the opening round of the D-I championship tournament. And one of the overall setbacks was suffered in the first round of the Open State Championship event as the 13th-seeded Townies fell to fourth-seeded Hendricken.

“There’s some talent there, no doubt,” EPHS head coach Joe Andrade admitted coyly at first about the ’22-23 edition of the Townies.

He continued, “We come back a year more mature than we were last year. We pretty much return everybody. There was nothing about last year that surprised me. I knew how it would go playing with mostly sophomores and juniors who had little to no varsity experience and with no senior contributors. That’s exactly how the year was going to go, like it or not. We made a lot of mistakes, basically learning on the fly.”

Andrade, who is entering his seventh season at the helm of the program, referred to a few unsatisfactory losses last year to the likes of Classical, Narragansett and Westerly, where East Providence’s lack of understanding and knowledge proved costly.

“There were little things that had nothing to do with basketball that consumed a lot of my time last year,” Andrade admitted. “This year, things are already a lot smoother. Again, they’re more mature and now they have that varsity experience. And the kids that started back in the summer lifting and playing and who played summer league, you can already see the difference.”

Four Townies — junior Trey Rezendes along with seniors Xavier Hazard, Will Winfield and Max Collins — could be difference makers this winter.

Rezendes, who hovers around 6-feet tall, is already gathering interest from top level colleges. The combo point-shooting guard received a scholarship offer this summer from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. The Pioneers vie in the Northeast Conference, which until this year included Bryant University. Bryant moved to the America East Conference with the likes of Vermont in time for the 2022-23 season.

“Trey has worked hard all summer. He wants to win. He studies the game. He’s gotten stronger. I think he has a lot to prove. He’s learned from his mistakes. I think he was a little disappointed with how things ended last year, and I think he has a lot of things to prove to a lot of people,” Andrade said.

As for speculation about Rezendes’ future, whether he will be staying at EPHS or attending a prep school next winter to improve his college prospects, Andrade said, “No one has told me anything…Trey is definitely committed to this team. He’s fully engaged.”

Hazard, a 6-2 swingman, emerged as East Providence’s most consistent scorer last winter. Andrade has been impressed with his steady rise during his four years as a Townie.

“Xavier has the potential to be an All-State caliber player,” Andrade continued. “He can play the one, the two or the three. He shoots it well. He defends. He worked hard in the weight room this summer and you can see it in his explosiveness. He’s getting to the basket, dunking with ease. He’s going to have a big year.”

Collins, a 1-2 guard at 5-10, has also steadily upped his play throughout his time in the program. Last year, his improved ball-handling allowed Rezendes to play off the ball more while his perimeter shooting became more consistent.

“Max has the chance to do special things this year,” Andrade said. “He had a great summer. He’s quick. He’s  shooting it better. He’s matured. He has a chance to do lot of good things.”

In Winfield, the Townies have their “Jack of all trades.” At 6-2, he can guard any position on the floor. He also rebounds, scores when required, takes charges, blocks shots and handles the ball if needed.

“Will is a stretch four, whose shot has gotten better. He plays above the rim. He’s long. He does everything we need him to do,” said Andrade.

Six-foot-three senior Kemerie Dublin is the fifth starter as the season begins. Andrade said Dublin has “worked his butt off this summer in the weight room. He’s stronger. He plays above the rim. He’s made the biggest improvement of anyone since last year.”

All eight of the remaining members of the varsity are expected to see plenty of minutes depending on the opponent and how they’re playing that particular night, according to Andrade.

Senior Jayden Caldwell and sophomore Franklin Lopez are small forwards. Juniors Jayveeon Gonsalves and Derrell Liggins along with sophomores Cristian Torres and Alex Mulamba are guards. Juniors Kenaz Ochgwu and Cameron Evora are the tallest players on the roster and post players.

In Ochgwu, East Providence seemingly has the makings of a star. At 6-7, he’s the biggest of the Townies, but his work ethic hasn’t always matched his size and talent potential.

“Kenaz is working harder. He seems to get it a little more now. He’s running the floor, doing the things we ask of him,” said Andrade, who noted Evora, a 6-3 transfer from LaSalle and a close friend Ochgwu, has “been a good influence on him.”

Once healthy from an injury suffered while a member of the EPHS football team last in the fall, Andrade said Evora will fill an a key role in the squad.

Any newfound grit and guile the Townies display will go a long way in determining how successful they are this winter.

East Providence has been grouped in a four-team subsection in the realigned Division I with LaSalle, Narragansett and East Greenwich. The Townies play those teams home and away for six games and the other 12 teams in the league once for a total of 18 regular season contests.

“There are no cupcakes. LaSalle is LaSalle and Narragansett and East Greenwich play their butts off. They work hard. I have a lot of respect for both programs,” said Andrade. “Then you have Hendricken and Mt. Pleasant is always tough. But the expectation for us is not to lose the kind of games we did last year.”

If the Townies better their results from a season ago, then everything could be in play, including an elusive championship. East Providence has not won a significant boys’ basketball title since the 1975-76 team claimed the last of what is four state championships in school history.

Andrade said he expects to have a good feel of where his team is at the moment and how good they could be when the Townies open up their ’22-23 league slate in Providence against rival LaSalle next Tuesday night, Dec. 13. Tip time in 7 o’clock.

“Right when we go to LaSalle, we’ll have an idea. Granted it’s only one game, but I’m curious to see how we play against LaSalle on the road,” said Andrade.

He continued, “And as for the season, nothing has changed. It’s the same conversation we’ve had for the seven years I’ve been the coach. We want to raise a banner. If you told me this time last year we would go 11-7, I would have said, wow, that was a pretty good year. This year, we’re hoping for something like 15-3, getting a top three seed, getting back to the Open State Tournament and maybe raising a Division I championship banner or an Open championship banner or maybe both. We’ll see how it goes.”

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