RI College Basketball Report: Sorrentine Promoted, Ledo Postpones Presser
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
-With all of the talk about Ricky Ledo these past few days, another former local great made some news on Tuesday.
Former St. Ray’s star guard T.J. Sorrentine was promoted to the position of associate head coach of the Brown men’s basketball program according to head coach Jesse Agel. “I have had the pleasure of having coached and mentored T J for the last 10 years as a player and assistant coach,” Agel said. “He has given everything to this program since his arrival three years ago, and this promotion is well deserved. It will only be a matter of time before he becomes a head coach.”
I couldn’t agree more with that last statement by Agel. Sorrentine has the stuff that great coaches are made of. The son of a coach (Tom Sorrentine @ St. Ray’s), T.J. always played the game the way it was meant to be played. He was a standout player at the University of Vermont where he will always be remembered for his clutch 3-pointer in overtime which upset Syracuse in the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBut more than that, he knows the game inside and out. When the Brown Bears play a game where he has scouted the opponent, it is noticeable how well they are prepared. He has a great eye for talent when recruiting players to Brown and relates to the kids on the team as well as any coach I have ever seen.
Well done, T.J.! Your promotion is well deserved.
-PC Friar fans will have to wait for Ricky Ledo to officially commit to the Friars. The Providence native has called off his Thursday press conference for the time being. Ledo wants to go to PC but, as is the case with many high profile recuits with pro potential, he has many people advising him and some are telling him to wait on officially commiting to any school. Sometimes that can be good advice for a youngster, while other times it can lead to unpleasant things. Let's hope it's the former and not the latter.
-First it was Kris Dunn, and soon it should be Ricky Ledo. And GoLocalProv.com is hearing that 6’-9” power forward Zach Auguste could be the next to commit to PC. Like Dunn and Ledo, the New Hampton Prep big man is apparently a big fan of Friars new head coach Ed Cooley.
As we said here following his introductory press conference at PC, Cooley is a leader and a motivator of men. If you have ever talked to the man, it is easy to understand why he is capable of doing a great job of selling himself and Providence College to potential recruits. The man has “it.”
-Rhody fans can say what they want about head coach Jim Baron, but don’t accuse the man of playing a soft non conference schedule. Baron has never shied away from the competition out of conference and this year is no different. Among the Rams non league opponents are Texas, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Providence and Boston College.
Baron’s teams traditionally play well out of the gates which is a testimony to how well prepared they are thanks to his intense style of coaching. However, some argue that the intensity may also be responsible for late season slumps which have cost the program numerous chances at making the NCAA tournament. Sometimes you have to know when to take your foot off the gas pedal or when your team needs a break.
What makes this non conference schedule so interesting is the fact that Baron has only 3 years left on his contract and many believe that he has to secure and NCAA Tournament bid to warrant any further extensions from Athletic Director Thor Bjiorn. The bad news is that by putting together such a tough non conference schedule, racking up the wins may be difficult for the Rams. However, the good news is that if they win 3 or 4 of those games, that will help their resume come Selection Sunday. That is, provided they take care of business in the Atlantic 10.
-It’s year #4 for Tim O’Shea at Bryant University. Is this the year that the Bulldogs take a major leap forward? Some would argue that they took a nice step forward last year when they won 4 straight conference games last January which began a stretch that saw them win 7 of 11 in the NEC. Led by junior guard Frankie Dobbs and sophomore forward Alex Francis, the Bulldogs should make some noise this season in Smithfield.
