Their names are in headlines and on social media. Their decisions affect the lives of thousands of athletes. They are successors to icons who once dominated sports in Rhode Island.
Who are the leading sports figures in Rhode Island today? Do we count native sons and daughters who have enjoyed success elsewhere? Do we consider athletes and coaches from afar who have come here and made an impact?
A little of both, I have decided. Who reigns today? Here are my picks.
Joe Mazzulla
OK, Johnston’s favorite son does not live in Johnston any longer. So what! He coached the Boston Celtics to their 18th NBA championship last June, right? He referenced his Rhode Island roots often and returned this summer toting the handsome Larry O’Brien Trophy to the State House steps in Providence, didn’t he? He posed for pictures and signed autographs as the local boy made good should.
And the experts who make a lot of money knowing about such things favor the Celtics to do it all again next spring. We’ll see about that. For now, Joe Mazzulla is our No. 1 prominent sports figure.
Think about it. The Johnston kid who starred for a basketball powerhouse in high school, Bishop Hendricken, and a solid program in college, West Virginia, reached the pinnacle in only his second season as an NBA head coach.
At 36 he joins Naismith Hall of Famers Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, and Bill Fitch plus Doc Rivers as Celtics coaches responsible for those banners hanging in the TD Garden rafters.
Stunning, would you agree?
Mazzulla’s star may fade with time — staying on top is harder than getting there —but this fall his is the brightest light shining above Rhode Island and New England.
Kim English
Normally the head coach of Providence College men’s basketball would hold the top spot on the list of prominent Rhode Island sports figures. Not this year. Kim English’s Friars were 21-14, 10-10 in the Big East last season, his first in Providence after Ed Cooley had departed for Georgetown. The Friars earned an NIT bid. Good for them. The problem is, we expect more from PC basketball than a bid to the NCAA’s second-tier tournament.
Let’s face it. Ever since Joe Mullaney took the 1960s Friars to the NIT — when it meant something — and Dave Gavitt followed with the Final Four team of Ernie DiGregorio, Marvin Barnes and Kevin Stacom — the Friars have been our pro team. They play in the best basketball conference in the country, call the biggest arena in Little Rhody home and fill the Amica Pavilion at least several times a season. Season tickets are sold out for the third consecutive year.
Other prominent names include University of Rhode Island women’s basketball coach Tammi Reiss, Providence College Athletic Director Steve Napolillo, University of Rhode Island Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn, Rhode Island Interscholastic League Director Mike Lunney and sports journalist Kevin McNamara.
This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.
