Mt. Hope unified champs recognized at RWU hoops halftime

By Manuel C. "Manny" Correira
Posted 11/27/18

The reputation of the Mt. Hope High School Unified basketball team continues to grow, even in the off-season. Head coach Tom Fullen is the man behind the team’s growing popularity and success, …

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Mt. Hope unified champs recognized at RWU hoops halftime

Posted

The reputation of the Mt. Hope High School Unified basketball team continues to grow, even in the off-season. Head coach Tom Fullen is the man behind the team’s growing popularity and success, and people are taking notice.

This past weekend, the Mt. Hope athletes and partners were honored during a halftime ceremony at a Roger Williams University women’s basketball game, and Coach Fullen couldn’t have been more proud.

“These kids deserve a lot of credit for the effort they put forth each and every game,” he noted. “RWU Coach Kelly Thompson wanted to do something special for our team. So, she arranged this special honor for us.”
“Coach Fullen has been a fixture at our games for a while,” said Coach Thompson, “and in the last few years, I've been able to support his team at Mt. Hope as well. The Huskies were fun to watch and worked hard to win their championship. I wanted to give the community an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishment and get some well-deserved recognition.”

The Huskies were introduced to the fans during halftime of the Roger Williams-Rhode Island College women’s basketball game on Sunday. Those in attendance roared their approval.

The Mt. Hope Huskies Unified team captured the 2018 Rhode Island state championship by beating Woonsocket in the title game, 47-34, at La Salle Academy. It was the school’s first unified basketball state title.

“This was the best team I’ve had,” said Coach Fullen, “and we’ve had some pretty good ones in the half dozen or so years I’ve been coaching. It was so enjoyable to watch these kids. It gives me so much pleasure.”
Coach Fullen has been a strong advocate of unified basketball and the excitement it brings, not only to the players, but fans as well.

“I think more people should come and support these kids,” he offered. “They get so excited, and conversely, so do the fans.”

The Unified basketball season usually runs from March until the end of May, according to the coach, with games played every Wednesday starting at 3:30 p.m.

The coach’s eyes light up at the mere prospect of what’s in store this upcoming season.

“We’re only losing two players from last year’s team, so we should be decent once again,” he noted. “But, you never know. There are some good teams around the state and anything can happen.”
Unified team members include Sierra Maturi, Drew Tyska, Olivia Medeiros, Ben Teves, Sam Ward, Mylan Jackson, Pat Fraime, Mike Medeiros, Samantha Russell, Emily Medeiros, Thea Brum, Jake Holt, Nick Fartura, Isaiah Ferro, Greg Giroux, and Carolina Barboza.

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.