High school hoops coaches select East Providence's Pina first-team All-State

Averaged a "double-double" for the Townies this past winter

By Mike Rego
Posted 4/1/20

EAST PROVIDENCE — East Providence High School’s Richard “R.J.” Pina has been chosen by the Rhode Island Basketball Coaches Association as a first-team All-State performer for …

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High school hoops coaches select East Providence's Pina first-team All-State

Averaged a "double-double" for the Townies this past winter

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — East Providence High School’s Richard “R.J.” Pina has been chosen by the Rhode Island Basketball Coaches Association as a first-team All-State performer for the 2019-20 season.

Pina, a senior guard/small forward, led the Townies to a 21-6 overall record, 13-5 in the Division I regular season, the latter of which was a program best since 1978-79.

He averaged a “double-double” of a team-best 19.7 points per game and 10 rebounds per game.

“It’s awesome,” said EPHS head coach Joe Andrade. “The coaches who voted matter. They see the games and know what’s going on. It was the best thing the coaches association came up with because The (Providence) Journal All-State team isn’t always correct.”

Pina was joined on the first team Shea's Erickson Bans, who set the state's all-time career points record this winter, North Kingstown's Clay Brochu, Hendricken's Sebastian Thomas, who spent part of his youth in East Providence, and Smithfield's Matt Lasalandra.

“R.J. played very well," Andrade added. "He got a lot stronger and more confident from his junior year. He was the kid every team focused on, so he was ‘the guy’ on our team no doubt about it.”

Bans led the state in scoring at 30.3 ppg. The Bryant University-bound guard finished his career with 2,480 points, besting the previous mark of 2,471 set in 1999 by St. Raphael’s Robert Griffin.

Thomas was third in the state at 23.5 and tops on the D-I champion Hawks. Lasalandra averaged 21.1 ppg for the Sentinels and Brochu 19.5 for the Skippers, who lost to Hendricken in the D-I title game.

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MIKE REGO

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.