Pier School Tips Off Tuesday Against Slater in Boys Basketball Finals

The Narragansett Pier School boys’ basketball team will attempt to make history Tuesday, for itself and its head coach, when it goes up against Slater Middle School of Pawtucket 7 p.m. at the Bay View Academy for the middle school basketball state championship.

According to information researched by Pier School Athletic Director Mike Millen, the school only has one previous basketball championship — when it was still a junior high school at the high school in 1984.

This is also head coach Tom Tessitore’s first chance at the championship. As Providence Journal columnist Bill Reynolds wrote several years ago, “Tess” is one of “basketball’s unsung heroes” in Rhode Island.

Millen said the 15-year coach of the Pier School squad has been to the middle school final four three times, but this is his first shot at the championship with the school. He has won divisional titles in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009 and this year.

Tessitore’s last trip to the final four was in 2004. That year, illness conspired against him, as Jay Jeannotte missed the game because he was sick. He finished his high school career in 2009 as the Gatorade Player of the Year, and plays college baseball for Boston College, so it’s safe to assume he would have made a difference in the game.

Other notes and storylines for Tuesday’s game:

• If Narragansett can beat Slater, it’ll be the third-straight win against an undefeated team. Slater is 15-0 including the playoffs, and is outscoring opponents by an average of 19.9 points per game. Narragansett is 17-5, and beat previously undefeated and in the previous rounds of the playoffs.
• Because the teams play in different divisions, there isn’t much to compare the two squads. The teams did not play any common opponents. Tessitore watched Slater’s final four win over North Cumberland, 61-43, and Slater coaches were on hand to watch Narragansett beat Barrington 56-49. However, the two teams are otherwise unfamiliar with one another.
• If you want to win a championship in Narragansett, it might help to have an Iannucci on your team. In the fall, Jaclyn Iannucci was part of , and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Her little brother Steven is a reserve for the middle school basketball team, and also for wanting to play the final at Bay View.
• As with all playoff contests, admission is charged. Typically, it’s about $5 for adults and $2 for students. Plan accordingly! You can find directions to the Bay View Academy, which is in Riverside (East Providence), here.
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