Led by Yankee, Johnston readies for jump to D-II

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For the last two seasons, the Johnston boys’ basketball team has encountered nothing but success.

The Panthers made it all the way to the Division III final two seasons ago, and they earned their first-ever state tournament nod last winter following a 16-1 regular season.

And, although Johnston will make the jump from D-III to D-II this season, it expects to be in contention for a division championship once again with a strong returning core.

“We have experienced guys coming back,” first-year Johnston head coach Ed Bedrosian said of this year’s group. “Our goal is to win our division and get to the state tournament. We’re not setting any goals less than winning a division championship.”

Johnston’s most significant returner is senior shooting guard Ryan Yankee, who paced the Panthers offensively during his sophomore and junior seasons.

Yankee has amassed 1,025 points in just three seasons in a Johnston uniform, netting a division-high 437 points last season while averaging 19 points per game.

Bedrosian once again expects big things from Yankee this season playing a division up.

“He’s going to be a big part of our scoring,” Bedrosian said of Yankee. “He’s gotten a lot stronger physically, so he should help us on the boards and on defense this season as well. He’s just a tough matchup for other teams because he can score at the basket and hit the open jump shot.”

All of the scoring weight won’t rest on Yankee’s shoulders, though. Johnston will bring back seniors Nas Vasquez and Mike Sabitoni, too, who have also proven to be dynamic scorers throughout their high school careers.

Senior Kyle Nelson will start at the five for Johnston, playing down low, while fellow seniors Nicholas Mollicone and Bobby Russo will also log big minutes at guard.

Those six seniors will bring valuable experience to the court, but, after that, Bedrosian is looking for other players to step up and play complementary roles.

“We’re experienced, but not very deep,” Bedrosian said. “I’m still looking for people to step up.”

In addition to the six aforementioned players, seniors Jaxon Tavares, Noah Jean-Laurent, Mike Pilkington and Cody Chalifoux, who is nursing himself back from an undisclosed injury, are in the mix for minutes, as are juniors Andrew Saker and Andrew Zalisk.

Dan Mazzulla, who coached Ferri Middle School last season, will coach alongside Bedrosian this season. He’ll bring a wealth of basketball knowledge to the program, helping out at both the junior varsity and varsity levels.

“I couldn’t ask for a better assistant to help us along,” Bedrosian said. “I’m looking forward to a new system going forward.”

Johnston will open its season with an Injury Fund game on Friday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Division I Woonsocket.

The Panthers will then play in the Pink Madness Classic on Saturday and Sunday at Ponaganset High School. They’re scheduled to play Davies at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Ponaganset at 5:15 p.m. on Sunday.

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