Meet the Coaching Team...
Todd French Jr
Director
Todd French Jr. Started the RI Knights in April of 2018 with one team at the age of 22. Now at 28 years old, the program has grown from one team to having teams in grades 2-12th grade!
Todd, was a 4 year starter on the varsity basketball team at Ponaganset High School. After high school he went to college and got his associates degree and was part of the CCRI basketball team in 2015-2016 who won a region 21 championship.
The passion and energy Director Todd French brings is unmatched. The coaching staff that the knights have built are great! The Knights put the players and parents first!
Thank you for believing in the RI Knights, because if it wasnt for all of you the program would not be where it is today!
Contact Todd:
Email: RhodeIslandKnightsbasketball@gmail.com
Phone: 401-749-8092
Nicholas Sherman, Assistant Director
Coach Nick has been with the RI Knights program for the past 3 seasons. His experience includes multiple years coaching for the Burrillville Youth Basketball Association, as well as 4 extremely successful seasons as the Burrillville Middle School Boys Basketball Head Coach. Coach Nick is also a Physical and Health Education teacher at North Smithfield Middle School
Coach Mark Livingston
4 year varsity Player Johnston High school 1998-2001
All division honors senior year 2001
Coventry JV head coach varsity assistant 2009- 2014
Johnston High school Varsity Assistant coach 2014-current
Head coach 2020-2021 year
D3 State Finals Runner up 2016, 2019
D2 State Championship 2023
Mark has a bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Hartford . Mark is currently a Rescue Lieutenant on the Johnston Fire department. Mark resides in Glocester RI with his wife son and daughter.
Coach Ben Mongeon
Coach Ben Mongeon has been involved with the game of basketball for over 30 years. He played middle school basketball in Burrillville and was a three year varsity player at Woonsocket High School where he captained a state finalist team. After high school he played college basketball for head coach Vin Cullen at CCRI. Ben has played on teams in Men’s leagues throughout RI and Massachusetts winning multiple championships in Blackstone, Smithfield, Lincoln, Woonsocket, Warwick and Burrillville throughout the years. He has stayed involved with the game with refereeing and coaching as well. As a coach he’s led teams to RI travel and AAU league championships. He’s coached camps at CCRI, Brandeis University, and currently coaches at the Boston Celtics Marcus Smart YGC Academy summer and winter clinics.
Coach Tyler Cicione
Coach Tyler Cicione, has been coaching with the program for 3 years now. He played 4 years of highschool basketball at Coventry highschool, and 2 years of college basketball at the Community College of Rhode Island and Bristol Community College. He also is a former RI Knights player!
Coach Jon Rollins
Jon Rollins is in his first year with RI Knights. He currently coaches in Coventry at both the recreational, summer, and competitive levels. He also has coached the Ponaganset Middle School boy's basketball team and assisted with the Ponaganset Hoops camp. He is now a Grade 7 Science teacher at Ponaganset Middle School and a consultant at EdtechTeacher. He is excited to be part of the Knights!
Coach Jamie LaRose
Jamie LaRose, played AAU basketball in the state of RI from 1993-1998 in the Breakers organization. She attended the University of New Hampshire where she competed as a division 1 athlete in the sport of tennis. She graduated from Plymouth State University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. A strong background in skill development has aided her several years serving as the director of the Summer Hoops Camp in Northern RI. Her love for community motivates her to give back serving on the Town of Glocester Recreational Commission as well as the Instructional Coordinator and travel coach for the Ponaganset Girls & Boys Basketball Associations. Additionally she has volunteered as a coach in the West Warwick Girls Basketball outdoor summer league for over a decade.
In 2003, she was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame for being a member of the Ponaganset HS Girls Basketball Team of 1995-6. This team had an overall record of 25-2, ranked 4th in the “New England Top 10” on NESN. The Journal Bulletin named Ponaganset Girls Basketball from the 1990’s as part of the Top 100 Best of 20th Century in Local Sports for over 150 straight wins and 10 straight State Championships. She was inducted into the Ponaganset Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Coach LaRose has been coaching youth sports for the RIIL and RIPCOA for 20 years in Basketball, Tennis, Volleyball and Fast Pitch Softball. As the head coach of the Ponaganset Middle School Girls Basketball Team between 2003 and 2018 she amassed 180 wins and only 55 losses for a 77% winning rate that included 5 Division Championships(2008, 2009, 2010, 2017, 2018) and 1 RI State Championship (2010).
The philosophy developed in her experiences as an athlete and coach in a variety of sports is based on the idea that success is related to effort and found in the journey of hard work striving toward victory. Success is the equivalent of learning valuable life skills, enjoying the game, and learning from mistakes.Sportsmanship, team chemistry, and playing with class are of the utmost importance on all of Coach LaRose’s teams.
Coach Rick Caputo
Rick has coached in the Scituate Youth Basketball Association since 2019 for several rec teams and recently was the 3rd grade boys travel team head coach. As a coach, Rick hopes that the players will develop the same love for the game of basketball that he has. His goals are to help the players improve their skills, learn the value of teamwork and sportsmanship, and that through dedication and hard work you can accomplish your goals as a team
Coach Armando Batastini
Coach Armando Batastini has been coaching basketball most of his adult life, from developmental youth teams through high school, and is a licensed USA Basketball Gold Coach. He has coached with the Rhode Island Knights for the past three years. Coach Batastini was a member of back-to-back state champion Classical High School basketball teams, and is a member of the Classical Athletic Hall of Fame. He is also a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where he was an All-American collegiate boxer. He and his family live in Harmony, and his son is currently a part of the Rhode Island Knights program.
Coach Kyle Cullen
Kyle was a two time all division athlete at Ponaganset High School for basketball. Kyle is a former RI Knight. Kyle attends the Community College of Rhode Island and plays on the CCRI Knights.
Coach Jim Batista
Introducing Jim Batista, a dedicated youth basketball coach for the Rhode Island Knights, where the love for the game meets mentorship. With a decade of military service under Jimmy’s belt, discipline and teamwork are ingrained in every coaching strategy. On and off the court, Jimmy fosters a spirit of collaboration, honed through years of military camaraderie. Beyond victories and defeats, Jimmy strives to instill values of resilience and unity in young athletes, shaping not just skilled players but future leaders both in sports and life.
Coach Drew
Former 2 year Varsity Player at Bishop Hendricken High School under Jamal Gomes (2013-2015). Former 2 year Varsity Player under Tom Campbell at Coventry High School (2015-2017). RIIL 2013-2014. State Champion 2016-2017. RIBCA All-Star 1st Team All-Division 2016-2017. 1st Team All- League 2016-2017. 2nd Team All-League 2015-2016. Former Division II Junior College basketball player at CCRI under Coach Harris, Josh Perry, and Andy Jackson (2017-2019). 19th Ranked Three Point Shooter in the Country at the Junior College level, shooting 44.6% in 2017-2018. Assistant Coach for Coventry High School Boys Basketball Varsity (2022-Present). Intern for TJL Training Facilities located in Lowell, and Woburn, Massachusetts. Player Development for Team Unknown (Jr Expressions) (2021). Graduated with an Associates Degree in General Studies from CCRI. Graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Business from the University of Rhode Island with a focus on Social Media Marketing. I am now a full time performance focused/ player development basketball trainer, known as DFPerformance. I use high level, proven and structured workout plans to make an immediate and long lasting impact. I am someone who is very passionate about the game of basketball. Always studying. Always watching. Always playing. I have lived in a gym my entire life. I have been playing from a young age since my Scituate days at 6-7 years old all the way to me playing college basketball at CCRI. I have had some amazing teammates throughout my years that have really molded me into the person I am today. That’s exactly why I am excited to be apart of the knights family. The way Todd speaks so highly of his players only makes me more motivated!