Men’s Basketball Wraps Up Season Under First-Year Head Coach Mike Romano
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“We battled, we worked through some adversity, but most of all we set a foundation for the program to be successful in the near future” said Coach Mike Romano following the end of his first season as head coach of the Community College of Rhode Island Knights.
The Knights finished the season 10-13 overall and 9-13 in Region XXI play, narrowly missing the playoffs on tie-breakers. Jayden Desimone (Providence, RI) was named 2nd Team All-Region XXI for his efforts. “He did everything for us. It was a tough year in some regards for him. He really had to step out of his comfort zone in a lot of ways, but he is a heck of a player and will definitely make a four-year program better.” Romano said about Jayden, adding “He is going through the recruiting process figuring out the best fit for him and we are helping him with that.”
Sophomore guard Ibrahim Doumbouya (Pawtucket, RI) has committed to Thomas College in Maine. “We are super happy for IB. Getting our guys recruited to continue their education and their basketball careers is the one of the reasons we are here.” Romano added. More Knights are expected to commit to four-year colleges in the coming weeks.
“We got better as the year went on.” Romano said, discussing the season as a whole. “We did a lot of really good things. Unfortunately, a big chunk of the progress we made was program stuff behind the scenes. It doesn’t show up in the win-loss column, but we straightened a lot of things out and I feel good about where we are as a college basketball program going into the off-season.”
The Knights’ coaching staff was a fixture at high school games throughout the state this season, looking to bolster next year’s roster with the best local talent. “This Rhode Island high school senior class is quite good. We are lucky in that regard. Excited with some of the guys who have committed already and expressed interest. And adding them to the guys we have coming back will be nice, too.” Coach Romano is not able to comment specifically on commitments until students have registered for classes, though he did add “We’ve got some hungry guys coming in. We should be deeper, more athletic and more aggressive on both sides of the ball next season.”
First year student-athlete Logan Voelker (Coventry, RI) had a standout year before being hobbled by an ankle injury down the stretch run. Voelker averaged 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting over 50% from 3. Coach Romano commented, “Logan developed a ton over this year. He came in ready to contribute and kept getting better as the year went on. The injury was unfortunate, but these things happen. He has a bright future.”
Other returners slated to be back for the 2025-26 season include Davante Abney (Pawtucket, RI), Reilly Bennett (Smithfield, RI) and Jayse De Los Santos (Providence, RI). “The returners are a good base. They all played meaningful minutes this season. They’ve been through it. It’s early, but I am excited about what the roster could look like next year.”
Be sure to follow CCRI Men’s Basketball on Instagram at @ccrimbb - Student-athletes interested in joining the men’s basketball team should reach out to Coach Romano at mromano6@ccri.edu for information.