La Salle Academy returns three all-division players to earn No. 1 ranking. Also watch for Barrington, St. Raphael Academy, Portsmouth and Moses Brown in the Rhode Island #MaxPrepsFab5.
Moses Brown seeks to be one of the best teams in the state this year.
Photo by Mike Braca
2015-16 Rhode Island Preseason Girls Basketball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard
1. La Salle Academy (Providence)
Head coach: Sean Reddy
2014-15 record: 15-10
The Rams had a very young team last year, but they still managed to reach the championship game of the state tournament. Three all-division players return, including senior
Sloane Heterick, a second team pick, and junior
Allyson Desrosiers, a third team pick.
See last season's Rhode Island girls basketball computer rankings2. Barrington
Head coach: Stephen Lenz
2014-15 record: 23-2
The Eagles won the Division 1 state championship, but fell in the second round of the state tournament to Sanchez Complex. Barrington will miss Gatorade State Player of the Year Sarah MIddleton, but all-state second team selection
Grace Coutu, a junior center, returns. Barrington had just three seniors on last year's squad.
See Rhode Island girls basketball pro photo galleries3. St. Raphael Academy (Pawtucket)
Head coach: Fred Saunders
2014-15 record: 25-3
The Saints reached the Division II championship game and lost to Sanchez Complex. Although St. Raphael Academy loses three all-conference players, including all-state selection Danyele Gonzalez, the Saints have won an average of 20 games over the past three seasons and return 14 letter winners.
See last season's Rhode Island girls basketball playoff brackets4. Portsmouth
Head coach: Jeff Goss
2014-15 record: 10-13
The Patriots had a losing record last year, but they do return one of the state's top players in senior
Haley Alves, who was the lone underclassman on the Providence Journal's all-state team. She averaged 16.2 points per game while playing forward.
See last season's Rhode Island girls basketball stat leaders5. Moses Brown (Providence)
Head coach: Laurie Center
2014-15 record: 18-5
The Quakers reached the semifinals of the Division II playoffs before losing to eventual champion Sanchez Complex. Moses Brown returns a pair of all-conference players in
Oluchi Ezemma and
Isabelle Robinson. Ezemma averaged nine points per game as a freshman while Robinson posted eight points an outing. Six of the Quakers' top eight scorers return from last year.
