Here are the top Sports stories for the week ending Oct. 17 as determined by readers of providencejournal.com .

◘ New England Lightning head coach Jeff Xavier established intense energy during a recent practice in an empty gym at the Pawtucket Boys and Girls Club and had his players diving on the floor. The former Providence College and St. Raphael basketball standout hopes that it will pay off during playoff time for his New England Lightning squad, wrote Journal sportswriter Jacob Rousseau.

Xavier took over Rhode Island’s latest American Basketball Association iteration, in its second season in the league, after a 13-year professional career that ended in 2022. The 40-year-old, like some of his players, is chasing a life in hoops. Xavier saw his playing career extend throughout Eur

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