EAST GREENWICH — It’s pretty easy to get Joe Hassett to spin a basketball story. It’s even easier when the subject is either of his two most cherished mementos.
When the career of a successful athlete ends, the only things left are the memories and, hopefully, some hardware. Hassett, the former Providence College hoop star and the greatest shooter Little Rhody ever produced, has some serious hardware.
As Hassett watches coach Ed Cooley and a few of his current Friars chase a medal at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, he looks across his TV room and sees a prized possession shimmering in a bookcase.