Sports in RI: Johnston’s Ava Waterman Emerging as a Coaching Talent to Watch – John Cardullo

by John Cardullo, sportswriter

It was back in 2024 when Ava Waterman was a 3-sport athlete at Johnston High School, helping the Lady Panthers to a play-off appearance in soccer and softball and making a state championship appearance at The AMP in basketball when the Lady Panthers lost to Hope High School in basketball.

Two short years later Waterman is back, but this time the 20-year-old is leading the Ferri Middle School Jaguars on the court in basketball and on the softball field – as their coach.

Waterman, who is currently enrolled at Rhode Island College has her post college eye on a career in sports management. “I would like to begin as a basketball coach before moving on to a front office position,” Waterman told me in our interview. Growing up in Johnston, she played soccer, basketball and softball in town leagues. Johnston is a “hot bed” of youth sports, where most athletes go on to play in several sports as they grow older. By the time they enter middle school, most athletes pretty much have an idea where their athletic careers will lead.

For Ava, she was going to be a Panther both on and off the field of competition, with never a doubt in her mind. “I played on travel teams in both basketball and softball. In basketball it was the Ocean State Panthers and in softball it was the Rhode Island Rampage and then the Scituate Cyclones. I played soccer to stay in shape for when basketball and softball came around!”

Known as the teammate that kept everyone on the team loose and laughing with a witty sense of humor, she was the team leader when it came to gameday performance. She was named All-Division in basketball her senior year and a key player to the team’s run for the championship.

After graduating Johnston High School in 2024, Waterman was off to Rhode Island College. Choosing not to play any sports, she was focusing on her studies and plotting out her career. She heard that Ferri Middle School was looking for a new girls’ basketball coach. She reached out to the Athletic Director, Justin Erickson, about the position and was a bit surprised that he was open to the idea.

“Being only 20 years old, he felt that there was enough of an age gap between myself and the players that they could relate to me without being intimidated and not too chummy. It would not have worked if it were the high school team.”

Up until this point, Ava coached in the Johnston boys’ recreation league. Coaching a girls’ middle school basketball team was going to prove to be a different challenge. Her calm and controlled coaching style appealed to her team, and they responded by going undefeated with a 10-0 regular season record and winning their division. In the play-offs the Jaguars went 1-1, finishing with an impressive 11-1 record in her first year as a head coach.

Before the basketball season was over, Waterman heard that the Ferri Middle School softball coach was not returning for the 2026 season, so she decided to apply for that coaching position. She was named the head coach of the softball team, giving her time to prepare from going from the basketball season right into the softball season.

Waterman has tapped into the experiences that she has had as a player and with her coaches to form her own coaching style. “In soccer I had Tony Scavetti, whose soft-spoken style I really admired, in basketball, Jhamal Diggs was a positive, instructional based coach who would apply life lessons into his coaching style and Dave Iannclli stressed basic fundamentals and confidence in his players, as the foundation of his style.” Waterman said.

“I want to create a positive environment while making a lasting impact on each player. I want the players to enjoy themselves and to have fun playing as well,” she goes on to say, “I would like to become a better coach, and I intend to go to coaching clinics, conferences and work camps. It would be difficult to ask the players to give me their best and not give them mine!”

At only 20 years old, Ava Waterman is a young coach worth watching as she climbs up the coaching ladder. She would like to get to the high school level and even perhaps the college level. Her future is bright, and the Town of Johnston has high hopes that she will be a success. As of right now her coaching career is off to a fine start!

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Photos: Kimberly Cook

John Cardullo, sportswriter. John is a lifelong Rhode Islander. His sports experience is extensive, as a player, coach and sponsor of youth and high school sports. He has been the Public Address Announcer for the CCRI Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams. Both the Cranston East and Cranston West football, Cranston East Boys and Girls basketball for 12 years before moving onto the Central, Juanita Sanchez and Mt. Pleasant football teams. Also, Central HS Boys and Girls Basketball, Scituate High School Boys and Girls Basketball, Johnston High School Girls Basketball, Boys Volleyball, Girls Softball, Boys and Girls Soccer teams, and CLCF football.

John has been involved in Men’s softball for 61 years, starting as a batboy for his father’s team in 1964. He moved to the teams scorekeeper then became a player in 1975, and created the men’s team, Players Corner Pub, that went on to win 20 State Championships in their 35 year history. In the 1990’s he published the statewide softball magazine “The Fielders Choice”which was dedicated to all topics related to adult softball. As a feature writer, John and the publication won several media awards. In 2019 he was elected and inducted into the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame which he also helped create. John is a softball umpire in Warwick, Rhode Island.

In his spare time John golfs with his life long friends in season. After retiring from the printing Industry after a 45-year career, he now writes specialty sports columns for  RINewsToday.com, and is still actively engaged in the high school sports scene.