Ernie D. — 23 Who Made a Difference in RI in 2023
GoLocalProv Sports Team
Ernie D. — 23 Who Made a Difference in RI in 2023
GoLocal News Editor Kate Nagle was the first to report on Ernie D.’s resurgence, not on the court but at the bookstore.
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Nagle wrote in mid-November:
Ernie D. was a basketball wizard and a showman.
He was that undersized high school star from North Providence who went from playing in sleepy Rhode Island high school gyms to being the rookie of the year in the NBA.
Along the way, he and another Rhode Island basketball phenom, Marvin Barnes, led Providence College to the Final Four.
But those are the legendary headlines — Ernie D’s new book “Star with a Broken Heart” goes deeper, he says.
The book explores the relationship between him, Barnes, and their legendary Providence College coach, Dave Gavitt. Maybe no one has had as big an impact on college basketball as Gavitt, who helped to create the Big East and establish the mega-TV contracts with cable TV.
“This is a human story. It’s unique. We’ve got some people who are very interesting. It’s all about our personal experiences on and off the court, three different people who came from Rhode Island and came together,” said DiGregorio said in an interview with Nagle.
“It’s also a sad story, they were my family. I was fortunate to have a great coach in Dave Gaviitt. When they [Gavitt and Barnes] died, I lost my basketball family," said DiGregorio. "It’s really a book written to be a movie.”
For "Ernie D," the storied NBA career was cut short — just five years — due to a knee injury.
He is now 72; for all of us who saw him play, he will forever be 21.