Providence, R.I.—Rhode Island College has named Elliott Butcher, Denzel Washington and Adam Wilensky as assistant men's basketball coaches. The trio will assist Head Coach Sam Ferry in all phases of the RIC men's basketball program.
 
ELLIOTT BUTCHER
"I could not be more grateful that Coach Butcher is joining our staff here at Rhode Island College," Ferry said. "He is a trusted coach and a mentor of mine, who has also served the Providence community over the last 19 years as a respected coach, teacher and entrepreneur. His experience and guidance will not only make me a better head coach, but will also impact our student-athletes in a life-changing way. We will all be better with Coach Butcher at our side."
 
Butcher most recently led the Central Falls High School track program from 2016-2018 as their Head Boys Track Coach. From 2005-2012, Butcher worked at the Moses Brown School, in Providence. As the Head Boys Basketball Coach from 2005-2012, he won a pair of Rhode Island Division III state championships in 2008 and 2009, as well as back-to-back RIBCA Championship Coach of the Year awards. Starting one year prior, in 2004, and continuing through 2012, Butcher was the head track and field coach at Moses Brown. Under his leadership and coaching, his student-athletes won the NEPSAC All New England Championship in the Boys 100m event (2007, 2010, 2011), the Boys 4x100m relay (2011), and Boys 4x400m Relay (2005). In total, Butcher developed and coached 53 individual league champions, 11 relay champions, and five All New England champions. His track and field programs earned team recognition as well, as the SENE Track and Field League Champions for the boys (2009 & 2010) and for the girls (2009, 2010, and 2011). 
 
A highly sought-after trainer, Butcher has run SRS Basketball Training since 1991, directed basketball training clinics for the Garner Road AAU program in Raleigh, North Carolina (Fall 2012, Summer 2015) and directed the Skills Champ Basketball Camp here in Rhode Island during the summer of 2010. Butcher also coached at Monmouth University's Summer Basketball Camp each summer, from 2012 to 2015.
 
As a teacher, Butcher has taught in local classrooms at the Veazie Street and Young Woods Elementary Schools, as well as at Times Squared Academy. 
 
Butcher has impacted the local community in a variety of ways over the last 10-plus years. From 2010-2013 he served as the Director of Teen Programs for the Boys and Girls Club of Providence. He then went on to serve as the Substance Abuse Counselor at the Discovery House from 2015-2021. And finally, from February 2019 to March 2020, he served as the Community Liaison for the Foster Care and Adoption Program at Communities 4 People, Inc.
 
Butcher is a veteran of the famed Rucker tournament, "Goat" Tournament and City Wide Tournaments in New York. As a Division I collegiate athlete at the University of Rhode Island, Butcher competed in track for all four years and served as the captain his senior year. 
 
He earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Rhode Island in 1980.
 
DENZEL WASHINGTON
Washington joins Ferry's inaugural staff as an established coach and recruiter. "We are thrilled that Denzel is joining our men's basketball program here at Rhode Island College," Ferry said. "Not only is he an experienced coach with tremendous recruiting, but he is also eager and grateful for the opportunity. Simply put, we hit a home run hiring Denzel Washington on our staff."
 
Washington arrives at Rhode Island College having spent the last six years at The Woodstock Academy in Connecticut. Starting in 2017 as an assistant coach, Washington was involved in nearly every aspect of running one of the premier prep school programs in New England. He assisted with developing practice plans, game plans and with scouting opponents. He spearheaded their recruitment efforts and then helped those student-athletes continue on to careers at the Division I, Division II, Division III, Junior College, and professional levels.
 
From 2019-2022, Washington served as the head coach of Woodstock Academy's Blue Team. He oversaw a staff of assistant coaches and athletic trainers, as well as school staff to coordinate the daily operations of the program. That three-year run culminated in a Power 5 AA championship in 2021-2022. 
 
Washington's impact extends beyond the court, as an advocate for social justice. In July of 2021, Woodstock Academy named Washington its first Director of Equity and Inclusion. Charged with developing a program to keep the school focused on the issue of equity and inclusion, Washington continues in that role today. He is also the Director of Education for the Theta Iota Lamba Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. In that role, Washington has developed education programming events and activities to increase and improve educational outcomes. He has also conduced conferences and facilitated scholarship opportunities for inner-city youth. 
 
Washington was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychological science with a minor in history from Fitchburg State in 2017. Washington is currently working on his master's degree in leadership/management from Fitchburg State.
 
ADAM WILENSKY
"Adam embodies everything we value in our program," Ferry said. "He is humble, he is hungry and he is selfless. Not only will Adam's energy and initiative have an immediate impact on our program, but he will also make everyone around him better."
 
As an undergraduate student, Adam served as a student manager for the UMass women's basketball program. Adam supported the coaches with practice setup and execution, advanced analytical breakdowns and in-game support. Adam grew under Head Coach Tory Verdi's leadership from 2021-2023, during which time the team had their first NCAA berth since 1998, an Atlantic 10 regular season title and recorded a record-breaking 27 wins during their 2022-2023 campaign. 
 
Wilensky boasts a diverse work experience, which includes a stint as a national operations intern for 3Step Sports (Summer 2022), as the marketing chair for the Pioneer Valley Tip Off (2019-2021) and served on a design team that implemented innovative ideas for the renovation of UMass Hockey's $2 million locker room. His experience extends overseas where he worked as a data analyst for the company Playform. 
 
A Massachusetts native, Wilensky graduated from Needham High School in 2019. He earned a bachelor's degree in both sport management and Spanish linguistics from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) in 2023.