As a longtime educator the main focus of Ed Heroux’s professional career has been helping young people develop life skills.

But apparently the veteran La Salle boys basketball coach also has done a good job helping teenagers develop their basketball skills. Last week, Heroux posted his 400th career coaching victory.

A great teacher and counselor, a successful coach and a gentleman, it’s a tough combination to beat.

Spotlight on women’s sports

The documentary film License to Thrive: Title IX at 35 that was shown on ESPN last spring and produced by former East Providence High track star and Providence Journal Honor Roll Girl Theresa Moore, is now available on DVD.

The program is a must-see for every high school modern U.S. history student and teacher. The DVD contains a facilitators’ guide that uses content from the film to help generate in-classroom discussions about the importance of education and equality for girls and women. The DVD can be ordered on www.licensentothrive.tv

Thayer welcomes Mount

The undefeated Mount St. Charles boys hockey team plays La Salle Friday night at Thayer Arena and it will be the first time this season the state’s hockey fans have had a chance to see the defending state champion Mounties at a rink south of Providence.

Mount had been scheduled to play Toll Gate at Thayer on Dec.19, but the game was postponed by a snowstorm.

Mounties trekking out West

Speaking of Mount St. Charles, the Mounties, who already have defeated the reigning state high school champions from Pennsylvania and New Hampshire this season, will be facing two more of the nation’s top high school teams later this month in Minnesota.

The Mounties are scheduled to play Holy Angels High and Shattuck-St. Mary’s during a three-day trip to Minnesota over the Martin Luther King weekend, Jan. 17-19.

Holy Angels won the 2002 and 2005 Minnesota state championships. Shattuck-St. Mary’s, which plays an independent Minnesota high school schedule, is the alma mater of Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby. Crosby was playing for Shattuck when Mount defeated the Sabres on a trip to Minnesota in 2003.

The Golden Dozen

A reminder to football coaches, the deadline for submitting nominations for the National Football Foundation’s Rhode Island Golden Dozen is Jan. 23.

The Golden Dozen is the top 12 senior football scholar/athletes in the state. Each Rhode Island high school football team can nominate one senior player for the award. The Rhode Island chapter of the National Football Foundation-College Football Hall of Fame awards a scholarship to each of the 12 Golden Dozen recipients.

Nomination should be sent to Emo DiNitto, 70 Carrs Pond Rd., West Greenwich, RI, 02817.

Abbey’s Silva makes mark

Speaking of football, Ryan Silva, the Portsmouth Abbey junior running back from Bristol, was named MVP of the Evergreen Football Conference this season and also selected to All-New England Division Class C prep team.

Mannix shines on court

Her 36-point and 38-rebound effort in two games of the Barrington Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament last week has earned Barrington’s Kelly Mannix the projo.com HSGameTime Athlete of the Week honor.

Honors for Mancuso

Nice gesture by the R.I. Football Officials Association posthumously naming Tony Mancuso, the former Providence Police chief and longtime Rhode Island youth football coach who died in September, the 2008 recipient of their Jack Martin Service to Football award.

Johnston High, the Division III state champion, was recipient of the Association’s team sportsmanship award and former longtime official Irv Scott was recipient of the Porter Distinguished Service award.

Faboyede, Gama weigh in

It didn’t take Classical’s Josh Faboyede and Hendricken’s Mike Gama long to go from the football field to the top of the national rankings for this season’s indoor track boys 25-pound weight throw.

In mid-December, only a few weeks after the duo ended their football seasons, they became the third-and fourth-ranked weight throwers in the country, respectively, as Faboyede had a toss of 65 feet, .2 inches and Gama a 64-foot-7 ½ effort.

Marandola is back on track

Great seeing former Johnston High basketball star Chelsea Marandola back playing for the Providence College women’s team after she missed last season recovering from a herniated disk. So far this season, Marandola, now a junior, is the Lady Friars’ second-leading scorer with a 10.6-point average in 13 games.

jgillool@projo.com