University of Rhode Island

Garrett DeGroot begins his fifth season as an assistant athletic trainer at Rhode Island, moving to the men's basketball program after working primarily with the women's basketball program for the past four years.His responsibilities for the men's basketball team include prevention and rehabilitation of injuries. While at Rhode Island he's also been the medical coordinator for the 2003 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship and the 2004 Atlantic 10 Men's Golf Championship.He previously worked for the Toronto Blue Jays Organization. While with the Blue Jays, he served as the head athletic trainer for the Charleston Alley Cats and was also the head athletic trainer for the Lara Cardenales of the Venezuelan Winter League.Prior to his stint in Major League Baseball, DeGroot was a graduate athletic trainer at George Mason University where he worked primarily with the softball team and assisted with several other sports while working towards his Masters degree in Exercise, Fitness and Health Promotion.DeGroot graduated from Western Maryland College in 1999 where he worked as a student athletic trainer with the field hockey, women's basketball, men's soccer, and football teams. He also worked with the baseball team while pitching out of the bullpen.He is a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.DeGroot, who resides in East Providence, R.I., also works with the URI golf and women's tennis teams.