Today is a very happy day for me and my family as it is the result of many years of hard work and the effort of so many people. I want to take this time to say thank you to them starting with my family because without their support this would not have happened. The hours spent away from the family was always done without problems so the result was a mental concentration of the task of teaching the game.
In addition I had wonderful staffs starting with my JV Coaches: Alex Paradis (4 yrs at Mexico HS), “POP” Vear (4 yrs at Waterville HS), David Dorion (12 yrs at Morse HS), Jeannine Paradis (5 yrs at Madison HS), Ryan Arnold (2yrs at Madison HS) and Rita Maines (1 yr at Scarborough HS). They were all great and did everything I wanted done in regards to teaching the sequence of skills I wanted at various levels. They also were at my practices as well as theirs so they spent a lot of time on the court. I also had the pleasure of working with a number of 9th grade and Middle School Coaches that followed the same teaching principles that the JV Coaches did resulting in a consistency of teaching in the pursuit of excellence.
This brings up a very important factor that I have stressed since I started teaching.. As a School we want our students graduating from high school competitive with students from other schools in the Academic arena but few schools have the same guidelines for the Athletic program?? WHY?? Why should the Middle School not be coordinated with the HS in the teaching sequence and methods that are going to be used at the Varsity Level. In Math, Science, Foreign Language we want that level of working together. When a player comes into the high school they should have the bases for all offenses and defenses that they will be using in the next four years. The reason I had the opportunity to win 3 consecutive State Class A Championships was the Administration gave me authority to control the program from grades 1 to 12. During this time we averaged 14 teams with each team having 10 players in grades 5-6 program. Two adult coaches for each team teaching the principles I had outlined for that level. Success happens with all are working together.
Another important factor in my career was the input and discussions with some great coaches and people. Two of my first friends in the coaching area were Dick Whitmore and Bob Brown (both inducted in the 1st Class of this Hall) We had hours of talk about teaching always challenging each other and asking WHY are you doing it this way. I am sure without their friendship I would never have reached this day. Later some other coaches became friends especially Art Dyer. After he beat my Mexico Team in the Western Maine Class B Final we started a 40 year friendship that is still going strong. One of the pleasures I have had is the working with younger coaches as they came into the teaching of this game. It has been fun watching them become very successful. Some of them will be inducted into this Hall in the next few years,
The ability to be successful a coach must have two things MORE. Teenagers willing to work and be unselfish and PARENTS that support the Coach and allow their son/daughter to succeed or fail on their own. The process of becoming an adult is the experience of making decisions..It is OK to make a mistake as long as you do not hurt yourself or someone else. In simple terms making a poor pass or taking a bad shot because of choices you make is OK. The key being is not to repeat those errors and that is a prime responsibility of the Coach is to teach the boundaries of what can and can not be done.
I have had great players. They learned and worked hard and result success came. A number I am very proud of is that the 89-90 basketball season I had “19” kids playing college ball someplace on the East Coast. That is an indicator of their academic and athletic work ethic. I wish I could name all of the players that were on my Varsity Teams but space will not allow that so I will not name any but they know who they are and forever will be a major part of my life and they know if they ever needed me I would be there.
I was the founder of the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches (MABC) and the Fall Clinic for Coaches starting in the Spring of 1981. Thanks to those coaches that came together in Augusta to finalize the process involved in picking the All-Star teams now know as the McDonald Games. Thanks to the late Jim Valvano who set me up with NIKE to support our Fall Clinic all through the 80’s. He was a friend of Maine Basketball.
The Hall is a great work done by a few amazing people and supported by a number of businesses and individuals throughout the State. If you love Maine Basketball and want to see it always be remembered than get involved. Go online and visit our WEB site and help keep the past, present and future of our sport alive.
Again thanks to so many.
