Maine has a wealth of high school basketball talent.

Bob Cimbollek, the boys varsity coach at John Bapst High School in Bangor, wanted to find a way to promote the state’s players and show them off to fans and college coaches.

Cimbollek hopes the Goldsmith’s Maine Summer Showcase Boys All-Star Basketball Classic will help players strut their stuff and gain exposure to college coaches.

The format for what Cimbollek hopes will become an annual event was announced Thursday during a press conference in Bangor at Goldsmith’s Sporting Goods, sponsor for the three-day tournament.

The Goldsmith’s Summer Showcase will be held July 9-11 at the Memorial Gym on the University of Maine campus in Orono. A total of 50 schoolboy basketball standouts will participate, playing for one of five regional teams.

Competitors, who must try out for their respective regional squads, will be made up of high school players who were in grades 9-12 during 1992-93, including June graduates who have not yet signed on with a college program.

“The whole thing is really geared up to try to showcase the best players who are going to be recruitable within the next three or four years,” Cimbollek said. “We’re real excited. We’re going to invite all the Division I, Division II, Division III and NAIA coaches to come and take a look at the talent.”

Players who have already committed to a college are not eligible, because the event is designed to promote lesser-known athletes.

Cimbollek has rounded up an all-star cast of coaches to direct the five teams, which will represent certain Maine counties. The squads include North (Aroostook and northern Penobscot counties), East (Penobscot, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington), Central (Kennebec, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc), West (Androscoggin, Franklin, Oxford, Somerset), and South (Cumberland, York).

Each of the teams will draw from 22 or 23 high schools located within their regions.

Cimbollek said he realized the need for such an event after dealing with the recruiting process while coaching Ken Rassi, who has accepted a scholarship at Fresno (Calif.) State next fall.

“What happens is a lot of times our kids don’t get noticed until they’re seniors,” Cimbollek said. “I think Rassi is a good illustration of that. This will give our younger players a chance to be observed earlier.”

The coaches for the Goldsmith’s Summer Showcase are – North: Matt Rossignol, Houlton; Jeff Holmes, Caribou; East: Bob Cimbollek, John Bapst; Roger Reed, Bangor; Central: Ken Lindlof, Waterville; Chris Elkington, Rockland; West: Andy Dollof, Lewiston; Bob Fitzgerld, Jay; South: Rick Wilson, Traip Acad.; and Bob Brewer, Cheverus.

Tryouts will be conducted June 18 and 19 at five sites, which have yet to be determined, to select the teams. The two coaches of each squad will choose the players.

Teams will be allowed a total of six practices (two per week) after tryouts to prepare for the event.

The Goldsmith’s Summer Showcase format will use a round-robin schedule for the first two days, with each team playing four games. On the third day, teams will be seeded based on the first two days, and then play a championship tournament.

Games will consist of four, 10-minute quarters, and each player is guaranteed a minimum of 20 minutes per outing.

The entry fee is $250 per team ($25 per player) and players must provide for their own meals, lodging and transportation. Each team will be provided with uniforms, courtesy of Goldsmith’s.

Registration forms are available from the regional coaches or at Goldsmith’s Sporting Goods stores in Bangor, Old Town, Presque Isle, Auburn and Scarborough. Completed forms must be filled out and returned at the first tryout session. cuttable graph

Depending upon the success of the inaugural Goldsmith’s Summer Showcase, Cimbollek said the plan is to establish a similar tournament for girls in 1994.