Blue-White games make hoop pictures clearer

Sunday’s Blue-White scrimmages were, for all intents and purposes, glorified practices for the University of Maine’s basketball teams.

That didn’t stop 2,222 fans from watching the Black Bear women’s and men’s squads work out in game situations at Alfond Arena in Orono.

UMaine women’s coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie said the event was a good experience and a beneficial one for her team.

“It was a great atmosphere and, overall, I thought it was a very productive day for us,” Palombo said. “I saw a lot of good things.”

Palombo said the team’s depth and the potential of the freshman class were evident.

“In seeing the different combinations on the floor, it would not surprise me to see a lot of variety in the lineups and in the playing time of the various people because of the different strengths,” Palombo explained.

Palombo said returning starters Cindy Blodgett, Stacey Porrini and Sandi Carver were predictably consistent, while sophomore Klara Danes showed off deceptive inside moves. Still, the fifth-year coach couldn’t help mentioning the newcomers, who seemed to blend into the mix smoothly.

“Jamie Cassidy was extremely aggressive and showed versatility hitting 3-pointers and with her scoring ability inside,” Palombo began. “Amy Vachon established a great flow to the game and moved the ball exceptionally well.

“Katie Clark had some unbelievable drives to the basket, Kristen McCormick was hitting some threes, and Jessie Bruyere played poised and confidently.”

The Bears get their first on-court test against an outside opponent Thursday at Alfond Arena when Maine takes on a traveling team from the Czech Republic at 7:30 p.m.

First-year men’s coach John Giannini shuffled players from Blue to White squads through four 10-minute, running-time quarters, with a group of four expected starters playing together for much of the time.

Of the four – 6-5 senior swingman Terry Hunt, 6-5 senior forward Ramone Jones, 5-10 sophomore guard John Gordon and 6-6 sophomore forward Allen Ledbetter, Giannini singled out the efforts of Gordon and Ledbetter.

Overall, he said, the Black Bears performed OK.

“I think that we were decent,” he said. “I don’t think that were were overly good, but at the same time I don’t think we were overly bad.

“It looked to me like a team with new faces and a new staff who had practiced for three weeks and are starting to learn what they’re doing as well as play hard.”

The game experience of the remainder of the Bears is slim, but Giannini said some are improving quickly.

“I thought yesterday that [6-8 senior] Don Long showed considerable signs of progress and he did a great job. I thought Bryan James and Angelo Thomas also showed some bright spots, but also showed areas that they have to improve on,” he said.

The UMaine men will open their exhibition schedule Sunday at 1 p.m. when they take on Dalhousie University at Alfond Arena.