UMaine’s Fein likely will join basketball team> Quarterback could help Black Bears

It appears as though University of Maine sophomore quarterback Mickey Fein will become a two-sport athlete by joining the depleted Black Bear basketball team on Monday.

“It isn’t etched in stone but I think it’s going to happen,” said Maine head football coach Jack Cosgrove. “Mickey has gone home [to Centerville, Mass.] for Thanksgiving and is going to think about it. I would be surprised if he doesn’t do it.”

The 6-foot-3, 228-pound Fein is the Barnstable High School career scoring leader with more than 1,400 points and he served as the captain of a Massachusetts AAU basketball team that finished fourth in the nation in 1991.

Fein led his team to the independent league intramural championship at Maine last winter and Cosgrove and Thad Dwyer, the assistant intramural director, feel he could help the basketball team.

“He’s a very smart player who knows the game,” said Cosgrove. “He’s a good shooter. He doesn’t waste a lot of energy. He’s also got a real good demeanor for the game. He’s cool under pressure and he’s a gamer. He’d want the ball for the last shot.”

Dwyer said he can play the the Division I level.

“He’s a very competitive person and a very skilled player. He was one of the better players in our top league last year, if not the best. He was a point guard who sees the court well. He could also play the two guard. If he had the time to devote to basketball, he could definitely play a role on that team,” he said.

Cosgrove said playing Division I basketball would benefit Fein’s football career but he has also pointed out to his quarterback that he would still have to fulfill his academic and weight training responsbilities. Fein is a Dean’s List student, according to Cosgrove.

“By running around the court with Division I athletes, it would enhance his quickness and agility. He would also have to make [quick] decisions similar to the ones he has to make on the football field,” said Cosgrove. “He’s got a bright future with us and this could help towards his development.”

The other concern Cosgrove has is that Fein would be thrust into another major season right after a long football season that began on Aug. 2.

Fein completed 140-of-279 passes for 1,955 yards and 10 touchdowns in leading the Bears to a 7-4 season this past fall. The 1,955 yards is the fourth highest total by a Maine quarterback. Mike Buck has the other three.

Fein could not be reached for comment.

Grant Standbrook, the University of Maine assistant’s hockey coach and recruiting coordinator, will be an assistant for the U.S. Under-17 team in the World Championships in Red Deer, Alberta, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 4.

Standbrook, who will assist former Michigan Tech coach Bob Mancini, will miss four Maine games and Maine interim head coach Greg Cronin will also be away as he will assist Jeff Jackson with the U.S. national junior team at the World Championships in Switzerland from Dec. 14 to Jan. 6. He will miss six Maine games.

However, Maine head coach Shawn Walsh returns from serving his one-year suspension for his role in NCAA violations on Dec. 25 and he will be assisted by Mario Thyer and volunteer assistant Bernie Sandford.

“It’s a great opportunity for Grant and will help our recruiting in the future because these will be the best high school juniors in the U.S.,” Walsh said.

Walsh added that he will be comfortable coaching with Thyer and Sandford while Standbrook and Cronin are away. He also said it is one of the times of the year assistant coaches are away recruiting, anyway.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Standbrook, who was an assistant at the U.S. Olympic Sports Festival last summer and was an assistant for the U.S. Olympic team in 1976 in Austria. “It’s a pure coaching situation. We’ll have to scout the other teams, create a strategy and coach them. They will be young and enthusiastic but not too experienced.”

Standbrook agreed with Walsh about the recruiting value.

Steve Tardif of Biddeford was named the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, while Doug Peters received the Hal Chalmers Award as Maine Maritime Academy in Castine claimed several New England Football Conference postseason honors Tuesday.

Coach Mike Hodgson’s 5-5 Mariners placed seven players on the All-NEFC team, including seven Maine natives who received first-team recognition.

Tardif, a diminutive 166-pound tailback, led the NEFC in rushing with 1,376 yards on 253 carries and scored 11 touchdowns. He averaged 138 yards per game.

Tim Clark, a senior center from Bangor, was a repeat first-team choice. MMA’s other first-teamers are senior defensive tackle Steve Brown of Millinocket, senior guard Ben Ward of Clifton, senior linebacker Erik Cote of Saco, senior defensive back Neil Bolduc of Biddeford, and freshman tackle Rob Hill of Sanford.

Mike Geyer of Old Orchard Beach was a second-team safety.

Peters earned the Chalmers Award, which is presented to a student-athlete who excels in the classroom and on the field. The four-year starter from Winslow, finished his career with 69 catches for 1,213 yards and 11 touchdowns. He boasts a 3.28 grade point average.