Balance bolstering Black Bears> 6 players average 10 or more ppg

Before the season got started back on Nov. 14, the big question surrounding the University of Maine men’s basketball team was simple: How many balls will coach John Giannini have to roll onto the floor to keep everybody happy?

As it turns out, the Bears have proven willing to share one ball.

Heading into today’s America East showdown against New Hampshire (noon tipoff at Orono’s Alfond Arena), the Black Bears have bolted to a 10-4 record and sole possession of first place in America East.

And they’ve done it by putting together a pretty nifty statistic: Through 14 games six different players are averaging in double figures for the Bears.

Giannini, for one, has never seen that happen at a college program he has been associated with.

“Maybe five,” he said. “But not six.”

Point guard Andy Bedard of Rumford leads the parade at 18.1 ppg. He’s followed by fellow Boston College transfer Nate Fox (14.2). Then it gets pretty crowded. Fred Meeks scores 11.2 a game, Allen Ledbetter pops in 11.1, while Marcus Wills and Huggy Dye average 10.5 apiece.

Giannini said he always had confidence that the Bears could score. But he’s pleased with the unusual balance.

“Everyone deserves a lot of credit for playing together, but it certainly has to start with the point guard,” Giannini said, singling out Bedard.

In the Bears most recent win, a 20-point decision over Northeastern in Boston, Bedard attempted only eight shots but handed out 13 assists. Three Bears scored 18 points and two more were in double figures.

“Andy’s doing a great job now and he really needs to be a point guard first and a scorer second,” he said. “Of course, he is going to continue scoring a lot of points.”

Joe Roberts, UMaine’s sports information director, has attempted to find another NCAA Division I team with six double-figure scorers. Thus far he has come up empty.

On Friday afternoon, with a major winter storm raging, Giannini admitted that the Black Bears have had some interesting scheduling conflicts this season.

When Sacred Heart came to Orono, for instance, the game was originally scheduled for Dec. 30 but was moved to the afternoon of New Year’s Eve – not exactly an ideal time for taking in a hoop game.

When Hofstra came calling, the Jan. 4 game was played opposite the biggest of the college football bowl games, the national title matchup pitting Tennessee and Florida State.

And today, many Mainers may be shoveling out from under another sheet of snow and ice.

“The scheduling is a very difficult part of the job at Maine,” Giannini said. “Normally, a Saturday afternoon game is a good one for us [attendance-wise]. Hopefully, the weather won’t keep too many people away