BANGOR – After a two-day absence from his final Eastern Maine Class B-C-D Tournament, trainer Wes Jordan was back on the job at the Bangor Auditorium Monday.

Jordan missed all of the Class B quarterfinal games Friday and Saturday due to a recurring health problem that’s plagued him for the last few years.

“I’ve had surgery for it three times and then had nonsurgical treatment,” said Jordan. “Why it happens, the doctors really can’t tell me. I think it could have something to do with stress.”

Ironically, the three men who took turns filling in for him – Bangor High School’s John Ryan, Nokomis of Newport’s Bob Kreider, and independent trainer Mike Carr – were all trainers who learned their trade from and trained under Jordan at the University of Maine.

“Wes talked to Johnny and we’ll do pretty much anything to help Wes out. We have that much respect for him,” said Kreider.

Jordan said it was great to see former students following the same career path he took.

“That’s kind of nice to see guys you’ve helped get into the field doing this,” Jordan said. “It’s very rewarding.”

Tournament floor manager Paul Soucy was glad to see Jordan back, and joked that he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“Wes has been an institution here. In fact, I think concession food sales were off about 15 percent with Wes being away,” Soucy said.

Jordan and longtime girlfriend Lyn Blass of Bangor are both retiring and moving to Lake of the Woods, Minn., where they’ve bought a house. After 25-plus years on the job at the Bangor Auditorium during both the classes B-C-D and A tournaments, he’s looking forward to a golf-filled retirement in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but will miss the excitement of tourney week.

“It’s more than a basketball tournament, it’s a social event,” Jordan said. “Unlike many other tournaments, the impact it has in this community is tremendous. For a lot of people, it signifies the end of winter and the start of spring.”

Prodigal son returns

Former Bangor High School and Husson College pitcher Brent Brown has returned to his roots.

Brown is the first-year girls JV basketball coach at Jonesport-Beals High School and he has been doing some substitute teaching in Washington County while also attending the University of Maine-Machias.

“I used to live in Jonesport and I have relatives there. I moved to Bangor when I was 5,” said Brown, who was the head coach of the Hermon American Legion team last summer.

He has enjoyed his experience.

“The people have been very nice to me. They’ve accepted me,” said Brown.

His JV team went 4-13, but he had only eight players. He said the wins and losses weren’t as important as it was helping the players develop their skills in preparation for their eventual ascension to the varsity.

Six of the 14 varsity players will graduate this spring.

“I had a great time. It was a great opportunity for me,” said Brown, who lives with a cousin in the Jonesport area and is hoping to assist with the baseball program in the spring.

If there is one thing he has definitely learned, it is where basketball fits into the way of life in Jonesport and on Beals Island.

“Basketball is life down there,” said Brown.

Carver sticks with volleyball

Even after her tremendous 29-point, 20-rebound, 10-block performance in a 70-47 Eastern Maine Class D schoolgirl tournament quarterfinal win over Shead of Eastport Monday, Jonesport-Beals’ Tricia Carver insisted that she will turn in her basketball sneakers to play volleyball at the University of Maine next year.

She will be on a volleyball scholarship.

“I’ll miss basketball, but I absolutely love volleyball,” said the 6-foot Carver, younger sister of former Black Bears basketball tri-captain Sandi Carver.

TOURNEY STATS B-C-D girls

Most years qualified for postseason: Central Aroostook 25

Most postseason wins: Houlton 37, Central Aroostook 35, Calais 34

Most postseason losses: Central Aroostook 23

Most No. 1 seeds: Calais 9, Houlton 9

Consecutive trips to postseason – current: Calais 13, Jonesport-Beals 12, So. Aroostook 11, Winslow 10

300 total victories since 1974-75: Central Aroostook 362, Schenck 355, Calais 351, Houlton 315, Jonesport-Beals 304, Stearns 304

Notes: Central Aroostook has missed the tournament only once. The first tournament was for the 1974-75 season.