Bedard taken in IBL draft

Andy Bedard, the former University of Maine standout guard from Rumford, was selected in the ninth round of the International Basketball League draft by the Las Vegas Bandits Thursday night.

“I’m excited about it. They were the team that showed the most interest in me and I showed the most interest in them. They said they needed a point guard,” said Bedard, who averaged 12.7 points and 6.9 assists per game for the Black Bears last season despite suffering a broken rib against UCLA on Dec. 21. He led Maine to a school-record 24 wins.

He was lost for the season when he broke his wrist during Maine’s 80-63 win over Hartford in the America East quarterfinals.

“It’s just a matter of me getting someplace where I can play and prove myself,” said Bedard. “I didn’t have a great last year at Maine. The broken rib nagged me all year and then I broke my wrist which hurt the cause.”

Bedard added, “I still have some goals left. I have a little more to prove to myself. I want to see how far I can go with this thing.”

Earlier this summer, Bedard failed to earn a spot on the Boston Celtics’ summer league team, but said he learned a lot through the experience.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Bedard, who transferred to Maine after spending two years at Boston College, became the 22nd player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

He said he had hoped to be drafted but wasn’t sure if it would happen.

“You never know with things like that,” said Bedard. “I didn’t want to go to Europe, but that is always an option.”

Bedard said he is 100 percent healthy now and he has been working out.

He also indicated that his former prep school coach, Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield’s Max Good, was helpful in his predraft dealings with the Bandits. Good is an assistant coach at UNLV.

Bedard joked that if he makes the Las Vegas roster, he won’t allow the casinos eat up his paychecks.

“I’ll have them directly shipped home. I’m going to stay away from the casinos,” said Bedard.