Rick Sinclair’s careers – first as a basketball player and now as a coach – have taken similar paths.

On the court, Sinclair starred at Hermon High School and then at Husson College in Bangor. Now, after a two-year stint on the sidelines as the boys coach at Hermon, he is headed back to Husson.

The 26-year-old Sinclair has been hired as an assistant coach by Braves head coach Warren Caruso. The position opened up when former assistant Victor Garay decided to pursue another career and the other assistants opted to move on.

“The opportunity’s there. I didn’t want to pass it up,” said Sinclair, who has always hoped to become a college coach, but didn’t expect to have the chance to return to his alma mater.

“Warren and I have been real close ever since I got done [playing] and especially since I started coaching at Hermon,” Sinclair said. “I know the program. I know the system. I know how he coaches.”

Caruso is thrilled he was able to hire Sinclair because of his longtime affiliation with Husson and his playing and coaching experience.

“I think the first thing is, he has a real love for the game,” Caruso said. “And he has a first-hand knowledge of the program. His knowledge of basketball has always been strong and that was one of the keys to his success as a basketball player.”

Sinclair, who graduated from Husson in 1996 with a degree in sports management and also earned his teaching certification, coached two seasons at Hermon. He directed the Hawks to an impressive 29-15 record (.659) and two tournament appearances.

“Rick did an excellent job here; all that was asked of him and more,” said Hermon athletic director Fritz Marseille. “He knew his X’s and O’s and he really got along well with the kids. We’re going to miss him.”

Sinclair guided Class B Hermon to the program’s first Eastern Maine title in 2000 and a regional runner-up finish last season.

“They have four starters back from a team that was Eastern Maine runner-up,” said Sinclair, a NEWS All-Maine third-team pick in 1992. “I still have a lot of pride in what goes on out there.”

While with the Braves, Sinclair played on two Maine Athletic Conference championship teams that competed in the NAIA National Tournament. The 6-foot-8 center was an NAIA All-America honorable mention as a senior and scored 1,146 career points.

Sinclair, who hopes to land a local teaching job in the fall, is expected to work with Husson’s post players and do some recruiting and scouting work.

“The nice thing is we’ll be able to plug him right in,” Caruso said. “He’ll understand everything we’re talking about. The new face and new energy will really be positive for everybody.”