Casavant makes quick return to County ‘lineup’

The one thing that’s been a constant for virtually all of Bill Casavant’s life has been basketball.

He has been a player, coach and official at the high school level, a player and coach in college, and – for the last 17 years – a basketball play-by-play radio announcer.

Last week was opening week for Classes B, C, and D in high school basketball, but for the first time in the last 40-plus years, basketball wasn’t a big part of the 54-year-old Casavant’s life.

In fact, life has been foremost on his mind since the fall season, when Casavant was diagnosed with non-malignant sarcoid masses in each lung.

“Back in July, I went for a physical. I had this persistent, dry cough so they gave me an X-ray and found something in my lungs,” said Casavant, who had surgery in late November and is now taking a steroid medication to shrink down the remaining portions of masses not already removed.

“I haven’t been to work for three weeks, but Saturday was my first game back,” said Casavant, who missed four games in all.

Last week marked the first time since Casavant began his broadcasting career that he had missed a single game.

Casavant returned to action Saturday, calling the Presque Isle-Brewer boys game in Brewer for Caribou’s WCXU (97.7 FM) and Madawaska’s WCXX (102.3 FM).

“I’m feeling stronger every day and my appetite’s back and my strength is getting there,” said Casavant, who has no plans to curtail his schedule or even think about early retirement. “I’d say as long as my health is good, I’d want to continue doing this.”

If not for a lighter than usual schedule in coming weeks, Casavant might consider scaling back his schedule, but since he only has games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights before a seven-day layoff, he’s back with no restrictions.

Casavant began his broadcasting career shortly after retiring as the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s men’s basketball coach in 1984. Former Aroostook County radio luminary Del Hodgkins approached him about doing play-by-play with him for WEGP (1390 AM) in Presque Isle.

Despite having no radio experience other than being interviewed on pregame, halftime, and postgame radio broadcasts, Casavant opted to take the plunge.

It was a crash course in broadcasting as Casavant and Hodgkins called 70 to 80 games per season. In 1986, they joined up with WCXU-WCXX and continued together until Hodgkins’ death in 1990.

“He died the morning of the start of the Class B, C, and D tournament openers when they started on Friday,” Casavant recalled. “I kept wondering where he was and then my wife told me after the game that he had died.”

Casavant, a native of Holyoke, Mass., played and coached at UMPI (known as Aroostook State Teacher’s College when he first played there) before becoming athletic director, director of physical education, and intramural director at Northern Maine Technical College. He also took over NMTC’s men’s basketball team, which he coached from 1980 through 1993.

A member of the UMPI sports Hall of Fame, Casavant started out coaching the Limestone boys basketball team from 1974 to 1980.

Although he still misses coaching, Casavant says broadcasting games is the next best thing.

“I enjoy it, It keeps me in contact with basketball and it’s fun to watch the kids play and develop through the years,” he said. “It also keeps me in touch with coaches, friends and referees.”

Advances in technology have made Casavant’s job increasingly easier over the years. He has gone from lugging around two large suitcases full of broadcast equipment to just a small gym bag with a cell phone, headphones, and a transceiver.

Casavant’s station is scheduled to air 45 regular season games in the coming months as well as the tournament games involving Aroostook County teams.

Despite his vast basketball resume, many people may still know Casavant best as the guy who used to broadcast games with youngest son Nick, who’s now an 18-year-old senior starter on Presque Isle’s varsity team.

“We did games together for about six years ’til his freshman year,” Casavant said. “He always used to keep score in a book whenever he was watching NBA games or something on TV. The first year we did it, he just kept the book. The next year, I’d give him the headset so he could talk about the high scorers or who had the most fouls.”

Casavant, who is also a high school soccer and baseball official, and wife Daryl have two other sons: Chris, 30, Caribou’s head varsity boys basketball coach; and Matthew, 25, who’s finishing up his courses at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

Andrew Neff’s On the Air column is published each Tuesday. He can be reached at 990-8205 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net.