Three Mainers thriving at Franklin Pierce Rodgerson, Waterman, Hunt lead team to 9-8 record

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David Chadbourne makes no apologies for one recruiting decision he regularly makes in his job as head basketball coach at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, N.H.

“I definitely like to have Maine kids,” says Chadbourne, himself a former Maine kid who played his high school ball at Wells.

His roster bears that philosophy out: Three Mainers who enjoyed schoolboy success in the Pine Tree State have been big contributors for the Division II Ravens.

Derek Rodgerson of Newburgh, who played for Hampden Academy, Tom Waterman of Bangor, and Jimmie Hunt, who played for Mount Ararat in Topsham, have justified Chadbourne’s faith in Maine players.

“They’re all real good influences, both on the floor and off,” said Chadbourne, who starred at St. Joseph’s College in Standish after being named a NEWS All-Maine third-team selection in 1983. He also served as an assistant coach for the Monks.

The other three also share All-Maine credentials: Waterman was a first-teamer in 1998 and a third-teamer in 1997; Rodgerson was a first-team pick in 2000 and a second-teamer in 1999; and Hunt, who has missed the past nine games with a stress fracture in his left foot, was a second-team pick in 2000 and a third-teamer in 1999.

Rodgerson made an immediate impact for the Ravens as a freshman, averaging 11.5 points per game and starting 17 of 29 contests for a team that went 16-13.

He has fit in nicely in Rindge, despite its slow-paced atmosphere.

“Rindge isn’t really known for much,” Rodgerson said with a laugh. “We have to drive about a half-hour or an hour every time we want to do something. There is a Wal-Mart here, though, just like there is in every other town in America.”

The 6-foot-1 guard has improved as a sophomore, averaging 14.2 points (third-best on the team) along with 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He is shooting 47.1 percent from the floor, 40.4 percent on 3-point attempts, and has played an average of 33.1 minutes a game.

He credits some of that production to Waterman, the Ravens’ new point guard.

“We lost our point guard from last year, so Tom’s been a big help filling that spot,” Rodgerson said. “He’s added a lot of leadership at that position. Tom’s the guy who gets me my shots.”

Waterman, a 5-9 junior who became immediately eligible to play after transferring from Division I Maine to Division II Franklin Pierce, has emerged a steady playmaker for the Ravens.

“I’m happy where I am now,” Waterman said. “I don’t regret any choices I made. Coming down here has been a good situation, being able to step in and play big minutes.”

He has played a team-high 33.5 minutes a game and has led the team in assists 14 times in 17 games, with a single-game high of 11 assists, which he has handed out on two separate occasions.

Waterman has started all 17 games for the 9-8 Ravens and is averaging 7.2 points, 5.5 assists and 1.9 rebounds a game.

Waterman is shooting 39.0 percent from the floor (39-for-100) and 22.2 percent on 3-point attempts (4-for-18). His assist-to-turnover ratio is nearly 2-to-1, and he is also the team leader in steals with 27.

Waterman said Rodgerson provides much of the offensive firepower for the Ravens.

“He’s our shooter,” Waterman said. “He’s probably the best pure shooter we have on our team. We set up plays, run him off screens, and he puts up double figures every game.”

Hunt, a 6-foot-2, 219-pounder, started the first eight games of the year and averaged a team-high 15.6 points through those games.

Chadbourne said Hunt has begun to shoot and do light workouts after six or seven weeks of rest.

“With him on one side and Derek on the other, it’s hard for teams to guard us,” Chadbourne said.

Injury bug bites Bears … again

The bad news keeps on coming for the University of Maine men’s basketball team.

Jon Wallingford, a walk-on sophomore guard from Auburn, suffered a comminuted (in pieces) fracture of the ulna and radius in his left wrist during Wednesday’s practice, according to trainer Paula Linder.

Wallingford had a pin surgically inserted in his wrist at St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor Wednesday night.

The 5-foot-10 guard had played sparingly – appearing in four games without scoring a point, but had been a valuable practice player, UMaine coach John Giannini said.

“This is a real sad thing, because Jon is a great person. He’s so much a part of our team. He does such a great job for us in practice, is one of the best players on our scout team, and really gets us ready for games,” Giannini said.

“He’s just so likable, you feel so bad to see a kid like that get hurt,” he said.

The Bears have also dealt with injuries to starters Errick Greene, Derrick Jackson, Clayton Brown and Rickey White in recent months.

White said Wednesday that he hopes to return from his knee injury sometime in the next two weeks.