Dedicated fans provide support for Black Bears Heon’s parents attend all games

HARTFORD – When Julie and David Heon took a look at this season’s schedule for the University of Maine women’s basketball team, the parents of Black Bear guard Melissa Heon found one city they especially wanted to visit: Peoria, Ill., for UMaine’s game against Bradley.

Peoria?

“It has such a reputation in literature and song and show music, so that was very interesting,” Julie Heon said. “You hear the expression, you’ll see it in Peoria, I’ll play it in Peoria. Off-Broadway, theater, singers, people in entertainment used to play there and then make it big in the big cities.”

The Black Bears entertained the Maine fans against Bradley in the Dec. 22 game, winning 80-70. And like a well-received show, the Bears moved on to a bigger stage after Thursday’s 71-51 victory over Hartford in an America East tournament quarterfinal game.

The No. 1 Bears beat No. 4 New Hampshire 71-65 Friday evening in a semifinal at Chase Family Arena. The Bears advanced to Saturday’s championship game.

Maine would lose just once more after the Bradley game, and has reeled off 21 straight wins. Fans like the Heons have been there for the entire streak, while Bob Neal of New Sharon sat through his 20th game of the season Thursday.

The Bears brought a fan contingent of about 150 people.

Julie Heon said she and her husband have attended every one of their daughter’s games this season. The Somersworth, N.H., residents have been from Ohio to Philadelphia to Rhode Island to Orono.

“This year it’s Melissa’s junior year and we made a commitment to go to 100 percent of her games no matter where they were,” she said. “We don’t get to do much sightseeing at all. We pretty much stay close to the hotel.”

Forgive Neal if he’s missed a few games this year – the former University of Maine journalism professor now raises turkeys, and he was a bit busy around Thanksgiving. He’s missed just three conference games.

“You can see improvement in this team almost every game,” Neal said at halftime of Thursday’s game. “You look at the decisions [point guard] Kim Corbitt makes now compared to a year ago, you look at [backup center] Abby Schrader’s play now, you look at [starting forward Heather Ernest]. Heather was always a good rebounder but she’s now what her high school coach called a rebounding machine.”

Neal and his wife, Marilyn, are also regulars at UMaine-Farmington women’s games.

University of Maine president Peter Hoff watched Friday night’s semifinal and newly hired athletic director Patrick Nero was expected for the game, too.

Former Maine interim athletic director and football coach Walt Abbott was among the Maine fans Thursday, as were David and Zoraida Cusano, parents of former Bear football standout David Cusano.

Bears on ESPN

The Black Bears will be featured in a ESPN-TV segment to be aired Saturday at approximately 10:50 a.m.

UMaine sports information offical Pete Lefresne said a producer from the sports network interviewed Heather Ernest, the America East Player of the Year, and point guard Kim Corbitt at a Wednesday practice session at Trinity College. ESPN also miked Maine coach Sharon Versyp and shot about two hours of practice footage.