He’s only 28 years old, he’s coming off an 8-9 season in his second year as head coach and fourth year of collegiate coaching, and he loses just one starter off a team with lots of young talent.

So why has Matt Lash decided to resign as the University of Maine-Machias’ men’s basketball coach?

“My wife Betsy and I are expecting our first child in September and I’ve been in coaching long enough to know that the job is too demanding to be able to do both, and family comes first,” Lash said. “I need to take a break from basketball to be a father for awhile.”

Lash is already busy enough at the UMM campus as director of intramural athletics, cross-country coach, and teacher.

“I can’t say it was an easy decision. When we had our team meeting, it was hard to take, but I feel pretty confident in my decision,” said the UMM alumnus. “When you think of the reason, it was easy.”

Lash, who teaches physical education and coaching philosophy, would definitely like to return to coaching basketball, but he can’t say when or where that might happen.

“I’ve got some good coaching years left in me, so yes, I definitely want to come back and coach, preferably here,” he said. “I wouldn’t rule out high school, but college with recruiting and the atmosphere appeals to me most.”

Lash, who played high school ball at Medomak Valley in Waldoboro, made his decision now to provide his players and the university plenty of notice and time to find a suitable replacement.

“We started three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior,” said Lash. “With [Mount View of Thorndike star] redshirt Kevin Roberts playing next year and [Calais’] Joe Footer having a great freshman year, whoever gets the job inherits a lot of talent and size too.”

The Maine way to win

Colby-Sawyer College men’s basketball coach Bill Foti seems to have mined gold when it comes to prospecting for talented players.

Foti’s 2002 recruiting class was one of his best as four of its members became starters. Three of those freshman starters are from Maine. In fact, four of the five starters hail from the Pine Tree State.

The combination has proven to be a winning one as the youthful Chargers of New London, N.H., unexpectedly won their third straight Commonwealth Coast Conference title.

“It wasn’t easy. We had to win some games in tough environments,” Foti said. “The places were packed and the final was just wild. We get there two hours before the game and they’re throwing snowballs at our bus.”

The fourth-seeded Chargers won three playoff games (two on the road) by an average of 14.3 points before losing 93-68 to Hamilton in the NCAA Division III tournament.

“We were not picked to win it,” Foti said. “I was surprised early on with the play of the freshmen. I thought the freshmen were good. Quite frankly, they were even better than I could have hoped for.”

Chief among those freshman phenoms were Maine Central Institute’s Andrew St. Clair. The 6-foot-5 forward from Pittsfield led the team with 15.4 points in addition to averaging 7.7 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.9 assists per game.

“Andrew was probably our best player from day one through the rest of the season and I think he could be the best freshman in New England,” said Foti, who just completed his 11th season at Colby-Sawyer.

Houlton’s Tyler Putnam, who starred at Hodgdon High School, was also a key contributor as he started all 28 games for the 21-7 Chargers. The 6-4 swingman averaged 9.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game.

“Tyler is an extremely good defender and is probably the best athlete we’ve ever had here,” Foti said. “He plays above the rim and is solid all-around. You don’t see many guys like that at our level.”

Strong native Ethan Betts graduates as Colby-Sawyer’s all-time leading rebounder with 838. The 6-3 forward led the team with 8.2 boards a game while also scoring 12.8 ppg. Bingham native and Valley High grad Luke Hartwell (4.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg) moved into the starting lineup midway through the season.

Junior Chris Gray of Hermon came back well after taking a semester off and spelled both Putnam and Betts.

“He gave us more of a rotation, essentially acted as a backup post player, and gave us some nice minutes in the playoffs,” Foti said. “If he can really get motivated and get in the weight room, the sky’s the limit for him.”

Colby-Sawyer’s Maine contingent may get even bigger next year as 6-3 forward Nick Jewett of Freeport is back for a senior season and Edward Little of Auburn’s Jake Roberts has officially committed to play for the Chargers.

Bowdoin’s Amidon wins award

Bowdoin College women’s ice hockey coach Michele Amidon has been named the American Hockey Coaches Association Women’s Division III Coach of the Year.

Amidon led the Polar Bears to a 23-2-3 record and a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. Bowdoin was unbeaten through the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) schedule. She became the third women’s Div. III coach to reach the 100-win mark this season, her sixth at Bowdoin. Her career record is 103-38-10.

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205, 1-800-310-8600, or aneff@bangordailynews.net