After two successful seasons coaching the Hampden girls basketball team, Mike Webb knew he didn’t want to sit on the sidelines anymore after taking a break from basketball this past year.

So when a vacancy opened at John Bapst in Bangor, Webb applied and was recently named the Crusaders’ new coach.

Webb already has been coaching the Bapst girls in the Bangor High summer league. Bapst’s interim head of school Allen Adriance confirmed Webb’s hiring.

“I thought it was a great opportunity, to coach John Bapst and play in the Auditorium,” he said. “It was just a very good opportunity for me.”

Webb, a longtime area referee, coached the Hampden girls in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. The Broncos went 31-11, including two Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal wins. Webb’s contract was not renewed in the summer of 2001.

Webb replaces Jen Curtis, who coached the Crusaders to a 3-33 record in two years. Bapst has been 20-70 since moving to Class A in 1999.

It’s going to be a big change from his situation at Hampden, which had a group of talented and experienced players in place when he came aboard.

“We’ve got three or four kids back that are very good and a young group of freshmen and sophomores that I’m excited about,” he said. “I’m very, very excited about the caliber of the student-athletes.”

Webb said the team is going to return to Class B in 2005 and feels the Crusaders can be “very competitive” playing against smaller schools.

Webb is the fourth Bapst girls coach since longtime boss Lenny Miragliuolo ended his tenure in 2000. He works as a salesman for Maine Distributors of Bangor.

Skowhegan’s Shute honored

Skowhegan field hockey standout Mallory Shute is heading to the National Futures Tournament this week.

Shute, recently named a member of the Regional Under-16 team sponsored by U.S. Field Hockey, will participate in the July 2-6 tournament at the U.S. Field Hockey National Training Center in Virginia Beach, Va.

Shute is a member of Team Concord.

U.S. Field Hockey’s Futures Program features more than 4,000 athletes participating in specialized monthly training sessions.

Through Futures, U.S. Field Hockey evaluates and identifies talented young athletes with the potential to become future Olympic level athletes.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.