Bucksport baseball standout Harvey plans transfer to Maine

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Bucksport native Jason Harvey expects to be trading in his green-and-gold uniform for a blue-and-white version this spring.

Harvey, a three-sport standout at Bucksport High School, intends to transfer from Husson College to the University of Maine and hopes to be working out with coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ baseball team as early as next week, when the spring semester starts.

“That’s my choice. I’m just waiting for my grades and credits to transfer over,” said Harvey. “It’s just a matter of all the paperwork going through.”

The former NEWS All-Maine first team basketball pick played both basketball and baseball at Husson. Last season, the freshman shortstop was named the Sunrise Conference rookie of the year after batting .346 with 11 steals and 11 RBIs.

Harvey also helped lead Husson’s basketball team to the Sunrise Conference title as a point guard.

“When I chose Husson, I really wanted to play both sports,” Harvey explained. “But my dream’s always been to play at the Division I level, and now I realize there’s no way I can play both sports at the Division I level.”

What made Maine, one of Harvey’s finalists before he chose Husson, so attractive was its status as a local school that plays baseball at the Division I level.

Harvey, the 2003 American Legion Zone I player of the year, will rejoin former teammates Joel Barrett and Pete Saunders at Maine. He played three seasons of Legion ball with Barrett for the Brewer Falcons and one season with Saunders in high school and Legion ball.

“I’m looking forward to the competition at the higher level, playing with some new guys, and playing with Joel and Pete again,” said Harvey, whose older brother Craig is a first baseman for Husson’s Braves.

Craig Harvey helped his younger brother during the transfer process.

“I definitely looked at him and got his advice, asking him what he’d do if he were in my situation,” said Harvey, who will likely switch from a sports management major at Husson to business major at Maine.

Two of Maine’s three incoming recruits are infielders.

“I’m not quite sure where I fit into the mix with Maine, but I’m looking forward to it,” Harvey said. “I’m wicked anxious to get started.”

Bears show some teeth

First, the good news.

Yes, the University of Maine men’s basketball team is 8-3 overall and 2-0 in America East Conference play. Yes, the Black Bears’ relatively inexperienced frontcourt is improving by leaps and bounds each week and yes, the backcourt is just as deep and talented as hoped. And yes, all this has occurred despite the loss of all-conference forward Rickey White, who elected not to play as a fifth-year senior, and explosive junior college transfer swingman Jermaine Jackson to a knee injury.

Now for the reality check.

Maine has played almost as well as head coach John Giannini hoped, but there is certainly room for improvement … And fans shouldn’t run out and buy their conference finals tickets just yet.

“So far, so good … That’s what you’d have to say about our season so far,” Giannini said. “We’ve barely gotten started.”

Even if things were going better, Giannini would be wise to be guarded in his optimism as this week offers two tests: a road game against a solid Binghamton University team Wednesday led by AE’s best big man and a home game against defending champion Vermont on Sunday.

These games come after winning a tough, slug-it-out defensive struggle against a Stony Brook University squad picked fifth in the conference.

“You’re happy when you win, but you can’t dwell on it,” said Giannini. “We’re into a schedule now that has us playing 18 conference games in two months, which is a first for me. It’s like cramming for 16 finals with two or three days to prepare for each one.”

Still, despite losing three-fifths of its starting lineup and its entire starting frontcourt, Maine is off to a better start than last season’s squad, which lost several players to injuries and suspensions early on.

“The difference this year is maturity, in terms of understanding how the little things can add up to losses,” Giannini said. “This is a team that understands what winning is about, and it’s learned from its mistakes.”

Those mistakes usually took the form of turnovers and faulty foul shooting, which offset sparkling numbers in almost every other category.

And even though Maine shot a dismal 9-for-18 from the foul line Sunday, the Bears managed to overcome by applying suffocating defensive pressure and avoiding costly turnovers.

Divided loyalties

The University of Maine’s hockey team livened up Rivalries, a sports bar-restaurant in Portland, Monday afternoon when they watched the third period of the gold-medal game at the World Junior Championships in Finland between the United States and Canada.

The U.S. rallied for three third-period goals to win 4-3.

The team was split on allegiances as the Black Bear roster contains 15 Canadians and 11 Americans, including sophomore right wing Greg Moore of Lisbon, who was playing for the U.S. team. Scotland’s Colin Shields is the only non-North American.

“The Canadians yelled for the Canadian team and the Americans yelled for the U.S. team,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “But everybody yelled for Greg.”

Moore had an assist and Whitehead pointed out that he was on the ice in the final minute as the U.S. protected its lead and victory.

One of the owners of Rivalries is former Bear defenseman Jeff Libby of Waterville. The team went to Rivalries after practicing at the Cumberland County Civic Center in preparation for tonight’s Hockey East make-up game at Merrimack College.

Whitehead said Moore will be flying home today and he hopes to have him back in uniform for Saturday night’s home game with Sacred Heart (Conn.).