Old Town fills varsity hoop jobs Paradis to coach boys; Page gets girls position

Two former freshman basketball coaches were hired to take over the varsity jobs at Old Town High School Tuesday night.

Former Hampden Academy freshman coach Justin Page will replace girls coach Ron Weatherbee and former Old Town freshman coach Brad Paradis will take over for longtime boys coach Marty Clark, who retired after 16 seasons.

Old Town principal Joe Gallant said Tuesday that both coaching candidates were confirmed by 6-0 votes of the school board.

“Both had very good attributes,” said Gallant. “For Brad, it was his familiarity with the program and already knowing a lot of these guys as they’ve come up. For Justin, it was his vision and the direction he wants to take the program.”

Page, a native of East Millinocket and Schenck High School graduate, is a University of Maine grad who is a long-term substitute teacher at Old Town High. Paradis is an Old Town native and alumnus who is a high school substitute teacher as well. He is also an undergraduate student at UMaine.

“We think both guys will be good long-term additions,” Gallant said. “When you replace a coach like Marty, you want someone to be around for awhile and I think Justin will be here too, which is critical for creating stability in the programs.”