East Grand places Adams on leave Islesboro boys basketball team gains five more players to revive season

When East Grand of Danforth opens its boys basketball season at home against Woodland on Wednesday night, new coach Jerry Adams is not expected be on the Vikings’ sideline.

Adams is on administrative leave from his duties as coach and athletic director, according to SAD 14 superintendent William Dobbins.

Dobbins did not elaborate on the reason for the move, except to acknowledge that it stemmed from a school-related incident.

“All I can say is he’s on administrative leave,” Dobbins said.

Dobbins said Adams has been on leave for the past few weeks, and that junior varsity coach Scott Hanington is coaching the boys varsity basketball team until the matter is resolved. Dobbins and another staff member have been sharing the AD responsibilities.

Adams, a former coach at Houlton and Central Aroostook of Mars Hill, came to East Grand a year ago as girls basketball coach. He became the athletic director and boys basketball coach last summer after Troy Cilley’s coaching contract was not renewed.

Cilley had coached the Vikings for six years, compiling a 93-30 record and leading the Vikings to the 2001 Eastern Maine Class D championship. He also had served as the school’s AD, but resigned from that job last spring citing a job conflict and travel issues.

Adams also coached the East Grand girls soccer team this fall.

No major rule changes

No significant rules changes have greeted high school basketball players at the start of the 2004-05 season, according to Maine basketball commissioner Peter Webb.

“It’s five or six years in a row now that there have been no changes,” said Webb, now in his 15th year as commissioner. “I think the rules people see that the game is in good condition at the high school level.”

There have been some minor adjustments, including one involving the kicked-ball violation.

The kicked-ball violation has been altered to include both the upper and lower leg, after having previously been applied only to the lower leg. As has been the case in the past, the kick must be intentional for it to be a violation.

Points of emphasis this season include continuous motion of the shooter when a teammate is fouled, unsporting conduct by all parties at a game, defenders “flopping” in an attempt to draw a player-control foul from an opponent with the ball, and determining control of the ball before allowing a timeout to be called.

Among rule changes in the offing, Webb said, is a move beginning with the 2007-08 season to have all home teams to wear white jerseys. In recent years, many schools have opted to wear different-colored home jerseys, making it difficult in some instances to differentiate between the home and road teams.

Also topics of continued discussion at the state and national levels, Webb said, are the possible addition of a shot clock, as well what to do concerning fouls during end-of-game situations, including whether to award the fouled team the choice of free throws or possession of the ball.

Islesboro boys team alive, well

Two weeks into preseason practices, the Islesboro Central School boys basketball team didn’t exist.

Only four players attended the initial tryouts, said Islesboro athletic director Dan Ormsby, leaving little choice but not to field a team this winter.

But late last week that changed, as five additional players came out for the team, leaving the squad with enough players to compete in Western Maine Class D again this season.

The Eagles won their opener at the Hyde School in Bath on Saturday.

“It’s good the kids came out and that we’re able to have a team again this year,” said Ormsby.

The Islesboro coaching staff, incidentally, is quite the family affair. The girls varsity is coached by Don Johnson Jr., who is the father of boys varsity coach Don Johnson III. Don Jr.’s wife, Kathy, coaches the middle-school girls team on the island, while Don Jr.’s son Derek coaches the boys middle-school squad.

Ernie Clark can be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net