Harvard best fit for Rollins

BANGOR – The academic reputation, the tradition, the fine basketball program – there were plenty of reasons Cony senior Katie Rollins decided to play for Harvard next year.

She also saw a little bit of Cony coach Paul Vachon in Harvard skipper Kathy Delaney-Smith.

“I think the coach might be a lot like Mr. Vachon, the female version of him,” Rollins said after scoring 16 points in an Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal win over Lewiston Saturday at the Bangor Auditorium. “She’s very competitive, very intense, she expects the best out of her players and that was a big reason in my choice.”

Rollins said her final college decision came down to Harvard and Maine.

“They were great at recruiting me, offered everything that I could ever want,” she said. “It’s a great school, they’ve got [former Cony star] Ashley Underwood up there, but in the long run this was the right choice.”

Rollins would have had a full scholarship at Maine. At Harvard, which doesn’t give out athletic scholarships, she’ll have to rely on financial aid and academic scholarships.