Move in state Class D game was undignified

On March 3, the first state champions of 2005 in boys and girls basketball were crowned. The games were well-played and enjoyable, for the most part.

The final minutes of Lee Academy’s first gold-ball victory were marred by an unusual display of self-centered behavior.

Their senior captain, and star player, was put back in a lopsided game with 20 seconds left to attempt a 3-point basket. (She had attempted two other such shots with 2:30 to play.)

Whatever the reasoning, the coach should not have allowed that. It was undignified and unfair to the losing Hyde team, one that was clearly overmatched this night. It is atypical of Eastern Maine basketball, but it should nonetheless be called attention to as an example of poor sportsmanship, unworthy of a state final game.

Buck Owen

Alfred

LeVasseur deserves an honor for coaching

If the award is still in existence, strong consideration for Maine High School Coach of the Year should go to Steve LeVasseur of Schenck High School. He got his team to Bangor once more, playing the entire season without the services of his team’s big man, Andrew VanEss, and much of the season without his star frontliner Nick Bishop.

LeVasseur also designed plays to tie the play-in game in regulation time at Lincoln and win it in overtime in one of the greatest games I’ve seen in 40 years. Once Steve got his team to the Auditorium, it played third-ranked Washington Academy even for a half.

For his work this year, Tony Hamlin of Penquis Valley got a lot of mileage out of his players and deserves mention in this regard as well.

Bill Sawtell

Brownville

More to Eastern Mane than just Bangor

I could tell by reading my BDN every morning last week that there was no Bangor High basketball team left in the Eastern Maine basketball tournament. You know how? There has not been one feature story on a Bangor High player, coach, assistant coach, manager, parent, or cheerleader all week.

If you were not from this area, you would not know any other local school still had a team in the tournament either. If the Rams were still in it, boys or girls, we would have been inundated with features on Ram players, coaches, et al, and for good reason, both of those teams had great seasons and are quality programs run by quality individuals. The problem is, Nokomis, Brewer, and Hampden all had teams that were still playing. Other than Monday’s article about the wins Brewer and Hampden got, there was not one story about any of these teams, players, or coaches.

Instead, on Tuesday we got an article about Bangor High hockey (well deserved), the Arizona Cardinals football team, Tiger Woods regaining the No. 1 world ranking, the Iditarod, and the “Sports Done Right” initiative. On Wednesday it was Pete Webb (well deserved), sled dog races, UMaine baseball (OK), steroids, and Randy Johnson (who cares?), powerlifting, and the Class A fall schedule. At least you did mention Orono High hockey.

On Thursday, other than the hockey playoff games, UMaine’s America East honors, Missy Traversi, and a story on the Red Sox, all good, we were told about Edgerrin James leaving the Colts, steroids, again, and how some poor PGA golfers are getting as much as $150,000 to appear at events. Friday was no different. Feature stories on WABI’s new TV contract, AP stories about Jose Canseco and Brett Favre, a skiing story, Iditarod story, and another AP story about some player from Western Washington playing in the NCAA tournament despite some freak accident in his past.

I am not saying these aren’t newsworthy, but how about some press for the local teams other than Bangor.

I am sure if you ask the people in the Newport area, Hampden area, Brewer area, they would love to have seen an article about their teams. How about a story about defensive whiz Earl Anderson leading Nokomis into the girls semifinals in his first year back? You could talk about two standout juniors at Hampden and Brewer, Jordan Cook and Chris Wilson, whose fathers once lit it up for UMaine, Husson College, and the Brewer men’s league in its heyday.

Or an article on the standout careers of seniors Isaac Bell and Drew Francis of Brewer, Blaine Meehan, Pat Moran and Josh McNutt of Hampden, or Michelle Barden of Nokomis and the talented young players they have. Give these schools and players some recognition. They may not play for Bangor, but they deserve it.

Robert J. Neill

Hampden

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