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For many years, Troy Alley envisioned himself replacing his father, Ordman “Ordie” Alley, as head coach of the Jonesport-Beals boys basketball team one day.
He played for his dad for four years before graduating from Jonesport-Beals in 1991, and for the last five years he has been the Royals’ junior varsity coach as well as his father’s assistant – coaching the varsity squad for 20 games while Ordie Alley dealt with health issues.
More recently, he has seen the thought of replacing his father when the elder Alley decides to call it a career as a more formidable challenge, which should come as no surprise given that Ordie Alley has amassed nine state championships and 13 Eastern Maine Class D crowns over 39 years.
“Following my father isn’t going to be an easy job,” he said.
So Troy Alley has taken his coaching career in a new direction, having been named recently as the new boys varsity coach at Machias.
“It’s a chance to start my own program, on my own away from dad,” he said. “I’ve had the time of my life coaching with dad the last five years. How often does someone get to coach with their father? It’s been a great thing.
“But the main reason for me doing this is that this is a great opportunity to be with a real strong administration at Machias, and regardless of what dad does, this is a good situation for me.”
Ordie Alley, whose championship runs in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s established Jonesport-Beals as the symbol of small-town basketball in Maine, has not yet said if he will return to the sidelines for a 40th season next winter.
Even Troy Alley says he doesn’t know for sure.
“I have an idea,” he said, “but that’s his decision.”
A former history teacher now working as a lobsterman, Troy Alley has considerable experience at the varsity level, having coached soccer for six years at Jonesport-Beals and one year at Washington Academy in East Machias. Last fall, he coached both the men’s and women’s soccer teams at the University of Maine at Machias.
Troy Alley also is president of the local youth soccer program, and vice president of the Moosabec Little League.
“When I got out of teaching, one of the things I knew I would miss was working with the kids,” said Alley, who lives in Jonesport with his wife, Bobbie Jo, and two children. “But I’ve been able to keep that through coaching and starting up the soccer league.”
Alley faces a rebuilding task at Machias, which finished 6-13 after a trip to the Eastern D preliminary round last winter and has not had a winning season since 1999. The Bulldogs graduate their top two players from the 2004-05 squad in James McCarthy and Cory Brooks, but three starters return in point guard Michael Little, guard Zach McNally and forward Isaiah Roberts.
“We’re not going to be very tall, so we’ll be pressing and running the floor for 32 minutes,” Alley said. “We should be fun to watch.”
Two games that may be particularly interesting to watch will be when Machias faces Jonesport-Beals, particularly if they involve a father vs. son coaching matchup.
It won’t be the first time the Alleys have squared off on the sidelines.
“I coached our junior varsity league in the [Machias] summer league, and he had the varsity,” Troy said. “We played his team, and my team didn’t really have a point guard but we were beating them by two points at halftime. Of course, he knew we didn’t have a point guard, so he came out in the second half and pressed us, and they won the game.”
Hoop tourney a work in progress
The Maine Principals’ Association is still formulating its schedule for the 2006 basketball tournaments, which for the first time will involve regional tournaments in all four classes being held during February vacation week.
MPA executive director Dick Durost said that while the schedule hasn’t been completed, he expects little change in the Eastern B, C and D tournament to be held at the Bangor Auditorium.
“It should look pretty much the same as it has in the past,” he said. “There may be a little tinkering, but no more than in other years.”
As for the Eastern A tournament that will move from Bangor to the Augusta Civic Center, Durost said one possible scenario is for those games to be played on days and times similar to the Western B games that have been played at the ACC but will move to the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland next year.
One prime reason to follow that scenario, Durost said, is that the Western C and D tournaments that will remain in Augusta have had the same basic schedule in recent years, and organizers are unlikely to disrupt that format.
Last year, the Western B girls quarterfinals were played on the first Friday of the tournament, with the boys quarterfinals Saturday afternoon and evening. The boys and girls semifinals were held the following Wednesday, with the regional finals on Friday night.
Durost said the tourney schedule most up in the air is the Western A and B event in Portland, but “because there are only two classes we have a little more flexibility.”
Among options under consideration for the Portland tournaments, he said, are not to hold games on the first Friday and limiting the number of morning games.
Another issue to be resolved is the televising of the tournaments, expected to be more of a logistical challenge given that games now will be played at three sites simultaneously rather than two sites, as has been the case in the past.
Durost said the MPA is at the end of its most recent three-year contract with Maine Public Broadcasting Network. The MPA plans to send out requests for proposals to MPBN and other television outlets in the state this month, and once it receives responses talks on formalizing the television rights will begin.
Hall honors student-athletes
Sam Bowers of Dexter, Kathleen Hannon of Brewer, Joey Kane of Central of Corinth and Shelby Pickering of Lee Academy are among 10 high school standouts named winners of the 2005 Maine Sports Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Awards.
The awards, sponsored by Norway Savings Bank and the Narragansett One Foundation, will be presented during the annual Maine Sports Hall of Fame awards ceremony to be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 12, at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland.
Others being honored are Josh Avery and Amanda Rumpf of Bonny Eagle of Standish, Aylie Baker and Nicholas Runyon of Yarmouth, Brad Bryant of Livermore Falls and Jessica Wilcox of Mount Ararat of Topsham.
Tickets for the dinner and awards ceremony are $35 and may be purchased from Bill Daviero at 799-8643.
Ernie Clark can be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600, or eclark@bangordailynews.net
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