Maine alumna Karlsson back as coach

loading...

Auburn native Kathy Karlsson, who played three seasons of basketball at the University of Maine (1987-90), was named associate head coach at her alma mater Friday.

Karlsson had spent the previous six seasons assisting Merrimack College (Mass.) women’s basketball coach Ann McInerney and she will follow McInerney to Orono.

McInerney was named to replace Sharon Versyp as the women’s head coach at Maine on May 6. Versyp left to take the head coaching position at Indiana University.

McInerney and Karlsson guided the Warriors to a 119-65 record including a 60-10 mark the previous two seasons in which they made it to the NCAA Division II Final Four each year.

Karlsson was promoted to the position of associate head coach at Merrimack last season and was responsible for overall skill development as well as being the recruiting coordinator. Her other areas of responsibility included practice organization, academic advising and team travel.

She had also been named Merrimack’s assistant athletic director and senior women’s administrator prior to this past season.

Karlsson, who graduated from Maine in 1991, had served as an assistant coach at Boston University and Brandeis University (Mass.) prior to her six-year stint at Merrimack.

The former Edward Little High School standout earned a master’s degree in human movement/physical education from Boston University in 1992.

“She has a lot of enthusiasm,” said Black Bear power forward Bracey Barker of Bar Harbor, who will be a junior in the fall. “She seemed real excited about coming back to Maine. She’s a bundle of energy.”

Barker also liked the fact Karlsson and McInerney had worked together for six years at Merrimack.

“They know each other and how each other coaches. That will make their transition to us and our transition to them a lot faster,” said Barker.

McInerney said in a press release that Karlsson was a “key to much of our success at Merrimack” and has tremendous passion for the game.

“In addition, as a native of Maine and a University of Maine graduate, Kathy knows the strengths and traditions of the Black Bear women’s program,” said McInerney.

UM gets top-scoring defenseman

Keith Yandle, a defenseman who was the leading scorer at Cushing Academy (Mass.) this past season, has verbally committed to attend the University of Maine.

He is the younger brother of University of New Hampshire defenseman Brian Yandle, who was one of the nation’s top scoring defensemen last season with 13 goals and 22 assists in 41 games.

“I was supposed to go to UNH, but things fell through so Maine jumped on the opportunity and, luckily, they had a full scholarship still open,” said Keith Yandle, who had 14 goals and 40 assists in 34 games for Cushing.

The 18-year-old Yandle said his former Cushing Academy teammate, Billy Ryan, who was a freshman left winger at Maine this past season, played a role in his decision.

“Billy is my best friend, I’m around him all the time, and he told me how much he loved it at Maine. I think I’ll feel comfortable up there,” said Yandle who has been invited to the U.S. National Junior team’s tryout camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. on Aug. 5-14.

Both are from Milton, Mass.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Yandle said he talked to Maine players like center Derek Damon and that he was aware of the winning tradition at Maine.

He added that he talked to head coach Tim Whitehead and assistant Grant Standbrook “and they sold me on the program. I feel I can learn so much from both of them.”

Cushing coach Steve Jacobs said Maine landed “quite a catch.”

“I think he’s going to be a dominant player right away. He can really skate, he has great vision and he’s a real tough kid,” said Jacobs. “He’s got the long reach and can really dangle with the puck. He has great imagination out there and can really make things happen.”

He was an All-New England first-team selection and is a “great leader” according to Jacobs.

Yandle, who had 14 goals and 48 assists for Cushing two years ago, quarterbacked the Cushing Academy power play and that has been a Black Bear weakness in recent years.

Yandle said he has been an offensive-oriented player his whole life and is hoping to help the Bears out in that department next season.

Yandle’s status is dependent upon his admission to the school and his being cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse.