A University of Maine backcourt which is already one of the strongest in America East could be even stronger with the addition of junior college signee Rashard Turner.

Turner, who hails from Peekskill, N.Y., signed a National Letter of Intent to attend UMaine as a junior this fall.

The 5-foot-11 point guard led Monroe College, a junior college in the Bronx, N.Y., to the Region XV National Junior College Athletic Association Championship last season. He was an All-Region Four first team selection and averaged 14.3 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.1 steals per game for a Monroe team that went 25-8.

“I think you guys have a steal. You’re getting a very hard-nosed, tough basketball player who can score, pass, and is a tenacious defender who gets steals and draws offensive fouls,” said Monroe coach Jeff Brustad. “He has a lot of heart and that goes a long way in this game. Plus he has a brand of intensity that becomes contagious. He was also the emotional leader of our team.

“We’re really having a hard time trying to replace him.”

Brustad said Turner filled a variety of roles primarily as a point guard, but also as a shooter, finishing some games in the mid to high 30s in points.

Turner led Peekskill – which also counts former Duke University and current L.A. Clippers star Elton Brand as an alumnus – to the New York State Class B title game in 2002. He finished his high school career with 1,500 points and 450 assists.

“He’s an absolute leader on the court and a winner. He’s won at every place he’s been, and he’s obviously had a lot to do with that,” said Maine coach Ted Woodward. “I like his versatility and toughness and he’s a high-level defender and a tremendous scorer and passer. I think this really adds to our strength.”

Bayley wins ECAC award

Recent Colby College graduate Nick Bayley has been named the winner of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Robbins Scholar-Athlete Award.

Bayley was selected as the male Division III winner by the ECAC, which is the nation’s largest athletic and multi-divisional conference with 324 Divisions I, II, and III schools. He will receive the award at the ECAC convention honors dinner Sept. 25 in Hyannis, Mass.

The biology major was a three-time All-New England Small College Athletic Conference selection as a hockey player. He also earned 2004-05 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men’s At-Large Division first team honors the last three years and won Colby’s Donald P. Lake Award for outstanding leadership, academic accomplishment, and athletic ability. He also led Colby in scoring each of his four years and finished as the school’s third-leading career scorer with 61 total goals and 87 assists (148 points).