The Husson College men’s basketball roster will add some size next season with the addition of three local high players.

Presque Isle center Chris Coffin, Mount View of Thorndike center Kyle Tripp, and Medomak Valley of Waldoboro forward Matt McKenzie all made tuition deposits and verbally committed to attend Husson in Bangor and play varsity basketball next winter.

The 6-foot-6 Coffin is averaging nine points and eight rebounds per game this season, the 6-6 Tripp is averaging 10 points and seven rebounds, and the 6-5 McKenzie is averaging 17 points and eight boards a game.

Husson head coach Warren Caruso says it’s important for his team to add some height, especially after seniors Buddy Leavitt and Phil White graduate this summer.

“I think as we look at our starting five, it has to be a point of emphasis,” Caruso said. “We want to get more physical as a program. We lose two big guys with Phil and Buddy who are our two leading scorers inside.”

Guilford native Leavitt is Husson’s leading scorer overall with 18.3 ppg and is also averaging 5.5 rebounds a game. White is leading Husson with 6.2 rebounds per game, and is scoring 13.8 ppg.

The commitments give the Eagles a leg up on their current recruiting class.

“It’s a good start for us, but I know we’re not done. We still have a handful of recruits apply that we’re waiting for word on and some of them are big guys,” Caruso said.

The Eagles are currently 12-8 overall and 9-1 in the North Atlantic Conference.

“You’re really only as good as your recruiting classes are,” Caruso said. “I think some our program’s successes have been taken for granted after averaging 21 wins a season over the last 37 years. That’s something we’re really proud of, but we’ve had a lot of really great players here that made that possible.”

Husson’s White reaches 1,000

Senior forward Phil White became the 33rd player in Husson College men’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-point mark in his collegiate career Sunday against Elms College.

The Temple Hills, Md., native now has 1,027 career points.

White is averaging 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season while shooting 59 percent from the floor and 67 percent from the line.

“He’s been a four-year starter and averaging a little over 10 points and six rebounds a game for his career,” said Husson coach Warren Caruso. “He’s never been an all-conference player, but he’s certainly a candidate this year.”

McIntosh blocks way into books

Husson College’s Annie McIntosh set school records for blocked shots in a career and in a single game Sunday in a game against Mount Ida College.

The junior center from New Gloucester recorded a triple-double in the game with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks. Those 10 blocks broke Leslie Trott’s mark of nine and gave McIntosh 147 in her college career to surpass Kelly Dow’s mark of 141.

Hugstad-Vaa in ‘SI On Campus’

Lindsey Hugstad-Vaa, a junior member of the University of Maine women’s basketball team, is featured in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated On Campus.com.

Matthew Conyers, editor-in-chief of The Maine Campus, UMaine’s student newspaper, wrote the story chronicling Hugstad-Vaa’s love of singing and her ability to relax before Black Bear home games by singing “The Star Spangled Banner” to the crowd.

Hugstad-Vaa, who often sings the national anthem before UMaine basketball games, starting performing the song during her high school days at The Breck School in Apple Valley, Minn.

The 6-foot-2 forward is averaging 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game for 6-14 UMaine.

The story can be read at: sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/sioncampus/02/07/maine.anthem/index.html.