Hampden Academy’s Jordan Cook and Deering of Portland’s Carlos Strong earned a split of their head-to-head matchups in the 2005 and 2006 Class A state finals – with each player leading his school to its first gold ball in boys basketball.

And as they each have one gold basketball to their credit, Cook in 2005 and Strong in 2006, they also share another honor – back-to-back selections to the 51st annual Bangor Daily News All-Maine first team.

Cook and Strong are among four seniors bound for Division I college programs named to the star-studded 2006 first team. Cook is headed to the University of Maine, as is Cheverus of Portland forward Sean Costigan. Strong has verbally committed to Boston University, while Mr. Basketball Bryant Barr of Falmouth will attend Davidson College in North Carolina.

The lone underclassman on the first team is Maranacook of Readfield sophomore Ryan Martin, who led the Black Bears to the first Class B state title in school history.

Mark Socoby, a senior guard from Bangor, made the All-Maine first team in both 2004 and 2005 but had to sit out the 2006 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in a preseason recreation league game on Nov. 1.

Jeff Manchester of Gorham tops this year’s second team, joined by Brock Bradford of Bangor Christian, Martin Cleveland of Deering, Sean McNally of Gardiner, and Chris Wilson of Brewer.

Comprising the third team are Troy Barnies of Edward Little of Auburn, Andrew Duncanson of Portland, Brandon Tomah of Calais, Greg Whitaker of Presque Isle, and Andrew York of Central Aroostook of Mars Hill.

The All-Maine team honors the state’s top 15 players regardless of class, position, or region as selected by the BDN sports staff with input from coaches, officials, and other basketball observers.

First team

COOK led his conference – this year the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A North – in scoring for the third straight year, averaging 24.3 points to go with 10 rebounds per game.

He then averaged 25.7 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocked shots in the Eastern Maine Class A tournament while earning MVP honors for the second straight year as Hampden claimed its second straight regional title.

“If you look at any team that wins a gold ball, 95 percent of them have an all-state type of player,” said Hampden coach Russ Bartlett. “He put us at a level where we could go out and compete for a gold ball.”

One of Cook’s strengths was his soft shooting touch. The KVAC North co-player of the year and Mr. Basketball finalist shot 60 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free throw line.

A nominee for the McDonald’s All-American team, the four-year starter became the sixth boys basketball player in school history to surpass 1,000 career points, finishing with 1,382.

“Jordan has a lot of self-pride,” said Bartlett. “He’s really worked to become a very good player, and there was a lot of pressure on him because of the way we played with the offense running through him.”

STRONG, the state’s 2006 Gatorade player of the year, was virtually unstoppable in a one-on-one situation. In addition to ranking third in the Southern Maine Activities Association in scoring, he also ranked among the conference leaders in assists (3.5 per game) and steals (2.7) while shooting 78 percent from the free throw line.

“He was better from the perimeter this year,” said Deering coach Dan LeGage. “He became a better midrange shooter, and he became a better teammate in terms of making his teammates better.”

A McDonald’s All-American nominee, Strong also was named to the All-SMAA first team and selected MVP of the Western A tournament for the second straight year after amassing 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in the regional final as Deering defeated Portland.

“The numbers he put up against Portland he could have done anytime he wanted to,” said LeGage. “He sacrificed what he could do individually to reach his goal, which was to win a state championship.”

COSTIGAN, who led the All-Maine second team a year ago, combines a smooth long-range shooting touch with considerable athleticism.

“He’s someone who can hit the 3-pointer, but then penetrate off the dribble,” said Cheverus coach Bob Brown.

Costigan’s statistics, which included 2.0 blocked shots per contest and 26 3-point goals, were diminished because he didn’t play a lot in the second half of many games, the result of some lopsided victories by the Stags.

“In eight of our games this year, he never scored a point in the fourth quarter,” said Brown. “And in 11 of our games, he scored a combined 18 points in the second half.”

Despite that, Costigan was a McDonald’s All-American nominee, a first-team All-SMAA selection, and a Mr. Basketball finalist.

BARR set several school records during his four years at Falmouth, including career points (1,464), 3-point goals (172), and points in a game (42).

This season the smooth-shooting Barr averaged 25.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game while leading the Yachtsmen to the Western B championship game.

A third-team All-Maine choice as a junior, Barr was named the Western Maine Conference’s outstanding player and? sportsman this year while also being nominated for the McDonald’s All-American team.

“Bryant matured as a player this year,” said Falmouth coach David Halligan. “A lot of people think of him as an offensive player, but he also played defensively against the opposing team’s best player.”

MARTIN led a young Maranacook team to a 21-1 record while defying his 5-foot-8 frame to emerge as one of the state’s most prolific scorers.

Martin was named KVAC Class B player of the year after ranking first in scoring (22.7 ppg) and shooting 53 percent from the field and 88 percent from the free throw line.

“I knew he’d be a great scorer,” said Maranacook coach Rob Schmidt. “But it seemed like every night he’d find a higher gear.”

That certainly was true during postseason play. Martin was named MVP of the Eastern B tourney after averaging 34 points in three games, and then scored 21 points in Maranacook’s win over Mountain Valley of Rumford in the state final.

Second team

MANCHESTER had little difficulty as Gorham moved from Class B to Class A this season – he merely was named the SMAA’s most valuable player. The McDonald’s All-American nominee led the league in scoring and tied for first with 45 3-point goals while shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc.

“His shooting range is incredible,” said Gorham coach Kevin Jenkins, “and he shot that percentage even though he was heavily guarded most of the time and saw a variety of junk defenses.”

Manchester plans to continue his basketball career at Division II Franklin Pierce College of Rindge, N.H.

WILSON was named co-player of the year in the KVAC Class A North after leading the youthful Witches from a 2-6 start to a berth in the Eastern Maine preliminary round.

A third-team All-Maine choice in 2005, Wilson was a McDonald’s All-American nominee this year while ranking among the conference leaders in scoring and shooting 78 percent from the free throw line.

“Chris is very unselfish, and he’s been a great leader in that respect,” said Brewer coach Mark Reed. “He’s been a great ambassador for our program.”

MCNALLY rebounded from a broken foot that sidelined him from May until the start of basketball season to be a force in the middle for Gardiner.

A third-team All-Maine choice as a sophomore, McNally earned first-team All-KVAC Class A South honors this winter after ranking among the conference leaders in scoring, rebounds, and blocked shots (4.0 per game).

“If guys took it to the rim, he was there,” said Gardiner coach Dana Doran of McNally, who has verbally committed to attend Maine after he graduates from high school in 2007.

BRADFORD, a third-team All-Maine choice a year ago, capped off a stellar career this winter by leading Bangor Christian to the Eastern D quarterfinals, where the Patriots fell to eventual state champion Central Aroostook of Mars Hill.

In addition to leading his team in scoring, the McDonald’s All-American nominee averaged a team-best eight assists per contest while shooting 88 percent from the free throw line.

“The biggest thing with Brock is he’s the consummate leader both on and off the court,” said Bangor Christian coach Charlie Colson.

Bradford finished his high school career with 1,689 points.

CLEVELAND was the primary inside complement to Strong for 21-1 Deering. He averaged 15.6 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots per game, and was a major defensive presence in the middle for the Rams, who allowed only 45.89 points per game during the regular season.

“He was our anchor in the middle,” said LeGage. “Without his presence as a shot blocker and rebounder, we wouldn’t have been able to pressure the ball on the perimeter the way we did. He’s been huge for our program since the day he first came here.”

Cleveland earned second-team All-SMAA honors this year and was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American team.

Third team

BARNIES was the KVAC Class A South player of the year after leading the Eddies in most offensive categories, including scoring, rebounds, and blocked shots.

Barnies worked diligently in the gym and weight room during the offseason and it paid off as he led coach Mike Adams’ club to a 14-4 record and a berth in the Eastern A preliminary round after Edward Little had gone a combined 8-28 the previous two seasons.

YORK helped Central Aroostook become the first Eastern D boys team to win back-to-back state titles since Jonesport-Beals won five straight from 1970 to 1974. A natural shooting guard, York moved to the point after the Panthers lost their first game of the season – and they never lost again.

York was a two-time Eastern D tournament MVP, this year averaging 18.3 points in three games. He then led the Panthers to a 65-55 victory over Richmond in the state final, scoring 21 points.

WHITAKER, the Big East Conference Class B player of the year, led Presque Isle to the Eastern Maine championship game and was named to the all-tournament team for the second straight season.

The versatile forward ranked second in the conference in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage (59.9 percent), and 3-point percentage (42.9 percentage) during the regular season while also shooting 70 percent from the free throw line.

DUNCANSON topped the SMAA in assists (4.6) and steals (3.4) per game while ranking second in scoring in his first year with Portland after transferring from Westbrook.

The point guard’s play propelled a youthful Bulldog team to the Western Maine Class A championship game, and Duncanson was named to the All-SMAA first team for his efforts.

TOMAH sparked Calais to its first state championship in boys basketball. The Downeast Athletic Conference all-star led coach Ed Leeman’s balanced club in scoring and rebounding, and also averaged 2.5 steals per contest.

The transfer from Woodland averaged 13 points and 7.3 rebounds while earning MVP honors in the Eastern C tournament, then had 10 points and nine rebounds as Calais defeated Winthrop 56-49 in the state final to emerge as the only undefeated team – girls or boys – in the state during the 2005-06 season.

FIRST TEAM

Jordan Cook

Carlos Strong

Sean Costigan

Bryant Barr

Ryan Martin

SECOND TEAM

Jeff Manchester

Chris Wilson

Sean McNally

Brock Bradford

Martin Cleveland

THIRD TEAM

Troy Barnies

Andrew York

Greg Whitaker

Andrew Duncanson

Brandon Tomah