THORNDIKE – Veteran basketball coach Gary Colson will have a new home next winter – along the sideline at Mount View High School.

Colson recently was named the school’s boys varsity basketball coach, replacing Jim Pettis who resigned last spring after two seasons for family and health reasons.

“I just thought that the time might be right to get back into it,” said Colson, who lives in Troy, one of 11 SAD 3 communities that send students to Mount View.

“It’s close to home, we’re right in the district and it’s only 11 miles from my house to the school.”

Colson spent the last two seasons as an assistant boys varsity coach under Russ Bartlett at Hampden Academy. During that time the Broncos won the 2005 Class A state championship and repeated as Eastern A champions in 2006.

“Russ and I had a great relationship at Hampden,” said Colson. “Russ’s dad is probably my best friend, and I got to watch him grow up and play in high school, so that was a good situation for me to work with Russ.

“But I think deep down that I had the desire to get back into a head coaching situation, and hopefully this will be a good fit.”

Before going to Hampden, Colson was boys varsity coach for seven seasons at his alma mater, Bangor Christian. That run was capped off by back-to-back Eastern Maine Class D championships in 2002 and 2003. In both seasons the Patriots lost to Valley of Bingham in the state final, 67-66 in 2002 and 58-46 the following year.

During his playing days, Colson was a Bangor Daily News All-Maine third-team choice in 1979 when he led Bangor Christian to the Eastern Maine Class D title.

Mount View finished the 2005-06 regular season with an 11-7 record, then defeated Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference rival Rockland in a preliminary-round game before being ousted by Ellsworth in the regional quarterfinals at the Bangor Auditorium.

Mount View is expected to return one starter, its sixth man, and some talented younger players from successful junior varsity and freshman teams to the court next season.

The Mustangs qualified for postseason play in each of Pettis’s two seasons as head coach, no small feat given that the KVAC has produced the last six Class B state champions – Camden Hills of Rockport in 2001, 2002 and 2005, Winslow in 2003, Erskine Academy of South China in 2004 and Maranacook of Readfield in 2006,

“From what I know and read, there are obviously no gimmies in that league night in and night out,” said Colson. “They’re all good schools with good programs and good coaches, so it will be interesting to see what we can do here.”