Versatile, deep Black Bears optimistic Talented newcomers will complement host of returnees

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ORONO – Although four starters return, it’s a whole new ballgame for the University of Maine men’s basketball team this season.

The Black Bears (12-16 last season) are a paradox of sorts with plenty of experience in the form of nine returning players and lots of inexperience with six first-year players, many of whom will log significant playing time this season.

On the one hand, the Bears have plenty of firepower and maturity in returning veteran starters such as guard Kevin Reed and 6-foot-10 center Olli Ahvenniemi – both senior co-captains – along with 6-1 senior guard Jon Sheets and 6-6 sophomore forward Philippe Tchekane Bofia.

There’s also the presence of productive bench players such as senior guard-forward Chris Bruff, junior guard Jason Hight, and 6-10 sophomore forward Christian Cavanaugh.

On the other hand, how far Maine – picked to finish second in America East – goes depends largely on the maturation and production of new guys such as freshman guards Junior Bernal from Hyde School in Bath and Mark Socoby of Houlton; 6-9, 310-pound junior center Brian Andre, who isn’t eligible to play until after the fall semester (Dec. 23 at Penn State University); and freshman forwards Jordan Cook of Hampden and Sean Costigan of South Portland.

“I don’t know if we can establish a complete identity for ourselves yet,” said third-year head coach Ted Woodward. “I really believe this is a team that’ll grow from the first day all the way to four months from now.

“There are so many new guys, guys who haven’t played ball in a long time, and a lot of youth, this is a group that is focused on growth.”

Four of Maine’s players – Reed, Bernal, Socoby, and Andre – haven’t played in a regular season or playoff game in nearly two years.

“I’ve never had to sit down for a year before, so this is something I’ve been waiting a long time for,” Bernal said. “It was really hard for me last year. It’s a great opportunity for me to be here, so I’m just going to play with great joy.”

Bernal is proving to be a tough matchup for guards and forwards alike.

“He’s gifted in that he has size and length and quickness with ballhandling ability,” said Woodward. “That makes him a very versatile player.”

Versatility is something the Bears should have an abundance of, both in terms of individual players and the lineup combinations Woodward can put on the court.

“We have a number of different options from an offensive standpoint,” said Woodward. “We have a lot of guys who can shoot, guys who can make plays with ballhandling, and lots of guys who can post [up] so we feel comfortable about the versatility of our offense.”

“We’re deep. We’ve got guys who can come off the bench and do good things for us right away,” Reed said. “You see that with Chris Bruff and other guys. We have depth.”

Bruff is a human highlight reel when he’s on the break. His crowd-energizing dunks and leaping ability make him a fan favorite, but it’s his overall athletic talent that makes him a force off the bench. The 6-4 senior is listed as a forward, but he can play small forward, shooting guard, and even the point if need be. And he’s not the only multi-positional Bear.

“It makes it real hard for other teams because they won’t know what to do when we’re on the floor,” Bruff said. “We have different guys to switch things around, but we can also switch things around with the guys already out there since so many of us can play two or three different positions.”

The fact that Bruff doesn’t even start shows Maine’s depth.

“I don’t really particularly look at it as a bench,” Woodward said. “I feel we have multiple starters with a core of guys, eight or nine guys, who can flat out play and it’s just a matter of combinations and what works best together.”

But then there are the no-brainer starters like Reed, also the epitome of a do-everything player.

The leading rebounder in the country 6-foot-2 or shorter during the 2004-05 season, Reed was sidelined by a broken foot last season. Maine’s deadliest 3-point shooter, he’s also a solid inside scoring threat, tenacious defender, and adept passer. Oh, and he’s also UMaine’s all time 3-point shooter with 235.

So you have guards with forward abilities on the UMaine roster and forwards with guard abilities. Last season, Bofia wasn’t considered one of those forwards, but this year he is.

“Me and coach are talking about me playing point guard my senior year,” Bofia said with a hearty chuckle. “I’ve got to work on it.”

Woodward does hope to make the 6-6 Bofia a solid swingman.

“That’s one of his goals is to make me guard smaller guys so I can play with the post guys and on the perimeter, too,” said Bofia, who averaged 9.4 points and 5.5 rebounds last season.

So how best to describe this season’s UMaine Black Bears? A work in progress, but given the right progression, it could very well be a master work.

“We very well might have to take some lumps early on, but I think it’s very exciting,” said Woodward. “We’re on the road forever early, we have a lot of different combinations, we have a lot of new guys, and we have lots of guys who have to play through things. We just have to be patient.”

The season’s first test comes Saturday as Maine opens at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.

UMAINE SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER

11 – at Harvard, 1 p.m.

13 – vs. Detroit, at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m.

14 – vs. Marquette/Idaho St. at Milwaukee, TBA

18 – at St. Francis (N.Y.), 4 p.m.

22 – St. Joseph the Provider (Vt.), 6 p.m.

26 – Robert Morris, 1 p.m.

29 – at Mount St. Mary’s (Md.), 9 p.m.

DECEMBER

1 – at New Jersey Tech, 7 p.m.

9 – at Providence, 7:30 p.m.

14 – UM-Farmington, 7 p.m.

23 – at Penn State, noon

28 – at Nevada, 8:30 p.m.

JANUARY

3 – Hartford, 7 p.m.

6 – New Hampshire, 7 p.m.

9 – at Boston University, 7 p.m.

11 – at Albany, 7 p.m.

13 – Binghamton, noon

16 – UMBC, 7:30 p.m.

18 – at Vermont, 7 p.m.

25 – at Stony Brook, 7 p.m.

27 – at Hartford, 7 p.m.

31 – Boston University, 7:30 p.m.

FEBRUARY

3 – at New Hampshire, 3 p.m.

7 – Albany, 7:30 p.m.

11 – at Binghamton, 1 p.m.

14 – Vermont, 7:30 p.m.

17 – ESPN Bracket Buster, TBA

22 – at UMBC, 7 p.m.

25 – Stony Brook, 1 p.m.