Gary Fifield has witnessed tremendous growth in Maine girls high school basketball during the last two decades.

He said the success achieved by his teams at the University of Southern Maine can be attributed in great part to the pool of instate talent from which the Huskies have drawn during his 20-year tenure.

Fifield knows of what he speaks, as he is among the most successful women’s basketball coaches in NCAA Division III history.

“We’ve proven that we can compete on a national level with a predominance of instate talent,” Fifield said Monday. “I think the fact that our program has had such a tradition of success also has helped us attract some real quality players over the years.”

Tonight, the 54-year-old Fifield looks to reach another milestone in his impressive coaching career when he goes after his 500th career victory.

He takes a 499-80 career record and an .862 winning percentage into the Huskies’ 5:30 p.m. Little East Conference game at Rhode Island College.

Since his arrival at USM in 1987, Fifield’s teams have made 19 trips to the NCAA tournament, qualified for the Elite Eight 10 times, been to five Final Fours and reached the Division III title game three times.

Southern Maine is 10-1, 3-0 in league play, this season. The Huskies are on pace to register their 20th consecutive season with 20 or more victories under Fifield’s leadership.

“That’s the challenge that keeps you going is to see if you can keep it going,” said Fifield, whose team has made back-to-back Final Four appearances and played in the national title game last season after winning a school-record 32 games.

“I read someplace that less than one percent of all basketball players get to participate in a Final Four,” he added. “I see the number of kids in our program that have participated in one, and many in two, that’s pretty special.”

Coming into 206-07, his .861 winning percentage was the best in Division III history. He ranked seventh all-time among coaches with 489 victories.

Aside from recruiting top talent, remaining a regional power and a national contender has required flexibility.

“I think one of the challenges in Division III, being nonscholarship, is you end up having to change your system or style of play a whole lot more than in Division I because you have to adapt to your talent,” Fifield explained.

Coaches at scholarship programs, he said, have the luxury of recruiting players who fit their preferred style of play.

The Vermont native attended Thetford Academy then earned undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Vermont. Fifield coached high school ball for eight years before doing a one-year stint as an assistant with the men’s program at Dartmouth College.

Fifield moved on to Vermont Technical College for three seasons, before returning to South Royalton (Vt.) High School, where he taught, in 1986-87.

“We were playing a high school tournament at Vermont Tech and Southern Maine Community College was there,” Fifield said. “A guy named Carroll Rines, who was like the bookkeeper and SID at Cheverus [High] and SMCC, was there. He said, ‘I’ve got the job [USM] you need to apply for.”

Fifield was hired to replace USM legend Richard “Doc” Costello.

“That’s pretty big footsteps to follow,” said Fifield, who has long since left a legacy that will be even harder to match.

UMaine’s Colon sidlined

The University of Maine women’s basketball team is without the services of freshman guard Tiffany Colon, who is dealing with a knee injury.

Colon was hurt during last Thursday’s America East victory over New Hampshire at Alfond Arena in Orono. She was averaging 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 13 minutes per game and had provided depth for the Black Bears.

UMaine coach Ann McInerney said Colon has provided solid defense coming off the bench this season.

The Bears also have been without redshirt freshman forward Brittany Boser, who also suffered a knee injury. She was injured during the Dec. 28 game at Virginia and has been on crutches since returning.

While the injuries shorten UMaine’s bench a bit, the return of senior Bracey Barker from a fractured wrist has helped bolster the squad.

The Bears own a three-game winning streak.

Huskies’ Sibley injures knee

The Southern Maine women’s basketball team suffered a key loss last weekend when senior Katie Sibley of Boothbay was lost for the season with a torn knee ligament.

“The injuries keep mounting,” said Fifield, who had already watched Shannon Kynoch and Becky Dixon go down with knee injuries during preseason.

Sibley, a 5-foot-5 guard, was the Huskies’ third leading scorer with 10.4 points per game. She leads the team with 50 assists (4.5 per game), is third with 19 steals (1.7 spg) and was shooting 80 percent from the foul line.

“She’s been a point [guard] all along, but the last month or so I’ve been starting her and Nicole [Paradis] together,” Fifield explained.

Sibley was injured during Saturday’s LEC win at Western Connecticut.

“She’s devastated,” Fifield said.