Kissy Walker isn’t the kind of basketball coach who seeks attention, in spite of her considerable accomplishments.

For that reason, the veteran Husson College women’s basketball coach was surprised to find out she is on the threshold of 300 career victories.

The Augusta native will have the opportunity to accomplish the feat this weekend when Husson plays host to Wheelock and Bay Path in North Atlantic Conference games Friday and Saturday, respectively, at Newman Gym in Bangor.

“I think a lot of it makes you feel like you’re getting older and that you have been around a long time,” said a humble Walker, who found out about the milestone from former Husson statistician and WVII-TV sportscaster Elgin Traylor, who now works in Augusta, Ga.

“He still keeps track of that stuff and he called the other day to tell me about it,” she said.

Walker will soon close out her 16th season guiding the Eagles, having begun her tenure in 1989. She owns a career record of 298-142, good for a .677 winning percentage.

Reaching 300 wins would put Walker in select company as only two other Maine women’s coaches have done so.

University of Southern Maine coach Gary Fifield leads the way with a stellar 511-80 (.865) record, which includes this season.

Second on the list is USM assistant coach and former Saint Joseph’s College coach Mike McDevitt. The Ellsworth native coached the Monks to a 326-117 mark (.736) from 1988-2003.

Walker’s teams have made four trips to the NAIA National Tournament (1993, ’95, ’96 and ’99) and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2004. In 1993, Walker led Husson to the NAIA Division II “Fabulous Four” and a stellar 28-3 record, the best season under her tutelage.

The program earned conference championships in 1995 and ’96.

When Walker started coaching, Husson was primarily a business school and was awarding athletic scholarships in NAIA. Now, Husson offers many other programs and competes in NCAA Division III, where there are no scholarships.

“In terms of recruiting, a lot of kids are coming to us instead of us going to find them,” she said of changes seen since her early days. “Now we have a wider variety of [academic] majors.”

This is Walker’s second coaching stint at Husson. She took two seasons off (2001-03), due in part to an anxiety disorder, then returned in 2004.

The three-time league coach of the year said raising her son, Isaiah, has made an impact on providing her with some much-needed balance in her life.

“When I walk through my door at home now, I’ve got a 5-year-old and I’ve got to switch gears [from basketball],” she said.

Husson is 11-12 this season and is ranked third in the NAC East Division.

NAC changes playoff format

The North Atlantic Conference has implemented changes this season for its basketball tournaments in the hope of having stronger fields in the league semifinals.

Some coaches, especially in the women’s ranks, had questioned the fairness of the old system because the balance of power in the NAC clearly was in the East Division. That group includes perennial powers Maine Maritime Academy of Castine, the University of Maine-Farmington and Husson.

Previously, the top four teams in each division advanced to postseason and played quarterfinals within the division with the Nos. 4 and 3 teams playing at the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively.

That meant two of the top four teams in each division were quickly eliminated.

The NAC then re-seeded the four teams and played the semifinals and finals on the home court of the highest remaining seed.

“A lot of people were complaining that sometimes you didn’t get your best four teams [in the semis],” Walker said.

The new system makes it theoretically possible for four teams from one division to advance, although the four host teams will be the same as under the old format.

“The coaches on the East side were battling for it,” Walker explained. “Surprisingly, the coaches on the West side, when we had our conference call, were really good about it.”

The top seed in each division plays host to the No. 4 team in the other division and the No. 3 team in each group crosses over to play at the No. 2 team in the opposite division.

“I think it’s going to be good,” Walker said.

In the East, No. 1 seed UM-Farmington is 15-0 in league play and will host throughout the playoffs if wins its quarterfinal game. MMA (12-2) also has earned a quarterfinal home game.

Castleton State (Vt.) has wrapped up the top seed in the West at 12-4.

In the NAC men’s ranks, Husson (13-0) has locked up the top seed in the East and with a quarterfinal victory would host the final four.

Eagles’ Pickering set to return

Shelby Pickering of Lee is expected to see limited action for Husson this weekend as she returns from an injury.

The freshman forward was the team’s leading scorer (17.2 points per game) and rebounder (7.3 rpg) when she suffered a broken bone in her left foot during a Jan. 12 game.

“Shelby’s going to be back,” said Eagles coach Kissy Walker. “She’s trying to get orthotics and she has to wear that [immobilizing] boot except for practice.”

However, Husson has lost another player due to injury. Sophomore guard Laura Archer of Ellsworth is scheduled to undergo surgery today on a broken thumb.

She suffered the injury last Saturday at Wheelock.

Husson senior Jodie Merchant of Ellsworth also has been slowed by a back ailment.