ORONO – Twenty-seven years after he walked off the basketball court wearing a University of Maine uniform for the last time, Rufus Harris was reunited with his familiar No. 20 jersey.

A dream Harris never really dared to have came true Wednesday night as he was honored by his alma mater as the third player in UMaine men’s basketball history to have his number retired.

“When I see the number up there, it’s a great feeling,” the 49-year-old Harris said. “You can’t ask for nothing more. When you get older and look back, that’s all you’ve got is your memories and I have a lot of great memories.”

The former ECAC North Co-Player of the Year has a lot to remember as the Black Bears’ all-time leading scorer and the only player to surpass the 2,000-point mark with 2,206. He still holds nine other school records including points in a season (718) and scoring average (25.6 points), both set during the 1979-80 season.

While proud of his records and honored by his number retirement, Harris credits former teammates for helping him get to this point.

“As an individual, it’s a great accomplishment, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Harris said. “That’s my number up there, but I couldn’t have done it without the rest of the guys on my team. So I hope when they see that number, they remember the Roger Laphams, the Kevin Nelsons, and everybody else who played with me because it’s a team game.”

The Maine Sports Hall of Fame member fulfilled a promise made to his mother and earned his degree in education with a minor in business. After being drafted by the Boston Celtics and playing three seasons in the Continental Basketball Association, Harris graduated in 1983. Since then, he’s been a substitute teacher for four years, worked for a gas company, and earned his Class B license to drive a truck. He’s still driving the truck, but he’s also partnered up with a friend in an effort to give back to sports.

“Me and a friend of mine run a gym three times a week and try to give back to the kids,” he explained. “I got a lot out of sports. I got to travel to 14 different countries and meet a lot of great people.”

The former player for the Maine Lumberjacks and Lancaster Lightning also credits UMaine for opening a world of opportunities for him.

“I’m proud that I came to Maine because Maine gave me an opportunity to play,” said Harris, who averaged 18 points per game with the Lumberjacks. “People say I made the program, but that’s not true. Maine made me and all the rest of the guys I played with.”

And now Maine has given him his jersey back.

“They gave me my number in a frame, but I don’t think it’ll really hit me until I get it home,” he said.

UMaine seniors bid Alfond adieu

Six members of the UMaine women’s hockey team will play their final two games at Alfond Arena this weekend when the Black Bears entertain Boston University.

Defenseman Kelly Law, a two-time All-Hockey East selection, headlines the group along with left wing Sonia Corriveau, an Hockey East All-Rookie team choice in 2003-04 and runner-up for Rookie of the Year. They are the co-captains.

Law, an All-HE first-team pick a year ago and a second-teamer the previous year, has played in 120 games and has amassed 15 goals and 39 assists. The Markham, Ontario, native also played for the Hockey East All-Stars against the U.S. Olympic team and scored a goal.

Corriveau, a native of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, has registered 45 goals and 33 assists in 108 games.

The other seniors are center Brigitte Laflamme of St. Augustin, Quebec; defenseman-forward Karine Senecal of Montreal; center Katie Sunstrum of London, Ontario, and goalie Rachel Gettings, a native of Watervliet, N.Y.

“I’ve been very pleased with them. They’ve set a lot of milestones in their time at Maine,” said UMaine interim coach Lauren Steblen. “They have improved every year. They’ve been good academically, they’ve been active in the community and they’ve been good role models.”

Senecal and Gettings are the assistant captains. Laflamme, who has been Corriveau’s linemate for most of their careers, has notched 31 goals and 47 assists in 123 games. Sunstrum has racked up 26 goals and 18 assists in 111 games; Senecal has two goals and 19 assists in 121 points and Gettings has compiled a 22-18-4 record with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage.

The seniors have compiled a record of 52-57-15 while playing for three different coaches.

Steblen, who took over as the interim head coach after two-year head coach Guy Perron resigned to become the top assistant for the Maine men’s team this season, should know whether she will be back as the permanent head coach this spring. They will hold a national search, according to Maine athletic director Blake James.

Rick Filighera was the head coach their freshman year but wasn’t rehired after guiding the team for the first seven years of its varsity existence.

The seniors’ best season was a year ago when they compiled a 17-9-6 record and reached the Hockey East semifinals where they were beaten 6-0 by eventual champion New Hampshire.

They also made the four-team Hockey East tournament in their freshman season, losing to Providence eventual league titlist Providence 4-2 in the semis.

“These four years have flown by,” said Law. “It was like yesterday when we were freshmen.

“It has been a great four years. It’s sad we have only three games left and we don’t have a chance to make the playoffs,” added Law, whose Bears are 9-17-2 overall, 4-12-2 in the conference.

Maine concludes its schedule Friday at Boston College.

“For the most part, I’m happy with what I’ve done individually and what the team has done. It’s been on the up-and-up,” said Law.