Bangor Y Basketball Club gets start

BANGOR – Off-season basketball in Maine is a bit of a catch-as-catch-can experience, as players link up with various teams that link up with various places to play, all in hopes of gaining experience and showcasing skills at local, regional and national tournaments.

The nonprofit Bangor Y Basketball Club hopes to simplify that basketball experience for boys and girls throughout the region between ages 10 and 15 by providing a year-round program for advanced players.

“We’ve had basketball here at the Y for more than 100 years, with rec teams and travel teams, and we thought it was time to add something like this,” said Lance Cote, recreational sports director at the Bangor YMCA. “We have 400 kids playing in our leagues now, and we want to take it one step further.”

The newly formed basketball club is recruiting players in age groups from 15-and-under to 10-under. Led by veteran coaches, teams would compete locally and statewide with an eye toward participating in national-level tournaments.

Spring, summer and fall seasons are planned, with players then competing for their schools during in the traditional winter basketball season.

Cote said program officials are working to secure sponsorship and also are talking with athletic apparel companies, all with the goal of offering the program without inflated costs to the parents.

One thing separating the BYBC from other off-season basketball programs is the accessibility to the YMCA’s facilities, staff and wellness programs. That includes the basketball gymnasium, fitness center and swimming pool, as well as a strength and conditioning coach, nutrition program, and access to videos, books and practice aids.

In addition, plans call for a BYBC Web site through the YMCA’s marketing wing.

“We want to provide a good, well-rounded program,” said Cote.

Cote said the club is seeking to form teams this spring to compete in AAU events that include the state championship tournament, then start its full-fledged program in the fall that would include AAU-level league play.

“By then we’ll have determined the interest level and we’ll know our sponsorship and funding situation,” he said.

Cote added that team schedules would be worked around schedules of other sports, so that players competing for BYBC teams also could compete on school teams in other sports.

Cote said early interest in the club already has transcended Greater Bangor, based on interest from players and teams that have visited the YMCA in recent weeks for postseason tournaments. That interest stretches to Aroostook County and even Nova Scotia, he said.

People interested in the Bangor Y Basketball Club should contact Cote at 941-2815 or at lcote@bangory.org.