Key road stretch awaits Bears Maine near full strength with Barnies, Owes joining rotation

ORONO – One year ago, the University of Maine men’s basketball team had evened its record to 4-4 with a 68-58 victory over New Jersey Institute of Technology.

This year’s team is much younger after the graduation of four seniors – all starters – but the Black Bears have exactly the same record after eight games.

Even this year’s NJIT game bore a striking resemblance to last season in one respect. The Highlanders scored the same number of points (58) in their rematch. This time around, however, the margin of Maine’s victory was much larger as the Bears scored 86.

Last year’s veteran squad went on to lose seven of its next eight games en route to a 12-18 season.

So what does this year’s start mean for the Bears, who return only one full-time starter and five total players with any starting experience?

Head coach Ted Woodward will start getting an answer to that question as Maine hits the road Saturday to take on Atlantic Coast Conference member Florida State University. It’s the start of an eight-game stretch in which Maine plays six on the road, but there is some good news.

“Now we’re in a sequence in December where we only play on Saturdays and it gives us a chance to work on some things,” Woodward explained. “We’re looking at putting in some things over the next two weeks that some of these guys haven’t seen before.”

The Bears are also nearing full strength for the first time all season with the return of freshman forward Troy Barnies of Auburn from injury and the approaching debut of junior shooting guard Kaimondre Owes, a starter at Saint Peter’s College who transferred to Maine last season. He becomes eligible to play Dec. 22.

“That’s huge. These are key guys for us and important players in our rotation,” Woodward said.

Barnies paid immediate dividends in his return, production-wise, statistically and intangibly against NJIT.

“Troy brought a lot of energy … along with a lot of rebounds and steals,” said junior guard Jason Hight of Westbrook. “It was good to have him back.”

Barnies’ return had ripple effects throughout the lineup.

“When Troy’s in there, our guards are 6-5 and we’re not small anywhere,” Woodward explained. “With Jay Hight in there, our ballhandling improves tremendously. Then you add Kaimondre and our depth increases even more.

“It’s hard for us to find enough minutes for guys as it is, but that’s the kind of problem every coach wants to have.”

Although Maine’s coaches were guarded about his return date, Barnies fully expected to return to action last weekend.

“He’s anxious to be back. He works so hard and loves the game,” Woodward said. “As soon as he got cleared last week, a half-hour after he was out of the doctor’s office, he’s working out for two hours on his own. That’s the kind of guy he is.

“He’s going to end up having what I believe will be a tremendous career because his game will continue to grow over time.”

In the meantime, the young Bears are continuing to learn as they go.

“They’re great to coach. They’re like sponges and they learn every day,” Woodward said. “You can see it and see them develop, and we’ve got a lot of learning to do, but we continue to get better and better.”

Although it’s not finals week yet, the next five weeks will go a long way toward determining this season’s final grades for Maine’s six freshmen, three sophomores, and eight new faces overall.