The Bates College men’s basketball team has developed a fruitful connection with Bangor High School in recent years.

Zak Ray, a star guard for the Rams who was named the state’s 2003 Mr. Basketball, went on to become one of the top players in the New England Small College Athletic Conference during his four years at Bates.

And Alex Gallant, a forward who led Bangor to the 2007 Class A state championship, was part of the Bobcats’ regular rotation during his first year at the Lewiston school this winter.

Now Ryan Weston, who helped Bangor to a 42-2 record, one state championship and two Eastern Maine Class A titles over the last two seasons, plans to join Gallant on the Bates roster next season.

“I went there for a visit, and I loved the coach and I thought it was a beautiful campus even though they had a lot of construction going on,” said Weston, a 6-foot-5 center. “The campus was absolutely gorgeous, everybody was really friendly and willing to answer your questions.”

Weston said his familiarity with two local players on the team, Gallant and sophomore guard Chris Wilson of Brewer, also helped with his decision, as did the team’s style of play.

“I knew a couple of the guys on the team in Chris and Al, and I got to see them play and see how coach [Joe] Reilly coached,” he said. “I loved the way coach Reilly coached – hard, intense man-to-man defense similar to what we do here at Bangor.”

Weston, a Bangor Daily News third-team All-Maine choice as a junior, was the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A North player of the year this winter while leading Bangor in scoring (12.7 ppg) and rebounding (8 rpg) despite averaging barely 20 minutes of playing time per game.

Bates finished the 2007-08 season with a 17-8 record, qualifying for the NESCAC playoffs before bowing to Bowdoin of Brunswick in the quarterfinals.

Weston’s athletic career at Bates won’t be confined to basketball, as he also plans to join the Bobcats’ football team this fall.

“When I was visiting there I met the football coach [Mark Harriman], who it turns out had been a referee in our quarterfinal [basketball] game last year against Leavitt, and I decided I wanted to play two sports instead of having to give up one,” Weston said. “The coaches supported me 100 percent in doing that, so Bates seemed like a pretty good option for me.”

Weston, a first-team All-Pine Tree Conference Class A tight end last fall while helping Bangor reach the Eastern A final, won’t be alone among Bangor football players matriculating to Bates. Fellow All-PTC first-team honorees Tyler McDade (linebacker) and Kyle Vanidestine (running back/defensive back) also are planning to play for the Bobcats beginning this year, Weston said.

Weston is hopeful the blend of new talent and experienced veterans will help Bates emerge from a struggling period in its football history. The Bobcats have finished 1-7 each of the last two years.

“It’s a program on the rise,” he said, “and there’s a lot of desire and a lot of passion there.”

Martin wins Gatorade honor

Ryan Martin of Maranacook of Readfield has capped off a clean sweep of the state’s top schoolboy basketball honors with his selection as Maine’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

That selection, released Monday, comes in the aftermath of the 5-foot-9 senior guard leading the Black Bears to a 22-0 record and the 2008 Class B state championship and being named Mr. Basketball on Friday night during the Maine McDonald’s Senior All-Star Banquet.

Martin concluded his high school career with a stellar senior season that propelled Maranacook to its second state title in three years.

His contribution? Martin averaged 23.1 points and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 61 percent from the field, 60 percent from beyond the 3-point arc and 88 percent from the free-throw line.

He scored a school-record 56 points – including eight 3-pointers – in the Black Bears’ regular-season finale, a 97-60 victory over Oak Hill of Sabattus. He then was named Eastern B tournament MVP for the second time in three years after averaging 25 points in three games.

Martin followed that effort with a game-high 26 points as the Black Bears defeated Cape Elizabeth 56-46 in the Class B state final.

A three-time Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B player of the year and a two-time Bangor Daily News All-Maine choice, Martin ended his career with 1,899 points.

Martin was a four-year starter for coach Rob Schmidt’s Black Bears but burst onto the scene in a statewide sense as a sophomore.

Martin averaged 34 points in three 2006 Eastern B tournament games, including 41 points in a semifinal win against Medomak Valley of Waldoboro and 35 in Maranacook’s championship-game victory over Presque Isle. He also set an Eastern B tournament record with 18 made free throws in the semifinals.

Maranacook went on to defeat Mountain Valley of Rumford in that year’s state final, but the Black Bears were ousted in the 2007 regional quarterfinals before regaining the gold ball this winter.

Martin’s Maranacook team compiled a 69-13 overall record over four years, including 59-4 during the last three years.

Martin is expected to announce his college plans by the end of this week, with options including Maine, Vermont, Quinnipiac, Keene State and Franklin Pierce.

Corrigan faces sporting choice

Caribou High School senior Kyle Corrigan has the most important part of his college selection process settled.

He’s headed to the University of Maine-Presque Isle in the fall to study athletic training.

He’s also going to play a sport for the Owls, but he’s not yet sure which one – and he has two high-quality options.

“It’s either soccer or basketball,” he said. “I just want to play one, and I don’t know which one I’m going to play yet. It’s going to take a while.”

Corrigan earned All-New England honors from the Maine Soccer Coaches Association last fall after breaking a 30-year-old school single-season goal-scoring record with 27 while leading the Vikings to a 12-3 record. He finished his career with 51 goals and 13 assists.

This winter, the 5-9 guard was one of the top basketball players in Eastern Maine Class B, earning first-team All-Big East Conference honors and All-Aroostook accolades while leading Caribou to a 17-3 record and a berth in the regional tournament.

Corrigan also was a McDonald’s senior all-star.

“It’s just where my heart is and which sport I have more fun playing,” said Corrigan of his eventual choice. “It’s not really about all the success, it’s about what I feel.”

Corrigan’s favorite sport has changed over the years, which likely will make his decision all the more difficult.

“When I was little it was baseball, then in the middle-school era it was basketball,” he said. “Once high school came around, I really got into soccer, so it’s definitely shifted.”

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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