This personal journey through the sporting life has taken several directions, from mediocre athlete to fledgling official to broadcasting and writing. But one route it never took was toward the coaching profession.

It wasn’t because of an unwillingness to teach, because a career in education nearly became reality during an otherwise down time a decade ago.

But coaching, particularly in a high-profile sport such as basketball that would have been a preference had the career path careened in that direction, just seemed to come with too much baggage.

I just didn’t need a gym full of second-guessers offering up instant performance reviews on everything from defensive strategies to playing time, all at a decibel level that when turned toward the negative can represent the worst in us.

But it was that process of contemplating that possibility that greatly enhanced my respect for most who have chosen to pursue coaching, such as two longtime leaders who will square off in Bangor tonight.

Roger Reed of Bangor and Jim Bessey of Mt. Blue of Farmington will bring a combined 871 coaching victories into the their latest meeting at Red Barry Gymnasium – not to mention the top two teams in Eastern Maine Class A.

Maine basketball fans have a strong sense of Reed’s accomplishments, particularly since he moved from Bangor Christian to Bangor High beginning with the 1985-86 season.

His disciplined, defense-first style has elevated the Rams to unprecedented heights over the past two decades – a 356-83 record and six state championships for a program that had gone since 1959 without a gold ball until Reed and Bangor won their first crown in 1993.

This year’s team isn’t bad, either, off to an 8-0 start.

Add those credentials to a 115-99 record over 12 years at Bangor Christian, and Reed’s 471-182 record stands among the best this state has ever seen.

Bessey joined the likes of Reed, Bob Cimbollek, Ordman Alley, Dwight Littlefield, Phil Faulkner and I.J. Pinkham as boys basketball coaches in the 400-win club on Tuesday night, when Mt. Blue improved to 7-1 this winter with a win against Nokomis of Newport.

But while Reed has reached his milestones in one of Maine’s largest cities, Bessey has gone about his business in the western mountains where basketball sometimes takes a back seat to snow sports among chief recreational pursuits during the winter.

Bessey began coaching at Mt. Blue in 1975, and later spent time at Madison before returning to Mt. Blue during the mid-1980s. He has guided both Mt. Blue and Madison to regional championships, and Mt. Blue remains a perennial contender in Eastern Maine today despite the fact the Cougars draw from one of Class A’s smallest enrollment bases.

Yes, Bessey and Reed are different in some respects. Reed is stern yet reserved, while Bessey can be one of the more animated coaches around.

But both have much more in common, a shared bond ultimately reflected in their records.

Each knows basketball, and how to adapt the game to particular players and the players to a particular game.

Each knows how to spur young men to their fullest individual potentials in search of the ultimate team goal.

Each surely has the thick skin needed to withstand the criticism that comes with the gig.

And each has the considerable respect not only of this corner, but of a statewide basketball community.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or at eclark@bangordailynews.net