As temperatures soared into the 80s Wednesday, Christy Grover was out in the fields of her grandfather’s Bucksport farm, tossing bales of hay on the back of his truck.

The work may be grueling, but that’s how Grover earns the privilege of keeping her two horses on the farm. The Bucksport High School star will take that work ethic to Orono next fall to play basketball for the University of Maine.

The 6-foot-3 center averaged 18.6 points and 10.4 rebounds as a senior, was a third team Bangor Daily News All-Maine pick, and a finalist for Miss Maine Basketball.

Grover said it was her rough-and-tumble childhood that helped her develop into the woman who scored 1,345 points for the Golden Bucks and earned a scholarship to play for the Black Bears.

“I’ve been baling hay just about from when I was born. And I grew up a around a bunch of boys, and they were always coming down to get me to play football or basketball,” she said.

Grover said the work ethic instilled by her grandfather, Wilford Atwood, inspired her to dedicate herself to athletics. Grover also played soccer, and put the shot, threw the discus, and ran sprints for the track team at Bucksport.

But basketball was her first love. As a fourth-grader, she saw the Black Bear women play on television and it became her dream to put on a blue and white uniform.

When Maine offered her a full scholarship in the fall, she canceled her recruiting trip to her second choice, the University of Pittsburgh.

“I’ve followed Maine basketball forever. I can’t believe I’m there, finally,” Grover said.

Maine coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie said she is excited by the work Grover is putting in this summer.

“She’s really dedicated to improving her strength. There’s no question she has the post moves to succeed at this level, but getting stronger will be important,” Palombo said.

Besides farm work, Grover said she is lifting weights and playing pick-up ball with former Black Bear star Emily Ellis-Throckmorton four times a week. Ellis-Throckmorton was Grover’s physical education teacher in elementary school.

UMaine men to take on UCLA

University of Maine men’s basketball coach John Giannini said his team will be entering new territory when it participates in the Dec. 21-23 Pearl Harbor Classic in Laie, Hawaii.

Not only will his players be traveling to a state most have never visited before, they will be playing their first-round game against UCLA, one of college basketball’s legendary programs.

“I don’t know if Maine has ever played a program like UCLA. When you talk about college basketball programs, it’s UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina. This will give our program tremendous visibility,” he said.

Giannini announced Maine’s tournament draw Thursday. The Black Bears will face either Colorado State or Florida A&M in the second round. Other teams in the tournament are host Brigham Young University of Hawaii, the University of South Florida, The Citadel, and San Jose State.

Last year’s tournament winner, Michigan State, went on to the Final Four.

Giannini said the tournament qualifies as “exempt” under NCAA rules. That means the three games Maine will play all count toward its overall record, but the three games count as just one game of the maximum 27 permitted by the NCAA.

“You’re allowed 27 games, but with this tournament we can actually play 29,” he said.

Giannini said the extra games put Maine in a better position to qualify for the postseason. If the Black Bears are in contention for an NCAA tournament or NIT berth in March, additional victories gained at the tournament could set them apart from teams with similiar records.

Giannini admitted that UCLA will be an overwhelming favorite. But even with a loss to the Bruins, he said he expects his team can come out of the tournament with a 2-1 record.

While not on the court, the Black Bears will visit the site of the Pearl Harbor bombing, including a tour of the underwater wreckage of the Arizona.