Jonesport-Beals boys basketball coach Ordie Alley says one of the worst things that can happen to a person is to become a regular face around a hospital. He should know. He has spent more than his share of time at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass.

“It isn’t good when you go to a hospital and everybody knows you. You go by and everybody says, ‘Hi, Ordie,’ or, ‘You’re back.’ That isn’t good,” Alley said.

But Alley, who has more than 500 wins, nine state championships and 13 Eastern Maine titles to his credit, has fought through everything that has been thrown at him. And after two years as a part-time coach due to a variety of illnesses he’s back coaching on a full-time basis.

“I’m probably right now the best I’ve been since I was diagnosed. I’m still about 60 percent of what I used to be. At least I’m doing OK. I’m alive. That’s the main thing. I’m doing what I love to do,” Alley said.

And he’s coaching with his son Troy Alley who took over the team in his father’s absence.

“It’s probably the most fun of all my coaching having him there with me. It’s not too often you get a father and son combination,” the elder Alley said.

The coach has gone through a lot. He underwent surgery for prostate cancer in March 2001. Then he was diagnosed with a number of problems including myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular auto-immune disease that basically turned his immune system against him.

Then, last summer, he was back in the intensive care unit at EMMC with an inflammation in his lower bowels. He said he also had a cyst the size of a “grapefruit” on his pelvis. His appendix was removed as a precautionary measure but he says it turned out he had appendicitis and that the symptoms were being masked by medication he was taking.

But he has fought through it all, with the help of family, friends and a stranger or two.

“I’ve dropped 30 pounds from where I was. I’m back. I feel better about coaching. I can get into it a little bit more. I’m not as tired when I go home at night,” Alley said.

The coach also loves talking basketball. His team is off to a pretty good start at 3-1. He points out that one of the Royals’ wins was over Washington Academy of East Machias, a solid Class D team. Their loss came Monday night to defending EM Class D champion Bangor Christian.

Monday night he was looking forward to riding the team bus back to Jonesport, something he was unable to do last year.

And he still gets out on his lobster boat from time to time, even if he can’t do much. Just being out on the water is enough.

“I miss it so much that if it’s a pretty day I try to get out. They’ve got a chair over in the corner for me. So, I sit there and watch. I might get up enough energy to measure a few lobsters,” Alley said.

He talked of friends and family. Of how his players would do everything to make sure he was comfortable, even to the extent of going out and warming up his truck for him after practice. And he talked about a stranger.

“One time in [at the Lahey Clinic] a guy came into my room and asked me if I minded if he prayed and I told him I didn’t mind at all. He was a fireman. He came in there as if he was sent to me… I think someone’s watching over me to tell you the truth.”

MDI pair compete in nationals

Mount Desert Island High School juniors Aaron Stevens and Berkley Wanner recently competed in the USA National Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships at Carrollton, Ga.

Wanner placed 128th while Stevens was 130th out of approximately 300 runners.

Stevens, who turned in a time of 18 minutes, 57 seconds, said the 3.1-mile course was difficult to negotiate.

“There was so much mud. It had been raining a lot and there were some sharp turns,” Stevens said.

Stevens and Wanner, both 16, qualified for the competition at the New England regional, held in November at Bryant College in Smithfield, R.I.

Holiday hoop tourney set

Some of the best high school boys and girls basketball teams in the state will be in action Dec. 26-28 at the 8th Oakhurst Capitol City Hoop Classic at the Augusta Civic Center.

The Mount Desert Island girls, the two-time defending Class B state champions, are in a six-team field that includes defending Class C state champion Dirigo of Dixfield and Class A EM champion Cony of Augusta. Nokomis of Newport, Maranacook of Readfield and Westbrook round out the girls field.

The boys group includes Cony, Skowhegan, Lewiston, Maranacook, Edward Little of Auburn and Winnacunnet of Hampton, N.H.

True ninth at nationals

Chris Solinsky of Stevens Point, Wis., won the boys division of the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships held recently at San Diego, Calif.

Solinsky’s time at the 2-mile split of the 3.1-mile race was 9 minutes, 36 seconds. From there he ran away from the field to finish in 14:41.

Benjamin True of North Yarmouth was ninth with a time of 15:16.

Zoe Nelson of Kalispell, Mont., won the girls division in a time of 17:30.

Don Perryman can be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or dperryman@bangordailynews.net