As a youngster, Ron Whitcomb spent a lot of time and effort trying to improve his basketball skills. His efforts paid off, as Whitcomb became the career scoring leader at East Rochester (N.Y.) High School.

Even with that success, he eventually realized his future was in football.

Tonight, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound quarterback will make his collegiate football debut when he leads the University of Maine against Montana in its season opener at Alfond Stadium. Kickoff in the “Battle of the Bears” is slated for 6 p.m. as the 14th-ranked Black Bears play host to the No. 3 Grizzlies.

“We feel we’re an upper-echelon Division I-AA team and that we have the capabilities of beating anybody when we play our game,” said Whitcomb, whose confidence belies the fact he hasn’t taken a college snap.

Growing up the son of a football coach, he learned much about the game. When he realized he was just another 6-2 shooting guard, he decided to focus his efforts on football.

“Football definitely had a lot more avenues for me,” Whitcomb said.

Even though he played for a small high school, he passed for 4,400 yards and 43 touchdowns in three seasons. It earned him a scholarship to UMaine.

Whitcomb redshirted in 2002, running the scout team in practice. Since being named the starter during training camp, he has been bombarded with information and expectations. Offensive coordinator Bobby Wilder has tried to make Whitcomb’s life on the field difficult.

“I told him at the start of camp, every time you make a mistake, I’m going to yell and scream at you from the top of my lungs,” Wilder said. “I’ve been all over him, challenged him, and he’s responded.”

Realizing the Bears’ opponents are likely to blitz and try to frazzle him, Whitcomb has appreciated Wilder’s efforts.

“I’m a redshirt freshman, so any chance to simulate pressure, he’s going to,” Whitcomb said. “He’s going to rip my [butt] in front of the team to see how I react. He wants to make sure I’m not going to crumble under pressure.”

Wilder explained he’ll also implement lots of different formations, shifting and presnap movement within the offense to get Montana running around and deflect some of the attention it might pay to Whitcomb.

In terms of ability, he has been compared to his predecessor, Jake Eaton. Whitcomb is an agile runner and has a good arm, but is bigger and stronger. He squats 530 pounds, bench presses 340 and has a 28.5-inch vertical leap.

“He’s the strongest quarterback right now that I’ve ever coached and he’s a redshirt freshman,” Wilder said.

Where Whitcomb has to be strongest is mentally. Split-second, pressure decisions are routine for quarterbacks, so Wilder often engages the QBs in “mental gymnastics,” a fast-paced, decision-making game.

“Not everybody’s going to play a perfect football game, we know that,” Cosgrove said. “You have to be able to manage the bad and the good in your mind.”

Tonight’s game against a national power should give the Bears an idea what kind of leader and performer Whitcomb will be.

“I want to create scenarios and situations where he’s going to run the ball and throw the ball and feel confident,” Wilder said. “I want him early to be feeling good about himself.”