Call it the blueprint for basketball success: the ultimate starting five … a team so unbelievably talented and battle-tested that the closest any coach could come to it would be in his dreams.

You’d need tall and agile forwards who can handle the ball, shoot from outside, and mix it up in the paint; a towering, smooth, physical center with deceptive quickness; the pure shooter with unlimited range who does everything well, from hitting the boards to burying big baskets; and the mercurial, intense point guard who can break any press, make highlight-reel passes, and drill back-breaking shots from anywhere. Time to wake up and meet the 2001 Bangor Daily News dream team: Bangor’s Joe Campbell, Jamaal Caterina and Nik Caner-Medley from Deering of Portland, Westbrook’s Brian Wohl, and Nick Pelotte from Valley of Bingham.

They’re the first-team members of the 46th NEWS All-Maine Schoolboy Basketball Team, a unit that could rank among the best since the team’s inception in 1956. It ranks among the best in terms of championship hardware as the quintet has accumulated six gold balls and nine regional titles the last four years.

The second team also has an ideal makeup (two guards, two forwards, and a center) with Jason Levecque of Westbrook, Josh Longstaff of Portland, James Sam from Caribou, Ryan Garland of Hermon, and Jeremy Allen from Penquis in Milo.

The third team also features a traditional lineup with big men Buddy Leavitt of Piscataquis in Guilford, John Knutson of Camden Hills in Rockport, and Danny Hammond from Brunswick plus guards Travis Magnusson from Georges Valley in Thomaston and Brandon McCarthy from Katahdin of Sherman Station.

The NEWS All-Maine team annually honors the best 15 players in the state, regardless of position, grade, school, classification, or region. Selections are made by the NEWS staff through ballots and input from state high school and college coaches, high school officials, sports media members, and veteran basketball observers.

First Team

CAMPBELL may not be Mr. Basketball, but he was easily the top choice here, being named on 88 percent of the ballots. Campbell’s support was extremely strong statewide as 81 percent of the ballots his name appeared on had him ranked as a top-three choice.

“What’s scary is I think his better days are ahead of him,” said Deering coach Mike Francoeur after Campbell’s Rams won a second straight Class A title with an upset of his previously unbeaten squad in the state final.

The lanky, 17-year-old Big East Conference Player of the Year also averaged 2.6 blocks, 2.2 steals, and 1.2 assists per game this season while finishing with 414 points and 224 rebounds in 22 games.

“I don’t know what I could say that I haven’t said already. I think without a doubt, he’s the best rebounder we’ve had,” said Bangor coach Roger Reed, who attributed Campbell’s prowess in the paint to his long arms, deceptive quickness, soft hands, and uncanny instincts.

“He impresses me because he gets the job done by keeping within himself,” said Portland coach Joe Russo. “He doesn’t take bad shots or dumb fouls and he does it with finesse. If you cover him, he’ll pass, if you don’t, he’ll shoot, and he’s almost automatic from 15 feet in.”

Campbell will choose from prep school, the University of Maine, St. Michael’s College, Stonehill, Bryant, Colby, or SUNY-Binghamton.

CATERINA never won a gold ball, but he’s the only returning NEWS first-teamer and he is Maine’s Mr. Basketball as well as the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year. He also helped elevate the program to its current standing as one of the state’s best after leading the Rams to their first regional (West) title in 64 years. He has also assured his place in Deering High School history as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,513 points.

“For my money, Jamaal’s the best player in Maine,” Francoeur said of the player named on 78.3 percent of the ballots. “He sacrificed some of his game for us this year. He wasn’t even our highest scorer, but he put the individual stuff on the back burner and was a leader.”

The smooth-shooting swingman averaged 4.4 assists and shot 84 percent from the free throw line.

Caterina, a 3.0 student who scored more than 1,000 on his college boards, has been the most heavily recruited player in Maine this year. He has yet to decide on a school, but is leaning toward St. John’s or another Big East school.

CANER-MEDLEY is set to be the next most heavily recruited player in Maine. The presence of the 6-foot-7 junior center-forward, already one of the toughest individual matchups, gave Deering the most intimidating 1-2 punch in the state.

“Nik is someone you always have to be concerned with because he can do so many things,” said Russo. “He’s almost unstoppable in the low post. He could have made a living there, but he wanted to become more of an all-around player this year and he’d go to the perimeter a little more, which I think gave teams a sigh of relief when he wasn’t inside. That was the only way they could defend him.”

The explosive, 219-pound lefthander led the Southern Maine Activities Association in scoring, rebounding, and slam dunks (39) while also averaging 4.4 steals.

“After a summer of heavy weight training, you’d think he was 21 and he’s only 17. The sky’s the limit for him,” said Francoeur, who has been fielding calls about Caner-Medley from Division I college coaches all season.

Caner-Medley was named on 63.3 percent of the ballots.

A 2000 third-team pick, WOHL elevated his already deadly scoring ability even more this season.

“He knows how to play in any kind of framework,” said Westbrook coach Mark Karter. “He’s a consummate team player, but he can also carry a team offensively. He’s the total package and I really like those kinds of players.”

Wohl, who shot 44 percent from the field overall and 42 percent from 3-point range, simply killed teams with his outside shooting this year, canning an SMAA-record 86 3-pointers en route to 483 points.

“Wow, that’s impressive,” said Caribou coach Jim Carter. “That’s a lot to take, let alone make.”

“I think Wohl’s the best shooter I’ve seen in the league in a long time,” said Russo. “Wohl, Campbell, [Deering guard Walter] Phillips, and Longstaff are the only ones who I’ve seen just totally take over games this year.”

Wohl, who also averaged 3.6 assists, 3.1 steals, and a surprising 1.0 blocks per game, will attend Stonehill College on a full basketball scholarship. His name was on 60 percent of all ballots.

Dispite his height (5-9), there’s nothing to complain about when it comes to PELOTTE, one of the most successful point guards in Maine’s history. The four-year starter, named on 55 percent of the ballots, led his Cavaliers to four straight state Class D crowns and 84 consecutive victories while eclipsing the 1,000-point mark and breaking the school record for assists with 442.

“I’ll tell you what, that little dude can play,” said Reed.

This season, the greased-lightning point guard averaged 8.1 assists and 3.7 steals while shooting 72 percent from the line and 48 percent from the floor.

Ranked No. 2 in his class and an Academic All-State selection, Pelotte is interested in attending Plymouth State.

“I like Pelotte. I know he’s small, but we played him four times in the last two years and I just like his tenacity and the way he runs things,” said Piscataquis coach Jamie Russell. “He could play for any one of the schools in the state.”

Second Team

LEVECQUE went from being a quality starter to a feared offensive presence as he shot 48 percent from the floor and scored 423 points from the point. The senior, who’s bound for St. Anselm College on a scholarship, averaged 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 3.9 assists this season as his Blue Blazes made their second straight West Class A regional title game appearance.

“I really like Jason Levecque because he’s taken his game up a notch from where it was last year,” said Reed. “That’s as good a backcourt as you can hope to have.”

Some voters called LONGSTAFF the state’s best point guard. Despite being Portland’s primary ballhandler and the No. 1 target of opposing defenses, the diminutive senior led his team in points and averaged 5.2 assists and 1.9 steals a game. He shot a lusty 48 percent from 3-point range (53-110) and hit 85 percent of his foul shots. He may attend Wentworth, Wheaton, Stonehill, or prep school.

“He’s a wonderful player,” said Karter. “He can do a lot. He’s so quick and he can shoot off the run or step back and shoot, plus he has one of the biggest hearts around.”

SAM proved quite a matchup problem for most teams with his big frame, surprising quickness (3.1 steals per game), ballhandling and passing skills, soft hands, and shooting touch. Sam, who started playing in seventh grade, went on to score 1,320 career points. He’s weighing offers from Husson College, Franklin Pierce, and two other schools.

“He has excellent footwork, and that’s something that’s easy to overlook,” said Carter. “Plus, he’s the best passer on our team and that’s why we always like to run the offense through him.”

GARLAND switched from guard to forward, but it never affected his game as he almost led Hermon back to the Class B state game while averaging four assists and shooting 81.9 percent from the line. He may attend Husson, Colby-Sawyer, or the University of Southern Maine.

“He’s my type of player. He continued to impress me more and more in all facets of the game,” said Camden Hills coach Jeff Hart. “All year, he tried to help guys fit in. He wasn’t worried about his points, but he knew when to take charge once the tourney started.”

ALLEN was a virtual one-man team, yet despite being the Patriots’ main man, he still averaged 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals. The first 1,000-point scorer in Penquis boys history finished with 1,166. Constant double- and triple-teams failed to contain him and fouling didn’t help either as he shot 92 percent from the line. He plans to attend USM.

“He’s the best offensive rebounder we’ve played against,” said Hermon coach Rick Sinclair. “He looks like he can’t jump over a piece of paper, but he gets every rebound. He has the best instincts of anyone around the basket.”

Third Team

LEAVITT led the Pirates into previously uncharted waters as they notched their first regional (East C) title and unbeaten regular season. A dangerous 3-point threat, he shot 46.7 percent from the field while averaging 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. Leavitt, whose father Cyril was a NEWS All-Maine honorable mention in 1968, may attend UMaine next fall.

KNUTSON, who’s checking out Maine and USM, averaged 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks a game. He shot 74 percent from the line and 49 percent from the floor. Offseason workouts changed him from just a 3-point threat to the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Player of the Year and Eastern B Tournament MVP as he led the Windjammers to a gold ball.

Many coaches compare MAGNUSSON to former Van Buren standout Matt Rossignol. A 53-point game and 602-point season won’t do anything to dissuade them. The prolific scorer also averaged 4.8 assists and 2.8 steals a game while leading the team with 61 3-pointers and 10 drawn charges. This junior proved to be one of the state’s most explosive players.

HAMMOND led his Dragons in scoring, minutes, steals (4.5 per game) and field goal percentage (61.1). The KVAC Class A Player of the Year was also second in rebounds and assists (4.8) as Brunswick posted a school-record 19 wins. An exceptional ballhander, he was used to break pressure. He’s also a standout in tennis and soccer.

McCARTHY’s 571-point season made him Katahdin’s all-time scorer with 1,750. He led the team in points and assists (6.2), was second in steals (2.0) and third in rebounds. The lithe press-breaker greatly improved his rebounding and defense to become a force in both areas despite his size. He plans to attend Maine and try out for the varsity team as a walk-on.

46th All-Maine Team

First Team

Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG RPG

F-C Joe Campbell Bangor Sr. 6-5 22.4 13.2

F-G Jamaal Caterina Deering Sr. 6-5 23.2 9.5

F Nik Caner-Medley Deering Jr. 6-7 25.2 13.2

G Brian Wohl Westbrook Sr. 6-2 23.0 9.3

G Nick Pelotte Valley Sr. 5-9 19.7 4.0

Second Team

Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG RPG

G Jason Levecque Westbrook Sr. 6-3 20.1 4.8

G Josh Longstaff Portland Sr. 5-9 19.7 2.3

F-C James Sam Caribou Sr. 6-5 24.9 9.9

F-G Ryan Garland Hermon Sr. 6-4 19.3 8.3

F-G Jeremy Allen Penquis Sr. 6-3 26.5 16.7

Third Team

Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG RPG

F-C Buddy Leavitt Piscataquis Sr. 6-6 21.1 9.5

F John Knutson Camden Hills Sr. 6-4 19.3 7.0

F-C Danny Hammond Brunswick Jr. 6-5 18.1 8.9

G Travis Magnusson Georges Valley Jr. 6-0 33.1 3.5

G Brandon McCarthy Katahdin Sr. 6-0 27.2 8.0

Honorable Mention: Tyler Putnam (Hodgdon), Justin Almy (Mt. Blue), Bob Deetjen and Ian McConnell (Boothbay), Trafton Teague (Lawrence), Sean Walker and Matthiah Larkin (Skowhegan), Kevin Roberts (Mount View), Walter Phillips (Deering), Kendrick Ballantyne (Gorham), Jon Furbush (South Portland), Brandon Barr (Falmouth), Zak Ray (Bangor), Chad Gervais (Wisdom), Craig Allen (Central Aroostook), Jason O’Tash (Massabesic), Joel Griffeth (Caribou), Jason Harvey (Bucksport), Aaron Spaulding (Cape Elizabeth), Ryan McLellan (Nokomis)