When Ryan Duff isn’t playing basketball for the Houlton Shiretowners, he’s experiencing the sport from a different angle – one involving a microphone or a camera lens.

A 6-foot-2 senior forward on a Houlton team ranked among the best in Eastern Maine Class C so far this season, Duff is doubling as a member of the media as a broadcaster for radio station WHOM (100.1 FM) in Houlton.

No, he doesn’t call his own games, but he has conducted pregame interviews for other games, as well as color commentary for a recent matchup between Greater Houlton Christian Academy and Hodgdon.

“After he settled in, Ryan did a nice job, adding quick, timely comments,” said WHOU play-by-play announcer Ken Holck. “We had quite a few positive comments about his debut.”

In some respects, the anticipation of entering the basketball game is similar to gearing up for a live radio broadcast.

“It’s kind of the same thing,” said Duff. “I’m excited to be on the court whether playing or broadcasting the game. The important thing with broadcasting is knowing what exactly to say and the right time to say it.”

Duff has worked part time at WHOU since last spring, performing a variety of duties including commercials, operating the studio controls, and some on-air broadcasting.

Duff has been a lifelong student of broadcasting, in part through following the career of his uncle, Dale Duff, the program director and morning show host at Bangor’s WZON (620 AM).

“Ever since I was young, I loved to watch games and listen to the different styles and ways of broadcasting the games,” said Duff.

He got his first hands-on experience as a sophomore in Houlton High’s Beacon TV class, in which students produce broadcasts of school sporting events, concerts, and other activities for tape-delayed airing on local cable television.

After taking a journalism class as a junior, he returned to the television class this year, where he does such behind-the-scenes work as operating a camera and video editing as well as on-air duties.

“He’s one of the leaders of the class, partly because he knows the equipment and how to set it up properly. He knows a lot about the things we are doing in the class,” said Sean Callahan, the class instructor who also is the Houlton boys basketball coach.

Duff plans to study either broadcast journalism or public relations in college, but for the moment he is focused on contributing on the court rather than from the sidelines.

Someday, though, that will change.

“I like doing color,” he said. “I like talking, that’s my favorite part of broadcasting.”

Madden shines at Calvary Chapel

One of the bigger offseason moves in Eastern Maine small-school basketball was the transfer of guard Josh Madden from Bangor Christian to Calvary Chapel Christian School in Orrington.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” said Madden, a Greenbush resident. “But this was where God wanted to me to be, and he showed me that in many different ways.”

A senior who was named most valuable player of the 2003 Eastern Class D tournament after leading Bangor Christian to its second straight regional title – a run that included a quarterfinal win over Calvary Chapel – Madden has made a smooth transition to his new school.

“Josh has fit in well,” said Sabers’ coach Ross Bradford. “He played for a very good coach at Bangor Christian; he’s a good athlete and a very good player. We try to play an up-tempo game, and he fits in with that, plays good defense and is a hard worker.”

Madden began the season needing 98 points to reach 1,000 for his high school career after amassing 902 points over three years at Bangor Christian. He scored No. 1,000 during the Sabers’ recent 87-41 victory at Greenville, and has averaged 19.1 points per game during Calvary Chapel’s 7-0 start.

“Josh didn’t need to come in and be the leading scorer,” said Bradford. “This is a team where no one cares who the leading scorer is as long as at the end of the game the team has enough points to win.”

Kennedy, Elliott reach 100 wins

Two more area wrestlers recently surpassed 100 career victories.

Max Kennedy, a senior from Foxcroft Academy, will be honored during ceremonies before tonight’s tri-meet at Dover-Foxcroft involving the Ponies, Dexter and Bucksport.

Kennedy is the reigning state Class C runner-up at 140 pounds, and this season has yet to lose to an in-state opponent while wrestling at 145 pounds.

“He’s very quick and works very hard,” said Foxcroft coach Luis Ayala. “He’s really worked hard on building up his strength.”

Kennedy, a captain in both wrestling and on the Ponies Class C state championship football team, is the sixth Foxcroft wrestler to reach 100 career victories.

“Max is very dedicated, very focused,” Ayala said. “As a coach you wish you had more kids like him on your team.”

Brewer High School recently honored senior Ryan Elliott on earning his 100th career victory. Elliott, who competes at 171 pounds, became the second Brewer wrestler to top 100 wins in the program’s history. Classmate Chris Noyes, wrestling at 160 pounds, reached 100 wins earlier this season.

Elliott, who qualified for the 2003 Class A state championship meet, entered this week with 109 career wins.

“He does a lot of it with just heart,” said Brewer coach Joe Bowen. “He puts a lot of time and effort into drills that work for him.”

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