The 16 inductees to the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame have been announced, and I feel compelled to comment on three of them. I coached basketball for a long time - and it's been a long time since I've coached - but these three hold a special place for me for very different reasons. First there is Cindy Blodgett. Everyone in Maine who follows basketball knows who she is, Cindy is simply the greatest player in Maine history - male or female. She will always be a part of my coaching history because of one week way back when. When I was a very young coach I worked 6-8 weeks a summer at camps. One week at Colby's Pine Tree Clinic I coached a group of 6th grade boys. During that week Colby coach, Dick Whitmore, allowed a girl named Cindy Blodgett to attend the camp. She was in 4th grade...at a boys camp...playing in a 6th grade league...and she was on my team. We won every game. She was by far our best player. She won the MVP award. I'll never forget how good she was as a skinny 4th grade phenom. The second inductee is Brenda Beckwith:
I know Brenda because she and I have worked together for the last 20 years at Winslow High School. I never saw her play, and only saw her coach a few times. But I know that she's a great teacher and all you have to do is look at her stats to know she was an incredible player. She averaged 30 points and 15 rebounds at Lawrence during her senior year - and then won a national championship in college. Seriously - you can count on one finger the number of Mainers who have done that. Finally, there is Jeff Hart:
I don't miss coaching basketball, but I do miss the people. I especially miss those coaches who pushed me to try to become better. Jeff is at the top of that list. He not only knew the game inside and out, but he and his players always did things right. He is the best coach I ever faced and most deserving of this honor. It's been a long while since I've blogged about basketball...
Life is good.
~MET
