Chad Bradbury has been coaching basketball at either the subvarsity or Amateur Athletic Union levels since 1997, and now he’s moving up to the varsity ranks.
Bradbury, who coaches the Maine Icebreakers’ 14-U AAU squad and served as Hampden Academy’s girls junior varsity basketball coach last winter, is that school’s new varsity girls coach.
Bradbury’s hiring was approved by the SAD 22 school board at a meeting last week. He replaces Ben Greenlaw, who recently stepped down after six seasons on the job.
Bradbury’s coaching resume includes stints as HA’s boys soccer, basketball and baseball coach — all at the JV level — along with subvarsity and freshman girls basketball.
He’s eager to help turn around a Hampden program that hasn’t appeared in the regional tournament since the 2004-05 season.
“I guess our short-term goal, we’d be happy if we could make an appearance in the playoffs, and see what would happen from there,” Bradbury said.
He’s inheriting a fairly young Bronco squad that only graduated four seniors and returns one of the KVAC’s top young point guards in Michaela Stephenson, who will be a junior next winter. He also welcomes in Mattanawcook Academy transfer Katelyn DeRaps, one of the Lincoln school’s offensive leaders last season.
Hampden ended last season on an upward note, as the Broncos defeated Nokomis of Newport in their regular-season finale. The Warriors wound up hosting a preliminary playoff game the following week.
“Not too many teams win their last game. They ended on a good note there and they’re excited to get back at it,” Bradbury said.
Bradbury, who lives in Hampden, taught sixth grade at Reeds Brook Middle School in the town from 1997-2004. He and his wife Karen then broke into the real estate business with their company, KC Management, which manages about 140 apartments in Orono.
In addition to Stephenson and DeRaps, the Broncos will also bring back Ashley Danforth and Helene Sherburne, who will be sophomores, and juniors Julia Snyder and Kate Parsons.
Bradbury is excited to see what DeRaps will bring to what should be a fairly talented nucleus.
“I haven’t had a chance to see the DeRaps girl. I know she played with some very good girls at Mattanawcook,” he said.
While most teams in the KVAC tend to play a halfcourt-style offense and straight-up man defense, Bradbury hopes his squad will be a tad different.
“I see us being a little bit more of an uptempo team, pushing the ball, playing fullcourt man defense,” he said. “That’ll be a change of philosophy, [to] liven the place up a bit.”
That style of play should benefit backcourt players Snyder and Stephenson.
“Julia Snyder is a very talented guard with the ability to run and do some things,” Bradbury said.
Several Broncos, including Whitney Moore, Stephenson and Snyder, are all playing in the AAU ranks this spring which should enhance their already valuable experience.
“They’ve been on the varsity team as freshmen and sophomores and played big roles last year.” Bradbury said.
One of Bradbury’s incoming freshmen, Ellie Webb, is also playing AAU ball. She was a key player on the Icebreakers’ state championship squad.
The Broncos finished 5-13 last winter, 12th in the EM Class A ranks, one position shy of the final postseason spot.
Lewiston’s Putnam resigns
Saturday’s Class A track and field championships signaled the end of a terrific era at Lewiston High.
Ray Putnam, who turned the Blue Devils’ cross country and track programs around upon his arrival at the school in the spring of 2000, has decided to step down.
Putnam’s teams were highly successful over the last few years, as his Blue Devils won Class A state titles in cross country in 2007 and outdoor track in 2006, with the track title coming in a memorable clash with archrival Edward Little.
The Devils also won back-to-back EM cross country titles in 2007 and 2008 in addition to another in 2005, while earning Class A runner-up honors in 2005 under Putnam.
Putnam’s indoor teams also won a KVAC crown in 2005-06 along with a second-place finish at states that season.
Locals are Burlington-bound
While the dust has settled on last weekend’s state track meets, the season is not yet complete for a talented group of athletes.
A number of Eastern Mainers have earned qualifying slots in the New England Championships, set for this weekend in Burlington, Vt.
Notable qualifiers on the girls side include Kaitlin Noyes of Brewer and Shelby Wheeler of Orono in the pole vault, John Bapst of Bangor and Mount Desert Island in the 4×800 relay, Jamie Pelletier of Fort Kent in the 100, 200 and 400 dashes, Danielle Hutchins of MDI in the 100 and 200, Bangor’s Brittney Chapman in the 400, Maggie Bryan of John Bapst in the 1,600 and 800, Orono’s 4×100 relay team, Mary Carmack of John Bapst in the 3,200, Holli Kenison of Orono in the triple jump, Hannah Saunders of Caribou in the 1,600 race walk and Mattanawcook’s Hillary Pelkey in the javelin and shot put.
Area boys qualifiers are as follows: Chris Fogler of John Bapst in the 110 and 300 hurdles and as part of the team’s 4×400 relay, Bangor’s Tyler Pembroke in the 100 dash and as anchor of the Rams’ 4×100, Hampden Academy’s 4×400 relay squad, Jadrien Cousens of Hampden in the high jump, Caribou’s Nate Swan in the javelin, Dom Kone of Bucksport in the 100, 200 and long jump, teammate Vincent Tymoczko in the 400, the Golden Bucks’ 4×100 relay, Joe Brown of Central in Corinth and Joey Quinn of Bangor in the discus and Dan Moriarty of Foxcroft Academy in the shot put.
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