PITTSFIELD, Maine — The Maine Central Institute postgraduate basketball team has played its last game.
Citing the program’s fit with the school’s mission as well as economic considerations, the MCI board of trustees decided this week to discontinue the school’s nationally recognized postgraduate basketball team as of July 1.
“The school thoroughly investigated the options and opportunities associated with achieving and sustaining excellence in the PG program,” according to a press release issued by the school. “Ultimately, it was determined that a competitive program would require not only significant resources to maintain its initiatives, but also additional investments on an ongoing basis.
Future resources for programs — both academic and nonacademic — will be focused where the school can achieve and sustain excellence in alignment with its mission.”
The MCI postgraduate basketball program, which typically involved 12 players in a given year as well as a head coach and an assistant coach, sent 135 players on to a NCAA Division I college basketball program and helped produce 10 future NBA players including Caron Butler, Sam Cassell, Brad Miller and Cuttino Mobley.
“However, it has become apparent that the PG basketball program no longer fits within Maine Central Institute’s mission,” according to the press release. “The postgraduate students are wonderful young men who contribute to the school on campus and to the local community. Nonetheless, because the students leave as soon as they are placed in a college [often in March], they no longer attend MCI to experience a full year of academic, social and athletic growth.”
MCI’s most prominent postgraduate basketball days came during the 1990s, when the team won five New England Preparatory School Athletic Council championships under coach Max Good and received national recognition from the likes of ESPN and Sports Illustrated for its success on the court and in helping its players qualify to attend college.
MCI finished 10-17 last season but in 2011 again won the NEPSAC Class AAA championship under current head coach Dave Campbell, who learned of his program’s impending demise in late April.
“I had heard no rumblings about this at all before I came back from spring break,” said Campbell, who has coached the MCI postgraduate team for the last six years. “I received my contract for next year on April 9, and I did some recruiting while on spring break and had been doing some scheduling, too.”
Campbell expressed disappointment in the decision but added, “It’s not only a school but it’s a business, too, and I totally understand this from the business side.”
Campbell said he is uncertain about his future.
“I hope to coach somewhere next year,” he said, “but if not I hope they’ll honor my contract here and I can do something else for them.”
MCI is at least the second school in New England to announce plans to disband or alter its postgraduate basketball program in recent months. The Winchendon (Mass.) School has decided to “reposition” its program and no longer will compete at the NEPSAC Class AAA level that typically attracts the most Division I college prospects.
“Our goal is to transition to a varsity basketball program that serves a significant portion of underclassmen as well as seniors who have been students at Winchendon for multiple years,” according to a Winchendon press release. “We would like to have this team compete in a division with schools of similar size, goals and visions. The emergent program will provide those qualified athletes with aspirations to play at college with visibility, and our target will be to regularly qualify for postseason play in the appropriate division.”
Earl Anderson, MCI’s director of athletics and activities, said the decision to end the postgraduate basketball program at his school did not come until after considerable deliberation.
“The trustees, administration, faculty, staff and students are sorry to see the program end,” he said. “The post-graduate basketball program at MCI has a storied and celebrated history. Coaches Campbell, Good and others have guided their players on the court to great success, but more importantly, have held their teams to a high standard off the court.
“This decision came after many years of discussion, analysis and consideration by both the school’s administration and the trustees. Emotionally it was a hard decision for many, including myself, but in the end the PG basketball program no longer fit into the vision for MCI’s future.”
What will the poor youth of NYC and Philly do now?
I think the PGs came from many different places and countries.
there goes the UMO pipeline ;)
UMO doesn’t exist.
Who was the last MCI player that even played at UMaine?
dunbar, this is getting old, bro. we’re not gonna take this from a little 14 year old
What’s old is people referring to The University of Maine by using an acronym that hasn’t applied/existed for 26 years. That’s old.
BTW- Almost 17.
When a word or acronym is burned into your brain for years, such as UMO, its really hard to change your thoughts. Since you are so young, it would not occur to you to refer to UM as UMO. For us older folks, it will always be UMO first in in brain. You will find this out as you get older and things change around you. Don’t be so harsh!
It was only “UMO” for 19 years from 1967-86. I think 26 years is long enough…
you young whippersnapper!!! Remember your rudeness to posts when you are older and someone does something like this to you…..
Svetoslav Chetinov – 6’9″ Senior from Bulgaria attended MCI . Check the roster.
Though you do have a point, Dunbar, MCI has not recently sent many players to U Maine
I knew someone from this year’s team did, I guess Svet slipped my mind.
was it Junior Bernal….he’s a great kid…well, man now!
school sure has changed (and not for the better) since the change in headmaster/mistress. What sort of “mission” is MCI on?
Putting education before sports!
I was not referring to sports….find out about other things going on there.
Like what? I live in the area and am a graduate of the school, and have yet to see any of the so called “controversies” you constantly claim are going on at the school on these comment sections. Its about time you actually made a claim outside of a vague reference to shady dealings.
Somehow I was under the assumption that MCI was to educate youth. Not run a basket ball factory. You want a basket ball factory, plenty of hoop courts in the ghettos of America where basketball is played 24/7. Colleges want players that bad they can send their scouts to the ghetto instead of America’s High Schools.
Your statement sounds about as classist and ignorant as it gets. The purpose of THAT particular program at MCI was to help students who needed to improve their grades/SAT scores so that they may be eligible to qualify for an athletic scholarship. Getting another year to physically maturte and improve their skills was just an added benefit. It wasn’t a basketball factory by any means. Sure, some great players were a part of the program, but these kids went to class and had to make the grade because, if they didn’t, their chances at playing college basketball on a scholarship vanished. These are kids that, without taking this opportunity to prep a year at MCI, probably would never afford to be able to go to college even if they got in
As someone who went to school there and is still involved with programs in the area, I can tell you that it is shame this program is going away. The school does offer many other great programs for international and local students, as well, but the PG basketball program made the school unique and helped broaden the great diversity of cultures that the school arleady has. It will be missed.
This decision is a disgrace to education in the state of Maine. John Baldacci, please rally your many admirers to try to reverse it. You cared only about sports at UMaine, your alma mater where you spent 13 or 14 yrs. as an undergraduate, and as Governor you cared only about athletic facilities. Since you’re sadly not running for the US Senate, why not step up the plate (or the rim) and get this outrageous decision reversed before it’s too late.
Translation: We will no longer exist just to make it easier for Div. I schools to get basketball players without doing any of the legwork…and of course the fact that these fine young men were not sending enough alumni contributions back to Pittsfield when then become wealthy.