ORONO, Maine — Former University of Maine basketball standout and longtime head coach Skip Chappelle was among some 100 fans in attendance for Saturday morning’s preseason scrimmage that now bears his name.
He greeted first-year Black Bears coach Bob Walsh with some encouraging words upon completion of the intense session at Memorial Gymnasium.
“The first thing out of his mouth was, ‘I was really impressed with the way your guys competed,’” Walsh said. “That feels good, because that’s where we start. We’re trying to develop a mentality where we just compete at a high level every day.”
UMaine had 12 players in uniform for the inaugural Skip Chappelle Scrimmage. Sophomores Troy Reid-Knight and Marko Pirovic were held out as they recover from injuries.
Team members were divided into “Blue” and “White” squads, with only minor lineup changes made during the four, 10-minute game segments.
One of the notable bright spots was freshman Aaron Calixte, who signed with UMaine after attending Lee Academy. The crafty and rugged point guard appears to be a facilitator on the offensive end.
“He’s got natural talent and I think that’s something you notice as soon as you see him on the floor,” said Walsh, who pointed out that Calixte has missed considerable practice time during preseason because of an injury.
“The way he moves, the way he reacts, it happens in a natural way. He’s certainly gifted,” he added.
Calixte was excited about the opportunity to go at it under game conditions and echoed Walsh’s thoughts about the team’s competitiveness.
“I think everybody played hard. We had refs and stuff who were watching, so it was kind of our first time playing,” Calixte said.
Fans who weren’t yet familiar with the makeup of the ballclub may have wondered who the mature-looking point guard was for the Blue squad.
The hardworking player was none other than UMaine assistant coach Antone Gray, a former star for Walsh at Rhode Island College.
“We want guys to be able to play different positions, so having Antone out there to be able to balance out the teams helps us out,” Walsh said.
Walsh expects Reid-Knight, who had come back after having foot surgery last May, to be on the court in a few days.
In the frontcourt, juniors Ethan Mackey and Till Gloger are the most experienced players. Both were strong on the glass in the scrimmage, but sophomore Erik Nissen also made a good showing.
The rangy, 6-foot-9 sophomore from Quispamsis, New Brunswick, demonstrated some quick moves to the basket and was active in the rebounding. Nissen appeared in only nine games last season because of a shoulder injury.
“He attacks the glass on both ends, which we like, and (is) developing a capacity to compete, which will go a long way. He brings a lot of energy to the way he plays,” Walsh said.
No official statistics were kept for the scrimmage, but no one appeared to have an exceptional game from a shooting standpoint. Walsh nonetheless found positives in their play.
“I really liked the confidence we shot the ball with,” he said of senior Zarko Valjarevic, junior Shaun Lawton and sophomore Garet Beal of Beals Island.
“We made confident plays on offense. Some of that might not have been the right play, but from a mentality standpoint, I like the fact that we’re aggressive and confident,” Walsh added.
UMaine is gearing up for next Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. exhibition game against Division III University of Southern Maine at Hill Gymnasium in Gorham.
“I think that everybody knows how each other plays, so we’re really ready to get out there and play someone else,” Calixte said.