NCAA tournament participants Stanford, Louisville, Louisiana State and Dayton are among the high-powered potential opponents for the University of Maine women’s basketball team next November.
Coach Richard Barron’s Black Bears are among eight teams that will take part in the third annual Gulf Coast Showcase, a tournament that will be held Nov. 27-29 at Germain Arena in Estero, Florida.
“We are thrilled to be included in the next Gulf Coast Showcase field,” Barron said in a news release. “There are some of the top programs in the nation included in the tournament and we are honored and excited to be considered worthy of the invitation. With such a strong group of returning players, we are eager to test ourselves against nationally ranked competition.”
The full field consists of eight teams, including two other Women’s National Invitation Tournament participants in Marist and Missouri State. The other team in the tournament is Purdue of the Big Ten Conference, a squad directed by former UMaine head coach Sharon Versyp.
UMaine, which dropped its WNIT game at Villanova, returns all five starters and 14 letterwinners from a team that posted a 23-9 record and won the America East Conference regular-season championship.
“The mission of the Gulf Coast Showcase is to annually showcase the best teams in women’s hoops,” ESPN analyst and Gulf Coast Showcase host Debbie Antonelli said. “Last year, UConn rolled to the tournament title but we have eight great programs for 2015 and any of those eight could be playing for the crown on Sunday night.”
Ticket information and match-ups will be announced at a later date.
Vann signs NLI
UMaine men’s basketball coach Bob Walsh on Wednesday announced that Issac Vann has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Maine and play basketball.
Vann, who is from Stratford, Connecticut, is a 6-5 small forward who played last season for Coastal Academy in Neptune, New Jersey.
“Issac is a high character kid who will thrive in a high-accountability environment and fit our culture very well,” Walsh said in a statement. “He is a tremendous athlete who plays with high energy and really excels in the open court.
“He has the ability to be an elite defender in our league, and his approach really fits the aggressive, attacking style that we want to play. We are excited that Issac wants to be a Black Bear.”
Vann previously played at Bunnell High School in Stratford, where he averaged more than 24 points and 11 rebounds a game. He left as Bunnell’s all-time leading scorer with 1,468 career points.
He led Bunnell to the SWC Boys basketball championship in March of 2014 before heading to Coastal Academy.
Vann joins 6-2 shooting guard Levar Harewood of Brooklyn, New York, 6-7 forward Ilija Stojiljkovic of Serbia and Lee Academy, and 6-6 forward Devin Eke of Plainfield, New Jersey, all of whom signed NLIs last November.
UMaine also reportedly has received verbal commitments from two nonscholarship players, 6-0 guard Dennis Ashley of Bridgton Academy, out of Santa Monica, California, and 5-11 guard Walter King of Lee Academy, who hails from White Plains, New York.
The eligibility of all student-athletes is contingent upon admission to UMaine and compliance with all NCAA rules.
UMaine athletes conduct march
Several members of UMaine’s Male Athletes Against Violence organized and took part Monday in a “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event. It is part of the International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence.
The event is an opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community about the serious causes, effects and remediations to men’s sexualized violence against women. The campaign asks men to literally walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes while at the same time creating a fun conversation regarding gender relations and men’s sexualized violence against women.