Here are five players to watch in North region boys basketball this winter:
Nicholas DePatsy, 6-3, Sr., G/F, Medomak Valley: DePatsy has helped the Panthers win two Eastern B championships in three seasons while playing under his father, coach Nick DePatsy. The younger DePatsy is just as at home working in the low post as he is as a playmaker from beyond the 3-point arc, and his ability to drive to the rim has improved steadily. Medomak Valley is now in Class A North, but as DePatsy and his teammates acclimate themselves to the more physical style of play the Panthers should remain among the region’s top contenders.
Chris Giberson, 6-1, Jr., G, Fort Fairfield: Giberson was unflappable as a defender and a ball handler last winter while earning Eastern D tournament MVP honors as the Tigers won their first regional title since 1988. Graduation took a significant toll on coach Logan McLaughlin’s club, but Giberson’s leadership was evident again this fall as Fort Fairfield won the Class D North boys soccer crown. Now in Class C North basketball, the Tigers likely will look for more scoring from Giberson in their bid to make noise in the new division.
Nick Gilpin, 6-3, Sr., G, Hampden Academy: Gilpin enters the season as a top candidate for the state’s Mr. Basketball award after a star-studded first three years as a starter for the Hampden juggernaut. Since he joined the Broncos as a freshman starter, HA is 63-3 with three Eastern A titles and state championships in 2013 and 2015. A career that began more as a facilitator has evolved into more of a scoring role, which last season earned him BDN All-Maine first-team honors.
Hunter Smith, 6-4, Sr., F, Foxcroft Academy: The comeback of the 2015 Big East Conference Player of the Year from a dislocated hip suffered in late August could be one of the top storylines in Class B North. When he returns to the lineup for new Foxcroft coach Tyler Erickson — possibly as soon as Saturday’s season opener against Ellsworth — Smith may not have to face as many collapsing defenses as he did a year ago thanks to several other returning players as well as impact transfers Noah Allen (Penquis Valley) and Nick Fortier (Piscataquis of Guilford).
Imao Woldring, 6-7, Sr., F, Orono: The Red Riots return four junior starters from last winter’s run to the Eastern C final. Woldring, an exchange student from The Netherlands, adds height and versatility to the mix as Orono moves up to Class B North. Red Riots coach Jason Coleman describes Woldring, also a soccer standout, as an all-around threat comfortable handling the ball and scoring from the perimeter or filling the lane in transition and defending the post. Since he took Woldring to a preseason showcase in Biddeford, Coleman has heard from 36 interested schools from the postgraduate level to Division I universities.
