BANGOR, Maine — Twenty-three prestigious players, coaches and officials were announced as the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame’s third induction class during a news conference Wednesday morning at the Hall’s site, the Cross Insurance Center’s concourse.
Scheduled for induction on Aug. 21 in Bangor are Dean Smith, Joey DeRoche, Chris Jerome, Meaghan Lane Kolyszko, Mike McGee, John Jordan, Kevin Whitmore, Matt Rossignol, Tony Hamlin, Gregg Frame, Raymond Alley, Fern Masse, Kevin Nelson, Charlie Wootton, Julie Bradstreet, I.J. Pinkham, Ron Marks, Len MacPhee, Bob McAllister, Don Sturgeon and Harland Storey.
Ed Guiski and Richard “Doc” Costello will be posthumously inducted.
The Hall also will induct several new members to its Legends of the Game. Dewey Dewitt, Terry Healey, the 1995 Cony of Augusta girls basketball team and the 1947 Patten Academy boys basketball team will be added, and the late Jim Connellan, Dick Doyle and Eddie Griffin also will be added.
The bios for the inductees and legends, as compiled by the Hall, are as follows:
Dean Smith is a Foxcroft Academy graduate who went on to play at the University of Maine where he was a three-time Academic All-American. He captained the Black Bears his senior season and led the America East in scoring. He received the prestigious Walter Byers Award as the nation’s top scholar athlete. UMaine has established the Dean Smith Award given annually to the top male and female athlete who combines academic and athletic excellence.
Joey DeRoche graduated from Westbrook High School where he was a first team All-Southwestern Maine Activities Association selection and a Vinal Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the Western Maine tournament. In addition, he led his team to the 1984 state championship under Hall of Fame coach Art Dyer. DeRoche went on to Thomas College, where he became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,218 points and a two-time NAIA All-American.
Chris Jerome graduated from Cheverus High School where he gained All-State honors. He started four seasons for coach Ray Bicknell’s Bowdoin Polar Bears and became the most decorated basketball player in school history. As a senior he averaged a double-double, 18 points and 11 rebounds per contest. In 1982-83, he was named New England Division III Player of the Year. He also was an Academic All-American. He left Bowdoin with records as playing the most games (90), career leader in rebounds and second in career points. He was the only person ever to lead his team in scoring and rebounding four seasons in a row.
Meaghan Lane Kolyszko helped lead Cony High School to two state championships as Cony began its march to Gold Ball glory from 1987 to 1990. The scrappy guard was a tough defender and 3-point shooter. She still shares a record with 10 3-pointers in the Class A tourney. After high school, she attended the University of New Hampshire where she was a starting guard. She went into coaching after her playing days were over as an assistant at Colby College.
Mike McGee was a high school standout at Lawrence High School in Fairfield where he led the Bulldogs to the Eastern Maine championship in 1976. He was an All-American at Colby College his sophomore season and was the fastest player in school history to reach the 1000-point plateau. After transferring to Clark University, he scored 2,175 points and once again was named All-American. As a coach, he won two state championships and won over 350 games at Lawrence. He was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
John Jordan attended Falmouth High School where the 6-foot-7 center drove opponents crazy with his all-around skills. After high school, he put in a year of postgraduate work at Maine Central Institute where he led the prep team to its first New England championship in 10 years. But, it was at the University of Southern Maine where he became the greatest player in the school’s history. He left USM as its leading career scorer and rebounder. His dominance helped lead the Huskies to a four-year record of 81-28. He finished his career as a four-time All-WMAC first team selection and was named to the All-Maine team four times, earning first-team honors in 1978, 1979 and 1981. He earned NAIA District 5 first-team honors all four seasons and was named to the NCAA New England Division III second team in 1981. In 1979, he was selected as an NAIA All-American honorable mention student-athlete, finishing the season as the fifth leading rebounder in the nation with 536.
Kevin Whitmore helped lead Waterville High School to a state title in 1985. He was a second-team All-State selection in 1986 and a first-team selection in 1987, before enrolling in Dartmouth College. After one year there, he returned to Waterville to play for his dad, legendary coach Dick Whitmore, at Colby College. Kevin Whitmore was a 1991 All-American for the Mules and finished with 1,357 points in just three seasons (76 games). He still ranks 12th all-time in scoring at Colby. He was a deadly 3-point shooter, nailing 188 3-pointers in his three seasons at Colby.
Matt Rossignol is a Maine high school legend as this high-scoring performer delighted hoop fans during his entire playing career. Rossignol, who played for Van Buren High School, scored 2,257 points in his career, and he tossed in 51 in the 1985 Eastern Class B semifinals against Schenck of East Millinocket. That year he set two regional records that still stand: points (103) and field goals (37). After high school, he attended UMaine where he played for Hall of Famer Skip Chappelle. While at UMaine, he scored 1,297 career points. He also had a big hand in perhaps the program’s signature victory, an 84-81 win over Michigan State in 1986 at the Auditorium. He scored 23 points, hitting five of nine 3-point shots. He has coached at the high school level for over 20 years.
Tony Hamlin, a Milo native, was an outstanding high school player who went on to become a three-year starter at UMaine. He coached at MCI, Morse, South Portland and Penquis high schools and in the process won 400 games, which included three state championships and five regional titles. He has served as chairman of the Maine Principals’ Association’s Basketball Commission and was the coaches’ representative to the commission for six years. He is the only coach to have won a tournament game at the Bangor Auditorium in each of five decades. He is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honors. He was awarded the Bob Brown Contributor’s Award by the Maine Association of Coaches in 2015.
Gregg Frame was an unusual point guard. He was big, physical and willing to rebound with the bigger players while firing a perfect pass to a teammate on a fast break. As a Waterville High player, he led his team with 26 points and 13 rebounds per game and was named the player of the year in Central Maine. After high school he attended Phillips Exeter Academy where he led his team to the New England championship and went on to Dartmouth College. He led Dartmouth in scoring (11.3 points per game) and rebounding his sophomore season and was second on the team with 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds a game his junior year. In his final season at Dartmouth, he was the only Ivy League player to be among the league’s top 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists and field goal percentage. He left Dartmouth as a 1,000-point scorer.
Raymond Alley became a Maine legend as a high school player at Vinalhaven where he became the all-time leading scorer in Maine high school history. He scored over 2,000 points as both a high school and college player. While at Husson College, he was named to the NAIA Division II All-America team two consecutive years and was chosen the Fleet Bank/Maine Athletic Conference Player of the Year his junior and senior seasons. He left Husson as the all-time scoring leader with 2,671 points, breaking Dana Wilson’s mark of 2,471. In college, Alley shot 42.5 percent from 3-point land and over 80 percent from the foul line.
Fern Masse has been a basketball fixture in the Lewiston-Auburn area for more than 50 years. The longtime coach of the Lewiston Blue Devils, he has earned the respect of the Maine basketball community for his consistent contributions to the game he loves. His Lewiston teams twice won the Western Maine tournament, and his 40-year run as Lewiston coach is one of the longest in Maine history, 1958-98. He has directed Hoop Camp in Casco for over 45 years and has affected thousands of young players as lecturer, coach and mentor. He was honored with the MABC Contributor Award in 1992.
Kevin Nelson led his Foxcroft Academy Ponies to a state championship in 1975 as a two-time first team All-State selection became a household name in Maine basketball folklore. The 6-8 left-hander graduated as the career scoring leader at Foxcroft. He became a three-year starter at UMaine and was a key member during his tenure along with teammates Roger Lapham, Rufus Harris and Wally Russell.
Ed Guiski, a Winslow native, was a dominating player in high school and at Gorham State College. Graduating from Winslow High in 1955, he was a standout athlete earning 16 varsity letters in football, basketball, track and baseball. After high school, he continued his education at MCI before attending Boston University for two years on a basketball and football scholarship. He completed his education at Gorham State College (University of Southern Maine). He played basketball at Gorham State College and was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1967, Guiski and his wife, Janet, moved their young family to Dexter where he coached for the next 38 years, winning over 300 games and a state title.
Charlie Wootton, a 6-8 center, led his Camden-Rockport High School team to the 1974 state championship. He was a second-team All-State selection his junior year and a first-team selection his senior season. His high school teams went 45-1 his final two seasons, their only loss was to Orono in the state final in 1973. He attended Bentley College on a full scholarship and was a three-year starter. He is the only player in Bentley history to average more than 11 rebounds a game for three consecutive years. He was All-New England and an All-American Honorable Mention his junior and senior seasons. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1978 supplemental draft.
Julie Bradstreet is a graduate of Central Aroostook High School of Mars Hill where she graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,164 points. She also left high school with over 1,000 rebounds. After being named a second team All-State selection her junior year, she was a first-team choice as a senior. At UMaine, she co-captained coach Trish Roberts’ team her senior year. She was a second-team All North Atlantic Conference player for two years and was a two- year NAC All-Academic team selection.
I.J. Pinkham played high school basketball at Milbridge High School. He went on to play four years of basketball at the University of Maine at Farmington. He started coaching at Buckfield High six seasons before moving onto Boothbay High where he has coached for over 35 years. He recently won his 600th game, the most wins of any high school coach in Maine history. His 2001 Boothbay team won the Class C state title.
Ron Marks coached for 20 years in Eastern Maine at Sherman, Katahdin, Schenck and Foxcroft Academy. His teams won 312 games including 36 tournament games, and he had a winning percentage of 78 percent. He won three state championships, six Eastern Maine championships and was named coach of the year three times. He also was an official for 40 years, officiating in the tournament 20 seasons.
Richard “Doc” Costello was the living embodiment of the University of Southern Maine. He coached both men’s and women’s basketball, winning over 200 games with each gender; the only coach in NCAA history to do so. He was named athletic director of USM in 1955 and dedicated himself to his beloved university the rest of his life. USM named its sports complex as the Costello Sports Complex.
Len McPhee was a longtime coach of the University of Maine at Farmington where he coached for 31 years, 24 with the men’s program and seven as the women’s head coach. His teams won 322 games. His women’s teams made NAIA appearances in 1995 and 1996. He also served the school as the athletic director and retired in 2001 after 36 years. While in high school, he starred on state championship teams at both Cape Elizabeth and South Portland. He attended UMaine where he excelled at basketball and baseball. He also coached at Rangely High School and MCI.
Bob McAllister of John Bapst made his mark on the Maine basketball scene in a memorable overtime win over Brewer High School in the 1959 tournament at the Bangor Auditorium in front of 6,000 fans. His team lost in the finals to Bangor despite his 28 points. After high school, he accepted a scholarship to the University of Rhode Island. He became the only Maine official to referee in the NBA in the late 1970s. He continued to officiate high school and college basketball in the Portland, Oregon, area for many years. He still serves the Pac 10 as an observer of officiating in the Northwest.
Don Sturgeon was a first-team selection to the All-State team in 1957 and a second-team selection in 1956. He was a key member of the Old Town state championship team in 1957 and coached his alma mater to the 1967 state title. He was a four-year letter winner at UMaine and led it in scoring and rebounding in 1958-59. He ranks 12th in the UMaine record book for career rebounds. He received All-American honorable mention in 1959-60.
Harland Storey was a 1981 All-Maine player at Greely High School in Cumberland. He became a Division II All-American at Colby College in 1985. He finished his Colby career fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,710 points. He is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
Jim Connellan was the architect of the T defense, a 3-1-1 collapsing zone. He spent more than four decades working with basketball programs in Maine, coaching championship teams at Cony, Winslow, Cheverus, Rockland and Portland. His T defense was used at Cony, Winslow and Westbrook Junior College, and it was used at Cheverus to win a state championship. The Cheverus team was the last team to beat Waterville in 1943, before Waterville’s 67-game winning streak. He served as a mentor to basketball coaches throughout Maine. He also won consecutive Maine State basketball championships as a player for Portland High School in 1910 and 1911. He died in 1963.
Dick Doyle was a premier sports writer in Maine as this respected scribe covered sports for 44 years for the Portland Press Herald. A true gentleman, he always emphasized the positive in covering young athletes. He died in 2005 at the age of 86.
Eddie Griffin was a colorful sports figure in Southern Maine for over 40 years as he sponsored the Griffin Club semi-pro basketball team that showcased some of the state’s great hoopsters. Eddie donated thousands of dollars to youth programs. He died in 1993 at the age of 65.
Dewey Dewitt is a legendary sports writer and announcer in Aroostook County. In The County, he is a legend in the sportscasting genre. For decades, he called play-by-play, interviewed and reported on all the great names of Aroostook County coaches and players. He is a member of the Maine Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Terry Healey was a standout basketball player for Stearns High school in 1953 and 1954. He was named to the All-State team both of those seasons and was considered one of the top performers in Maine as coach George Wentworth was establishing his legendary program in Millinocket.
The 1995 Cony girls basketball team set the standard for excellence of its great teams in the 1990s. The team went undefeated on its way to a state title. The team ran, pressed and shot 3-pointers, averaging 74 points per game while allowing only 41.
The 1947 Patten Academy boys team pulled of one of the most stunning basketball upsets of its time on April 22, 1947, when it upset Massachusetts powerhouse Boston Latin 35-32 for the New England high school championship at the Boston Garden. Patten Academy boasted 88 students, 27 of them were male students, while Boston Latin had an enrollment of 1,800 male students.