Calais native Arnie Clark, who coached the Calais High School boys basketball team for 14 years before spending 16 years as the girls basketball coach at Woodland High School, is returning to coach the Calais girls next season.
He is replacing Bob McShane, who did not have his contract renewed, according to Calais athletic director Randy Morrison.
It was McShane’s first season back after stepping down eight years ago to spend more time with his mother, who had kidney cancer. McShane was replaced by Dana Redding. McShane had coached the Calais girls to five state championships and nine Eastern Maine championships in 22 years.
Calais Superintendent Ron Jenkins said an interview committee was established to select a coach, and McShane and Clark interviewed for the job.
He said it was his understanding that the same two had been the finalists the previous year.
“They selected Bob last year and Arnie this year,” said Jenkins. “I was told both of them did a nice job during the interview.”
The school board approved Clark as the new coach.
“I’m looking forward to it. I love coaching, and I missed it. The opportunity came up, so I applied,” said Clark, who didn’t have his contract renewed at Woodland after the 2014-15 season and didn’t coach last year. “I enjoy working with the kids.”
“I knew this might happen,” said a disappointed McShane. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Arnie just has more friends on the school board. It’s small-town politics.”
As a result of the decision, McShane has resigned from his position as the student services coordinator at the St. Croix Regional Technical Center in Calais.
He had worked for them since 1987.
“I don’t want to work in the Calais school system any more,” he said.
Redding, who resigned after the 2014-15 season to spend more time with his family, had spent seven seasons at Calais and led the Blue Devils to a 117-25 record, two state titles and three regional championships.
Despite losing BDN Schoolgirl All-Maine second team selection Maddy McVicar to graduation, McShane guided the Blue Devils to a 12-6 regular season, a 53-51 win over George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill in a Class C preliminary round game and an impressive showing in a 40-37 loss to top seed Fort Fairfield in a tournament quarterfinal.
“We might have won the game if our point guard, Logan Huckins, hadn’t injured her ankle in the game,” said McShane, whose Blue Devils beat eventual Class C state champ Narraguagus of Harrington 62-53 on the road in their regular season finale.
The 61-year-old McShane said he hopes to continue coaching somewhere next season.
“I’m not ready to retire,” said McShane, who added that he hopes Clark does well.
McShane and Clark said they have been longtime friends.
“I wish him luck. They’ll be fine,” said McShane. “They’re good kids. They’ll play hard for whoever their coach is.”
“Bob and I would go to basketball clinics all over New England together. He is a student of the game, and I try to be one,” said Clark, who teaches elementary school in the Calais school system.
The 70-year-old Clark will inherit a team that graduates just three players.
He likes to play uptempo basketball, and he puts a premium on defense and the execution of the fundamentals.
“The offense isn’t always there,” said Clark. “So we’re going to work hard, rebound, box out and do all the fundamentals it takes to win games. If we do all of those things, we’ll be successful.”