When the University of Maine women’s basketball team hosts America East rival UMass Lowell at the Memorial Gym in Orono this weekend, five impactful seniors will be playing their final home regular-season games.
The Black Bears (12-1 overall, 9-1 AE) are scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. Saturday and at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The quintet is actually two classes combined into one.
Guard Blanca Millan and forward Fanny Wadling joined the program in 2016 but received medical hardship waivers last season because of injuries. The fifth-year players are the only two who remain from their recruiting class as the other four transferred after the 2016-17 campaign.
Millan, the 2019 America East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the sixth game last season. Wadling missed the entire season with a concussion.
Point guard Dor Saar, forward Maeve Carroll and 3-point specialist Kelly Fogarty are seniors who joined the Black Bears in 2017.
From left (clockwise): Blanca Millan, Dor Saar, Fanny Wadling, Kelly Fogarty, Maeve Carroll. Credit: Courtesy of UMaine athletics
Since the NCAA has given athletes an eligibility waiver this year due to the pandemic, all five could return next year. All have indicated that they won’t make any decisions until after the season.
Since Millan and Wadling arrived, the Black Bears have an overall record of 96-49 with a 68-17 record (.800) against America East opponents, including playoffs.
In that time, UMaine is 49-9 at home, including games at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Memorial Gym, the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland and the Augusta Civic Center.
The Black Bears are 42-3 at home against America East foes.
UMaine has won two conference championships with the senior group and reached last year’s title game that was canceled because of COVID-19.
“They have accomplished a lot, individually and collectively. They have made their mark on this program,” UMaine head coach Amy Vachon said.
The group’s leadership has been crucial this season with the upheaval caused by the pandemic. UMaine, with eight freshmen and sophomores, has played only two home games.
“To have their experience has been very beneficial,” Vachon said.
All five seniors are fierce competitors, with a mindset that bolsters the younger players. They have the swagger necessary to maintain a winning culture.
They expect to win, even when they are dealt some adversity.
Last year’s team epitomized that as UMaine reached the America East final with only six healthy players, some of whom were limited by injuries.
This senior class is the model for the success of the program, which has posted eight consecutive seasons with a winning record under former head coach Richard Barron and Vachon.
They have placed a recruiting emphasis on international players. Millan is from Spain, Wadling is a Swede and Saar is from Israel.
And the program prides itself on player development. Carroll and Fogarty saw limited playing time their first two seasons, but were key components of a team that was championship caliber despite being ravaged by injuries.
Carroll would have been the conference’s most improved player if it had such an award. She went from playing 19 minutes per game as a sophomore to leading the conference in double-doubles and earning second-team all-conference honors.
Fogarty averaged only 11 minutes as a sophomore but played 26 per game last season and scored a career-high 7.1 points per contest.
Their perseverance set a good example for the young players who haven’t played much yet.
Wadling is just 42 rebounds away from becoming the 17th player in program history with 600 career rebounds. The former America East rebounding leader has also been a top-notch defender and passer.
Millan and Saar are two of the best players in program history.
Millan’s 1,834 points rank fifth on UMaine’s career list and 13th in America East. Her 302 career steals are second most at UMaine and she is fourth in 3-pointers with 203.
She also leads this year’s team in rebounding (7.6 rpg) to complement her league-leading 22.1 points and 2.8 steals.
Saar, the quintessential point guard, became the Black Bears’ 22nd 1,000-point scorer and set the record for career 3-pointers (223), which places her sixth in America East history. Her 484 assists are three behind Cindy Blodgett for second place at UMaine and if she reaches 500, she will become the first player in school history with 1,000 points and 500 assists.
Saar leads the league in assists (5.6 per game) and 3-pointers (2.54).