Carl Parker has been around the basketball block a time or two.
Starting his journey in 1990 with Maine Central Institute’s prep program in Pittsfield, Parker has been a coach at multiple programs. The newest title Parker is picking up is head coach of the Brewer varsity boys basketball team.
“I love coaching,” said Parker, who credited former Brewer boys basketball coach Ben Goodwin with his leadership of the program. “My goal is to hopefully sustain the program at the level he had it at. He set a great foundation.”
Parker inherits a Brewer squad coming off a Class A North regional final two years ago and a Class A state title last year. It’s one of the most successful programs in northern Maine. Parker’s goal is to keep the success going, and believes his experience with Brewer’s current and future players will be key to doing so.
Parker beat out two other applicants for the job.
After working at MCI with coach Max Good, Parker went on to be the head coach at Lee Academy’s prep program, followed by head coach at Foxcroft Academy, Nokomis Regional High School and Bangor High School. Most recently, he served as Old Town’s junior varsity coach.
This will be Parker’s first head coaching role since 2018, when he pleaded guilty to driving drunk. He resigned from his coaching position in Bangor two days after he was charged.
“I have accepted responsibility and never ducked it,” Parker said. “When I got the Old Town job, I asked how they’d feel about the OUI and it wasn’t a problem. I think it’s a growing experience like a lot of things in life. I have never hid it.”
While coaching the Gym Rats, an AAU team out of Eastern Maine Sports Academy in Veazie, Parker has gotten to know local sixth, seventh and eighth graders from Brewer and he went to every Witches game this past winter.
“My short term goal right now is to sustain the program,” Parker said. “We’ve got a lot of young players that people don’t know about because they played behind those seniors, but they have the opportunity to be really good.”
He hopes that working hard this summer in the summer leagues will prepare those players for varsity play.
“Some of the kids I’ve coached when they were younger, so it should be a great fit,” Parker added. “I hope I do as well as Ben.”
Between seasons, Parker is heavily involved in the AAU basketball scene in Maine and is a New England AAU Basketball Hall of Fame coach.
“I have been very fortunate to have a number of good Maine players to have the opportunity to coach and let’s face it, good players are what make good coaches,” Parker said.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated Carl Parker’s position at MCI. He was an assistant coach.