Lobster Bowl Recap, the Jaylen Brown Trade, and a Camden Hills Preview with Jon Duke

Maine Basketball Rankings Podcast

Lobster Bowl Recap, the Jaylen Brown Trade, and a Camden Hills Preview with Jon Duke

We needed a few days to breathe before this one. Host Lucas McNelly sat down with Jon Duke to finally process the Jaylen Brown trade — the recording got pushed twice, once for the World Cup and once for Lobster Bowl week — and the conversation ranges from Shriners fundraising numbers to shot clocks to a very important review of the new Minions movie.

In This Episode

The Lobster Bowl was a big win. The weather cooperated, the Maine Public broadcast crew (Rob Kennedy, Rob Munzing, and sideline reporter Jack Webb) delivered a strong show, and the event raised more than $317,000 for the Shriners before day-of donations were even counted. Medomak Valley's Logan Vigue led all fundraisers with over $26,000.

Heads up on subscription pricing. Prices are going up soon. Current subscribers get grandfathered in at their existing rate — but only if the subscription stays active. If you're someone who typically pauses for the offseason, renew before the increase to lock in the lower price.

Behind the scenes on the new scoring app. What started as a baseball scoring tool has now been ported to football, with basketball next in line — meaning a single, shared engine now powers live stats across multiple sports for Maine broadcasts, feeding real-time data (down and distance, halftime stats, and more) directly into productions like the Lobster Bowl broadcast.

Then the main event: the Jaylen Brown trade.

Jon and Lucas dig into:

  • Why the deal likely came down to a looming max extension rather than any single bad month
  • The gap between Jaylen's counting stats and how he graded out on facilitation and off-ball defense — and why that gap seems to matter more to front offices than to fans
  • Whether Boston's roster-building philosophy is shifting toward the OKC/Knicks model of one true star plus a deep, well-paid supporting cast
  • A trip back to the Woj-bomb era and a not-entirely-serious theory on why NBA trade rumors are mostly noise until they aren't

Also covered: the state of Maine's broadcasting talent (it's better than it has any right to be), the ongoing case for a high school shot clock, frustration with NFHS carrying tournament broadcasts instead of a statewide outlet, whether east-west or regional tournament brackets make more sense than north-south, and a full scouting report on Camden Hills heading into a rebuilding year — including a new crop of guards to watch.

Season-ending crossover event: Lucas's son Rhys makes his usual appearance at the end of the show to talk Minecraft and give a review of the new Minions movie. Verdict: recommended.


Maine Basketball Rankings is your source for the most comprehensive coverage of Maine high school sports — basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer, field hockey, football, and volleyball. Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoy it, a review helps more than you'd think.