Podcast: Boys Preseason Poll (with Jay Baines)

We're on to basketball season!

Jay Baines joins me to go over the boys preseason poll. We go region-by-region through the state, first to figure out who's playing in what region this year, and then to sort out the collective wisdom of the state and who are the teams to beat around the state.

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Your Maine reps, Chris Christie and Dave Chase, are both coaches who know what it takes to run a successful program — and they understand how important fundraising is to making it happen.

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Transcript (auto-generated)

Welcome to the Maine Basketball Rankings podcast.I'm your host, basketball data nerd, Lucas McNelly. Today we are doing the boys preseason poll.We already did the girls preseason poll that went up on Monday. Got some really good reactions from that.

0:17

Some question marks like how are we so low?And I'm like, I don't know, talk to your neighbors, talk to the people in your school who didn't vote for you.So this is just for clarification sake.This is a public poll, thought coaches poll.It's not a rankings, it's not my poll, it's not a computer thing.

0:34

It's the people around the state went and voted the ranked teams one through 8 in each region.And then we totaled the results and Jay Baines and I went through it and just talked it out.And we're going to do the boys section coming up in a minute.But first, today's episode is brought to you by Vertical Rays, one of the largest fundraising platforms in the country, now proudly helping teams, clubs and programs across Maine.

0:59

With the Vertical Rays, your program can raise more money and less time.No selling, no collecting, just results.From new uniforms and better equipment to tournament trips and every fundraising need in between, Vertical Raise has a variety of campaigns to make it happen.Your main reps, Chris Christie and Dave Chase are both coaches who know what it takes to run a great program at any sport, club or grade level and they understand how important fundraising is to make it happen.

1:25

Schedule a call or e-mail today and see how Vertical Raise can take your fundraising to the next level.OK, so like I said, boys pre season poll, we did the girls, we just put the call out online, go in, rate up to 8 teams, rank them one through 8 in each region and then we total the results.

1:48

Some people just went in and put their team 1st and bounced.Some people did all the teams, put a lot of thought into it and really there was more thought put into it than I thought would be.So I think I think these are pretty good results.Yeah, Jay Baines is here and we're going to talk through it.

2:05

So let's get straight to that.But first, make sure you subscribe to this podcast wherever you're watching it, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, wherever you're watching it, Subscribe, give it a review, like it do all the things.

2:21

How about all the all the algorithm stuff 'cause it really helps.OK, so without further delay, here is Jay Maines.Jay, how you feeling so far?I'm warmer than I was an hour ago.My team.I'm just trying to rub it into you, 'cause you don't have heat in your room.

2:39

Holder I got to find a so so this is the issue.The room I do this in is detached from the main heat source and 'cause we just, we just have a wood stove because it's an old house.And so I got to find a space heater that's silent is the trick cause the the whole audio element.

2:59

So if anyone knows of a space heater that's silent, like really actually silent, let me know.So as we said, Part 1, complain about these predictions in the comments.I want to apologize to everyone once I realized my background image and my whole thing was backwards for half of the first part and then I.

3:19

Fixed was it?Yeah, it's like, why is my hat backwards?OK.You'd flip your video.I guess that technology this.Is professional.I actually spent like 15 minutes trying to figure out what I want as a background image.And I was trying to find, I wanted a picture.

3:35

The auditorium couldn't find a good one.Oh, yeah.And they're like, well, give me a picture of the Boston Garden.And then I came across this like old school nineties Elfond, Cindy.Era.With the places absolutely packed.Yeah, because it was Cindy.

3:51

Yeah, I like it.What I've been doing is I'll like take a picture at a gym when it's empty, when I go to a different gym and I can sort of rotate through a more football fields for football season.Nice.But now we're inside because basketball is here and I'm still cold, but at least I'm less cold than I was on Saturday.

4:10

I did the BAPS Oceanside regional final for boys soccer and it was a SO.I heard that was a good game.Yeah, I had a, it was 7:00 at Cameron Stadium.If you know Cameron Stadium, there's nothing that blocks the wind for like 3 blocks.

4:31

So it was like 39° and I was freezing and like, and I'm like, you know what?You know what will make me warmer if I just run more?I was going to say that at least you're running.Yeah, I did over 8 miles.Just at least you're not.Holding an iPhone and trying to hold it steady while your hands doing this well I.

4:51

So I've been battling a knee thing.So I I'm not moving well, especially quicken direction.You know, I'm running a lot, you know, trying to get places, but like side to side.I don't want to just to buckle and you know, you know, have everything end.But you know, I'm still running all this.I still get hit by the ball 3 * 30 seconds and get hit by the ball.

5:08

I'm just like, my God, I'm OK, drop ball.Here we go.Sorry.After the third time, it's like the guy, the kid, the boys were getting mad at me.And like boys, I am the least athletic person on this field right now, OK?Don't kick it to me.Don't.

5:24

I don't want it.I have.No, I have no good touch on either foot, OK?I'm just trying to see what's going on, OK?Because if I get out of the way and I miss something, you'll be mad at me too.So I'm like, you know what?Just play.Just play your game, OK?We'll be fine.OK.Yeah.So was is what it is.

5:42

But.You don't have the skills of that guy from Scotland who had the the bicycle kick to score against Denmark the other day.No.No, no, just checking.I have a Co worker who's from Scotland and I've been making a lot of Haggis jokes but he was very excited at work watching this game on his phone and he's like singing songs and jumping up and down and stressing out.

6:04

It was, it was quite entertaining.No, but the.Tartan Army is through to the cup, that's what I he kept saying.He's been said that all day today.OK.Super psyched.Awesome.All right, let's do the boys here.

6:21

We're going to start with DSSS.All right, s s sorry.SSSS is, of course, under 100.And we have #1 no surprise is Valley with Harry Lewis leading the way.

6:41

They have 46 1st place votes and one 8th place vote.Forest Hills is second with seven first place votes.Greenville is third with 174 votes.No first place votes.No faith that the Lakers, who have the best mascot and best logo in all of high school basketball, No first place votes for them.

7:03

But if we were voting on logos that would be they'd get all the 1st place votes.Rangeley Lakes is third with one first place vote, then Temple, Pine Tree, Islesboro and then the Island teams.Vinyl Haven 8 North Haven 9 Vinyl Haven has two first place votes.

7:20

So Harry Lewis is still there.Yes, he was the MVP of the Invitational All Star thing that Mackenzie Holmes, his father, put on last weekend.He was the MVP of the DS game, I think.

7:37

OK, he scored his thousandth point as a sophomore and Fisher Tewksbury, the name I was, the name I was trying to think of, is the other guy there who also scored his thousand points as a sophomore, I think in the same game.That wouldn't surprise me.

7:54

So they lost the Saint Dom's Rest in peace.Who is not here?Yeah, in the regional final.Yeah, this isn't.I mean, if those players are bad, we hear these names all the times like they're still here.How many?

8:11

I thought COVID years were gone now.I was like, how, how are you?It's like Joe Finiano, who played quarterback at Maine, he's in his seventh year and he's stole the starter at Connecticut.Nice.And I'm just like, how they asked Jim Mora was like, how does he still have eligibility?

8:26

And he's like, I don't know, moving on.Forest Hills does have a Desjardin, so there.I don't know how many more there are, but that is.So let me ask you this.Is there a name, a last name that if you see it on the roster where you're more, where you're more likely to go?

8:47

I think we should guard that guy than Desjardin.Is that the number one in the in the draft of last names where you got to guard that guy even if you don't know anything about them?Blodgett would be good too.Blodgett, but there's not a lot of Blodgetts.No, no, no.

9:03

There's a there's a lot of Pelletiers and they all seem to be good.Yeah, this Jardins, Yeah, I that probably won.I mean flag Alan.Alan was, you know, yeah.

9:19

You would you would guard a flag if you saw a flag on the roster, I would guess yeah, yeah, at this point, the new addition.Yeah, so we'll see.I mean, it's nice the small schools have their own division now.And so you don't get the schools that were quote UN quote relegated.

9:36

So there's no, there's no St.Dom's, there's no Wiscasset, there's no Telstar in the sponge anymore.Well, I mean, look at the, I believe three of the four, maybe St.Dom's was there by enrollment, but like a.Telstar by enrollment.Yeah, so like a Telstar in a Buckfield, they were relegated down there and they made semi.

9:54

So, you know, nothing surprises me here.This is just the old DS.Yeah.And these are just the teams that get off the boat and play Saturday morning at the Civic Center and I.

10:10

Saw someone sent me a Facebook post where Vinyl Haven is practicing at 5:30 in the morning because to get them ready for having to play morning games.Yep.I don't know that they're going to have to play those morning games at 5:30, but I guess reset your body clock in some way.

10:27

So some and most has to do with gym time and, you know, other things going on at school.But you know, our teams practice, but we start school at 8:30.So sometimes our schools, our teams practice at six.Sure, you know, so it's not 5:30, but you know, you know, if the girls need a full practice and the boys have a three-game day at home, you know they're going to practice at 6:00 in the morning and you know, as and then, you know, the freshman team will play, you know, four, 5:30 and 7:00.

10:59

So I mean, it's not too uncommon, but if they're only practicing at 5:30, you only see that because they need ice time or something like that.But right.Right.Oh yeah, Ice time, Sure.For hockey.I had someone asked me if I was going to start covering hockey and I looked at them like they had lost their mind.

11:19

Well, you only have one rink near you, so.I there's, there's that.And yeah, they're like, well, you're doing soccer.I'm like, yeah, it's a little different.Yeah, the basketball's it's a bit much on its own.Yeah, not only that, but I mean, aren't don't we do this to stay warm?

11:36

We do do this to stay warm.Yeah, So good point we were going on.Just before I forget it, we're going through like schedules this week.So we made sure we had all the PA covered.We had a couple nights that were double basketball and hockey and I'm like, give me basketball.

11:52

I was like, you don't like hockey?And it's like, I like the warmth.Plus, you know what's going on better.Much better.Well, The thing is, if you do PA for hockey, you're the official scorer.I found that out the first time I did.

12:09

I was the I ran the clock this year for a volleyball game, which is interesting because I don't know the rules this the clock and the score.And so I learned all sorts of volleyball rules.It was great time.You know it's.

12:25

One sport I'd officiate You don't have to move.Yeah, I was talking to Mike Burnham and he said that the money for officiating volleyball is pretty good, and it's one of the easier ones to officiate, especially if you're like a line judge.You just stand there.You're like in, out.Right.You know, and it's, it's pretty good there.

12:42

And they, of course, need officials.It's much easier than officiating like hockey.Yeah, something like that.I mean, all, all the varsity rates are the same now.Oh, there we go.Yeah.So it's the same, it's the same money as hockey to do volleyball and just stand there and go, yeah, that one's in.Yeah, we should get what that Hawkeye technology, technology for a.

13:03

Yeah, that's that's what we need.We can clap like in tennis.Well, they were talking about replay in soccer now, because there was that goal that bounced off a tire or something and got disallowed.I will not comment on that.

13:20

Were you doing that game?No, no, no.But I heard all that.I'm sure you did.All right.Let's move north-south.North Katahdin is your one with 35 first place votes.Jonesport Beals has six first place votes, Easton has 5, Washburn is the four, they have 5.

13:41

Wisdom has three, Shed has four, Van Buren has is the 7, Ashland is the 8, Dear Isle Stonington is the 9, and East Grand is the 10.So Katahdin was in the regional final last year.

13:57

They were the only DN semi final team that is now an S.So that's not over surprising.Jonesport Beals made the tournament last to Central rustic and then Easton is always in the tournament.I just, you know, kind of your mainstays.

14:15

It'll be interesting to see like a Washburn and was wisdom has had some success, you know, getting to a semi final.We haven't seen a lot of Washburn in the past, I mean since the Mitch Worcester days really.

14:31

It's always competitive Down East and then kind of the rest of the bunch to finish out.So again, there's no crossover between the Down East teams and the county teams.So you know those.

14:49

How many are in the county?123-4566 So they were seven.So they'll they'll they'll kind of see each other and kind of pound on each other.It'll be it'll be interesting to see like, you know how how does a Jonesport Beals who's placed mostly a downy schedule and mostly a class D schedule.

15:08

Can they get the points and the wins to get to 2?What was?It Jonesport Beals last year who someone had they had like a tie for the 8-9 for the eighth seed.No, hold up.They had.They had.They had.To have that tie.

15:25

And the winner gets to drive to Jonesport Beals on like a Tuesday.Yes.Like 4 1/2 hours each way.Yeah, it was a pure, It was a pure heel point time.And that's like 1 where you're like, if you're the parent, you're like Johnny, you know, I love you, but I kind of hope you guys lose this game.

15:45

Yeah, they did a neutral site too.I think they played for yeah.Oh, oh.For the tiebreaker.Yeah, yeah.So then you still got to go to Jonesport Beals.Like, Oh my gosh.Easy way to get there, although Old Orchard girls soccer played Madawaska in a playoff game this year, so I think they cut the distance they played in Holton to, you know, reduce the trouble.

16:08

A little better.I think that if it's over a number of miles, it should just be a neutral site automatically.Yeah.Because people are like, well, we earned that game.And like, did you, did you really earn that home game, that 8-9 home game?Yeah, so hold on, My screens went black because I didn't move anything.

16:28

We're good all.Right, Anything jump out at you here.Not really.It's it's just be interesting to see, you know, can a transport feels benefit from a primarily D schedule and take advantage of that and get the points they need to even get in the top 4 because you know, they they might play that tough schedule and they end up being, you know, 8:00 and 10:00, but they might be 8 and 10 and the five.

16:54

So we'll see all.Right.Let's move on now.And I'll just add the reminder that we did in part one that S is going to start a week early.So yeah, be warned.All right.DS Monmouth is first with 21st place votes.

17:13

Mount Abraham is second with 15.Madison has 9, Richmond is 4th, Boothbay is fifth, OOB is 6, Karabek 7, NYA 8, Telstar 9, Buckfield 10, Sears Port 12, and Wiscasset, Sears Port 11, Wiscasset 12.

17:33

And I think this is the first region we've had where everyone has a first place vote.OK.So.Startler Top Not everyone's going to get a first going to be in first place contention, but they've all got to vote.So Mount Abram and Monmouth met in the regional final.

17:52

Mount Ararat, Mount Ararat.Mount Abram did win it all.Madison made a semi last year.Wasn't that a dramatic regional final with, like, controversy?You know so.Was that the semi final that had the controversy?There was a very controversial game there in that.

18:10

Region, now Abram and Halldale.That was a 2 point game.Maybe.I don't know.Once you get to Thursday, everything blends in.It's yeah, it's all just yeah, this is where people are in the comments now going Oh my gosh, how could you not remember that?

18:26

You.Know terrible you know I don't know because I was watching see N girls yeah.I was at the Expo doing whatever was happening at the Expo at that time, right?The Expo, by the way, only has one region.Is that how they're doing it?

18:45

The Expo has B South and that's it.They're not splitting it like they used to with quarters at.It the way I read the bulletin, AS is at the hockey rink and BS is at the Expo.I have the bulletin right here.

19:04

It says Ace, SA&B Expo and Cross Insurance Arena.Oh, did they change that?So I'm wondering if they're going back to the old model with the quarters at the Expo and then they move over like they used to.

19:20

So I would assume.Oh, wait, I'm looking at state.I'm looking at state championships, SA&B.Oh yeah, they did change it for a while.It did say that it was like just be S was at the Expo, huh?All right.Oh, I haven't seen tourney schedules yet either so.Yeah, I think it is all a little bit in flux because they're trying to figure out the new the new system and the new website, which I heard some good things about the new website.

19:43

Apparently it's much easier to get things fixed.Yep.So that's what I was told and if you have any, I was also told if you have any suggestions for features that they that might be doable to let them know.They're all gone.

20:03

Oh yeah, they're working on that.They're working on the past, the archives and stuff like that.You can always go to Frank Spanky and, you know, just maybe not on your own computer.When you're, when you're.Yeah, yeah.So, but, you know, I was trying to find soccer stuff and it wasn't there.

20:23

So.Right.You know there's no Frank Spanky soccer, unfortunately.That's a shame.Well, actually Maine soccer coaches has done a lot of history projects, so I had to dig through that.Anyway, yeah, I don't really see a ton of surprises here.Monmouth won the state title two years ago.

20:40

Mount Abraham won it last year.Seemed to be in a collision course for that.Yeah, it's, I mean, this is what we would look to see as CS.It's now DS.CS with the Ted chopped off.

20:58

Right, pretty much.So I guess they maybe they're playing Saturday morning.Maybe.Augusta, so easier to make those games when you know, there's no boat.But yeah, so I mean, you'd think would be a two team race.

21:17

It does look like it's a two team race.Mount Abraham.I keep saying that Mount Abraham was so good in that state game and were they good?So they kind of took that and awkward to the woodshed there so.And people, I mean, Madison's got those nine first place votes.

21:36

So there might be something there that might be a spoiler.Right.And then you never know.It's just an area that I don't know, you know, Yeah, about my realm, you know, kind of no man's land coverage wise too, unfortunately.But.It's like a Sun Journal special.

21:53

Yeah, Mandel would know all about this, right?All right, let's move to DN Bangor Christian at 24.First place votes Madawaska with, was it Quinn Pelletier?

22:13

Yes, he's Madawaska, right?Yep.OK, he's now in the ninth grade.Correct.Yeah, Yeah.He's especially in high school.Especially in high school.All right.They're second with 23 first place votes.Machias has 12 first place votes.

22:29

Hodgdon has four.Skank is your five seed.Fort Fairfield is 6, Central OR 67, Woodland 8.Penobscot Valley 9.Stearns 10th, Lee Academy 11th.Southern or Rustic 12th.

22:45

Piscataquist 13, Penquist Valley 14 and Guag is 15th.Is that the lowest Southern heuristic has been in forever?Yeah, but then they were in that 5th tier.Now they're in 1/4 tier.So it's a little different.So they're one of the smallest, if not the smallest school Class D right now.

23:03

So, but, you know, going to the top.So look at a Bangor Christian last year, a lot back, you know, two years removed from a state title.They lost to Skank in the semi final.They were four seed last year, so that doesn't surprise me.

23:21

Maybe hedging a little bit with Madawaska.I was impressed by them last year.I can only imagine Pelletier is better than he was as an eighth grader.Machias was a two seed last year and lost in overtime to Callus in a Class C quarter.

23:42

So you know, Hodgson, that's a good team.I remember that they lost to Fort Kent last year.They've always been competitive and they'll compete with the teams up in the county.Skank has a tough schedule.Those primary, they were Class D school, but they're playing primary C schedule.

24:02

Most of those schools on their schedule are kind of in this division now.So in Fort favorite, similar to Hodgson, you know, there was competitive coming out of the of the county.So no, no major surprises here.

24:19

You know, no one's going to see Madawaska other than Hodgdon and Fort and and Central.So centralistic.Also last year, I want to say they were might have been 10 and eight or something like that, but there were three seed, right, might have had them in our Cinderella.

24:40

That sounds right.That was so long.Yeah, Griffin Durrett's coaching them, I think still.Is he?So, but yeah, so it's like those counties, there's not a lot of crossover.So Madwa, the Madwas, the Hodgkins, the Fords, Central Rustic, they're all going to play amongst themselves and then probably fill out with some of the best teams in that kind of a rustic league schedule.

25:09

So Madwasca still might be a mystery to us once we get to.They'll be a big league pass team because people want to see Pelletier.Right.So yeah.I think my nephew said he guarded Pelletier in a summer thing and it didn't go well.

25:31

I can imagine that would be the case.He was not psyched about the experience if I remember correctly.Side note, because I have to go up to the county for work, I want to say the second week of the season and it's like I go up on a Monday, I teach a class on a Tuesday and I'm just like, there has to be a game, there has to.

25:53

Be a good game.Yeah, so I'm looking through.It's a Monday, so it's the first Monday of the season and there is one double header up there.So I'm going to go to Hodgkin at Washburn for a pair.This is how I can.This is how the stacks index was created for situations like this.

26:12

So I've always thought it would be great content for you to do a county trip I.Want to do a county trip?I have my brother and I have talked about it.Yeah.Because he has a hunting camp up there that he's winterizing.So like in what town is it in?

26:33

It's I think it's in Dyer Brook or Island or Island Falls.I think it's an island.It's even one of the two, yeah, 'cause that's where our nor other hunting, our other hunting camp is in Dyer Brook and I don't know if his that's winterized and you can actually get to in the winter 'cause it's not like, you know, you don't have to hike to it.

26:55

Right.It's the one, if you saw my film Up Country, it's in it for like a minute.That hunting Camp, which is on Toby.You should watch it on Toby or don't watch it.Just play it on Toby and then go to work and then because let the ads run, just let all the ads play.

27:13

It's great.That's what any independent filmmaker wants from you is for you to watch their movie on an ad supported service.So it it bumps all those numbers up.Right.It's perfect.And it's not a free plug because it's your show.

27:29

Yeah, exactly.It's just a shameless plug.Just a shameless plug.Yeah, I definitely want to do a county trip and.Go let's get to see because I might have some ideas.OK.All right, we'll get to see.Yeah, we'll go to the South again.

27:46

South.It's Bruce Mountain, Scott, Bessie and crew.Kai Dauer, I think.Is that that his name?Kai.Yeah.Kai Dauer.I think he's a dark horse.Mr. Basketball.Maybe finalist.

28:05

He's very good.I think he's a senior this year.So they have 22 first place votes.Miranda Cook has 9, Halldale has 5, Mountain View has four.They're back in the South as we mentioned in the girls saying Winslow has 5, Deer Ago is in 6th.

28:21

Then Wayne Fleet Wells Winthrop is the 9, Mountain Valley the 10, Oak Hill the 11th, Trape is the 12, Sackabee Valley is the 13, and Lisbon is 14th.So initial, you know, thing here is this is a mishmash of teams that yet maybe last year when all different regions, but you put them all together now like that makes sense, yeah.

28:48

It's a fun little region.Yeah, so Spruce, the favorite here, I mean, they lost to York, an undefeated York team in the semi final.But they do also lose Jace Bessie.Yeah, that's true.Miranda Cook was in BN last year, lost in a prelim to Winslow so they didn't make it to Bangor.

29:12

And then two years ago I think they wanted to say they were the two seed and got upset.I think they got upset by MDI.Yeah.Halldale C last year made a semi, lost by two to Mount Abraham who won a state title.

29:27

Mount View.Had that really fun, that really fun run and BNBN is probably not sad to see them go.Or CN.Sorry, CN.Yes, because they were.They were a nine seed last year, went up to Fort Fairfield, beat them by 20 and then took Matt and Alka pretty much down to the wire and lost by 5 in the quarter the year.

29:49

Before that one, the region is the 7.Yeah, so.Which was the easiest Cinderella call ever?Oh yeah, With that schedule, yeah, yeah, they play a lot of the same schedule this year, probably in Winslow.

30:04

Kind of kind of a mix of, you know, some KVAC team, some Mountain Valley Conference team.So, but a competitive schedule nonetheless.Weird to see Winslow in this division.Winslow is going to go to Augusta, but that's probably good for them.

30:19

Finally, Diego's always competitive.They lost in 1/4 to the same Mount Abraham team that won a state title.Wayne Fleet's been down, but you know, I don't know.

30:35

Rich Henry's not there anymore, but you know, 10 years ago, they're in.You would think they wouldn't be down for long.No, Wells isn't C now.They were in B last year.That makes the tournament.I don't.Think they did there?OK, we're to see like a win through up in a nine spot, but they kind of had a rock fight against Monmouth in the quarter.

31:00

What 3229?Yikes.And then Mountain Valley.So you have a lot about NBC schools in this bunch.I don't know how much crossover there is outside of the league, but at least they can keep a lot of the points within the league there.

31:20

I think the schools like a trape in a soccer P and a Wayne Fleet coming out of the Western Union Conference kind of at a disadvantage there was because they're playing a more of AB schedule.Yeah, they might not get the wins to get in.

31:36

But then they might be harder in the tournament.Right.So I mean, it's a six one, half a dozen the other, but.It'll be interesting and it's it'll be interesting with all the struggles that Spruce has had in the tournament that they finally broke through last year and won in the quarters and now they're in C where they should have been the whole time.

31:54

And I I just wonder if they go scorched earth on everybody.So when they they merged what what, 15 years ago they would have been B to start.That sounds right.And then when they went to five classes, they were in B So I think this is the first time they're actually going to Augusta, which is a little different.

32:13

Really.Oh, as Spruce Mountain, you're saying?As spruce so.I know as Jay they would.They played in Augusta.Or Livermore, yeah.Yeah.Yeah.So yeah, CS's always fun, always draws well too.

32:32

Yeah, C games when I was there, the past couple times I've gone to the C state finals and they're all just.They're all just kind of around Augusta.None of those drives seem like all that.No.Who has the worst Dr. Trape up the Turnpike, I mean.

32:49

Yeah.Maybe a soccer P 'cause you have to go through the woods, but you know, everyone has a, you know, I, I can only imagine like a, a Winslow Miranda cook game at the Augusta Civic Center that, that that's not going to draw poorly.No, no, that'll be that'd be a an entertaining matchup.

33:08

I'm I'm guessing there'll be a lot of soups, salads and such sold at that.Fingers and fries.Fingers and 10 bucks.Yeah, we moving on.Sure.

33:23

All right.See, N there's Caribou.You're defending Class B champions with 36 first place votes, Matt Nachook as 18 first place votes and Fort Kent has nine.They lost their best player.

33:40

Jeffers, I think his name is, is I'm so bad at names, but he went prep.Orno is the four seed at with six first place votes, then Foxcroft with one.Dexter has two there than six.Callus is the 7.Washington Academy 8.Holt the 9.

33:56

Bucksport 10, GSA 11, MCI 12, and then Central and Sumner.So we mentioned this in the girls half of this carrot.Yes, Caribou won the state championship.Yes, they're down to C or but where they probably they're going to go from being one of the smaller B schools to one of the bigger C schools.

34:16

So I.Want to how it all broke one day?Jeffords is still at Fort Kent.You're thinking the kid who transferred from Central or Rustic.Oh OK, I'm thinking Yep, I'm thinking the wrong kid going to get so many emails.But yeah, and then Aiden Jeffers took the MVP in that the.

34:37

Yeah, OK.Yeah, I did see that.Showcase weekend, he's quite good, so they'll be decent.I want to say I'm going to try to pull up Caribou's schedule first before I get man.I'm not cook.How much did Caribou lose is my question, because I we know the girls lost Duprey.

34:57

OK, so Steve Carmichael, don't yell at me.Yeah, so Robbins graduated and who was the a couple?But they sort of like, you know, Owen Corrigan is still there.

35:17

OK, there's enough there.And I mean, they they reload.I want to say they had over 40 kids trying out for basketball for two teams at the end of.So I don't know where I heard that or.It's weird how you get those numbers when you win state championships.

35:34

It's weird how more.Kids want to play AYBL has been, you know, extremely strong across the county.You know, you have to remember.So they're playing middle school basketball end of October through Christmas and then they go to travel.So travel in middle school doesn't crossover up there.

35:51

So they're playing six months basketball almost the.Way the Lord intended.Yeah, which is among it's like, wow, you know, county, County loves her basketball.Well, they're playing a ton of basketball.But they also does a lot of.Basketball, you know, Hey, let's stay warm, you know?

36:11

And boy, do they travel for the first State Games in Portland.I wanted to go to that, I really did.We had the games in Bangor that were covering for radio.It was a lot of fun.Yeah.They were yelling at me.There were Caribou fans yelling at me for calling them out for drinking before the game, but they weren't actually mad at me.

36:35

They were just yelling and making sure I could hear them.They're nice.They're nice.Yeah.I love so.So let me so on this segue.OK?OK.January 3rd, Matanakuk goes to Caribou.

36:53

Oh, varsity doubleheader.Oh.Yeah.That's that's what day of the week is that.That's a Saturday.Oh, Matt not cook terrible varsity doubleheader.So my with my job.

37:11

Yep.We work 4 nines.We work, so Monday through Thursday we work 8:00 to 5:00, which is why I'm drinking an energy drink here because today was also the day we print the paper.And so Wednesdays are brutal.And then Friday we work until noon.

37:28

So which has been super helpful getting to football games, right.So if I were to do a road trip up north I could leave it like 1215 or?Catch.A and catch a Friday game somewhere, you know, or catch a get all the way up there and catch a Friday game in the county.

37:49

Right.In theory, that's how the the schedule works out quite well for that.Right.It's a lot of good games.Well, so it's like, yeah, same goes.So Matt and AW Cook, they're doing Fort Kent on Friday.

38:06

OK, Care, go on Saturday.That's.Interesting.So they're going to back-to-back.Interesting.But I was looking at it because I'm just like, well, I like to go in the county, really just go up for a day or something like that.

38:23

And I can't make it up when our teams go up there.So I'm like, oh man, and I'll cook.Man, trying to, yeah, try to find the good, the good game, right?And I've never been to Caribou's gym.Yeah, while I was trying to figure out, it's like, I like a day where, you know, a bunch of teams are home.I can do like because they usually go 3:00 and 4:30 on a Saturday and Presque Isle has Herman the same day.

38:43

And those are good games, too, but they're at the same time.And it's like, can somebody fix this?Did someone go to 1?Yeah, and it's like, so now if Herman, if Herman and Prescott want to move up and Caribou wants to go back, OK, I'm just saying I would go.

39:00

I'd convinced you to go.And then you know the amount of digital content, you can do a live podcast with Stevie.Oh, I like that idea.Yeah, so, but I'm going to.Be on this podcast pretty soon.Yeah, he's on the same.

39:15

So, yeah.So to get to this, the top three does not surprise me at all.I think Orno is a sleeper at 4:00, yes.Well, Francis is gone, OK, But you have, you know, Brady Hughes is still there at Bergen Soderbergh, OK Matt Allen, OK Lot of get good pieces, extremely well coached with that.

39:39

Catala, they're still going to be there, OK FA came on towards the end of the season, OK last year, you know they upset porno at home to kind of make the field OK lost the Old Town in the prelim, but still they were up and coming.

39:58

The interesting thing is last year they had the late start because a lot of them played football, right?You know they weren't they're not in the state final this year.So do they, are they in basketball shape quicker?I would think so.Dexter, I believe, was a They were tournament team last year in the Old Sea.

40:19

They lost to Madawaska by two actually.That was a great game.Was that the 40 point game?No, that was the regional final.The one they lost, they lost the 40 points isn't.Lost.Yeah, he scored 40 points in an 8171 loss.I.

40:34

Remember when word word of that hit Portland, everyone went, I'm sorry, what happened?Yeah, 8171, yeah, yeah, Callus made a semi last year.You know, it's it's still callous.

40:50

You know, again, basketball community WA, you know where it was B last year, but it was like I think they went 7 and 11 and finished last just because it was seems like B was nothing.They had no heel points.Yeah.Did I tell you the field hockey story I heard about heel points from Paula Roberts when she was the Lincoln Academy field hockey coach?

41:12

They went 11-1 and two infield hockey, and this is like in the 90s when there was no Internet, missed the playoffs at 11-1 and two and she had to call the team and tell them all that they missed the playoffs.

41:29

Wow, wow.That's that's a fun conversation.Yep.So the the benefit here, I believe you have these top four teams all that play each other.I I don't know if maybe or no.

41:46

Let me check on.Or no, might not play the ball twice.They like to play.If they play, they play twice.That's kind of how they.That's their thing.But I'm not sure or no place for Kent, maybe not Caribou does, Matanaka does Caribou does play the other of those top 4.

42:09

So Matanaka and Caribou, they do meet once right before Christmas too.I was looking at them just like can I see Caribou play?Like I want to see those games.Unfortunately we're we're home that day too.So you can't really make it work, but.

42:27

Yeah, so you have to go to the home games.I can skip, I can go to, whatever.Yeah, Yeah, you when you do you're yeah, I know well, but our home schedule so front loaded 11 to the 18 or December, so 7 in January, nothing in February.

42:46

Wow, that's a weird schedule.Yeah, December's busy yeah.So kind of the collision course.I really want to see how Mattathal Cook does on a back-to-back so and again, I mean those girls games will be good too.

43:06

So maybe you can just fall.You'd be the you know, Matanaka could not work for a second and.Their beat reporter.Guys in Lincoln up there, you know, would love it.They would, they would, they would.All right.Let's go where we go now.

43:22

Be S be South.Boom.Rigged, rigged, stolen election.So TJ Mains told me he thought they were the the madomic was the favorites.And I, I was like really?Because you know, Gabe Lash is a lot to lose and Rocco Depassi has a lot to lose and Christian Schulman.

43:44

But Madomic is the one here. 23 first place votes.York is 2 with four first place votes and Oceansides 3.Greeley is fourth with six votes.Yarmouth, GNG Lincoln Academy is 7th.Levitt is 8th, Cape Elizabeth is 9th.

44:01

Already I have notes.Lake Region is 10th, Freeport is Poland is 11th, Freeport is 12th, Morse is 13th, Freiburg is 14th and Marshwood is 15th.Yep, I have thoughts.See, I'm I saw three quarters of that madomic York game before I had to head to Augusta.

44:25

So.What did some context for the madomic York game?York did have the MVP of the weekend tournament Reese McDonald.So I do not doubt they're the the two here or our top three team.At least the the story, and I'm not saying this.

44:44

We always say that sometimes the most important thing to have in the tournament is your health.I saw I ran into Nick Depatzi at Hannaford like 3 days after that regional final and he sounded like death and more so than he normally does because just from yelling, you know, and he said, and he said yeah, the whole team's been sick.

45:09

Like the flu has just been ricocheting around the locker room all tourney week, which explains a lot.So there's that.They still should have won that game, but sometimes the most important thing is to have your team get sick during prelim week.

45:26

They made it interesting in the fourth quarter after I'd left.I mean, they were right there.Yeah.So they could have, they could have won that game.So Jay left.He's my favorite.So it's his fault, OK?Yeah, exactly.

45:42

So they do have Mason Nguyen still.And when I talked to Matt Regan, the York coach, after the regional final, he said our game plan wasn't to shut down Lash, it was to shut down when because he thought they thought he was the head of the snake.And that makes a lot of sense.

45:59

You could make an argument that he's going to, he'll probably be a Mr. Basketball final semi finalist and he's quite good.And they've got, it's madomic.They're just reloading every year.They have Connor Kingsbury from Oceanside that they got in the portal and they have Kid Malachi from Camden who didn't play last year.

46:20

And then they've got Owen Dosti and a Donlin and their usual collection of pieces.They have a star kid again, you know, so they'll I, you know, looking at this, I'm not surprised.I would Greeley is interesting.

46:39

Yarmouth is interesting.G&G that Pat Nude would have graduated, right?Was he?He was a senior.Yeah.Yeah, Lincoln Academy.I know we can't bet on these things officially, but if you I would take Lincoln Academy to finish below Levitt or a large amount of money and this is going to get me in a lot of trouble at Hannaford around here.

47:13

So the Lincoln Academy thing, Mick LaBelle and I were talking about this the other day.They return 47 points from last year, not a game total, 47 total points, which I the last time I can remember something like that was when Lake Region had 12 seniors on their team and the next year just completely bottomed out because jeez.

47:43

And you know, the argument then is, well, they're they're JV team went undefeated, but still like that's a lot of varsity minutes out the door.You might say all of the varsity minutes out the door.Right.And then Levitt, you know it's going to take him a month, you know?

48:00

Right, but Levitt is.I was talking to Hathaway about them and they have I think the entire starting lineup back.OK.So then they were pretty young last year and and feisty so.Right.

48:16

They should be fine, but yeah, it might take them a minute to get into basketball shape.Well, Hathaway too.Hathaway too, so yeah.A little busy this week too.He's he's a little busy.Same thing with great and I don't know how many, you know, football players Greeley has, but.

48:31

Yep, Boy, that football team is good.That's that Class C game is going to be awesome.Yeah.And by the time this comes out, it might be over.It's yeah, I don't remember.By the time people hear this, that game's going to be over and we'll we'll know.Well, I hope you all enjoyed it.

48:50

I hope both teams had fun.I hear it was a great game.Yeah, it's great.Awesome.I wonder here if I wonder here if Oceanside's a little high, if they're, if they're up there on reputation.Yeah, I mean, what are people stuffing the ballot box and stuff, I mean.

49:08

It could be.I did see one ballot that just said Oceanside 1, Madomic 2 and nothing else.OK, that was what it was like the first one that came in.OK.Oh, we'll see.I mean.When I was like, that's going to go well.But 23 of the whatever it is votes, I mean, that's seem to be a consensus there.

49:31

Yeah, I mean, Oceanside, the only reason I don't, I mean not to denigrate on them is that they didn't do well in the Kony League this summer and.Yeah.They lost Jackson K to Kony.They lost 2 I think, I think they were both starters, Kingsbury and Madomic and Jackson K to Coney this year.

49:47

So that's that's some talent out the door.They lost.What's the kid that went to Belfast?Was it another Ripley?It was a Ripley, Yeah, Trevin Trevin Ripley went to Belfast, So.And the galleys aren't there, although they have another galley kid.

50:05

And you're not going to believe this, but he can shoot.I am shocked.Right.Yeah.Yeah.You have any thoughts on this?You know, it's it's in the Patsy.

50:22

We trust that that seemed to you know, I I liked what I saw out of madomic in that regional final, knowing that they were sick.I mean, not to take anything away from a York team that, you know, did play.I mean, Caribou kind of beat him in the state game.But you know, you don't, you don't get, you don't go 20 and O to start and you know for nothing.

50:44

But they've always reloaded, you know?They were very good.I agree with the number is on the Patsy, but it's he has not won fewer than 10 games since he got some atomic.Wow.Including the COVID year when they only played 12 games.Yeah, wow.

51:04

Crazy.Yeah, I am curious really.I think Ippolito is has graduated.I think gonna definitely hear about it because I.Looked at them, I remember because we were talking about because they were three seed last year.

51:19

We're like, we're look, when we're doing Cinderellas and we're kind of dug in a little bit and we're like, yeah, maybe they were a little overvalued, but a S was kind of weird last year.A S was weird last year.Yeah, outside of Falmouth, so and.

51:35

And Yarmouth is always feisty.But I think Yarmouth lost their point guard, who I really liked.I think he graduated.OK.So it's a great.Amount of research we've done for this.I know it's phenomenal.At least I know what the 15 teams are now.

51:54

There you go.You know, Yeah.But what's weird is people love this stuff.They're like, oh, this is great.They mentioned our team.Yeah, this is amazing.And it's our fault.Yeah, so.All right, let's move on.I will point out last thing on the Dominic Valley, I still the Cape game has seared into my brain.

52:14

It will never leave it's.Been 10 years.It's they haven't won the state champion A state championship in basketball since 1980 which is insane.And when their softball team won in the spring, it was their first team state championship in like 30 something years for the whole school other than like, you know, an individual cross country or cheerleading or something like that, like a tournament title.

52:47

Yeah.All right, so let's move on to BN Parker, Morin and Coney is the one at with 41 first place vote.Then Ellsworth is second, Herman third, Gardner 4th.They're supposed to be really good this year.They might be a little low on this.

53:04

MDI 5th, Lawrence 6th, Presque Isle 7th, Belfast 8th, Old Town 9th, Nokomis 10th, John Baps 11th, Erskine 12th and Waterville 13th, but with the first place.Votes so let's let's talk Coney OK Park company.

53:25

I I think of all what we've looked at you know, cross, you know, boys, girls each region.I think this is the one that I can definitely say yes, they are the favorite.Yeah, you know it.It'll be interesting to see how they get there coming off of football.

53:44

If it is a slow start, they don't have what you would consider to be the best schedule.But they might have the best freshman.Yeah.And I've heard from a number of people that this is the best freshman class, boys and girls, in the history of the state.

54:05

OK, a couple of different.People have told me that wow.So that alone is something to look forward to.Yeah, let me just pull up Connie's schedule, see if the whole thing's there now.Is it?OK, So yeah, I.

54:29

Mean if you look at the vote breakdown here, it's Tony is pretty clearly the one, and then it looks like Ellsworth, Hermann, Gardner pretty evenly split the 2nd place votes.Yeah.So Ellsworth was a two last year.They lost to Old Town in the quarter.Herman, what did Herman do last year?

54:46

They lost to Orno in their quarterfinal.Gardner gave every Hamden everything they could handle last year in you know that a N quarter.Mike Mandel thinks this is the best Gardner team since they went to a regional final.

55:03

Like jeez what year was that O 4 something like.That when did they when did they play Yarmouth in the state game?Well, is that the auditorium?I don't remember, but he said he thinks it's their best team in a very long time.

55:24

You know, MDI with James Wytham and company, there were four seed last year.There were semi final team last year.I don't know a ton about Lawrence.They didn't make the tournament last year in a the team that I think is the best in the Big East and is my sleeper.

55:41

I think Presque Isle's grotesquely underrated here.They had a great summer, OK, They graduate one player, OK.OK.And they have one of the best coaches in the state.

55:58

So I really like, yes.OK, Dylan.'S Dylan's our coach now, right?Dylan's there, yeah.Yeah, so.And I get to see them, you know, first Saturday like OT.But you know, you look at a team that I thought was much better than their record last year.

56:15

They won 11 seed, lost to Herman in a prelim.But you know I.Yeah, you have that core staying together.And yeah, we talked about summer.Summer doesn't really really mean anything, but you know.

56:34

But it does.I mean, they're, I think they won, you know, a couple different tournaments, you know, the Lincoln tournament, that area.We had a bunch of teams in the area who played in that from across the state.Honestly, Caribou was there too and MA So I, I, I see that.

56:54

I think Presque Isle is a top four team, probably a top two team out of the Big East.Definitely Belfast.What do they do?They may yeah, They they wanted to hold and beat them.They they did make it to Bangor last year.

57:12

Old Town is small because by there's nobody.Or no.Yep, parody graduated priest isn't playing basketball after Tommy John last summer, so you lose a lot of length there.So they're going to be really small.New coach and Mark Melvin, we'll see what he does with them.

57:32

But, you know, they really don't have one any taller than 6 foot 61.So yeah, but that could be rough, you know?Yeah.Could Clawson is, you know, both the grasses are coming that you know, same height, you know, but good guard play will be interesting to see.

57:53

You know, can their secondary scoring become their primary scoring and how, you know, defensively, it's like, you know, are you going to try to get up and down the floor?I mean, you got to be able to shoot the basketball to do that, or you're going to kind of ground and pound, make it a rock fight and have make it absolutely disgusting, you know, and be painful that way and be pestery.

58:14

So it'll be interesting to see there Baps, of course, will shoot threes to until the day is done and then they'll shoot more threes.Crack of dawn and then there is going to yeah, the bottom of the KVAC is weak and has been.

58:34

So you know, I I kind of you look at this, you might have you know, I I I doubt Prescott finishes 7th.I think they're a top four team.They would.Be that was my question for you.Yeah, I think they, I think they're top four and I, I think when we get to February, they would still be my Cinderella.

58:55

Interesting.Just because, I mean, because I mean Kingswood has proved that two different places, you know, give me a low seed, you know, just give me the Bangor and you know, you know, we'll go deep.You know, he didn't, you know, took Presque Isle, you know, out of a seventh spot to a semi once, if not twice, you know, did it with Easton these boys, you know, 10 years ago.

59:20

And then the central rustic girls out of 16 won a state title.So but you know, I mentioned to see I I think, you know, definitely Coney Gardner, probably your top 2 and he'll be used to see how a Herman who has a ton of size and brings mostly everybody back from last year, but they they at times struggled to score the basketball too.

59:43

That was a little bit of a mystery.Yes, they they were a two seed.There are some pieces that I just can't I couldn't remember who was a junior and who was a senior last year.So right, But you know, but Ellsworth has the you know, the benefit of, you know, can you beat get a Brewer one set of two times and steal those points?

1:00:04

You know, Presque Isle is the benefit of having Caribou and Fort Kent.Who's worth?Point so again, you know there's not a ton of crossover between the Big East and the KBAC, so really you're the crossovers you do have you know you're going to have to be reliant on with your help points so.

1:00:21

I think that was Coney Gardner.Regular season games will be a lot of fun.Yeah, yeah, one of those.'Cause they don't like each other very much.No, I have here at least I don't know in the first one because I'm just filtering by home team right now, but I have Gardner, Coney on the 23rd of January and then the girls.

1:00:48

The girls are there, says the 27th, but I'm guessing that's.I wonder if one of those is at the Civics.I wouldn't give up a Gardner game to go to the Civic Center, but we'll see.

1:01:04

Yeah.So those are probably the 2 monster matchups in the KBAC.And I want to say both teams play Madonic at Madonic and Oceanside maybe?I think so, yeah, I think so.That might be in different regions, but there's a lot of points if they can swing points one side of the line to the other.

1:01:23

If you're in the Big East, you're kind of rooting for Oceanside Madonic on that regard, but.Yeah, you would be, unless Tony's so far out in front that you're going for the year every place, playing for second place.Yeah, so I see.What?

1:01:38

So Tony also has Camden once.Oh, those will.Be good.Yeah, Once you know, Erskine wants Gardner twice.When does Tony play Camden I.Think it's the 18th of December.Oh.Yeah.

1:01:54

That's wonderful.That's a that's a game of the day.Yeah, Coney has Herman, so there's probably points there.Lawrence twice, Levitt twice.Coney actually still plays Miranda Cook.

1:02:13

So kind of a mixed bag schedule for them, but they have the luxury of being in the middle of everybody so right, and being worth something.So it's it's not hard to justify it.Get games, yeah.So and then they get to go to Bangor for their tournament game.Yeah, that's the one thing I'm dreading, you know, if, if it ends up being like a Coney Gardner final, you know, and they can't figure out flex schedule and, you know, won't exactly draw well, I'm sure.

1:02:39

TJ Mains won't try to influence that at all and get that flex to Augusta.Absolutely not.No, no, no, no.But yeah, we'll see what happens.It's intriguing.Kony hasn't been to Bangor in 20 years, so wow.

1:02:55

Warrants well since the A's move.Yeah, so.That makes sense, but.We'll see.All right, moving on.A S Wyndham, your two time defending champions are the one with 23 first place votes in South Portland Chevres Portland Thornton Academy, Scarborough at 6, Deering at 7, Bonnie Eagle at 8:00, Falmouth at 9.

1:03:22

Geez.Stanford at 10, Gorham at 11, Noble at 12, Biddeford at 13, Kennebunk at 14, Westbrook at 15 and Massabesic at 16.The only thing I feel confident about here is Massabesic at 16.

1:03:41

Yeah, and Wyndham.One, probably.So I have last year's brackets in front of me and I'm counting 123 4/5, 678 semi final teams in this bracket.

1:04:03

Wow.Yeah, from last year.Can I take the over on Falmouth?I would just like to take the over on I I know Davis Mann has graduated.I don't know who else they have.I don't care.I would like to take the over on a Dave Halligan team as the nine seed.

1:04:22

Yeah, yeah.Remind me this Wyndham, they were junior laden last year.So this, that's not that much of a surprise.Yep.So they have two of the front runners for or two of the contenders for Mr. Basketball, and they've got some youth.

1:04:43

You're right.South Portland they beat in the state final, Yeah.Wyndham did lose Crady Dixon.Right Chevres was the one seed last year they had that long layoff.And then Leo.

1:04:58

And.They had Leo McNabb, who's graduated, yeah.Yeah, so Portland, you know Russo.Yeah.And I think they still have the gauge.But they're.Big.I think they're big.

1:05:14

Graduated, whose name I never could pronounce correctly.Yeah, TA sitting there in fifth, they were in another one seed who had a long layoff and then get knocked because they didn't play in two weeks.You know Scarborough.

1:05:34

Yeah, I mean, this is just old Class A down there.So.Bonnie.Eagle had a really nice tourney run.Out of a four spot yeah, yeah.So I mean even Gorham brutal.No.

1:05:49

So I mean 16, so 11 make it you kind of see that natural gap in the voting between Gorham and Noble maybe you know, obviously Jimmy Rose is gone, but.And Goodyard.Right, but SO 2000.Point scores and and the coach.

1:06:09

Right, John.Morgan is at Sanford.Yeah.So that's a lot.That's so that's always the question I have when a team comes out of comes out of the basement and rises to prominence because they've got a good class.

1:06:26

And this is a a perfect test case for this Lincoln Academy is another test case for this this year of when the good class or two classes in Lincoln Academy's case graduates.What then?Did you actually rebuild your program or did you just have Mr. Basketball and a really good coach who is now at Sanford?

1:06:47

So then, then the question with Lincoln is they just lost everybody and the coach is still there, but they lost everybody and how?And you know, they'll both say, Oh yeah, we the youth program is rebuilt and this is the year we're going to find out if it is.There's obviously they're obviously not be the one.

1:07:05

There's be some regression, but it's the difference of are they 3 and 15 or are they 8 and 10.Well, in.In the down year.Had they been in AA by enrollment and they weren't relegated, where would they have been?

1:07:21

They probably would have been top three I think.I mean, it was Jamere Rose.Like you saw him.It was appointment viewing.I did try to talk the MPA into turning Falmouth Noble into A7 game series last year.I was like, look, you could fund lacrosse for like 5 years with the tickets from this.

1:07:42

Yeah.And I think I, you know, it would have, it would have been great.So then let's let's talk Falmouth bring.Me Falmouth had a game series against Meselonski going overtime, so you know there you go downtown of course, and get that way.Falmouth brings me to my favorite one of my favorite questions.

1:08:01

Why are we still doing Mr. Basketball like this?Because we quite clearly missed on one of the finalists and he wasn't even a semi finalist.Because the way the system is is done with Davis Mann and one of the great tournament performances ever.

1:08:19

You know, on the short list.Now Fitzy waits two months.They do wait two months.I don't, I don't know why.I don't know I but do they wait till after the season's done Fitzy to type Yeah to get all or?

1:08:35

Mr. Basketball I I don't know why it takes them so long and I don't know why we do Mr. Basketball so early.Yeah.'Cause the way it works is that the coaches nominate players they make, I think they put, they do a list of 10 and then that's where you get your semi finalists and then the panel gets it down.

1:08:56

Take does the rest of it goes the rest of the way, right.And so you've got two different groups voting.And I don't know if I'm sure it's a archive, you know, from the olden times when they had to mail in their things.But it seems to me that this could be done digitally in the prelim week that voting, if you want to do it when you do it, you could do it the voting in the prelim week and then, you know, the decision of who the finalists and who wins.

1:09:27

I mean that seems like that could be a Zoom call.Right.Like after the gold ball game, I.Don't know.Because there's really no argument that, I mean, Jamir Rose was the right call, but obviously Davis Mann should have been one of the finalists, right?

1:09:45

Undoubtedly.And then they, you know, the year before, it should have been Pierce Wallston who winning the whole thing and he wasn't a finalist.Yeah, well, I mean, as far as I can remember, it's always like, OK, here are the blah, blah, blah, and then, you know, here are the semi finalists when they always announce that, what, Wednesday.

1:10:04

They announce it during tourney week.Yeah, Wednesday usually have the press conferences, any three sites or something like that.But I don't know.I mean, it's not, it's not like we need the time to vote nowadays, right?

1:10:22

I mean, but at the same time, it's like, well, if we did it that way, is it just recency bias?Like how much does that play in effect?But you know, there's.Going to be recency bias anyway.Right.But also the the tourney, the tourney performances are are a little more important than scoring 30 on December 10th.

1:10:45

Yeah, I agree, you know.How do you feel about Wyndham's chances of going of three peating?And when was the last time someone repeated at the highest level at the highest class?

1:11:01

Was it Morse?Morse did like in the 90s.Yeah.Wow, would that have been the last one.This is.We need Michael Hoffer to get on this.Wasn't a AA.No, it wasn't a AA.

1:11:19

No, A going back, it might have been sometimes when Bangor might have won three out of four, but I don't think they ever had won three in a row.That's crazy.

1:11:35

I.Think it was more.I think it was Morse in the 80s.Eighty, 78889.Didn't they do it in the 90s?They won 6 total.Yeah, that would have been 878889. 89 because 90 was Lawrence 91.

1:11:53

And Lawrence, the Lawrence girls, of course, did it.But.Right.But I think you're right on that boys side.I think I think it was Morse.Yeah, because they've won 6 and they won three straight in the 60s when my uncle was on the team, and then they won three straight in like the late 80s, early 90s somewhere in there.

1:12:12

Yeah, Tom.So.Yeah, so they could do it.I think it's not impossible.They're, I mean, they didn't lose it.I mean, Crazy Dixon is very good, but they didn't lose a ton out of that team.They've got a great coaching staff.

1:12:28

They certainly have championship pedigree.Right, which is crazy because they had no history up until like 5-6 years ago.Right.It was their first one.I think the the first one was their first one.Well, I think I want to say like one year, it was definitely pre COVID, but they want to say the upset Portland and a semi OK, and I want to say it was their first regional final appearance.

1:12:53

Wow.So but.Yeah.And I think.Yeah.I mean, yeah, it just, it just beats volumes of how hard it is to do with the larger levels, right, You know, but there might be someone on the other side of the bracket to.

1:13:11

Let's go to the other side of the bracket.Hey, look, it's Camden Hills.Camden Hills is your one.They have the front runner, the consensus front runner for Mr. Basketball and Nolan Ames.Definitely go see Nolan Ames play this year if you can.

1:13:28

They have 35 first place votes.Edward Little is second.They have a new JV bat, JV coach in Adam Robinson.They've got that's probably 10 of the 12 first place votes right there.Brewer with Ollie Higgins is third.They have 10 first place votes.

1:13:44

Then Hampden is 4th, Lewiston 5th, Bangor 6th, Brunswick 7th, Meselonski 8, Oxford Hills 9, Mount Blue 10, Mount Ararat 11 and Scal Vegas is 12th.So I mean it starts with Nolan Ames.

1:14:04

The what was it semi against Meselonski last year?Is that right?He went off the.Tournament game, Yeah, the two point game in the semi so and he had what, 4035 something ridiculous.

1:14:23

Something ridiculous.He had a couple of ridiculous tournament games.Yeah, So that doesn't surprise me.Edward Little kind of comes in under the radar.I remember they were they upset Shebras in the semi last year.

1:14:40

So you know, they were a four seed in AA.That's the.Adam Robinson Pump.Yeah, hey, it was a JV coach for state title last year.I mean, hey, just, you know.Just saying.

1:14:55

Championship.Brewer lost a lot in that class, but they still have Ollie Higgins.Right.So yeah, Hamden will be not as good.

1:15:17

They still have, you know, the Worcester kid and a couple of the players that I'm just, you know, I'm just not remembering right off the top of my head so.Weirdly 2 1/2 hours in and we're forgetting things.This is crazy.Yeah, amazing.

1:15:35

Lewiston.What did they do last year?They were five seed in AA.Bangor has a new coach and Jay Combo coming in over from the girls side.Interesting one set 1 and 17 last year.

1:15:54

But you know, do they benefit of being in this new A, you know, so we'll see what they do.Don't know really much anything about Brunswick.Meselonski had a ton.They graduated a ton.I mean, that was their.Coach and they lost their coach, so you know, it's kind of.

1:16:13

Sam Smith went to Lake Region, I think I.Think so so.Oxford Hills has a new coach as of last year because Grafim retired, Yes.Right.So two time Sportsmanship award winner Scott Grafim.

1:16:32

Yep, Yep.But you've never seen so many people surprised as when Scott Krapham won his first sportsmanship award.The number of the text messages I got when that happened.

1:16:53

I'm surprised Mount Blue is that low.They took four down wire in the quarterfinal, lost by one.I want to say they had a three.It was really a four point game, but they had a three to cut it to one.But yeah, so it's it's fun A N is it's the old a north or Eastern a before we went to five classes, so.

1:17:17

It's so much better than this than AA.Yeah, yeah.I.Think people are going to get like 3 weeks into the season be like oh this is so much better.Right.So much better.Yeah.So I, I think it starts and ends with noble names and then we, we go from there.

1:17:34

You know, they've.Got a pretty good supporting cast too.Yeah, yeah.I'm gonna say, I want to say they come up.Actually they're at Hamden the 9th of December, which I won't be able to make.That's too bad.And they either won or finished.

1:17:53

They were in the final of the Kony League tournament, OK this summer, which I always think is a pretty decent indicator.It's the summer and you never know if everybody's there, but people tend to.I think people take the Coney League One pretty seriously.Yeah.So, yeah, I mean, I'm, I'm intrigued to see what other little does.

1:18:16

I want to see the surrounding pieces around Higgins and Brewer.And you know, Hamden sells Bartlett, so yeah.You know, it feels like Camden Hills is the sure thing, and then there's a bunch of teams with question marks that could be really interesting.

1:18:36

Yeah, I mean, I'm, I'm looking at, I think you probably I I would even say I just don't know anything about error because they're in a South.So they're kind of yeah.I mean, usually the 8th, even the AA N teams, you know, we see them through Bangor, so we're familiar with them, you know, but they were down South and.

1:18:53

I don't think I've learned.Made the tournament last year.They didn't.So there's that.So, so, but it might be another situation like on the girls side, it might be like, you know, 10 teams fighting for eight spots.So but you know, we'll see.

1:19:12

I I never want to say it's a teams to lose, but you know, it might be.He won Nolan names.I've seen Nolan names a number of times and he's as close to the the real deal.Yeah.You know as there is, I would say.

1:19:30

What's his story next year?I don't know.Yeah, I don't know.He might have announced and I missed it because of football season.That's entirely possible.I'll probably find out because I just saw his father that'll.

1:19:50

Be in the.Comments.Yeah, it'll be in the comments, put in the comments.I just saw his father at the state game, I think at the football game.I think he was there.So did you do both 8 man games?Yeah.And then I went to the Levitt Hermann game, which was just in Lewiston.

1:20:06

So like, if you're already up in Auburn, you might as well go over to Lewiston.And we missed the first quarter.It was like Andrew Hart when jumped over Joe Bailey jumped over somebody else.I, I forget.And it was just like, well, we're here, we might as well do it right.

1:20:22

So let me ask you this.I was talking to, I was thinking about this while I was doing freezing my hands off doing football.So normally when I last in previous years, when I would do a basketball game, I would do live stat.I would use stats on my iPad.So I would have all the stats to then write about it in the newsletter.

1:20:39

And I'm wondering if this year I should do more like I do football with video.I would do video and do video highlights because I can just get the stats out of the book.Right.I would do more video.Yeah, I can.Monetize that, I can monetize that and and it maybe someone gets in a fight in the stands, that's always fun, right?

1:20:59

Buzzer beaters, stuff like that.Yeah, well cuz you know, if if you win 1 stats for one team the whole season, you know, then that's something.Else yeah, for turning week I would do the stats too.Right, that's the you.

1:21:16

Don't need me, no one needs me doing video during turning week.No.But yeah, I mean, really, the stats during the regular season, they were more for me than anybody else.So I think you're better off, you know, kind of just parking yourself on behind, underneath and getting highlights that way, mostly because when I get old, you know, I'm just sitting there doing this.

1:21:40

I'm like, you know, no digging through live stats that way, so.Right, right.And I can monetize it like you said and right Facebook and Twitter or YouTube and all that as I'm Des, I'm trying to get the YouTube up to monetization as well.

1:21:57

Right.So. 11 kid, whoever, whoever's in the video, the kid will just, you know, share it and you know, you know, share, share, share, share.Mark, you know, Mark Callen talked me into getting into getting on the TikTok, 'cause that's where the kids are like.

1:22:14

On the TikTok, yeah.He, I think I, whatever the Dexter game was, it was a little bit after that.So I was talking to him there and it's already over 700 followers.OK.So.Yeah, I I mock the TikTok.I do too, but you had to go where the people.

1:22:29

As I call it the TikTok and then kids get mad.Why do you call it the TikTok?And I'm just like, because it's the TikTok, OK?It's like you don't get it.It's like 067.I don't know does that make sense?I it's not a thing.

1:22:45

It's stupid.It's.It's insanely stupid, but it's also.Horrible.I know it is harmless, but I call it adults.Adults in the world, grown-ups of the world.Please ruin everything for the children.You know, it's the only way we get through this.

1:23:01

Exactly.You know it.Was it was I had what was it?It was on the news yesterday, like the evening 7 news.Yeah, like what's 6/7?It was like 2 minutes off.It's not anything.And then I saw a mean with the count going 6-7 and like, well, he's allowed to do it.

1:23:17

He's the only one.The Count can do whatever he wants. 7 I don't.Know gosh, I love the count.Yeah.All right, let me ask you one more question.What's your favorite region, boys or girls out of the out of these?

1:23:35

Do you think, what's the one where you're like, boy, if I could pick one where I could sit down tourney week and and see all the games?Well, it's always been.Recently it's been BN.I don't maybe it's not as much that this because it's a structure differently.

1:23:53

It's more of a kvac centric.There are more kvac teams in it.So we're a little biased there, but that always had like a majority of the teams that you know we cover around here.So the teams that we're most familiar with and I just don't know how deep it is this year compared to previous years past.

1:24:17

Both CS are intriguing for multiple reasons.Yeah.I mean, if I had to sit down, I mean, a N girls is actually a girls both sides.

1:24:37

I can just pick one.I'm just going to say BN because the kids at school are going to kill me so.I I think I would have to go a South.Yeah.A AS just especially girls just seems like brutal beyond belief.So, but we thought I mean those, those games will probably get like that one Friday, Saturday, those time slots like they tradition they used to, you know, over the weekend at the Expo at least the problem I'm guessing the quarterfinal is going to be the Expo.

1:25:07

Makes sense?Yeah, I would assume so, because I think I saw something announced for the arena that's Saturday, so I would assume it's probably.The way do you think they'll do a South on Friday night?Friday night.I, I think so.

1:25:23

I mean, that's what they were doing, right?Well, well, I don't know.I don't know.B at the Expo BS was Friday night.Maybe I, I don't know.

1:25:38

I mean, I haven't seen anything.I mean, it's just different, but we're not as busy because there's no AA but no.But yeah, I guess if I had to pick a region to be be N, you know, somehow, someway the kids are going to see this and there's like, wow, you didn't can you didn't, you know, give us.

1:25:59

Enough TikTok.Yeah, we'll see it on the TikTok.Yeah, just like Baines doesn't believe in us, I can just.I can just hear it in girls practice right now.Heather Baines doesn't believe in you, you know, using that against me.

1:26:15

He thinks you're. 6/7 He doesn't know what it means, but he thinks you're. 6-7 Yeah.Yeah, please.No, I don't know.That's all right.I mean, these kids already make fun of me.They call me UNK at school.I'm like, we're done with that.Oh, that's rough.

1:26:31

That's rough.Bad so Oh well.All right, I hope you enjoyed the two-part podcast.Yeah, that's got to be two parts.Now we're over 2 1/2 hours.All right, this has been great.You want to plug anything while we're here?No, OK, great.

1:26:48

No, I want, I want to plug go go watch basketball people because it's warm and the kids enjoy themselves and it's a lot of community gets us through winter.You know, say.Hi people you only see in gyms over the course of the winter and convince Lucas that he has to go up to Caribou in early January.

1:27:06

Yeah, and I think Reese is breaking in.All right.We'll call it there.OK, sounds good all.Right.Thanks a bunch.OK, that's the show.Thanks to Jay.We had to cut that up into two parts because it went I think an hour and a half, something like that.

1:27:25

Or when we recorded like 2, no, 2 1/2 hours, it went 2 1/2 hours.Probably could have gone longer, but we're getting a little loopy at the end there.But it's always fun when Jay comes on the show.Coming up on the show, we have the Winds draft that is coming out.

1:27:41

I think Monday evening.We're going to do it as a YouTube premiere just like we did with this one and with the girls preseason poll because that seemed to do pretty well.So if you haven't already subscribed to YouTube, make sure you subscribe to YouTube.The Winds draft, we did this last year.

1:27:58

It was very popular, Mike Mandel, Tyler Cruz and Adam Robinson who bounced.But because we've already recorded it and I'm recording the intro now for this one anyway, so a great time as always.Some really good picks.A lot of teams, really good teams didn't get picked.

1:28:17

So you want to make sure you watch that on Monday when it comes out.So then if your team is one of the teams that didn't get picked, you can complain.And I am very sympathetic to your complaints.But hey, we only picked so many teams.There's a lot of really, really good programs in the state.

1:28:34

All right, so that's going to do it for the show.Until next time, this has been a production of Maine basketballrankings.com, your source for the most comprehensive coverage of Maine high school basketball from Ashland to York and everywhere in between.This podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, in a bunch of places you don't.

1:28:53

If you enjoy this, please leave a nice review because it really does help out with the algorithms.Tell your friends, tell your enemies.Thanks for watching.