Point guard who helped Waterville win New England Championship in 1944 to be inducted into Maine Basketball Hall of Fame
By Ernie Clark, Bangor Daily News, Maine | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
To many basketball fans of the day he was
On a versatile team filled with capable ball handlers at
"My second college game was against
Mitchell returned to
At 87, he's already been inducted into the
The ceremony will be held at the Cross Insurance Center in
They include the 1944 Waterville boys basketball team and its coach, the late
"I think we jelled together pretty well," said Mitchell of his relationship with Whitmore. "Not that we agreed on everything. As I told someone about 10 years ago, I don't agree with my wife on everything, so why should I agree on everything with Whit? But we got along pretty good, and I'm happy about that."
Mitchell discovered his passion for basketball as a youngster at the
That 1944 squad, which also included Mitchell's older brother Paul as well as
"The thing about that team was that everybody played three sports, everybody was a good athlete, and everyone could handle the basketball," said Mitchell. "
Mitchell went on to become a two-time
He admitted his coaching tenure got off to a less than auspicious start.
"Like everyone else you have your ups and downs," said Mitchell, who with his wife Prin -- a former cheerleader at rival
"My first couple of years at John Bapst were very difficult. I didn't know what I was stepping into for a couple of years," he said.
Mitchell went on to a stint at
And he gradually figured out some of the secrets to successful coaching, particularly at Colby. He was head coach of the Mules' subvarsity team for nearly three decades while also serving as a comforting complement to the intense Whitmore and interacting with such players as the All-American Moore and Hancock, the 1990
"
"And
"They both were wonderful to work with, and wherever I've been and whatever I've done, that's something I've always enjoyed, working with the young people," he said.
The full list of 2014
Players:
Coaches:
Contributor:
Official:
Team: 1944
Legends of the game:
___
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