LIMESTONE, Maine — Brian Massey has coached plenty of basketball, but never at the varsity level — until now.
The Caribou resident will be the new coach of the Limestone Eagle boys this coming season. Ralph Fantasia, the athletic director at LCS/MSSM made the announcement Thursday morning after Massey was approved by the RSU 39 Board of Directors during their meeting last Wednesday.
He replaces Hank King, who coached the team for one year. The Eagles won just two of 18 games during the 2014-15 campaign.
Massey was raised in Virginia, relocated to Caribou while serving at Loring Air Force Base and later graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle. He has been employed at County Qwik Print in Caribou for 17 years as a graphic designer.
Massey served as the JV head coach and varsity assistant for three years, has coached middle school basketball and has been actively involved with the Aroostook Youth Basketball League for several years.
“I am familiar with the unique dynamic of having LCS and MSSM banded together in both facility and athletics and I bring fiery passion and energy to the game,” Massey said. “I put in a lot of time and do my homework. I want to couple a love for the game with a respect for how it’s played.
“Players in the past have appreciated my honest criticisms. They know my rules and know I don’t bend on them,” he added.
Fantasia is pleased to have Massey on board for this winter.
“Brian has a long history of involvement with basketball at the local level,” Fantasia said. “He has a strong knowledge of the sport and is very passionate about the game. That and with Brian’s experience with the program, I felt that he would be the best fit for our open position.”
Massey is the president of the Caribou Little League and AYBL. He also coaches boys’ volleyball at Caribou High School and boys’ tennis at Presque Isle HIgh School.
He and his wife, Shelley, have two children — Alexa, who played four years for the Caribou girls and now attends UM-Fort Kent, and Gabriel, a senior who currently plays at the varsity level with the Vikings.
