According to RSU 29 Athletic Director Bruce Nason, the school has decided to retire Kyle Bouchard’s No. 20 jersey during a special ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 23, prior to the start of Houlton’s game against Caribou.
Bouchard, who graduated in 2014, is expected to be at the game, Nason said. His jersey will be placed in a glass case and mounted on the wall next to the list of 1,000 point scorers in school history.
“Back when Kyle scored his 1,500 point, we were going to do something, but couldn’t figure out what to do,” Nason said. “He helped us win three Eastern Maine championships, a state championship, was Mr. Basketball for 2014 and a Gatorade Player of the Year, so we felt this was the right thing to do.”
Nason said he was not aware of any other player’s number being retired by the school.
Bouchard was a four-year starter for the Shires and as a freshman, he guided the 2011-12 varsity squad to a Class C Eastern Maine final. He did that again his sophomore and junior years, capping off the 2013-14 campaign at 22-0. Houlton won the state championship that season, bringing home just the school’s second Class C gold ball.
In his senior season, he won the state’s prestigious Mr. Basketball award for being the best schoolboy basketball player in Maine.
As a freshman, he was a co-winner of the Eastern Maine Basketball Tournament’s Most Valuable Player and as a junior, he was the top vote-getter for the honor. For four years he was the focal point for the Shiretowners’ helping the team to an impressive 69-17 record.
Bouchard, a 6-foot 5-inch forward, scored 1,815 career points and hauled down nearly 800 rebounds in his high school career. As a senior, he averaged 22 points per game, 11 rebounds and five assists and was named a Penobscot Valley Conference all-star.
Bouchard is the son of Karen and Marty Bouchard of Houlton and the grandson of Louis and Jeannette Bouchard and Terry and Jane Spurling, all of Houlton. He is attending Bentley University on a four-year scholarship to play basketball.
