MARS HILL, Maine — A year after amassing 12 wins and earning the No. 3 seed in Class D North, the Central Aroostook girls basketball program finds itself in a state of transition in more ways than one.
The Panthers have been a consistent presence in Bangor around tournament time in recent years, peaking with a runner-up finish in the Class D North final two seasons ago. Now, with a move up into Class C and a new coach at the helm, Central Aroostook will look to make their adjustment not just to an uptick in competition, but also to a new philosophy on the sidelines.
Enter new Head Coach Dillon Kingsbury, who takes over for Cody Tompkins after the latter led the Panthers to a quarterfinal exit in last year’s tournament.
Kingsbury, who played Class B basketball at Presque Isle and coached on the boys’ side at both Easton and Houlton, knows his team will need time to get used to a new voice.
“Always an adjustment period with a new coach. There’s always a new philosophy on every little thing. There are so many aspects to the game of basketball that, one coach to the other can be radically different — right or wrong,” Kingsbury said.
“It takes a while to get everyone on the same page, to teach them how you like to run your practices, and then to instill your philosophy into the team. We’re taking it day by day and a practice at a time,” he added.
The Presque Isle native also knows there will be an adjustment period to the level of competition his team now faces in Class C.
“It’s a big jump. A lot of people don’t quite understand what the big gap is between C and D,” Kingsbury said. “Every move up in class seems to be, [the players are] a little bit quicker, a little bit bigger and stronger.
“I think these girls are hungry,” he continued. “You see that they’re not content with making the Class D [Regional] Finals here, or being the No. 3 seed last year. They understand, and we’ve bought into the idea, that we can compete in Class C. We’re more than capable, it’s just a matter of what the time table is going to be to get there.”
Last year’s group was led by senior Kelsey Dominique and a solid group of underclassmen that included three standout freshmen. The Panthers have a new group of senior leaders — Kassie Levesque, Caitlyn Harris and Isabelle Wright — who were main contributors last season and will look to lead the team following Dominique’s departure.
Sophomores Katie Levesque, Breann Bradbury and Kayla Martin made an impact a season ago and will have even bigger roles than they did as freshmen, with junior guard Ashlee Harris providing a major scoring punch. Freshman guard Maci Beals also will see quality minutes as Kingsbury figures out his rotation.
Junior forward Annika Nicholas, sophomores Sydney Garrison and Macey Coffin, and freshmen Libby Grass and Sara Stitham round out the roster.
Although Kingsbury concedes that Houlton is the clear cut favorite heading into the year, other teams like Central, Penobscot Valley, Calais, Narraguagus and his Panthers will be solid in Class C.
Kingsbury is assisted by his sister Krystal and brother Adam and the team is managed by sophomore Brooke Blackstone and freshman Samantha McCrum. The Panthers begin their foray into Class C at home against Houlton on Dec. 13.
