More than a year ago, Chris Hudson was still basking in the golden beams of the first Class D state championship with Hodgdon High School since 1996. In the fall, Hudson made a decision to transfer to Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Massachusetts.
“What led me to this decision was being able to challenge myself through AAU basketball this spring,” said Hudson. “I was able to experience competition beyond the state of Maine, which was amazing.”
While the Hawks struggled through the 2014-15 basketball season, losing to Machias in the preliminary round of the tourney, Hudson was working hard with his new teammates toward the same goal he had at Hodgdon. A regional championship.
Hudson and Williston Northampton School captured the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class A crown over rival Suffield, 51-48, with a 24-3 record. Hudson scored 11 points.
“We are the first boys basketball team to win a championship in school history,” said Hudson.
The lean 6-foot-6-inch forward faced many transitions this year from leaving family and friends to the expectations on the hardwood.
“I had to make transitions in my physicality and skill level,” he explained. “Our preseason started in September. We played a lot of open gyms and had to get in the gym a lot on our own. Unfortunately for me, on my second day attending Williston and at my first open gym, I experienced an elbow injury that had me sidelined for eight weeks.”
Despite sitting out, Hudson still was able to “form shoot and dribble with my left hand,” he said.
Hudson did make it back into the lineup before the season started.
“At the beginning of the year, I was a starter and played the four position,” he explained. “As the season came to a close, I became the sixth man. I played the same amount of minutes all year even though I went from being a starter to coming off the bench.”
Hudson averaged 7.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for Williston, shooting 68 percent from the field, including 38 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
“I did not earn any postseason awards, but that does not define the success that I accomplished this year,” he said. “I have achieved things within myself that no one can ever take away from me.”
Hudson, who repeated his junior year as part of the reclassification commonly used by the New England prep schools, will be a senior this year and graduate in June 2016. As Hudson continues to strive academically — earning high honors academically during his first trimester — he is hoping to progress more on the court, as well.
“My plan is to keep developing my skills and become better and better,” he said. “I am just going to work and see what happens. I will do whatever the team needs me to do. Basketball is a team sport. No one player will ever win a basketball game. In both Hodgdon and Williston, I did whatever I needed to do to help the team whether that meant scoring, rebounding or just playing tough defense.”
Hudson was recently announced as one of the three captains for next year’s Williston team.
“Hopefully, I will help my team to another NEPSAC championship,” he said. “I know that much.”
