Area players and coaches among this year’s inductees

Dean Smith	Tony Hamlin

BANGOR — Twenty-three prestigious players, coaches and officials were announced as the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame’s third induction class during a news conference on Feb. 24 at the Hall’s site, the Cross Insurance Center’s concourse.

Those with ties to the region scheduled for induction on Aug. 21 in Bangor are Ed Guiski (posthumously), Tony Hamlin, Ron Marks, Kevin Nelson and Dean Smith.

Guiski, a Winslow native, was a dominating player in high school and at Gorham State College (University of Southern Maine). Graduating from Winslow High in 1955, he was a standout athlete earning 16 varsity letters in football, basketball, track and baseball. After high school, he continued his education at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield before attending Boston University for two years on a basketball and football scholarship. He completed his education at Gorham State College (University of Southern Maine). He played basketball at Gorham State was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1967, Guiski and his wife, Janet, moved their young family to Dexter where he coached for the next 38 years, winning over 300 games and a state title.

BDN photo/Ashley L. Conti BASKETBALL HALL OF FAMERS — Maine Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2016  inductees, from left, Mike McGee, Tony Hamlin, Charlie Wooton and Dean Smith listen as Steve Pound, executive director of the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame, introduces the rest of the Class of 2016 inductees during a press conference on Feb. 24 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. Joining Hamlin and Smith as players and/or coaches from the region are Ron Marks, Kevin Nelson and the late Ed Guiski.

Hamlin, a Milo native, was an outstanding high school player who went on to become a three-year starter at the University of Maine. He coached at MCI, Morse in Bath, South Portland and Penquis Valley high schools and in the process won 400 games, which included three state championships and five regional titles. He has served as chairman of the Maine Principals’ Association’s Basketball Commission and was the coaches’ representative to the commission for six years. He is the only coach to have won a tournament game at the Bangor Auditorium in each of five decades. He is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honors. He was awarded the Bob Brown Contributor’s Award by the Maine Association of Coaches in 2015.

Marks coached for 20 years in eastern Maine at Sherman, Katahdin, Schenck and Foxcroft Academy. His teams won 312 games including 36 tournament games, and he had a winning percentage of 78 percent. He won three state championships, six Eastern Maine championships and was named coach of the year three times. He also was an official for 40 years, officiating in the tournament 20 seasons.

Nelson led his Foxcroft Academy Ponies to a state championship in 1975 as a two-time first team All-State selection became a household name in Maine basketball folklore. The 6-8 left-hander graduated as the career scoring leader at Foxcroft. He became a three-year starter at UMaine and was a key member during his tenure along with teammates Roger Lapham, Rufus Harris and Wally Russell.

Smith is a Foxcroft Academy graduate who went on to play at UMaine where he was a three-time Academic All-American. He captained the Black Bears his senior season and led the conference in scoring. He received the prestigious Walter Byers Award as the nation’s top scholar athlete. UMaine has established the Dean Smith Award given annually to the top male and female athlete who combines academic and athletic excellence.

The other members of the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2016 are Joey DeRoche, Chris Jerome, Meaghan Lane Kolyszko, Mike McGee, John Jordan, Kevin Whitmore, Matt Rossignol, Gregg Frame, Raymond Alley, Fern Masse, Charlie Wootton, Julie Bradstreet, I.J. Pinkham, Len MacPhee, Bob McAllister, Don Sturgeon and Harland Storey.

The Hall also will induct several new members to its Legends of the Game. Dewey Dewitt, Terry Healey, the 1995 Cony of Augusta girls basketball team and the 1947 Patten Academy boys basketball team will be added, and the late Jim Connellan, Dick Doyle and Eddie Griffin also will be added.