Deer Isle-Stonington High School girls basketball coach Randy Shepard has been named the Class D Girls Coach of the year. By Anne Berleant
Deer Isle— For the second year in a row, Mariner girls’ basketball coach Randy Shepard was chosen to be the Coach of the Year for Class D girls. The award is given by the Maine Basketball Coaches Association made up of coaches from all the Classes in Northern Maine. Coach Shepard is very modest about these accolades, saying it is really all about the team more than himself.
Seven years ago, he became the assistant coach to Coach Darren Eaton for two years when his daughter was playing. When Eaton stepped down, Shepard took the job over since no one else applied. At the time, he wasn’t sure if he would coach beyond his daughter’s high school years, but later he decided to stay on.
Like several of the coaches the Mariners have had, Shepard played under Coach Joe Mesi in the 1980s. When he decided to coach, he drew on many of the lessons he learned from Coach Mesi (who is just a legend to the younger generation). Keeping it about team, commitment, and most importantly, the fundamentals. He also received advice from former coaches, including Kendall McGuffie, who coached the State Championship team in 1987. Shepard said it was much easier to just be a player but, as a coach, he has been grateful for the suxpport of the school and the parents.
Another thing he learned from Coach Mesi was to be prepared, and he works on a game plan for all the teams we play. It is up to the players to execute the game plan, but he feels fortunate that most of his players are motivated on their own. “They are all good kids and I have been lucky that they are here to play ball,” he said. Besides keeping it about the team, he also encourages them to never give up, no matter how dim it looks, because you never know what can happen.