It’s December, and across the state, high school gymnasiums have come alive with the sounds of coaches’ whistles, the squeaking of basketball shoes hitting the baseline on the last push of practice drills, scoreboard buzzers and the calling out of plays.
It’s December, and it is officially basketball season.
I remember taking the court in my first high school varsity basketball game my freshman year—the lights, the crowd, the band playing, my name and number listed on the roster near the scoreboard. I had suddenly gone from an 8th grade fan who never missed a home game in the stands the year before to a real life high school basketball player. That was … a few years ago, but it still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.
Now our area girls and boys basketball players will be experiencing that, as both George Stevens Academy and Deer Isle-Stonington High School open up regular season play this week. High school basketball is not only a tradition on the island and in Blue Hill, but for many fans who don school colors and take to the stands every night, it is a way of life.
“The Church of Basketball” is a term I heard just a few days ago in reference to high school basketball in the area. Like church pews during Sunday masses, the bleachers are often filled to capacity, and the cheers and chants from fans ring out through the gym doors like the songs from the church choir. The fans believe in their teams, heart and soul, and it is a belief that spans years, often decades, of dedication.
Every sports season has something special about it, but it has been my experience that there is something a little extra special about the basketball season in Maine. Maybe it is the fact that it gives us a reason to leave the house when cabin fever starts setting in during those cold January days. Maybe it is the stories of successful teams from years gone by. Perhaps it is the stories whispered from the banners of former championship teams hanging on the gym walls. Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure: on home game nights this season, the popcorn will be popping, the fans will be cheering, and the high school basketball way of life will carry on, one game at a time.