Cottle memorial hoop tourney to help community

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    The untimely death of Brandon Cottle, who was in his 20s, left a void in many lives, including that of his family and close friends.
    Remembering Cottle, his friends joined together to raise funds through a basketball tournament to help his family purchase a headstone for his burial site and they also wanted to provide an ongoing memorial by giving an annual scholarship to a student-athlete.
    Cottle, a sports enthusiast, spent countless hours at the Gentle Memorial Building playing one of his favorite sports, basketball.
    So, again this year, Cottle’s friends will sponsor a charity basketball tournament on December 20-21 at the Houlton Recreation Center.
    “Our first year was a success and we couldn’t have done it without the support of the wonderful people of Houlton,” said organizer Luke McGary. “Last year’s goal was to provide Brandon’s family with money to purchase a headstone and fund a $500 scholarship for a Houlton High School senior. Brandon now has a beautiful memorial headstone, and in June of this year we gladly presented Parker Brown with our first scholarship.”
    Last year, McGary along with Frank DiStefano, Kyle Hipsley, Ben, Mike and Jon Weston, Luke Jones, Marty Bouchard, Terry Cummings, Mark Chapman, Derek Belyea, Josh Berry, Barrett Good, Ryan Cottle, Luke Bernard and numerous others divided into eight teams of six players each.
    “This year, we are looking to have another six to eight teams, but those have not been confirmed yet,” said McGary. “We do not know for sure who is going to play this year, but we may have eight teams again.”
    Anyone wanting to play should contact DiStefano at 538-6032.
    “Brandon was a good friend, classmate and teammate to a lot of us,” said McGary, who played on the Houlton High School varsity team with Cottle. “We started the tournament last year because his friends wanted to find some way to honor his life. So, the logical solution was a charity basketball tournament because Brandon loved the sport and played it all his life.”
    This year, the goal for the tournament has been set higher than a year ago. Cottle’s friends have decided not only to fund another scholarship, but to help in the community by raising money to donate to the Houlton Recreation Center for improvements to its indoor and outdoor basketball facilities.
    “Brandon would want nothing more than to see the place where he spent most of his youth improved for today’s youngsters,” explained McGary.
    To reach their goals, support of family, friends and residents is needed.
    “We would love to see the recreation center gymnasium filled,” said McGary. “We are not only playing to honor Brandon, but we are playing to better the community.     The scholarship will be an annual goal, as well as raising funds to help Houlton’s basketball programs.”
    Anyone wishing to help with the worthwhile cause can do so by donating to the Brandon Cottle Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 282, Monticello, Maine, 04760.
    “There are so many things I could say about Brandon, but one thing that sticks out in my mind was his relentless devotion to his family and friends,” said McGary. “He loved his brothers and sisters with all his heart, and as a friend, you knew he always had your back.”
    Everyone is welcome to the tournament. There will be food, beverages and games for the kids. There will also will be a raffle for a 46-inch flat screen television. 
    “Thank you in advance for your support and for allowing us to honor our friend and better the community,” McGary said.