HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton boys basketball team could be facing a rebuilding year.
On paper, the Shires have a number of talented athletes, but the squad lost the bulk of its roster following the graduation of six players from last year’s team. That means a bunch of new faces will be looking to make a splash this season.
Travis Gentle returns for his third year coaching the varsity boys basketball team. He has also spent 10 years as the Houlton softball coach.
His outlook for the season is simple – to improve in every single game, with hopes that his squad will be playing its best basketball by season’s end to make a playoff push.
“We want to be peaking at the end of the year,” Gentle said. “(We have) lots of new guys who will be contributing this year. My hope is for us to be in the tournament and compete in Bangor.”
Houlton finished 10-6 a season ago, earning the No. 6 seed in Class B North. The Shires hosted No. 11 John Bapst in a preliminary playoff, falling 57-47 to the Crusaders.
Gone from that squad, however, are Shire stalwarts Isaiah Gentle, Jadon Gentle, Caleb Solomon, Collin Moody, Garrett Harvey, and Gage Bartlett. That group served as the nucleus for much of the team’s success a year ago, meaning a bundle of new players will have to step up.
This year’s roster features a solid mixture of returning players who saw extensive time on the junior varsity squad last season.
Members of the 2022-23 team are seniors Cody Johnston and Zachary Carpenter; juniors Adrian Norton, Landon Laferriere, Bronson Hanning and Owen Beaulieu; sophomores Mark Thibodeau, Philip Espenscheid, Isaiah Ervin, Brandon Barton, Elijah Carter and Thadon Gentle; and freshmen Jayden Wu and Daniel Henderson.
“Our starting five will probably be different from game to game,” the coach said. “Cody Johnston, Bronson Hanning, Adrian Norton, Owen Beaulieau, Brandon Barton, Mark Thibideau, Isaiah Ervin, Thadon Gentle, Daniel Henderson and Jayden Wu will all be getting good minutes this year.”
The Shires are not the tallest of squads, but will look to make up for that with speed and quickness.
“We have good team speed which will help us defensively by the end of the year,” he said.
Coach Gentle said Old Town, Orono, Presque Isle and Caribou will once again be among the team’s toughest competition.
Assisting Coach Gentle will be Peter Bates, who will also guide the junior varsity program.
