New Maine men’s basketball coach Bob Walsh hired two assistants and landed three players in his first month on the job. Here’s a look at what he’s done, and what lies ahead:
• Matt O’Brien and Zak Boisvert will be Walsh’s lead assistants. O’Brien worked for Walsh for three seasons at Rhode Island College before working on the staff at Vermont. He has signed a one-year contract worth $60,000. Boisvert comes to Maine from Fairleigh Dickinson and has a one-year deal that pays $55,000. Walsh has one more assistant to hire, plus a director of basketball operations. He hopes to do that within the next two weeks.
• Maine signed two prep school guards last month. Aaron Calixte is a 5-foot-11 point guard who spent the past two seasons at Lee Academy. Kevin Little is a 6-footer who can play either guard position and spent last season at Coastal Academy in New Jersey. Walsh said he had seen both play in various prep school and AAU tournaments and was ecstatic they were still available in the late recruiting period.
Walsh also agreed to let 6-5 guard Shaun Lawton rejoin the team after Lawton indicated earlier in the spring he would transfer. Lawton, who will be a junior, averaged 8.1 points last season. Walsh said Lawton had never left campus, maintained good grades and had stayed connected to the program even after former coach Ted Woodward was let go.
Maine has one more scholarship open after forward Kilian Cato of Finland informed the coaching staff he would skip his senior year to remain in Europe in pursuit of a professional career. Cato averaged 5.5 points last winter. Walsh said he will look to fill that scholarship this summer if he finds a player who he feels can make a big impact, but that he may hold onto it since he has yet to actually work with his new team.
• Most Black Bears players have returned home for the summer, meaning Walsh and his staff won’t get a good look at them until school resumes around Labor Day.
• Walsh said he is close to getting some games set for the nonconference schedule.
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