ORONO – Troy Barnies walked into Alfond Arena and swiveled his head, taking in all the bodies in the seats. Hundreds had come to watch the University of Maine women’s basketball team play Binghamton. Maybe thousands.

“I was hoping,” said Barnies, “that everyone would stay for our game.” He didn’t appear to be kidding.

Saturday was Fandemonium, a rare and true basketball doubleheader that showcased Maine’s two basketball teams. Buy one ticket, see two games. The women led off, the men followed two hours later.

Fans got raffle tickets to win electronic gadgetry. Have fun. Be loud. Be louder. College basketball fans elsewhere in the country know the drill. Mainers sometimes still have to be cued.

That’s why Barnies, a graduate of Edward Little High, did a wow when he arrived. Big crowd, tough opponent, and the America East lead up for grabs. He was definitely getting into the mood for basketball.

“We wanted to show (the new faces in the crowd) how good we are as a team,” he said.

As opposed to the Maine women, who still aren’t ready for prime time. Binghamton beat the Maine women, 78-52. The Maine men won, 77-51.

The Maine men brim with senior leaders; the women have one, Tanna Ross. Coach Cindy Blodgett started Ross with two true freshmen, a redshirt freshman and a sophomore.

The men drew off the energy from the crowd of 2,601, which was simply responding to the fast pace, and successful and balanced scoring of the men.

As Maine’s lead widened against a team that was 3-0 in the league, Barnies looked up and down the bench at his teammates. “It was nice to see the excitement, the smiles.”

The Maine women were down 28-10 with five minutes left in the half. Afterward as they sat as a group watching the men, the gloom hadn’t dissipated.

Opposite sides to the same coin. Ted Woodward, the men’s coach, has counseled Blodgett, encouraging her. He was in her shoes. Seven years ago he tried to build a team by plugging players into positions without regard to the bigger picture.

Four years ago, Woodward threw away that blueprint to build something different. He chose talent — home-grown if possible — and character. That’s when he recruited Barnies.

In Barnies’ freshman season, Maine won seven games. The next year it won nine and critics of Woodward were running out of patience. Last season the men turned the corner, becoming contenders for the conference title. This season they’re hungrier and better.

“I look back to my freshman season every single day,” said Barnies. “Coach reminds us: Know where we came from. I don’t forget.”

He scored 21 points Saturday. He tied his career high with 25 points in a recent win over Maryland-Baltimore County.

“The practices were so tough my freshman year. We were losing. Now it’s so easy to play with the guys. Being a senior, I don’t have to think of everything. It just happens,” Barnies said.

With Sean McNally, Terrance Mitchell and Malachi Peay, Barnies is one of the four seniors. On a deep men’s team, they are the heart and brains.

Blodgett doesn’t have that core. She needs players to show the others what it takes. Freshman Ashleigh Roberts has the passion that leads her to watch more video.

Roberts takes ownership of the losses. Like Barnies, she likely will grow into the leadership role. But she’s a freshman.

In the meantime, the team has to learn the most painful lessons of a season that now stands at 3-14 overall, 1-4 in America East. “They’re so young and that way, so fragile,” said Blodgett. “They work so hard but because they’re young, they don’t always play with consistency and they lose.

“And I have to keep them understanding that the only option is to work harder.”

Staff Writer Steve Solloway can be contacted at 791-6412 or at:

ssolloway@pressherald.com

 

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