The Massabesic boys basketball team put together a historic season this past winter, which included 14 regular season wins and a trip to the regional championship game.

So it’s no surprise that members of the Massabesic squad got some serious looks from college coaches – and now two players have officially signed to play at the next level.

The latest Mustang to commit to play college hoops is standout guard Dan Amabile, who recently signed with Division III Thomas College in Waterville.

For Amabile, Thomas provided the best of both worlds – a chance to get a solid education and an opportunity to play at the next level.

“I was looking at Thomas and (Southern Maine Community College) and I just liked the school aspect of Thomas. I visited there and I really liked the campus and how the teachers were and I felt that would be a better fit for me,” said Amabile, who also liked what he heard from Thomas coach Geoff Hensley. “He just told me I would be a great fit for the team. I went to a camp in the summer and I played with a bunch of kids and I liked (his) coaching.”

One thing that helped Amabile get a chance to play at Thomas was the fact that the Massabesic team went from winning one game in 2014-15 to making a deep playoff run this past season.

“This last year was definitely a lot different than my previous years,” said Amabile.

A big part of that difference was new head coach Chris Binette and also the addition of two new players – Tyus Sprague-Ripley and Ryan Gullikson, who moved into the school district this year.

“We got a new coach, obviously, and we got Tyus and Ryan. We just had a different attitude towards basketball this year,” said Amabile.

Binette credits Amabile for helping him mesh the two new players with the rest of the Massabesic roster.

“That was certainly a challenge with new kids moving into the district,” said Binette. “Danny, who was always the leader on the Massabesic team since he was in seventh grade, was welcoming to have two good players like Tyus and Ryan come in.”

Amabile felt that the Massabesic squad was happy to have two new teammates and Gullikson and Sprague-Ripley quickly became part of the family.

“We are good kids and we just all got along, all of us on the team, and there were no problems with anybody. We are just a good group of kids,” said Amabile.

The addition of Gullikson and Sprague- Ripley meant that Amabile wouldn’t have to try and carry the Mustangs all on his own – something that Binette believes will help Amabile at the college level.

“Danny did a really good job (handling his new role) and I think that will help him at the next level where he now knows he doesn’t have to carry all the weight,” said Binette.

The addition of Sprague-Ripley, who led the Mustangs in scoring, ended up being a blessing for Amabile, according to Binette.

“One of the things we talked about (during a preseason meeting) was the fact that Tyus was going to get a lot of (college) coaches coming here to look at him and that not all the coaches are going to be able to get Tyus, only one will, but many kids have been recruited from the best player on the team getting looked at by other coaches and finding someone else there,” said Binette.

That proved to be the case with Hensley, who traveled to Waterboro to see Sprague-Ripley and ended up finding Amabile.

“Tyus didn’t show a lot of interest (in Thomas), but Danny had a really good game at the same time. Geoff came over the me and said, ‘who is this kid,’” said Binette. “I said to Geoff, ‘if you are looking at Danny, you can’t find a better cerebral player. He knows the game inside and out.’”

Hensley left that game, which was early in the season, and decided to turn his attention from Sprague-Ripley, who ended up picking Saint Joseph’s College, to Amabile. “Geoff suddenly shifted from trying to get Tyus to going all out to get Dan. From the fourth game of the season on, Geoff was constantly after Dan. It worked out where that was a case where one kid getting recruited ends up having another kid getting recruited,” said Binette.

Hensley fell in love with Amabile’s basketball mind, which according to Binette, is the best he has ever coached.

“He knows the game. I taught him everything I know, so he knows the game like nobody else. I’ve taught a lot of kids in the state of Maine, I can’t even put a number on it, but it’s well in the hundreds, so I would say out of all of them he knows the most. He has such high basketball IQ and I think that’s going to help him at the next level,” said Binette.

Amabile credits Binette with teaching him the game – and helping him get a chance to play at the next level.

“It’s all him,” said Amabile of Binette. “He’s taught me everything I know about basketball.”

Binette may have only taken over the Massabesic program this past season, but his relationship with Amabile started long before the first practice this year.

“Danny is like a son to me. There is only one other person I’ve coached longer, who is my son,” said Binette, who has coached Amabile in AAU basketball since the seventh grade.

Amabile believes Binette not only helped him become a better player, but he has also instilled a winning mindset into the Massabesic program.

“I think he changed the culture at Massabesic,” said Amabile.

When Amabile heads to Thomas this fall he will be joined by Kennebunk standout Zach MacKinnon, who signed with the Terriers last month. Binette believes Amabile and MacKinnon could become a dangerous tandem for Thomas.

“I think that’s a nice one-two punch from Southern Maine with Zach and Dan,” said Binette. “If you have Zach and Dan, that’s pretty lethal shooting from the outside.”

It may take a year for Amabile and MacKinnon to get used to the college game, but Binette is confident both locals will eventually excel at Thomas.

“Maybe not next year, the college game is much different and it usually takes them a whole year to get acclimated to the speed, the strength, it’s just different … but if those two learn to play together, they are going to be lethal their sophomore, junior and senior years. It’s going to be fun to watch. I’m pretty excited to see that happen,” said Binette.

Amabile, who is leaning towards a Business Management major, believes there is a chance he can play right away at Thomas if he puts the work in.

“(Coach Hensley) told me that there is a lot of playing time there for me if I earn it,” said Amabile.

One thing that Amabile is excited about is the fact that his family will have a chance to see him play in Waterville, which is just under two hours from Waterboro.

“That’s (going to be) awesome. It’s important … I definitely wanted that,” said Amabile. “I mean, I know they aren’t going to make every game because they work, but they will make a couple and that’s pretty cool.”

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @ JournalTsports.