Mr. Maine Basketball Award Should Include Underclassman

Mr. Maine Basketball should include underclassmaen just as the Maine Gatoarde Player of the Year Award does.

Case in point when Keegan Hyland was the best hoigh school player in the state his junior year and was a better player then the player selected. It should be open to all underclassmen, because it Keegan’s case he was injnured and played very little his senior year so he did not win the award.

Keegan Hyland was the best high school basketball player, in my opionion to come out of Maine in the bast 15 years.

This year such outstanding junors as Dustin Cole, Class A Bonny Eagle, Isaih Bess of Class C Penquis and Zack Gilpin of Class A Hampden are as good or if not better, in my opinion then the 3 current senior finalists of the award.

This years 3 finalists are Garet Beal of Class D Jonesport, Mitch Worster of Class D Washburn and John Murray of Claas B Medomal Valley.

None of these 3 players lead their team to even Eastern Maine Championships.

I know this is supposed to be a career award, but in Keegan Hylands case he was a better player then the player who won the award fduirng Keegan’s senior year.

I know he was a finalist his senior year, but there was no way that he was going to win the award because he did not play his complete senior year, although he came back for the tourney to try to help his teammates win the Western Maine A Championship.

What happens if the same fate sould happen to Bess, Cole or Gilpin next season.

They certainly are as good as Worster, Beal and Murray, as Gilpin and Bess lead their teams to state championships as juniors and Coles team got to the Western Maine A Final.

It takes some players 4 years to establish a great career and it takes others 3 years.

My Mr. bsketball pick would be Zack Gilpin if he was eligible and I will go with Garet Beal as he is eligible for the award.