University of Maine Pres. Paul Ferguson announced that the university will buy out the contract of men’s basketball coach Ted Woodward, ending his career as head coach on Monday.

The decision is effective immediately and was reached after weeks of evaluation of the program by university administration.

Woodward had two years remaining on his contract, and will be paid a 13-month buyout of approximately $113,800, the equivalent of about one year’s salary.

UMaine will use only private funds from the President’s Discretionary Account for Woodward’s remaining salary.

A search for Woodward’s replacement will begin immediately. The Black Bears are fresh off a 6-23 campaign that saw four players transfer out of the program at season’s end.

This was Woodward’s 10th season as head coach of the Black Bears and he accumulated a total record of 117-178 with the program.

Although UMaine has suffered nine consecutive first-round or quarterfinal losses in the conference tournament under Woodward’s leadership, the Black Bears did record the program’s first back-to-back winning seasons in America East play since the turn of the century.

UMaine went 19-11 and 11-5 in conference play in 2009-10 before putting up 15-15 and 9-7 marks the following season.

Woodward started his career as a graduate assistant at the University of Connecticut before coming to UMaine in 1996 as an assistant and recruiting coordinator.

He has also served as an assistant at Central Connecticut State University and Harvard University, and coached golf at UMaine from 1997-2001.

Two more University of Maine men’s basketball players have decided to transfer this week, bringing the total to four since the end of the 2013-2014 campaign and seven in all in the last two seasons.

Junior guard Xavier Pollard announced his intent to transfer on Tuesday and sophomore guard Shaun Lawton did the same on Thursday.

“After meeting with Xavier today, we agreed it would be in his best interest to look at transferring at this time,” UMaine head coach Ted Woodward said in a press release Tuesday. “We wish him the best of luck in his future academic and athletic endeavors.”

Pollard and Lawton join Dimitry Akanda-Coronel, another one of the team’s top scorers this past season, and freshman walk-on Mitchell Worcester among the recent Black Bears transferees.

Alasdair Fraser, Justin Edwards and Jon Mesghna departed after the 2012-2013 season.

If the players leave for another Division I school they’ll have to sit out a year due to NCAA guidelines. Players who transfer to Division II or III programs can play right away as long as their academics are in order.

Pollard was an All-America East third team-er this season, leading the team in points per game at 14.7. He also led the team in minutes played at 32 per game and was second in rebounds per game with 4.4. Pollard was also second in assists and steals at 3.8 and 1.8, respectively.

Pollard has been a solid contributor to the team over the past couple years. He averaged 9.7 points per game on 40 percent shooting from the field during his sophomore season.

Lawton led the Black Bears in assists per game at 4.2 and was fourth in scoring with 8.1 points per game. He and Pollard also led the conference in steals with 2 and 1.8, respectively.

Lawton saw action in 25 games as a freshman and shot 44 percent from the floor and and 62 percent on his free throws.

The Black Bears are coming off a 6-23 season, the fewest wins for the program since the 1956-57 season. The Black Bears lost their first-round playoff game for the ninth straight season.

Senior infielder Troy Black has been a bright spot in what has been a disappointing start for the University of Maine baseball team this season. Black has been one of the leaders on the team that’s kept them in the mix with a 13-19 record.

“Everybody’s a little frustrated, obviously — nobody likes to lose,” Black said. “Especially games that are so close.”

The Black Bears have struggled so far this season but have plenty of time to turn things around with 20 games to play. They had an impressive weekend on the road against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, sweeping them in all three games.

Given how competitive the Black Bears have been in their losses this year, fans shouldn’t be surprised if the wins continue to come.

“I think out of the five conference losses we have, four of them were one-run games,” Black said.

Two of those four conferences lost were in extra innings.

“We’re just trying our best to stay loose and trying to have fun out there,” Black said. “We’re trying to not press too much because when that happens you start thinking about the tournaments and other stuff and that’s when you start struggling even more.”

Black is batting .353 with 46 hits through 31 games this season, both tops in America East. He also has 18 runs to go along with a team-high 17 RBI. Black has also been active on the bases as well, swiping nine bags on 11 attempts.

“I think I’ve been having a good year overall as far as hitting goes,” Black said. “Obviously your struggles are going to come — you’re not going to be hitting .400 the whole year.”

The Black Bears have now won four in a row after losing three straight.

“We’ve got a really talented team, all our seniors have proven they can perform at this level,” Black said. “I think we’ll be all right if everyone just goes out there and plays their game.”

The Black Bears lead the league in batting average but are second to last in fielding percentage. They’ve had their ups and down in both hitting and fielding so far this season.

“I think the number one thing is timely hitting,” Black said. “Our defense was struggling a little bit but we figure[d] that out and now it’s just getting that guy in when we have first and second with nobody out.”

Black has had a successful run here at UMaine and is optimistic that there’s a possibility of furthering his baseball career. But for now, his number one priority lies with helping this team win each and every time out.

“There’s always a possibility of being picked up by a team, but after this, I’m not sure. I’m just trying to stay focused on this year and [let the chips fall where they may].”

With the NBA at the halfway point of the season, there’s been a lot of talk about the league’s Most Valuable Player award.

A lot of people are making a strong case for Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder as the league’s MVP. Although there is still a lot of basketball left to be played this season, there can be no question the “Slim Reaper” has made quite the case for himself.

The first quarter of the season started off with Paul George of the Indiana Pacers making an MVP run for himself. George has cooled down a bit and has fallen out of the top three for me. Still, he’s averaging 22.6 points per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds a game.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks have also had impressive seasons, but the MVP race is going to come down to the two best players in the world in Durant and LeBron James of the Miami Heat.

Durant is ahead of LeBron right now, but both are putting up some great numbers. The big question will be whether or not LeBron will catch Durant, and I believe he can.

Durant’s had a lot of trouble facing LeBron, from losing in the NBA Finals to finishing behind James in the three of the last four MVP races. This year, he wants to dethrone James and secure his first MVP award. His dominating performance in the Thunder’s win over LeBron and company down in South Beach earlier this year definitely helped that effort.

January was a monster month for Durant. He scored 30 points or more in 12 straight games, including a 54-point performance against Curry’s Warriors.

He has certainly earned the right to be the frontrunner for the award right now, leading his team without the Thunder’s other superstar, Russell Westbrook. But although they are a better team with Westbrook in the lineup, his return will mean a decline in Durant’s big time stats.

We forget how much Westbrook shoots. When he’s back, Durant’s production will slow down. Westbrook shot 112 more attempts than Durant last season and is likely to continue along those lines upon his return.

So with all that taken into account, all LeBron has to do is continue with his stellar numbers. He’s averaging 26.3 PPG with 6.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists so far.

Despite his solid numbers, LeBron also needs to make some noise like Durant did in January. He’ll need something big for us to remember the season by to make it his season instead of the season that Durant took over.

Whether it’s going on a huge scoring binge, putting together another winning streak like the Heat did last year, or even shutting down Durant and the Thunder in their next meeting, James has to make his mark. He’s got to do something to take the focus off of Durant’s season if he wishes to get his fifth MVP and third in a row.

Less than a week after showing signs of life with two straight wins against the University of New Hampshire and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, the University of Maine men’s basketball team is back in the loss column.

The Black Bears fell twice over the past week, losing lopsidedly to the University of Vermont before coming up short against Binghamton University this weekend.

UMaine slips to 5-18 with the defeats. Their 3-8 mark against America East opponents has them in the conference’s cellar despite being just three games back of third-place University at Albany.

They’ll get a chance to cut into that deficit when the Black Bears return home against Hartford University at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor Feb. 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Conference-leading Vermont handles UMaine

The Black Bears suffered their 17th loss of the season when they fell to the Vermont Catamounts Tuesday night. The Black Bears took their two-game winning streak on the road where they came up short, losing 93-65.

Senior guard Sandro Carissimo led the Catamounts with 20 points followed by senior forward Clancy Rugg with 15. Two other Vermont players scored in double figures as well, with sophomore forward Ethan O’Day tallying 12 and senior guard Candon Rusin with 10.

The Catamounts are now 15-9 overall, with a sparkly 9-1 mark against America East foes.

Junior guard Zarko Valjarevic led the Black Bears with 19 points. Junior forward Kilian Cato added 15 while junior guard Xavier Pollard chipped in with 10.

The Black Bears were outshot by the Catamounts, hitting 42 percent of their attempts from the field compared to Vermont’s 60 percent. Both teams were impressive from behind the arc with UMaine shooting 47.8 percent and UVM shooting 44.

Vermont also recorded 10 blocks in the game and forced the Black Bears into committing 12 turnovers. They grabbed the majority of the misses, coming up with 38 rebounds compared to UMaine’s 16.

The Black Bears jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead before things were tied at 7 with under 17 minutes remaining. Valjarevic hit one of his four 3-point shots on the next possession to regain the lead for the Black Bears at 10-7.

Carissimo scored to bring it within one, but UMaine sophomore forward Ethan Mackey laid in a bucket to make it 12-9 with 16 minutes left to play. Both teams traded buckets until the Catamounts’ back-to-back hoops knotted it up at 21 with under 11 minutes remaining in the first half.

Vermont then went on run after a pair of free throws from the Black Bears, regaining the lead at 26-23 with just under 10 minutes remaining. The Black Bears tied it up at 26, but the Catamounts’ ensuing 11-2 run made it 37-28 led by Carissimo’s two 3-pointers.

UVM continued their strong play for the rest of the half, ending on an 8-3 run and taking a 51-33 lead into halftime. Overall, the Catamounts went on a 25-7 run after it was tied at 26-26.

Vermont shot 67 percent in the first half. Valjarevic had a solid half of his own, going 3-4 from behind the arc and scoring 12 points. UMaine shot 43 percent from the field in the first half.

The Catamounts started off the second half on a 12-3 run, keeping their momentum from the first half. They continued their dominance, increasing the run to 25-3 with under 11 minutes left in the game with the score at 74-36.

Cato broke finally snapped the run with a free throw and a 3-pointer to start a 6-0 run the other way to make it 74-42. He later hit another trey to cut the lead to 79-49 with under eight minutes remaining.

UMaine had some more runs but the Catamounts stood firm, outscoring the Black Bears 41-32 in the second half to cruise to a 93-65 win.

Gloger, Reid-Knight set career highs, Black Bears can’t overcome Bearcats

The University of Maine men’s basketball team dropped their second straight game Saturday when they lost to Binghamton University 73-58.

Binghamton — who had lost eight straight and 10 of their last 11 heading into their matchup with the Black Bears — improve to 5-19 on the season, 2-9 in conference play.

UMaine sophomore forward Till Gloger and freshman guard Tory Reid-Knight both set new career highs in points, leading the Black Bear offense with 15 each. The Black Bears, who had topped the Bearcats for their first conference win back on Jan. 5, shot just 35 percent from the field as a team.

Sophomore guard Jordan Reed scored 20 for the Bearcat offense, which shot 43 percent from the floor. Senior forward Roland Brown had 17 and freshman guard Yosef Yacob contributed with 15. The Bearcats won the battle on the glass with 48 rebounds compared to UMaine’s 33.

Binghamton had a 15-2 run in the first half to make the lead 19-8 with 12 minutes remaining. Pollard and Reid-Knight were able to answer with 3s to cut the deficit to just five points at 19-14.

The Bearcats responded though, extending their lead to 24-16 with a little under 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

Valjarevic would hit a 3 of his own later in the half to make it 26-25 with 6:05 remaining.

UMaine took the lead 30-29 with little time left as Gloger hit a layup in the paint. The Bearcats would fight back and retake the lead going into the half at 33-32 with a bucket at the other end.

UMaine shot 40 percent from the field in the first half, led by Reid-Knight who had 10 of his career high 15 points in the opening 20 minutes. Binghamton shot just 39 percent in the first half.

The second 20 minutes belonged to Binghamton though, who came out on an 8-0 run to start. Gloger put a stop to the run for the Black Bears, cutting the lead to single digits at 42-34.

The Bearcats then went on another run, this one of the 13-4 variety to go up 46-36 with a little over 13 minutes remaining.

Gloger and the Black Bears responded with a run that brought them within three points at 46-43 before Binghamton hit two free throws to increase the lead back up to five.

Gloger and Reid-Knight kept the Black Bears in it but the Bearcat offense was ultimately too much, getting the 73-58 victory.

University of Maine redshirt-sophomore Ethan Mackey is coming off of a career week for the men’s basketball team. The 6-foot-7 forward scored a career high 24 points against the University at Albany last week before grabbing 10 rebounds and adding two blocks against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell five days later.

“It was a confidence booster having a career high in a close game against a good team,” Mackey said. “Not being able to get the win was disappointing and is always the goal, so it does take away from the milestone.”

Mackey started playing basketball in the third grade along with many other sports until he ultimately decided to devote his time strictly to the hardwood.

“As a kid I played baseball, soccer and football, but when I got to high school I focused only on basketball because I was best at it,” Mackey said.

Mackey continued to work at the sport he loved before ultimately joining head coach Ted Woodward at UMaine.

“My goal my whole life was to become a Division-I player and I did not think I was good enough coming out of high school, so I did a year at a prep school where our coach helped me do what it took to become a Division-I player,” Mackey said.

Mackey played at Voorheesville High School in New York. A two-time captain, Mackey scored more than 1,000 career points and averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. He later attended Northfield-Mount Hermon Prep, ranked among the 10-best prep schools in the country, to sharpen his skills before attempting to make it at the Division-I level.

“My prep school coach, John Carroll, did a really good job at making me play to my strengths and eliminating things I was not good at,” Mackey said.

Mackey redshirted during his freshman year UMaine and played minimum time in the 2012-2013 season.

“Both prep school, my redshirt year, and last year when I didn’t play — it really helped me take a look at the game and see what was effective,” Mackey said. “I attribute my success to all my previous coaches, especially my prep school coach who made it very clear what I had to do to be successful.”

Mackey is shooting 64.1 percent on the season playing about 16 minutes a game. Mackey grabbed seven rebounds and missed only one shot from the field, going 11-12, to add to his career-high scoring output against the Great Danes.

Despite Mackey’s recent successes, the team continues to struggle. The Black Bears are 3-16 on the season and have now lost six straight following Sunday’s defeat to Stony Brook University.

“The season has been somewhat disappointing this year because of our record so far,” Mackey said. “This is because we are young and don’t have a lot of experience playing together. I think when we play to our strengths, we are a very good team.”

The Black Bears will need some more solid games from Mackey if they look to turn things around this season.

“I think we need to play better defense, rebound better, and move the ball well,” Mackey said. “When we move the ball we create lots of opportunities to score.”

Despite only netting 2 points on 1-2 shooting in the loss to UML, Mackey still found ways to contribute as evidenced by his work on the glass.

“My favorite part of the game is rebounding and going hard after the ball,” Mackey said.

Despite his uptick in play, he still sees ways to improve.

“I need to work on guarding post players better,” Mackey said. “I don’t do a good job playing against good post players one-on-one on the block. I also need to do a better job at helping on defense when someone is driving [to the basket].”

Mackey remains motivated and looks to be not only a more consistent contributor but to remain focused and remember how he got to where he is today.

“The thing that motivates me the most is knowing how hard I have worked my whole life to be where I am now. This makes me want to never give up on any play and play as hard as I can every possession.”

The Black Bears will need more of that kind of heart if they hope to get back in the win column against rival University of New Hampshire in Durham Jan. 29.

The Atlantic Division in the NBA’s Eastern Conference is going to see some changes in rankings this season.

The Boston Celtics have dominated the division for years, including a string of five titles in a row before last season’s third place finish.

The New York Knicks moved into position as the best in the Atlantic last season, but things could be a little different this year with the additions of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets.

Look out for the Toronto Raptors this year as well. They could potentially snag the eighth playoff seed in the East, but let’s not go too far into the East as a whole just yet.

The Knicks will most likely win it again. The Nets will have to get used to their new roster and the way Jason Kidd, their new head coach, runs things and it could cost them some wins. Although I do see the Nets getting the better of their New York rivals come playoff time, assuming both reach the postseason, the Knicks have proven to be a formidable regular season squad and should hold off Brooklyn for the top spot.

The thing Brooklyn needs to watch out for is sliding in the standings when they rest their veterans in the regular season. Resting them could cost them some wins and that could make the Nets slide from a 3- to a 4-seed overall in the conference and give them a significantly harder matchup in the first round of the playoffs.

Third in the division will be either Boston or Toronto. For The Celtics, if Rondo comes back at a reasonable time and plays like the Rondo of old, they could make a run at the last playoff spot. Add Avery Bradley, Jeff Green and some more talent and they won’t be as bad as most fans are expecting.

The Raptors might actually be better than the Celtics this year — a shocker, I know — given all the changes to Boston’s roster this season. Again, it depends on how the Celtics cope with this new team and atmosphere, but Toronto’s squad with Rudy Gay at the helm may surprise teams.

If the Raptors best the Celtics and finish third in the division, it would be the first time they’ve cracked the top three in the Atlantic in three seasons. The last time was when they finished 40-42 in 2009-10. If the Raptors sneak in with a No. 8-seed, it would be the first time they’ve reached the postseason since they fell in five games to the Orlando Magic in the first round in 2008.

The 76ers will likely round out the bottom of the division. Philadelphia just has too much uncertainty and with what happened with Andrew Bynum last year and first-round pick Nerlens Noel sitting out the season, I don’t see it going well for the Sixers. Losing Jrue Holiday, who was without a doubt their best offensive player last season, to the New Orleans Pelicans doesn’t help their chances either.

The Atlantic Division will have some changes this year. Expect to see the Knicks and Nets battle it out for the division, with each likely will have a top five seed in the East playoff picture. Look for the Raptors to surpass the Celtics this year if Boston doesn’t figure it out. Both teams could be fighting for the last one or two playoff spots.

No matter what, this division will offer plenty of action and drama with the New York rivalry and the former Celtics playing in Brooklyn. A young and upcoming Raptors team adds to the mix.

The No. 11 University of Maine football team improved to 7-1 Saturday afternoon when they beat the No. 18 Villanova University Wildcats 37-35 to remain unbeaten in Colonial Athletic Association play with a record of 4-0 in conference.

Villanova falls to 4-4 on the year and 3-2 against CAA opponents.

UMaine led for most of the game, but a late surge by the Wildcats put them down just 30-28 with with under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. With 8:45 left, senior quarterback Marcus Wasilewski ran for a 6-yard touchdown to increase the Black Bear lead to 37-28.

Villanova put a late touchdown in to cut the lead to just two, but an interception by UMaine senior defensive back Kendall James with just seconds left eventually sealed the win for the Black Bears.

Wasilewski was 28-34 with 337 yards and two touchdowns in the air while rushing for 80 yards and another score.

Villanova quarterback John Robertson kept the Wildcats in the game, rushing for 214 yards with four touchdowns and another through the air.

The first quarter started with a 5-yard touchdown for Robertson to put Villanova up 7-0, but a field goal and two touchdowns had UMaine up 17-7 at the end of the opening quarter.

Wasilewski hit junior wide receiver Damarr Aultman to put the Black Bears up 10-7 and sophomore running back Nigel Jones increased it to 17-7 with a 15-yard touchdown run.

UMaine put in two field goals in the second quarter and the Wildcats put up a touchdown when Robertson ran 41 yards to the house to cut the Black Bear lead to 23-14 heading into halftime.

UMaine came out and put another one in the end zone in the beginning of the third when Wasilewski hit junior wide receiver Arthur Williams from five yards out to give the Black Bears a comfortable 30-14 lead.

The Wildcats were not done, however. Robertson threw for a touchdown and added his third rushing score of the day with just 16 seconds remaining in the third to bring Villanova within two entering the final period.

The fourth quarter would prove to be just as close when Wasilewski took in an 8-yard rush to put the Black Bears up 37-28.

Robertson kept Villanova in it when he ran for his final touchdown after marching the Wildcats 65 yards down the field on a 12-play drive to bring them within two once again at 37-35.

Villanova would have a shot at a game-winning drive after forcing the Black Bears to punt the ball away with 27 seconds left in regulation.

James intercepted the ball on Robertson’s first pass of the drive to cap off the barn-burner.

The Black Bear offense was running on all cylinders Saturday, out-gaining the Wildcats by a 536-386 margin.

UMaine will look to push their win streak to five games when they host Stony Brook University Nov. 2 at 12:30 p.m. Villanova visits James Madison University the same day, with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

After a huge offseason for the Brooklyn Nets, a lot of people have penciled them in as not only the best team in New York, but perhaps one of the best teams in the entire NBA.

I don’t disagree with that sentiment. In fact, I think that along with the Bulls and Pacers, the Nets are the only other team that could make a run against the heavily favored Miami Heat in 2013.

I don’t think the New York Knicks are going to be a problem for these teams I just mentioned. The Knicks are a great regular season team but don’t really come to play when it’s playoff time.

New York can put up points, evidenced by their 100 points per game average last season which was good for 11th in the league.

But if the Knicks are going to be elite and make a run in the Eastern Conference, they need to shift their completely offensive-minded strategy and start playing more defensively. They also could work on a more pass-oriented offense instead of relying on superstar forward Carmelo Anthony to do everything.

Although a team’s best player is often called upon to carry the team when needed, Carmelo needs help – not necessarily with scoring, but someone who can create for themselves offensively as well as someone who can help out Tyson Chandler on the defensive end.

The offense was last in the league in assists per game with 19.3 in 2012. Point guard Raymond Felton is going to have to become more of a passer this year for the team to improve.

The defense was tied for 25th in the league in rebounds per game and last in blocks per game. Although not a shot blocker, Metta World Peace should add some depth and toughness to a defense that has struggled in that part of the game.

Although a good signing, the addition of sharp-shooting big man Andrea Bargnani doesn’t really help the team defensively, being just a career 4.8 rebounder and .9 block per game player. Bargnani has height, and maybe this year will be a breakout year defensively for him, but he doesn’t play like a typical seven-footer should.

The Knicks are going to need a comeback year from Amare Stoudemire after only playing in 29 games last year. They’ll also need defensive help from veteran Kenyon Martin to help solidify the defense.

The Knicks were seventh in the league in points allowed at 95.7 despite their defensive deficiencies, but it’s going to take a lot more than that to win when the postseason arrives.

We know they have the offense. We know Carmelo and can put up points along with J.R. Smith and Stoudemire. But in order to be truly effective and be mentioned with the Heat, Pacers, Bulls and Nets, they need to start thinking defensively.

The addition of World Peace could help them, but if the Knicks want a championship, they’re going to need to either adjust their playing style or make some sort of move at the trade deadline.

We’ve seen them blow out teams in the regular season with their lights out shooting and Anthony’s scoring prowess. In the playoffs, their scoring average dropped to 88.6 points per game, a good 12 points shy of their regular season average.

It’s times like that when a solid defense comes in handy. If the Knicks keep up with their strong offense and continue that come playoff time, they’ll be a formidable opponent.

But if they make some changes and play defensively, they’ll be an elite team and perhaps be able to make a run in the East instead of being just a regular season team.

UMaine senior Marcus Wasilewski always wanted to be quarterback. He never played any other position. He always knew he wanted to play Division-I football, too — and right now, he’s playing at another level to help push the Black Bears to a 3-1 start.

The Kulpmont, Pa. native is in his final year as the Black Bears’ offensive leader and is coming off some solid performances to start the season.

Last year was a breakout season for Wasilewski. He played in all 11 games and threw for 2,364 yards on 206-338 passing, with 21 passing touchdowns. He averaged 214.9 yards per game, rushed for 420 yards on 96 touches and produced three touchdowns on the ground as well. This placed him second in the Colonial Athletic Association in passing yards, third in completions and fourth in total offense.

Wasilewski is continuing that success this season with 739 passing yards, 5 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions in the Black Bears’ first three games. He’s completed 65.9 percent of his passes and averaged 246.3 yards a game in the air. This compares favorably to his previous average of 4 TDs for 581 yards and just a 40-percent completion rating.

“We’re happy with getting three wins but at the same time we don’t want to get complacent,” Wasilewski said. “In this league and this conference, ‘three wins’ doesn’t mean a whole lot right now.”

Wasilewski is also the team’s leading rusher and can scramble when needed. He’s rushed for 204 yards on 34 attempts with 2 TDs in the first three games.

The senior quarterback doesn’t take all the credit for his success and is especially excited about the attitude of the team and the locker room.

“It’s just one brotherhood. You can tell guys really care about each other on this team and I’m just proud of the way we’re getting things going with the offense backing up the defense and the defense backing up the offense. It’s something that makes this team different from any other,” Wasilewski said.

Wasilewski’s performance in UMaine’s home opener against Bryant University saw the senior produce five total touchdowns and 263 passing yards to go along with 64 rushing yards. He scored a rushing touchdown on the opening drive and hit four different receivers for each of his touchdowns.

“It was one of the loudest kickoffs at a home game I can remember since I’ve been here,” Wasilewski said. “It was great to see the amount of support for the home opener and we hope that continues throughout the season.”

Although the Black Bears are having a lot of success, Wasilewski thinks there’s more to work and improve upon.

“We need to work on being a little bit more discipline[d] and not having any turnovers,” Wasilewski said. “I need to keep working on my reads and continue to lead the offense in the right direction.”

Wasilewski is humble in his success and attributes many of his accomplishments to his friends, family and teammates.

“My father has been at every game since I was 5 years old playing flag football and hasn’t missed any games really to this day,” Wasilewski said. “He always pushed me to the limits as hard as he could to be a better person and better player.”

Wasilewski has been through hardships with his friends and family, including the loss of his mother during his freshman year of college. He uses all of his past experiences as motivation to keep going and fighting.

“She battled cancer for three years and I take that to heart with me wherever I go. It’s something that really drives me and my teammates know and it drives them as well. It’s just something that takes its toll but makes me push as hard as I can every day.”

“Marcus really is a football guy and a quarterback guy at the same time,” head coach Jack Cosgrove said. “He loves the game and loves the responsibility of being a quarterback.”

As the quarterback is an extension of the head coach on the field, both Wasilewski and Coach Cosgrove have been on the same page to start the season. Having that kind of chemistry and smoothness when running an offense is key.

“For the most part we’ve really been spot on in the decision making of things,” Cosgrove said. “He’s the guy that puts us in the right play.”

Wasilewski is also a leader when it comes to responsibility. The quarterback is constantly trying to improve and is his own worst critic when it comes to his play on the field.

“He’s still getting better, which is refreshing, and he’s a guy that will really look at his performance,” Cosgrove said. “A guy that’s able to take it all in and look back at it like that is who he is.”

UMaine’s fast start comes with a lot of expectations, but Wasilewski and the Black Bears believe anything is achievable this season with hard work.

“The bar is set high right now. The sky’s the limit,” Wasilewski said. “We just need to take it one game at a time and one practice at a time, and as long as we do our job and play to our capabilities there’s a great future for this team.”