Editor’s note: The Maine Sunday Telegram is proud to announce its All-State teams for the winter high school sports season. On March 26, we unveil teams for basketball, skiing and wrestling. On April 2, we’ll announce teams for swimming, hockey and indoor track.
Matt McDevitt did more than just dream about a fantastic finish to his high school basketball career.
He put in the work to make it happen.
“Strength has always been an issue, and I worked on that as much as I could,” said the lanky 6-foot-7 forward. “I worked on my shooting. I definitely got in the gym a lot more so my shot would be more consistent. And defense. I don’t want to be good on offense and be a liability on defense, and those were things I really had to work on in the offseason.”
The effort paid off. Greely went 22-0 and won the Class A championship, overpowering Messalonskee 59-43 to capture its first state title since 1998.
“Maturity-wise, Matt grew up a lot in the last year,” said Greely Coach Travis Seaver. “His focus and drive over the last year was pretty impressive. He just wanted to win and was willing to do whatever it took to win.”
McDevitt was the driving force in the state final. He made his first four shots as Greely grabbed complete control and finished with 23 points, including the 1,000th of his career. He also had eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists.
For his improved all-around play and ability to come through when it mattered most, McDevitt is the Maine Sunday Telegram’s Player of the Year.
McDevitt, who was also named Mr. Basketball, got the slight nod over Terion Moss, Portland’s junior point guard and Maine’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
Including the Class A tournament, McDevitt averaged 16.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists while knocking down 43 3-pointers. He also got to the free-throw line more often this season and made 90.1 percent of his free throws.
“He scored when he needed to score, he passed when he needed to pass, and the most impressive thing to me was that he became a great defender,” Seaver said.
In overtime victories at Falmouth and Yarmouth (triple overtime), McDevitt proved his big-play ability. He scored seven overtime points against Falmouth, including the clinching free throws. Against Yarmouth, he scored 33 points and made seven 3-pointers, including a tying 3-pointer at the end of the first overtime.
“Those are the shots that you’re thinking about when you’re a kid playing outside,” McDevitt said. “You’d give yourself the countdown, “3-2-1,” and hope they go in. When those shots translate into high school and actually go in, it feels amazing.”
McDevitt, the son of St. Joseph’s College women’s coach Mike McDevitt, hopes to play collegiately. Still 17 (he turns 18 in August), he would like to attend prep school for a year.
“I definitely think another year to get more mature and stronger will help me out,” he said.
ALL-STATE TEAM
Ruay Bol, South Portland senior forward: The 6-foot-4 Bol was a defensive presence who altered opponents’ game plans. He averaged 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds for the balanced Red Riots, who advanced to the Class AA state final for the second straight season.
Austin Boudreau, Thornton Academy senior guard: One of the best shooters in the state, the 6-3 point guard made 73 3-pointers while shooting 48 percent from behind the arc. Boudreau averaged 16.0 points and 4.7 rebounds, and was second in the SMAA with 5.2 assists per game.
Jack Casale, Cheverus senior forward: Named SMAA Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring with 19.9 points per game, the 6-5 Casale also grabbed 6.6 rebounds per game and shot 83 percent from the line. He will play next season at St. Joseph’s College.
Colin Coyne, Falmouth senior guard: A Mr. Basketball finalist, the 5-10 point guard averaged 18.4 points and 5.1 assists. He was among the top 3-point shooters in the state, making 52, and was a first-team Western Maine Conference Class A pick. He plans to play baseball at Bates.
Jacob Hickey, Winthrop senior guard: A Mr. Basketball finalist, the 6-1 Hickey averaged 23.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.7 steals while leading the Ramblers to a 21-1 season and the Class C South title.
David Keohan, Thornton Academy junior forward: The 6-4 Keohan was a first-team SMAA pick after averaging 16.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals while making 50 percent of his shots for the Class AA South runner-up.
Trevor LaBonte, York senior forward: The 6-6 LaBonte led Class A South in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.2 points and 9.5 boards, earning the Butler Award as the Western Maine Conference player of the year. A three-sport athlete, LaBonte plans to attend prep school and play baseball, and possibly kick and punt for the football team.
Matt McDevitt, Greely senior forward: The Telegram Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball winner led Greely (22-0) to the Class A state title. The 6-7 McDevitt, who is considering a prep year, averaged 16.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists while making 43 3-pointers and shooting 90.6 percent from the free-throw line.
Alek Medenica, Yarmouth senior forward: The 6-7 Medenica had the ability to dominate games inside and was also effective on the perimeter. He averaged 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds, and also chipped in 3.0 assists in a first-team WMC Class B season.
Terion Moss, Portland junior guard: The poised 5-9 point guard led the Bulldogs to a second straight Class AA title and was named the state’s Gatorade player of the year. Moss averaged 17.6 points, 3.6 assists and an SMAA-best 3.7 steals per game while making 52 percent of his shots, including 42 percent of his 3-pointers.
Jarod Norcross Plourde, Edward Little senior forward: The 6-2 Norcross Plourde led the Red Eddies with 15.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent. Also a standout soccer player, he will play baseball at the University of Hartford.
Taylor Schildroth, George Stevens Academy junior guard: The 6-1 point guard averaged 26 points and more than seven assists and seven rebounds, leading GSA to its second straight Class C title. He had a 61-point game with 12 3-pointers.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Joe Russo, Portland: Russo melded a revamped roster into a versatile but undersized lineup that played shutdown defense, improved its outside shooting, was the top seed in the state’s toughest division and won a second straight Class AA title. It was Russo’s fifth state title with Portland. He got his 400th win as the Bulldogs’ coach in the regional final.
Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:
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