Shane DeWolfe knows he’ll probably hear a familiar taunt at least once in the Class A boys’ basketball championship game Thursday night.
At some point after DeWolfe has made a mistake or missed a shot, a Hampden Academy fan will yell at Greely’s senior guard, “Your sister is better.”
Which will only make DeWolfe smile or nod in agreement.
“She is. A hundred percent,” he said.
Shane is quite comfortable being overshadowed by his younger sister, Greely junior guard Anna DeWolfe, a Maine Sunday Telegram All-State selection in each of her first two seasons. And he’s pumped that the Greely girls also will be playing in a state championship game – against Hampden, no less – in the opening game of the Class A doubleheader at Cross Insurance Arena.
The girls’ game starts at 6 p.m. The boys game is likely to start around 8 p.m. – approximately a half hour after the girls’ game ends.
With the DeWolfes, there is no sibling rivalry, only support. Shane decided to attend Fordham University in New York City. Soon after, Anna verbally committed to Fordham, accepting the Rams’ offer of a basketball scholarship.
Shane loves his sister and is comfortable using those words. His smile grows as he brags about Anna’s talents and fierce competitiveness.
“Just like since second grade, she was always crazy, crazy with her ability,” Shane said. “Her and I used to train all the time together, and she was able to do some of the drills that even the kids on my AAU team couldn’t do – and we had the best AAU team in the state. She was just doing them like it was second nature.”
But make no mistake, Shane DeWolfe can play, too.
He’s a three-year varsity player, evolving from an energy guy off the bench as a sophomore to a premier defensive stopper as a junior and a confident floor general as a senior.
Greely has not lost with DeWolfe in the starting lineup. If the Rangers can stretch their winning streak to 44 games Thursday night, they will have capped consecutive undefeated championship seasons.
“He just has that leadership quality that is not something that is coachable, it’s just kind of that intangible thing that leaders have. When he’s in the gym, everyone seems to work harder,” said Greely Coach Travis Seaver.
This season came with challenges.
For starters, the Rangers lost their top three scorers from last season, including Matt McDevitt, the 2017 Mr. Maine Basketball.
Then came a knee injury DeWolfe suffered in the final regular-season football game. It wasn’t as bad as he first feared, but the sprained MCL did require more than two months of physical therapy. DeWolfe missed the Rangers’ first four basketball games and has worn a bulky brace on his left knee all season.
“Being an eager senior, I kind of came back a little too soon, I think, but it’s OK now. It doesn’t really bother me,” DeWolfe said.
His presence on the court was immediately felt.
“We were much more active, a lot more energy playing,” said senior center Jack Kane. “It was really nice to have him back. More leadership on the court. He’s just super vocal, outgoing, and cares about all of his teammates so much.”
Zach Brown and DeWolfe were the team’s two returning starters. Brown, a junior guard, has become Greely’s top all-around player, leading the team in scoring and steals and ranking second in rebounds and assists. Brown says DeWolfe helped him fit in after Brown moved to Cumberland in eighth grade.
“He took me under his wing and just taught me the ways of high school,” Brown said. “My freshman year, he’d do a lot of the drills with me. He helped me with my confidence a lot. Coming into freshman year, I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my game. Him telling me I belong here helped.”
DeWolfe’s injury has limited his lateral quickness. He can no longer face guard the opponents’ top guard over every inch of the court, something that was a key component to Greely’s success last season.
This season, he’s focused more on his offensive role as a full-fledged point guard.
That was plainly evident early in a 60-50 regional final victory against Westbrook, as DeWolfe pointedly moved the Rangers around the half court to get the offense set up.
Greely made 58 percent of its shots. DeWolfe had eight assists to go with six points.
A strong 6-foot-1 guard, DeWolfe can score when needed, especially at the rim. But he only takes about five shots per game, averaging 7.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds.
A student of the game, DeWolfe has been devouring film of Hampden, texting “non-stop” with Seaver.
“We just need to make sure offensively that we don’t take the first, quick OK shot. We need to settle in to make sure we get the good, good shot,” DeWolfe said. “In the Westbrook game, we showed that composure that we had, and that experience in the big games that we’ve had.”
Now there’s one more big game left for DeWolfe, perhaps minutes after his sister hoists a Gold Ball.
“For that to happen this year is definitely going to be a good opportunity and just a great experience,” he said.
Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:
Send questions/comments to the editors.
