i Russell stands out as shooter, stopper for Mt. Blue
Morning Sentinel
Russell stands out as shooter, stopper for Mt. Blue
BY TRAVIS LAZARCZYK
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 03/29/2009

BY TRAVIS LAZARCZYK

Staff Writer

Ben Russell could barely stand during his last game in a Mt. Blue uniform.

A few days before the Cougars' Eastern Class A semifinal game against Lawrence, Russell came down with the flu. He couldn't get out of bed, but the night before the game he was finally able to eat a meal.

During the game, Russell couldn't find his strength. He couldn't get his legs under his shot, and the Cougars leading scorer finished with one point in the loss. At times during the game, Russell was doubled over on the court, or on the bench, trying to catch his breath. Somebody asked, did he ever consider not dressing for the game?

"It didn't even occur to me," Russell said.

Nowhere near 100 percent, Russell felt he had to try to lift his team.

"In many ways that's the best game he ever played," Mt. Blue head coach Jim Bessey said. "He brings to the table the qualities of a winner."

Already named the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference North Division Player of the Year and a participant in the McDonald's All Star Game, Russell is the Morning Sentinel Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Cody Gilboe of Forest Hills also was considered.

One of the best shooters in the KVAC (Russell averaged 20.9 points and 1.8 3-pointers per game), Russell's offensive abilities sometimes overshadow his defense. An all-KVAC defensive team selection the last two seasons, Russell made it a point to work on his defensive skills after a point guard on a Florida-based team shrugged him off over and over again during an AAU game last summer.

"He blew by me seven times," Russell said. "I went to the bench and I said to Coach (Carl) Parker, 'I need help at the next practice.' "

Steady improvement has been a staple of Russell's game throughout his high school career. He tries to keep to the same ritual before each game. A few hours before the opening tip, Russell will shoot. And shoot. Then shoot a little more.

"Not getting a shot up until (pregame) warmups is pretty tough," Russell said. "It's just to get me going. I want to keep my shot where I want to have it."

"He puts so much time in, he has a great deal of confidence," Bessey said. "Because of that work ethic, he's not intimidated."

Russell and senior point guard Jamie Sawyer were two-year captains of the Cougars. Playing on a team loaded with seniors when he was a sophomore helped prepare Russell for a leadership role, he said, as did being named a captain on the soccer team as a junior.

"I didn't want to be captain. I didn't feel I deserved it," Russell said of his soccer experience.

Mt. Blue soccer coach Joel Smith talked Russell into taking the gig, and when basketball season started a few months later, Russell was comfortable in the role.

"I was just ready to lead at that point," Russell said.

This season, Russell expanded his leadership role. When the starters would come out of blowout wins in the second half, it was Russell who was the first one off the bench to offer encouragement to Mt. Blue's reserves and get them a cup of water, Bessey said.

"Ben is really an unselfish player," Bessey said. "No one gets it more clearly than he does."

When he was a sophomore, Russell often guarded senior teammate Isaiah Brathwaite, who now plays at Thomas College, in practice. Guarding a player with the offensive skills of Brathwaite helped Russell develop defensively, and this past season he saw the same sort of growth in Jake Malone, the player assigned to guard Russell in practice this season.

"(Malone) played me hard every practice. He's going to be a great defender," Russell said.

Next year, Russell will attend Maine Maritime Academy, where he plans to study Marine Systems Engineering and play basketball. The hard work will no doubt continue.

"I can't wait to get to Maine Maritime," Russell said. "I'm really looking to improving my defense in college."

Travis Lazarczyk -- 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

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