2003-2004 SEASON PREVIEW

MOST PREP SCHOOLS & COLLEGES EVER
THE 28TH YEAR GETS UNDERWAY
GAME NUMBER 1800

   (Portland, Maine) Another hoop season looms large for Class Acts of Portland, Maine's busiest and best known men¹s recreational basketball team. It's the 28th consecutive year the team has donned it's uniforms and headed out into the cold to defend what may be America's best win loss record (1374-475) for any men's basketball team.
  This year's 2003 fall kick off has Class Acts Basketball playing in the newly formed Howards Sports Center fall league which runs from October 7th through November 19th. The regular winter leagues in Portsmouth, NH, and Gorham, Maine will be played in, but the squad is up in the air on the third winter league. Brunswick Recreation Department's men¹s basketball league, a tradition for over twenty years, appears to be down low on the teams wish list.
  According to the team's GM, John Fitts, "it just does not fit in with the other leagues schedules and they have been unwilling to be flexible and accommodate us."
  It appears that the winter league at Howard Sports will fill that void on Wednesday nights, although Boston¹s Basketball City is always an alluring option. Again GM, John Fitts; "We've been toying with the Boston idea for too long now and this fall would have been the time to try it. The league has been asking us to come down for the last few years, but in the winter it's too much travel, especially where we play in Portsmouth on Mondays. I bet you see us there in the fall of 2004."
  With an NBA like schedule during the month of November, the squad plays thirteen games over the period including seven college and prep school basketball teams. Starting on Sunday November 2nd, Class Acts invades the Sullivan Gym at the University of Southern Maine for a 1:00pm contest. It's the first game for coach Hendrickson since he faced Class Acts a dozen or so times when he was at the helm of the much respected Maine Central Institute Prep School basketball team. There are two first time challenges this season for Class Acts, Fisher College on Wedsneday, November 5th, and Rhode Island College on November 15th at 3:00pm. Both college basketball programs are coached by former college teammates of players on the Class Acts squad. Two more scheduled games include returns to ridgton Academy and the University of Maine at Farmington. These yearly rivalries are some of the more highly anticipated match ups of the season. Bridgton Academy Prep Basketball is currently ranked number 5 in the country and, as coach Leisure puts it: "we give the Class Acts mens basketball team the most respect. I tell the kids if you think these old men are rolling over forget it.... we don¹t care about the rest of our schedule as long as we can beat Class Acts. I only scouted a couple of teams last year, and they were one of them."
   Rounding out the fall schedule are returns to two schools with great basketball traditions that have not seen the Class Acts squad in a few years, St. Joseph's College in Westbrook, and Husson College in Bangor. There is a second return game scheduled with Bridgton Academy for December 4th.
Looking way ahead to the 2004 fall schedule, Class Acts hopes to pick up a few more prep school basketball games around New England, and has been contacted to play the division one University of Maine Orono Black Bears basketball team as well as Trinity College in Hartford.
  "Once we get our foot in the door we always get invited back...unless of course we killed them and they don't want to play us any more," Said Bill Simpson. "We show up on time, play hard, don't cause any problems, have a professional staff, uniforms, and get the job done. I think the word is getting out, we're a great pre-season match up for anyone."
  Spring (2004) usually brings out lots of mens recreational basketball tournaments, amateur basketball contests, semi-pro basketball tournaments, and even professional basketball tournaments, where there is a pay off if you win. Class Acts always appears in New England's two oldest recreational basketball tournaments, the Cohase Lions Club New England Amateur Mens Recreational Basketball Tournament and the Connie Bean Tourney, held in April in Portsmouth, NH. Other mens recreational basketball tournaments are scheduled in that do not conflict with these yearly events.