Local Retired Sports Writer Among Those Inducted Into Maine Basketball Hall Of Fame

In over three decades as a sports reporter and editor for the Kennebec Journal, Gary Hawkins has covered thousands of local high school sports contests. Hawkins retired recently from the KJ, but he has not retired from coaching. Hawkins started coaching basketball at St. Mary's/St. Michael's middle school in Augusta some 43 years ago. And he is still there.

"Hawk" has groomed a number of  All State Maine basketball players over his years of coaching. You would be hard pressed to find an ex player of his with anything bad to say about him or his style of coaching.

And now he will be inducted into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame.

According to the Portland Press Herald, Hawkins and current Erskine Academy boys basketball coach Tim Bonsant  will headline a class including 18 individuals and six members of the Legends class.

Other people with local ties to Central Maine due to be inducted include Cameron Brown (University of Maine at Farmington), Derek Counts (Oak Grove-Coburn) and Kissy Walker (Husson, Cony).  A complete list of this years inductees can be seen on the Press Heralds website.

The 2017 Hall of Fame class will be formally inducted into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 20 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.