Basketball a bonding force for East Millinocket own family all through championship season and constantly

It’s just every other road experience this weekend for Stephanie Thompson and her daughter Morgan. The first leg changed into Friday night’s go to Williamstown, Massachusetts, to watch the Husson University guys’ basketball team and sophomore shield Justin Thompson — Stephanie’s son and Morgan’s brother — face Williams College within the first spherical of the NCAA Division III tournament. Then Saturday’s journey lower back domestic to East Millinocket will consist of an afternoon stop on the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor wherein Darrick and Travis Thompson — Stephanie’s husband and their younger son — wish to lead Schenck High School past Forest Hills of Jackman in the Class D country championship sport.

Weekends full of the basketball-related journey are not anything new for the Thompsons. However, this winter’s run of the circle of relatives’ achievement on the court has made lifestyles even more stressful than usual. Stephanie Thompson, better recognized to Maine excessive faculty basketball fanatics as Stephanie Carter, found out the final month that she will be inducted into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame in August. Thompson scored 2,167 points whilst leading Schenck to 3 straight Class C state championships for the past due 1980s and was named 1989 Miss Maine Basketball earlier than gambling at the University of Maine and Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.

“One my buddies in coaching are [Central of Corinth girls basketball coach] Jamie Russell, and ever because I’ve acknowledged Jamie, he’s known as me Stephanie Carter’s husband,” Darrick said. “I’m appropriate with that. She’s humble. She’s all about her circle of relatives and her kids. She’s the glue behind us all.” Last weekend, Darrick Thompson and event maximum precious player Travis Thompson, the youngest of the 3 kids, led Schenck to the Class D North championship in Bangor. Justin helped Husson capture the North Atlantic Conference identify at the University of Maine at Farmington.

“We’d be lying if we stated we didn’t consider it, but for it to honestly manifest is surreal,” stated Darrick, who works as a hydroelectric technician for Brookfield Renewable. “The manner it’s all played out, it’s like a storybook. It’s a first-rate balance of trying to revel in it even as it’s all occurring and nevertheless staying centered on the country game.” That makes the street trips even extra interesting nowadays for Stephanie and Morgan — who like her brothers, scored 1,000 factors in a Schenck uniform — as they now aren’t as without delay involved inside the games. “At this point, they’re actually the two largest supporters we’ve,” Justin stated. “They’ve been balancing my brother’s games and my games this 12 months, and that they’ve been at everyone they could be at. It’s unique to me that they do that.”

Stephanie Thompson, in large part, left the basketball highlight after graduating from St. Joseph’s College with a nursing diploma. She and Darrick married in 1995, and Morgan changed into born 12 months later. Stephanie works as the facts technology director at Millinocket Regional Hospital. But each Stephanie and Darrick recommended their growing own family’s budding interests, which inside the Katahdin place inevitably protected basketball. “Growing up, I become inside the health club all the time for the duration of the iciness, and even in the summer, I had a hoop out the front,” Justin said. “I recognize they performed loads of basketball growing up, and their mother and father had been very invested in them and desired what turned into quality for them, and that turned into the equation with my mother and father as nicely.”

Darrick Thompson first joined the training ranks as an assistant at Schenck below Steve Levasseur for 5 years before seven seasons as the Wolverines’ girls varsity instruct. For the beyond 5 years, he has directed the boy’s crew, which enabled him to train all 3 of their youngsters. Morgan and Justin, the latter a Bangor Daily News All-Maine desire in 2016 and 2017, played in regional championship games for their dad. Morgan’s 2013 group fell to Washburn inside the center of that school’s run of 5 instantly Class D country titles. Justin’s 2016 membership lost to the first of George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill’s three consecutive Class C state championship groups. Those near calls may have made closing weekend’s title win by using the Schenck boys team even more satisfying for the own family.

“I’m happy for dad and Trav that they have been capable of doing this,” said Morgan Thompson, who this spring will conclude her graduate studies in business administration and accounting at Husson. “I suppose they knew they’d be the team to win Class D this 12 months; they simply needed to placed the pieces together and that they’ve performed definitely properly inside the event.” Not simplest did Travis Thompson, the lone senior starter, assist attain that crew accomplishment. Still, he additionally joined his siblings within the 1,000-point membership past due in Schenck’s championship-recreation victory over Jonesport-Beals — though he turned into many of the final to recognize. “Darrick and I mentioned it and decided we weren’t going to mention a word because it might simply be a distraction from his final purpose of triumphing a championship,” Stephanie said.

“Then I asked Trav after the game are you satisfied we didn’t tell you, and he said, ‘Yeah, because it might have simply delivered to the stress.’” Additionally, the regional triumph was an education leap forward for Darrick Thompson, who guided Schenck to its first crown since it won the 2010 Class D kingdom championship.“I admire Darrick for what he’s done. He truly has that coaching mind,” Stephanie said. “You may be correct at a sport and realize loads about recreation and now not always be a terrific instructor a first-rate motivator. However, he’s genuinely achieved nicely with that.” While their reviews on the court were memorable, the Thompson circle of relatives sees gambling the game as providing lessons they desire will retain to serve them nicely beyond the outside hoops and gyms that helped form their increase. “I suppose sports activities in fashionable are a huge a part of our lives,” Stephanie said. “When they’re not playing it, in all likelihood seventy-five percent of the time it’s on our TV whether it’s basketball or soccer or something. “You reflect onconsideration on how difficult you need to paintings to achieve success in sports; however, it’s the equal manner honestly in life, too. We’ve attempted to instill that in all the kids, and so far, so correct. I’m truely proud of all of them.”