When Bob Fallon stopped by a car dealership Monday, he ran into one of his former football players.

The long-time high school coach was told that one thing that had pushed his former player through life was a belief that “If I can take Coach Fallon, I can handle anything.”

Fallon wanted to have a lasting impact on his athletes, and certainly this was another example of some success.

“It made me think on the way home, even though it was a toughness that he remembers, he learned something to take with him, and he feels it got him through,” said Fallon.

Fallon says that kind of impact and his longevity are what defines his coaching career and why he is among the newest class of inductees to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

The former Rumford athlete and coach at Oxford Hills, Edward Little, Rumford and Morse is among those to be honored Sept. 14 at the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island. Fallon will be inducted for his work in coaching high school girls’ basketball.

The latest class of inductees also includes another Rumford native, Doug Roberts, a standout player and current Sanford boys’ coach. He will be recognized for his exploits as a player at Rumford. Other local male players include Lake Region’s Matt Hancock and Orono’s Peter Gavett. Westbrook’s Lisa Blais Manning is named as a female player. Boys’ coaches recognized are Cheverus’ Bob Brewer and Valley’s Dwight Littlefield.

The Hall of Fame honors a variety of individuals from specific categories whose contributions have been vital to New England basketball. Inductees were selected in specific categories. High school boys, girls and coaches were selected by state. College Division I, II, III, Junior College and Prep School categories were selected without regard to state affiliation.

Notable selections include Marcus Camby, Manute Bol, Sam Cassell, John Bagley, Rick Carlisle, former NIT MVP Ambassador Ray Flynn, former NCAA MVP Dr. George Kaftan, Mike Gorman, the voice of the Boston Celtics, and Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese.

Fallon wasn’t aware of his selection until he was told by the Sun Journal.

“People in my circumstances, usually don’t get these things,” said Fallon. “They’d be looking for a coach with outstanding records.”

Fallon had mostly young teams and rebuilding programs while coaching the varsity at Oxford Hills and Edward Little. He also coached at the subvarsity level and currently is an assistant at Windham. As important as winning was, Fallon stressed more.

“You coach and you practice to win,” said Fallon. “I felt I was probably never going to be a great win-loss coach because I was always thinking about what else they were getting out of their program. That’s more important.”

Roberts was one of the school’s best players and was a key component to the 1976 club that won the New England Championship.

“I was talking to (Cheverus coach) Bob Brown about it when we were fishing,” said Roberts, who learned of his selection earlier this month. “I was surprised. I don’t feel like I was that caliber of a player, but it’s nice.”

It has certainly sparked some fond memories for Roberts. The team also won the state crown in his sophomore year in 1974. Between the players and coach John Shaw, it made a great team and atmosphere.

“I was just fortunate to play in a town that really enjoyed basketball,” said Roberts. “We had a coach that did a lot for us. It made it easy for me to be successful because so many people cared about the game.”

Roberts coached at Rumford for three years and has been at Sanford for 17 years.

Maine coaches and players recognized from the prep or college ranks included MCI’s Max Good, Maine’s Keith Mahaney and Joanne Palombo-McCallie, USM’s Diana Duff, Bates’ Emily King, Husson’s Dana Wilson and Bowdoin’s Ray Bicknell.

Nominations from each of the six New England states came from an appointed nomination committee. The nominations were passed on to a selection committee, which includes four people from each state and five at-large members.