DIXFIELD — Former Dirigo basketball coach Gavin Kane was honored during halftime Monday of the girls’ game between Mountain Valley and Dirigo.

Kane had been a fixture on the Dirigo sidelines since 1994, when he took control of the girls’ program and built it into a dynasty.

The draw of coaching at the Division I level lured Kane to break ties with the Cougars and join coach Cindy Blodgett’s staff at the University of Maine. Kane wears several hats for the Black Bears, including on-court coaching, recruiting, breaking-down films, recruiting and other administrative duties.

“I can’t possibly explain how much the years that I spent coaching at Dirigo High School have meant to me,” Kane said. “I had the opportunity to work with so many great young people, many of whom I still remain in contact with. I had tremendous people on our coaching staff who I thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of working with, and the strong friendships we developed. My family and I have made many lasting relationships with people of the Dixfield area communities. I also worked under some outstanding people at Dirigo High School.”

The Cougars ran off an unprecedented string of wins and titles; 13 MVC crowns, 11 regional and six state championships. Kane had a coaching record of 263-17, including MVC win streaks of 124 and 136 games, respectively.

During the run, the Class C Cougars became a model for other programs. The Dirigo teams displayed a strong competitiveness by seeking out, playing and beating all-comers, regarding of Class.  

“I have great memories of all of the teams that we had the past 14 years,” Kane said. “It wasn’t just the teams that were the most successful. I have just as fond memories of teams we had who were not supposed to be as successful, however, the kids worked incredibly hard, and we accomplished more then what was expected. I got my greatest thrill out of trying to lead a team that others didn’t think was good enough from a talent standpoint to reach the pinnacle of success, yet we were able to.”

Kane coached both the boys’ and girls’ teams for two seasons. In four seasons as the boys’ coach, the boys were 74-10, including three-straight appearances in the regional finals. In 2009, the Cougars won their first regional championship since 1983.

Kane was a no-nonsense coach, who demanded strict discipline. The players bought into that philosophy. Dirigo’s trademark man-to-man defense became legendary. The opposition simply couldn’t handle the pressure, which resulted in countless baskets off its relentless transition game.

Kane believes the greatest compliment he could ever get was when players come back and said, “Coach, you helped me realize I could accomplish more then I ever knew was possible.” To Kane, that is making a difference in a kids life and something he strives to do.

  ” I really enjoy the basketball experiences I have with my new position at UMaine,” Kane said. “I do know though, that I will really miss roaming the sidelines at the Civic Center when the tournaments begin shortly. I will always be grateful for the opportunity that I had at Dirigo.”