There won’t be any need for introductions for Chris Aube or Lonney Steeves in their new coaching jobs.

Both coaches have taken new basketball jobs that have a ring of familiarity to them.

In a handful of coaching moves this summer, Aube left Gray-New Gloucester to take the varsity job at Westbrook. Meanwhile, Steeves accepted the top job at Winthrop. Poland also has a new coach. Darren Littlefield will guide the Knights after Andrew Morong moved to the women’s program at Central Maine Community Collge.

For Aube and Steeves, they’re no strangers to their new surroundings. Aube is a Westbrook native and graduate while Steeves has been part of the Ramblers’ programs for two decades.

“It’s my alma mater,” said Aube. “That was pretty much the selling factor. It was a tough decision. I think I established a pretty good program at Gray-New Gloucester. I told the girls that this was the only position that I’d consider. It’s exciting to be going home, but it was also a tough decision to leave.”

Aube coached the Patriots for four season, making the playoffs every year. He went 44-30 in the regular season and posted double-digit wins each year.

He was expecting to return for another year when former Westbrook coach Troy Dunphe called him last month.

“He stepped down for family obligations,” said Aube, who will continue to teach and coach girls’ soccer at Buckfield. “He got a hold of me a day or two after he resigned and encouraged me to apply.”

The Blue Blazes have had a few down seasons in recent years. Aube said the squad lost just three seniors and have had 15 to 18 players playing this summer.

He’s excited about the potential in Westbrook but knows tough a Western A field won’t make it easy.  He also says the future is bright for the Patriots. G-NG won’t hire a new coach until September, and the summer program is currently being run by assistant coaches.

“They should have a very good team coming back,” said Aube. “They graduated some great players from a 12-8 team. This year they should have the best numbers they’ve had the last four years.”

Western B will have a different look to it next year. Three playoff teams, G-NG, Greely and Mountain Valley, have lost proven coaches. Lisbon and Poland will also have new coaches.

Morong coached the Knights for three years, going 3-41 with a program that desperately needed a kick-start. Morong brought energy and consistency to a program that had been missing both. Poland showed promise last year, and Morong was excited about the team’s progress. When CMCC had an opening with the with the women’s program, it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

That opened the door for Littlefield, who had been the boy’s JV coach at Poland.  Littlefield is a physical education teacher and Fryeburg Academy grad. He inherits a team that graduated just two seniors and has a good young nucleus returning.

In Winthrop, Steeves  replaces longtime coach Ray Convery — again.  Convery retired in 2002 and Steeves stepped in to coach three seasons. Convery returned in 2008 with Steeves as his assistant. Convery stepped down after a 6-12 season in which the program had just 12 players and no JV squad.

When prospects for a replacement looked bleak, Winthrop athletic director Mike Jack approached Steeves.

“I kind of felt the kids deserved to have somebody that cared and knows their way around the league,” said Steeves, who had possible coaching opportunities elsewhere before deciding to stay with the Ramblers. “It’s going to be a struggle. I kind of felt since I know my way around the league a little bit, we can work our around what it’s going to be like.”

Winthrop has been struggling with numbers. Because the hire came so late, hardly any summer program was put into place. Steeves has been holding a practice once a week and been getting just six or seven players.

“My heart was staying here with the kids and working here in Winthrop and try to finish up what Ray and I tried to start the last three years,” said Steeves. “We wanted to reestablish something.”

Steeves went 34-20 with three straight playoff berths when he was the varsity coach.  The Winthrop program is in a far different place than it was just eight years ago. So is the league. The MVC will have a handful of new coaches while Jay and Livermore Falls have combined and Georges Valley has joined Rockland.

“Last time, I took over we made the semifinals the first year,” said Steeves of his club’s 14-4 record. “We’re a long way away from that right now.”

Winthrop has just one senior returning, and an average of just five points of offense back. There’s hope that a group of five to seven players in the middle school can give the program a boost in future seasons.

“We’re trying to look at it as a two-year program,” said Steeves. “Not that we’re going to write off this year. We know this year is going to be about trying to learn how to play together and getting better. The future of the program is the next couple of years.”

kmills@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link