Urquhart takes over Katahdin boys team

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    Though not a new coach, Cliff Urquhart will be taking over the reins of the Katahdin Cougars boys basketball team this season.
    Dale Fiske, who had moved from the girls program to the school’s boys program, faced an illness early in the season and Urquhart joined the coaching staff to help.
    “As co-coaches last year, it worked out pretty well,” said Urquhart. “It was more of a blended philosophy and game plan. I had a lot of fun working with Dale and will miss him this season.”
    Urquhart, the physical education teacher at Southern Aroostook Community School, has coached SACS boys soccer program and girls basketball team in the past, while assisting the varsity baseball team. He has coached for four years on the varsity level.
    “My intent last winter was to take the basketball season off,” he said. “This year, I would have been content to do the same. But, I was approached by a couple of returning players about coming back to coach at Katahdin.”
    Once Urquhart knew Fiske was not coming back, he thought more seriously about the inquiry and decided to apply for the job.
    “I guess you could say it was more or less because the kids wanted me there enough to ask,” he said. “This is a great group of kids at Katahdin.”
    According to Urquhart, the Cougars return three starters and a couple of key reserves from a year ago. They possess a “good amount” of basketball skill, but more importantly “They have a great attitude, work hard and are respectful. I can’t say enough good things about them,” added Urquhart.
    Urquhart who says he is not a screamer or yeller from the sidelines contends he is more passive.
    “I’m usually pretty calm on the sidelines,” he said. “I don’t coach every dribble or pass. To me, if I have to yell and scream at my team players on every possession, every pass, every cut, every screen then I didn’t do my job preparing them in practice.”
    As a varsity coach, Urquhart believes in being prepared and adjusting his system to fit the needs of the players he is working with during a given season.
    “When we aren’t playing, I’m in a different gym scouting, looking at other teams,” said Urquhart. “I value and put a lot of time into preparation.
    “As a coach, you need to look at what type of athletes you have,” he said. “Are they quick? Big? Athletic? And then start to build a philosophy around that.”
    Urquhart — career 49 wins and 11 losses, including playoffs — has basic principles he applies to each season.
    “I want my teams to be able to know [their job] and perform,” he said.