Moran appointed new Houlton boys basketball coach

The Houlton High School varsity boys basketball team has a new coach for the upcoming winter season.
Rob Moran was named by the SAD 29 school board to take the helm, replacing five-year coach Mike Fogarty.
“I am pretty familiar with the high school basketball scene just because I have been around it for the last 20 years,” Moran said. “I am going to put a lot into it. I am going to try as hard as I can to make them successful.”
    Many times a basketball program’s success is measured on wins and losses. Moran doesn’t believe that is a good gauge.
“It should be measured in how the players are acting to if high school basketball is a good experience for the kids,” he said. “I will put a lot into the season. I want to win. I also want to contend to get to Bangor, starting this year.”
Moran is not unfamiliar with the Houlton Shiretowners, as he has coached in the system, having the junior high team the last two seasons, as well as broadcasting radio games. Moran also refs basketball and soccer.
“I am excited,” Moran said of his new appointment. “It happened quickly, but I am familiar with the kids. I am looking forward to the challenge.”
Moran, who works for Community Living Association, has coached on and off, but has been more consistent in coaching since 1982. He coached peewee and peewee all-stars, as well as a couple of years of junior high ball at Hodgdon. From there, Moran was a longtime junior varsity coach for Houlton before taking his first varsity coaching job in East Grand. His next stint was with the Hodgdon varsity boys basketball squad.
Moran coached the Hawks to the Eastern Maine Tournament five out of seven years and post season six out of seven years.
“I have been coaching at the lower levels,” he added. “I’ve coached my daughter’s team for two years. There were a few years I didn’t coach, but not many.”
Moran is an old-school coach, with playing time based on a player’s work ethic and attitude.
“I want the kids to work hard and to try to achieve a goal, and the goal is to get to Bangor,” he said. “It takes a lot of work to do that.”
Moran is hoping to instill intensity and diversity on the hardwood for the Shires.
“We will mix it up on defense,” he said. “I prefer to play man-to-man, but there are a lot of times a zone works too. We will try to be up-tempo offensively.”
When looking at the Shiretown varsity basketball squad, Moran sees potential.
“It’s a nice mix of upperclassmen, as well as younger kids,” he said. “All the components are there to have a successful season. We probably will be a fairly young team, but we have some upperclassmen who will play significant roles.”
“I don’t see any reason if we work hard, focus and we improve, because that is the bottom line, players have to come to practice everyday and have a business-like attitude and try to work to get better all the time — that we can’t have a legitimate shot at Bangor,” he said.
Over the last few years, the Houlton High School boys program has developed a better reputation with opposing coaches, as well as other basketball officials and Moran will work toward keeping that character intact.
“It’s been a classy program,” Moran said. “I want to try to continue that. I think it has been very good.”