2018 UMaine Sports Hall of Fame Inductee: John Gillette '65

Double-double the pleasure

ORONO, Maine -- Way back before fans, and players, talked about double-doubles, and when followers of basketball weren't so obsessed with statistics, John Gillette quietly went about averaging a double-double for his three seasons at the University of Maine.

In addition to earning three letters in basketball — speaking of doubling up — Gillette earned another three M's in baseball and played on the 1964 team that went to Omaha and finished third in the College World Series.

But it was on the basketball court, and in Memorial Gym, that Gillette had his greatest impact. His rebounding average of 10.2 per game is second in UMaine history and his scoring average of 17.3 per game is fifth all-time among Black Bears.

As a senior captain in 1964-65, he was named first team All-Yankee Conference after being selected for the second team as a junior. Both seasons he was voted to the Maine State Series all-conference team by the coaches.

It is somewhat perplexing that he is not so quickly recalled among UMaine's all-time greats. Perhaps it is because he passed away in 1996 of prostate cancer. Or that in his day, freshmen were ineligible for varsity teams. Or that the season was shorter then and he appeared in 62 games total, roughly half as many games as a four-year starter would play today.

But, those who saw him play have not forgotten.

"He was a gazelle. He could jump. He was so smooth," says Laddie Deemer, captain of the UMaine team Gillette joined as a sophomore.

Gillette did not come to Orono unheralded. Deemer was a senior at Class M Freeport High School when Gillette was a sophomore at Class L Westbrook and Deemer was aware of him then as an "upcoming star." As a high school junior, Gillette was selected for the Bangor Daily News All-Maine third team. As a senior he was first team All-State.

As a freshman playing for coach Woody Carville, Gillette didn't have much interaction with Deemer, but when as a sophomore he joined the varsity, the upperclassmen knew he was going to be an immediate help, according to Deemer.

Coach Brian McCall thought so too, and Gillette started as a sophomore, as did classmate David Svendsen. The two sophomores trailed only Deemer in scoring that season and only senior Art Warren in rebounding. Gillette's scoring average over three seasons went from 12.1 to 18.6 as a junior and 19.6 as a senior.

"John was a very quiet guy," says Deemer, "just went about his business. He was always there. I could find him open a lot inside. He could free himself up."

An offensive force on the basketball court, Gillette was known for his defense on the baseball diamond, according to Stump Merrill, catcher on the '64 team.

Coach Jack Butterfield "thought defense was more important than offense," according to Merrill. Gillette was "a big target and pretty good with the glove," adds Merrill.

Gillette committed only one error all season in '64. "I know he was a hell of a target to throw to as a catcher," adds Merrill.

After leaving Maine, Gillette joined the staff at Lewiston High School as a chemistry teacher, assistant to varsity basketball coach Fern Masse, and varsity baseball coach, with Masse as his assistant. In the mid-'70s he moved across the Androscoggin River to Auburn as a chemistry teacher and varsity basketball coach at Edward Little High School. Since his death, the MVP award on the Edward Little team is named for him, as is the championship trophy for the city's men's recreation basketball league.

Deemer and Masse both recall playing with Gillette on the Cooper's Restaurant basketball team and enjoying hamburgers, french fries and a beer at Cooper's afterward.

Even at Cooper's, Deemer recalls, "John was pretty quiet, though he could be jovial at times."

"Great guy," adds Masse, "a class guy."

The University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame will induct a 10-member class to the 195-member hall at a ceremony held on Friday, Oct. 5 at the Black Bear Inn and Conference Center. For a full list of this year's inductees, please click HERE.

-UMaine-

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