Matt Gaudet’s induction into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday is a no-brainer. From his origins in the sport as a youngster at the Greater Rumford Community Center, Gaudet developed a propensity for leading teams to championships. He teamed with backcourt mate Daryl Gurney to propel coach Mark Karter’s Mountain Valley High School squad to the 1990 Class B state title, and he graduated a year later as a first-team Bangor Daily News All-Maine selection. Gaudet played a similarly prominent role at Colby College in Waterville, where as a sophomore guard he helped the Mules capture the 1993 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference crown, defeating Williams College on the Ephs’ home court in the championship game. Colby went 85-16 during Gaudet’s four years on the Mayflower Hill campus as he led the Mules in scoring each season and still ranks as the 10th-leading scorer in school history with 1,481 points. But his contributions transcended individual offense. “The easiest thing to say is that we wanted the ball in his hands every time up the floor because he was going to make something good happen, and he certainly did that very well to the tune of 85 wins during the time he was at Colby,” said Gaudet’s coach with the Mules, Dick Whitmore. “Matt’s one of the few that started all four years and was a leading player all four years.” Coping with tragedy Gaudet graduated from Colby in 1995 and a year later moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where today he works from his home as a loan officer for Wintrust Mortgage. He lives that professional life amid a daily challenge much greater than any he encountered on the basketball court, as the now-46-year-old Gaudet has been a quadriplegic since suffering a broken neck in May 2001 as the result of a diving accident in the Caribbean. “The athletics were a hard part to not be able to do anymore, but it’s a lot bigger than that,” he said.

Sections:  u.s.   
Topics:  Maine   Penobscot County   Bangor   

 

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