Playing at the collegiate level, however, brings forth a lot of challenges. The competition is more skilled, bigger, stronger and faster. Both Hattie and Jace had to make adjustments.
“I was told I wouldn’t be able to play at the next level because of my height. And that always makes me more determined to prove them wrong,” Jace said. But he also acknowledged the challenges he has faced in college. “My biggest adjustment was getting used to the speed of college basketball. At first, I rushed my shots and couldn’t really defend well because of the speed of the players. After a lot of time on the court and in practice, I’ve adjusted better. Now I’m hitting my shots and playing better defense,” Jace said.
Jace Rocheleau creates space from his defended in a game from his freshman year of high school at Fort Kent. Photo by: Lisa Charette
For Hattie, it was the physicality that she noticed the most. “The toughest challenge transitioning into college competition was that I needed to become more aggressive. The college level is a lot more physical than it was in high school,” Hattie said.
With the increase in competition comes more demand. “You have to be really committed if you want to be a college athlete,” Jace said. Playing in college requires a lot more time and hard work. “It takes up a lot more of your time and dedication. Especially putting in the extra work by going to the gym outside of practice times,” Hattie said.
Playing at a high level also comes with a lot of cost as well. “Having time management is key for being an athlete. After your late practice or a game, you have to go home and do homework until midnight. It also puts a toll on your body playing against bigger, stronger and faster players,” Jace said.
In their first seasons for UMPI, both Jace and Hattie’s teams have had great success. Jace is academically a sophomore. He had his first season cut to just six games due to the North Atlantic Conference cancelling championship play over COVID-19. Both teams this season captured the three seed in the NAC East standings. Both earned a home playoff game against Thomas College. Both won.
The experiences from the teams’ recent successes have brought out the best in the UMPI community, as well. “In high school, the atmosphere was exciting. With the band playing, having cheerleaders on the sidelines and the student section full. The past couple of weekends playing at Wieden have made me feel like I was back at the PIHS gym,” Hattie said.
This exciting first season has had no shortage of great memories as well. The women’s team has had some great wins. They finished their division games on a five-game win streak, after beginning 0-5. “One of my favorite memories was celebrating the win against Lyndon on senior night by spraying silly string on Coach Kane,” Hattie said.
On Feb. 8, the men’s team defeated Husson for the first time since 1998. They erased a 20-point second-half deficit. “My favorite memory of college basketball so far is when we beat Husson. After we won, we poured our water cooler over coach and started yelling and celebrating in the locker room,” Jace said.
Playing high school basketball in Aroostook County no doubt contains many great memories. It can bring many important life-lessons for those who compete. But continuing to play basketball at UMPI can be a fantastic way to take those experiences to the next level. As Jace and Hattie have proved, with the right work ethic and time devotion, playing in college is most definitely worth it.
