BANGOR — The Maine Basketball Hall of Fame has announced its newest class of inductees, with two inductees having local ties. 

John Donato and Rick Simonds are among those being inducted at the Aug. 18 ceremony to be held at Bangor’s Cross Insurance Center. 

Other Class of 2019 inductees include Jim Beattie, Becky Moholland Irish, Derek Vogel, Doug Lisherness, Jeff Bowers, John Conley, Linda Whitney, Mark Reed, Mari Warner, Matt Gaudet, Max Good, Scott Saft, Stephanie Carter-Thompson, Gail Jackson and the 1963 teams from Morse High School and Stearns High School. 

Legends of the Game being inducted include Bill Burney, Dick Sturgeon, Jay Ramsdell, John “Jeddy” Newman, Mike Bouchard, Leigh Campbell and Hank Madore. 

John Donato

Donato was a three-sport athlete at Middleborough High School in Massachusetts and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. He went on to play baseball and basketball at the former Ricker College in Houlton.

However, it was in his role as basketball coach that John became a true legend of the game. His teams have won 11 Regional titles and 5 Gold Balls, his latest in 2015 at Lawrence High School. In addition, John is closing in on 550 career wins; an almost unfathomable number.

John started his coaching career at Houlton High School where his teams won 4 State Championships. John has coached at Mount View, Messalonskee, Hall-Dale and Lawrence. He is currently coaching the Orono High School girls.

Rick Simonds

Coach Simonds has spent virtually his entire life involved with basketball. After playing at Waldoboro High School and Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, he attended the University of Southern Maine where he earned nine letters as well as MVP awards in both basketball and baseball.

After a sting in the Army with the Maine National Guard, he began his coaching career at Bristol Consolidated School and from there he went to Ellsworth High School where he compiled an 80-30 record in his five years there and led the Eagles to four tournament appearances and twice reached the Eastern Maine finals.

Simonds is best known for his outstanding career at St. Joseph College for 23 years where he compiled a 466-176 (.726 ) record with 11 conference titles and 6 national tournament appearances. Simonds never suffered a losing season and ranks as the most successful head coach in Saint Joseph’s College Athletics history.

Simonds’ crowning achievement came in 1987 when the Monks astounded the basketball world at the NAIA National Championship in Kansas City by upsetting Biola College, which was ranked third in the country with a 29-1 record at the time. The national tourney win was the first of its kind for an NAIA New England program.

Reach the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.