Maine Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Hudson talks about the honor

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - The Maine Basketball Hall of Fame will be inducting the Class of 2023 on Sunday morning at the Cross Insurance Center.

Two County Basketball Coaches will be honored during the ceremony. Former Fort Fairfield Coach Larry Gardner and Former Presque Isle Coach Jeff Hudson are two of the inductees.

This week we will talk to both coaches about their success on the sidelines. First off is Jeff Hudson who compiled over 400 wins during his career.

Jeff Hudson):” I was surprised and very humbled. I was shocked to get the e mail. I have been so lucky. I was really humbled and excited and nervous about being inducted with so many great people.”

Hudson has always loved the sport of basketball. He played for the Wildcats in High School and then got his coaching start in Limestone in 1993. He became a teacher in Presque Isle in 1997 and took over the varsity program in 2000.

Hudson:” I worked at the rec. A lot of us coaches got our start at the rec in Presque Isle. I always wanted to be a coach and I was lucky I worked my way through. Going to Presque Isle was one of my dream jobs and I can’t honestly say it was with the girls at the beginning, but when I walked into the girl’s situation, it was great. I was so excited to coach at Presque Isle keep a tradition going.”

In his 23 years as a head coach of the lady wildcats, he recorded a 361-102 record for the wildcats, appearing in 6 Eastern/Northern Maine finals, winning four of them in 2006, 2012, 2013, & 2015, . He also won 3 class be state titles in 2006,12, and 13 From December of 2011 to February of 2014 the Wildcats won 64 straight games.

Hudson:” I got to say I was in the right situation at the right time with some incredible athletes and coaches. When we were at our peak, I think MDI was very good, Hermon and John Bapst we had a nice rivalry with. I think our conference was really strong. I think for us to be as successful as we were during that time is quite an accomplishment and testament to the girls.”

In his 28 year career Hudson ended with a 442 and 118 record and even with all of that success Hudson said it will be an emotional time when he is announced as a Class of 2023 inductee into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame

Hudson:” I have goosebumps you just saying that right there. It’s going to be kind of emotional I think because I know this is a process that included so many people including my family to help me get there. Being a coach is not an easy thing and you are away from your family a lot.”

Copyright 2023 WAGM. All rights reserved.