GORHAM — Being a collegiate student-athlete can be a job itself with balancing academics and athletics. And for University of Southern Maine men’s basketball player Keenan Hendricks, his life as a college student and athlete also includes being a musician and entrepreneur. 

“My teammate, Christian McCue, and I started a band,” Hendricks, a sophomore at Southern Maine, said. “We do a lot of cover songs and are currently working on originals,” he said, of their band, the Cukes.

This academic year, we are reaching out to former Midcoast high school athletes now playing collegiate athletics to feature their achievements, and discover what valuable life lessons they have learned and want to share with current Midcoast student-athletes.

When noting his greatest accomplishment (so far) in life, the Oceanside graduate said that being a collegiate basketball player and cofounding the Smoothie Haven, a Rockland-based smoothie shack, top the list. See: ‘Two 19-year-olds run dream business with Smoothie Haven in Rockland’

Hendricks said winning the Class A Northern regional basketball championship and finishing as Class A state runner ups in high school are also favorite memories. 

At Oceanside, Hendricks was a four-year varsity letter winner, earned All-Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference honors his junior and senior years. He was named to Class A Northern Tournament’s Most Valuable Player his senior year and earned All-State Honorable Mention as a senior. 

“I started playing at a young age as most kids did, but it was the thrill I experienced every time I played that grabbed my attention,” Hendricks said, describing his love for basketball.

What advice does he lend to rising collegiate student-athletes?

Get ready for a significant transition from high school to college, he said.

“The physicality and intensity are the hardest things to prepare for but getting in the weight room and playing against tough competition every day in the off-season will help,” Hendricks said. 

Academically, the six-foot-one guard was a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club and Student Government. 

In the classroom, Hendricks said his approach is to “make learning my lifestyle,” which synthesizes with his approach on the court: “To improve each and [every day]” and “to be the most competitive player on the court.” 

This season, Hendricks appeared in 26 contests, starting in two for the Huskies, and posted 112 points in 326 minutes. 

As a freshman, Hendricks appeared for two minutes in a one contest. 

Presently, Hendricks is mulling over what he will major in at Southern Maine and is open to a wide variety of post-college options. 

“The overall atmosphere of the team, school, and area drew me in,” he said. “Portland is full of opportunity and is located near other big cities.” 

He is also setting his sights on travel, and wants to sail the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. 

He remains motivated knowing that no matter how successful he is in any one thing, he “can always do better.” 

“It’s not to prove others wrong, but to prove myself right,” he said. “I think we all owe ourselves that.” 

His favorite quote is from Telamon of Arcadia: “It is one thing to start war. It is another to live the warrior’s life.” 

Reach George Harvey and the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.