WARREN — The Midcoast Athletics Center in Warren is pleased to announce its partnership with the Midcoast Elite basketball club (MCE) that sees the MCE call the MAC its new home. 

MCE was founded in 2019 and was established with the goal of being an affordable, competitive spring and fall travel basketball program, per a news release.

The program has proven exceptionally successful, the release noted, starting with just two teams in 2019 and having nine teams at the end of last season with athletes ranging from 5th to 12th grade.

In 2020, MCE competed across New England and took two teams to a national tournament in Florida.

This spring, Maine Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Jim Graffam is assuming the role of MCE Director of Coaching.

Graffam will not only be the head coach of several MCE teams, but will also mentor and assist all of the MCE coaches to ensure consistency and solid fundamentals throughout the entire program. He will also run all of MCE’s weekly skills & drills sessions at The MAC.

In his spare time, Graffam is heading up Maine’s only Professional Basketball Association team, the Midcoast Sternmen, whose players will partner with MCE and The MAC, giving MCE athletes direct access to former collegiate and current professional basketball players.

Brad Galley will continue as the brains behind the MCE organization, and Richie Oliver will continue as the the MAC’s Director of Basketball Operations. 

“We are SO excited about this partnership for SO many reasons,” said MAC owner Rachel Coor in a statement. “With the incorporation of travel basketball into our already amazing community, we are not only able to offer MCE athletes an amazing practice facility, but MCE athletes will also be offered weekly strength and conditioning training, as well as nutrition planning, at Hybrid Fitness, ALL INCLUDED in the MCE package! No hidden costs, fees, or last-minute expenses. It really is the full package – more bang for the buck with a lot less travel for our midcoast families!” 

“This new partnership will allow midcoast Maine’s most dedicated, hard-working, and talented basketball athletes the opportunity to compete together throughout Maine, New England, and nationally, beyond the typical school-based season,” Coor continued. “Our goal is to raise the bar for basketball excellence in the midcoast. We are committed to helping our athletes learn, grow, and ultimately use their experiences on the court, to give back to the communities they live in.”