By Tom Haley
RUTLAND HERALD
What do Springfield High graduate Tyler Kathan and Proctor High alumnus George Davis have in common? What could a power hitting guy who wore the maroon and white of Proctor and one of the state’s most prolific scorers in basketball possibly have in common?
They are both members of the Little East Conference Hall of Fame that was established in 2012.
Kathan had scored 1,525 points by the time he graduated from Springfield in 2005 but the best was still to come.
His 1,799 points at Keene State rank him fourth all-time on the Owls’ scoring list and his 196 3-point field goals also place him fourth all-time. But he could also rebound. He pulled down 8.3 caroms per game for the Owls.
Free throw shooting? He knocked down 373 of his 480 attempts from the line.
He had a stint of playing professional basketball overseas.
Davis always had uncommon power at the plate. He once hit a ball over the right field fence at Proctor on a check swing.
He was inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame along with his Eastern Connecticut baseball teammates who won the NCAA Division III national championship in 1998.
Davis hit 12 home runs that season, tied for second in the LEC. His five triples were also good for second in the league that year and his 51 RBIs put him among the league leaders.
Davis helped the Warriors to a 40-11 record that season.
He grew up on North Street in Proctor directly across from Franklin’s Restaurant.
A couple of legendary coaches with Vermont ties are also in the LEC Hall of Fame.
Castleton graduate Bruce Wheeler is among the LEC inductees for his amazing career of coaching baseball at UMass Dartmouth. He amassed a record of 746-530-4.
When he landed at the school in 1972, he was also the men’s basketball coach and won 133 games before leaving that post om 1983.
Thetford native Gary Fifield’s women’s basketball teams at the University of Southern Maine had a record of 660-137, an 83% winning percentage.
It is little wonder that the floor at USM is named Gary Fifield Court.
Balancing actThe Castleton University men’s basketball team is taking balanced scoring to a new level. The Spartans have six players averaging double figures led by Darrell Hardge at 11.9 points per game.
Following Hardge are Joe Alamprese (11.6), Jackson Atty (11.1), Alex Blackmore (11.0), Remy Brown (10.8) and Johnny Torrence (10.0.)
It is a big weekend for the Spartans as they begin Little East Conference play on Saturday at Rhode Island College.
tom.haley @rutlandherald.com
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