Non-conference schedule

UMaine's non-America East schedule has been released. It features nine road tilts, including three against BCS schools Syracuse, UConn and Boston College. The home slate contains four games (three of them vs. D1 opponents).

Nov. 13: @Fordham
Nov. 16: @ Norfolk State
Nov. 18: @ Delaware State
Nov. 22: @ Brown
Nov. 24: Quinnipiac

Dec. 3: @ Colgate
Dec. 5: @ Syracuse
Dec. 9: UMPI (non-D1)
Dec. 13: Kennesaw State
Dec. 20: Princeton
Dec. 22: @ Connecticut
Dec. 30: @ Columbia

Jan. 2: @ Boston College

Roster retooling continues

UMaine's roster makeover continues with the signing of Jerrell Boswell to a letter of intent. Coach Ted Woodward, on the heels of the Terrance Mitchell signing, announced that Boswell, a 6-0 guard from Covington, Ga., and Snead State Community College in Boaz, Ala., will join the Black Bears this fall.

Boswell was the sixth-leading scorer in the Alabama Community College Conference during his sophomore season, averaging 18.5 points per game.

Last season, he posted five games of 30 or more points, including a 45-point outburst against Northwestern Tech on Dec. 4.

He made 147 three-pointers while shooting 40.9 percent from behind the arc, averaging 4.9 three-pointers per game. Boswell had four games where he made 10 or more three-pointers, including 15 in one game which is the second-most in National Junior College Athletic Association history according to their record books. He was a two-time All-Region 23 selection and led his team to a top-25 ranking during the 2008-09 season.

With the commitment, Boswell becomes the sixth first-year player on the UMaine roster for the upcoming season. He'll be joined by:

Terrance Mitchell, junior, 6-3 guard, Faulkner State (Ala.);

Jacob McLemore, freshman, 6-2 guard, San Diego;

Murphy Burnatowski, freshman, 6-6 forward, Canadian junior national team ;

Mike Allison, freshman, 6-9 forward, Canadian junior national team ;

Travon Wilcher, sophomore, 6-7 forward, UMass transfer.

Leichner returns

Former UMaine assistant coach Doug Leichner is back on coach Ted Woodward's staff. After a year heading up a team in Ireland, Leichner returns to Orono.

Mitchell Report

UMaine has announced the signing of Terrance Mitchell, a 6-foot-3 guard out of Faulkner State Community College in Bay Minette, Ala., the same school that produced former Black Bear Fed Meeks (1999-01). Mitchell led the Sun Chiefs with 20.5 points per game as the team went 14-16.

Recruiting rumor trail

There are rumors circulating that UMaine will land Faulkner State Community College standout Terrance Mitchell.

Mitchell, a 6-3, 200-pound guard, led the Sun Chiefs in scoring, averaging 20.5 a game. He earned honorable mention All-America recognition for his play at the Bay Minette, Ala., school. In the photo, he lays a shot in over a Pensacola Christian defender.

A native of Milton, Fla., Mitchell would be the second Faulkner State basketball player to land in Orono. In 1999, Faulkner standout Fred Meeks was one of John Giannini's early recruits and helped build the Black Bears into a solid America East contender for several years.

Notes: Milton, Fla., is famous for being the hometown of PGA golfer and Ryder Cup hero Boo Weekley. ... It's also the town where a friend and I attended a high school football game in the mid-'80s between Escambia High of Pensacola and Milton. We went to the game to see a kid named Emmitt Smith who starred for Escambia.

One door closes ...

With the exit of Mark Socoby comes an opportunity to fill his roster spot. The Black Bears already have three freshman and a UMass transfer coming on board for next season.

Wonder if there's any chance of the Black Bears being able to track down a junior college scorer? UMaine suddenly has 35 minutes a game to fill and the team desperately needs someone who can flat out score.

You look up and down the rosters of every America East team and everyone (maybe not Albany, but Tim Ambrose isn't bad and Will Harris is close) has at least one or two players you pretty much know are going to get their points on any given night. The Black Bears never knew from game to game what they were going to get from anyone. And that would have been the case whether Socoby came back for his senior year or not.

Recruits coming in next year are freshmen Jacob McLemore (6-2 guard out of San Diego), 6-6 wing Murphy Burnatowski (Canadian junior national team), 6-9 forward Mike Allison (Canadian junior national team) and a sophomore, 6-7 forward Travon Wilcher (UMass transfer).

It's not reasonable to expect any of those four to be prime time point producers. Of the players coming back, Gerald McLemore showed great promise and must keep improving. But it is hard to look at anyone else on the current UMaine roster and expect a huge bump in point production. Not saying we couldn't be surprised; just not counting on it.

That's why it'd be nice to find a junior college guy who can come in and do what Muhammad El-Amin did for Stony Brook. Or, how about Fred Meeks, remember him? He came to UMaine about 10 years ago and provided instant scoring punch.

There have got to be guys out there looking for the chance to play, play a lot and score the ball. UMaine's got 35 minutes a game worth of opportunity.

James to FGCU?

According to a televised news report tonight, UMaine athletic director Blake James is a candidate for the director of athletics position at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla.