Sixty years after completing a perfect 23‑0 campaign, the 1965‑66 Cony High School boys basketball team is being celebrated with its induction into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Press That Defined an Era
Coached by Dick Hunt, the squad deployed a relentless 2‑2‑1 press that forced turnovers and built a near‑30‑point scoring advantage each night. The strategy turned every game into a showcase of defensive intensity, allowing the team to outscore opponents by an average of almost thirty points.
At the heart of that defense was star guard Don Crosby, a Parade Magazine All‑American whose scoring and playmaking set the tone. Under Hunt’s guidance, the team transformed from a two‑win season in 1962 to a dominant force, compiling sixteen victories by twenty or more points.
A Community United
The championship win over Lewiston drew a crowd of 2,000 to the Augusta Armory, where Governor John H. Reed greeted the players. Two weeks later a parade rolled through the capital on convertibles, cementing the team’s place in local lore.
The legacy also carries a mythical 1919 title, adding a layer of narrative to the team’s quest for its first official crown. Though three teammates have since passed away, nine players and assistant coach Bob Brown will travel to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor for the induction ceremony, joining the hall of fame that now counts the Cony dynasty among its honored chapters.