They both started bouncing basketballs at about age nine, one in Boothbay and the other in Bath. They both went on to serve their country, one in the Army and National Guard and the other in the Coast Guard. But it wasn’t until a chance meeting at a birthday party in Boothbay in January 1996 that Lesley Carter and Brian Blethen met and started talking about basketball. 

That conversation never really stopped. 

After marrying, Lesley and Brian began coaching girls’ basketball together. By their best estimate, they have coached over 300 kids from the Boothbay region throughout the years. Some came through more than once. All were memorable. Each was part of a growing circle of young women who loved the rhythm of the bouncing ball, the camaraderie of a team, and the steady guidance of coaches who showed up for them again and again. 

“I’ll be the first to admit,” said Brian with a chuckle, “after assisting boys at the high school with the legendary I.J. Pinkham, I never thought I would be helping out with girls’ basketball. But Lesley can be very persuasive, and I’ve never looked back. I feel lucky that Lesley invited me to be part of this program for so many years.” 

For Lesley and Brian, coaching came naturally because both had benefited from great leaders and mentors themselves. Brian credits Tom Maines, Tim Rice, and I.J. Pinkham among those who shaped him. Lesley added that their military training also helped. “We can provide a guided routine, clear teamwork principles, and leadership skills,” she said. 

For countless practices, in-house league games, and tournaments, the Russell Gymnasium at the Boothbay Region YMCA was their home court. The couple shared photos of team after team, with girls beaming in their Y basketball t-shirts, and the pride on Lesley’s and Brian’s faces was unmistakable. Those photos are more than snapshots. They are proof of what happens when a community invests in a place where kids can grow together. 

Lesley is a self-described “Y-rat” growing up. Her single mother depended on the Y as a safe and welcoming place for her children while she worked. Lesley swam on the Dolphins team, went to dances, spent time in the game room, and, of course, played a lot of basketball on the Russell Court.When asked whether they would still be playing as adults today, both Brian and Lesley answered almost in unison: “If it weren’t for the lateral movement, yes!” 

Clearly, the basketball gene runs strong in the Blethen family and continued onwith their daughters, Faith and Glory, who took to thecourt at about the same age as their parents. They started in Neal Verge’s fundamental basketball program, played through elementary school, middle school, and high school, and were part of the 2019 high school championship team. 

Faithreceived a scholarship to play D1 basketball at The George Washington University and now works as a CPA for Deloitte in Maryland.Glory, a former standout player for the Boothbay High School team and a current member of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy team, recently participated in the All-Armed Forces Basketball Tournament with the U.S. Navy squad and was chosen to represent Team USA in France this summer.  

Today, Lesley and Brian are helping make sure the next generation has the same chance to fall in love with the game.The Blethen’s were the first donors to make a long-term pledge to name one of the new basketball hoops in the Russell Gymnasium as part of the Y-Hoops Campaign to renovate the gym. For Brian, the reason is simple. “The gym is the first activated space you see when you walk into the Y,” he said. “Since basketball is a great evener and anyone from any background can play, the gym should reflect that inclusion. It’s a matter of respect.” 

Lesley agrees. “There are always kids playing in that gym,” she said. “And those hoops are the same hoops I sank balls in when I was a kid and when my kids were young. We need new ones, and updating them to electronic hoops that can go up and down based on height will make all of the difference in the world.”   

In addition to the Blethen family naming a hoop, they have each made separate gifts to fund their own jersey numbers, one of the creative fundraising ideas Lesley helped develop when the Y-Hoops committee was brainstorming ways to invite more people into the effort. 

For a gift of any amount, one can “fund” a number, it could be their basketball jersey number or some other meaningful number, and make that gift in honor of someone, whether a coach, mentor, parent, child, teammate, or friend. When the project is complete, e donor’s name, jersey number, and honoree will be displayed on the gym wall. And if donor share a number, that’s no problem as all will be displayedin alphabetical order by the donor’s last name. 

Mike Harrison, the Y’s former CEO, dropped off a check last week in memory of his good friend, Dave Parkhurst. Mike chose the number 50, and said, “this gift is in honor of our 50 years together officiating basketball in Maine.” 

“I hope everyone who ever played basketball in this town will make a donation of any size, even a dollar,” said Lesley. “It will mean so much to finish renovating the gym. The new floor is beautiful, the new hoops will be wonderful, and if we can manage to raise a little more, we can get new electronic bleachers too.” 

The Y-Hoops Campaign has already raised $112,688 in gifts and pledges, and pledges can be payable over five years. Now, the campaign needs just $37,312 more to replace every basketball hoop and install a new dividing curtain, creating two separate spaces in the gym. For an additional $60,000, the Y can also replace the bleachers with new electronic ones, similar to those at the high school.  

And every dollar and sentiment counts. There are several youth basketball players who have made gifts in honor of their parents or their coaches. Bella Page, 13, a member of the Boothbay girls’ basketball team, said that she “gave in honor of Coach Lesley because she is an awesome coach, an awesome person, and she makes us all feel awesome when she is around.” 

The finish line is close. Now is the time for everyone who has ever played, coached, cheered, watched, volunteered, or simply believed in what this gym means to step onto the court and donate to help the finish the project. 

“We are a basketball town, with a basketball culture, and we’re darn proud of it,” said Lesley. “I hope everyone will participate and help the Y make basketball as central as it used to be. I think having a freshly renovated space will help make that happen.” 

Lesley is also a big believer in starting kids young on the court and making sure finances are never a barrier to learning the game. She often offers free “skills and drills” clinics for girls in the community in the Russell Gymnasium. She has already run one clinic this year and hopes to offer more. Be on the lookout. 

When asked whether Brian would be willing to help coach again, he replied with a wry smile, “Well, I will, if Lesley will let me.” 

To donate to the Y-Hoops Campaign, go to www.boothbayregionymca.com/donate. Choose the Y-Hoops Campaign in the menu. To fund your jersey number, add the number in the “Dedicate this Donation” section, even if you are also honoring someone in that section. 

Donations may also be made by check or cash. Please include your jersey number and mail your gift to:Boothbay Region Y-Hoops Campaign,PO Box 500,Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538.For questions, contact Allyson Goodwin at agoodwin@brymca.orgor(207) 633-2833 ext. 290.