Lewiston-Auburn Maples head coach Jim Seavey talks with his team between quarters during their game against the New England Trailblazers at the Lewiston Armory in July 2022. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Lewiston-Auburn Maples owner Josh Brister said there will be several new faces when the semipro women’s basketball team commences its second season in two weeks at Lewiston Armory. 

“To be where you want to be as an organization in Year 2 is mind blowing, bro,” an eager Brister said. “We are still meeting at the Armory now as a team and trying to figure out what is going on. 

“The Armory has the scoreboard with the Maples’ logo on it. People are buying tickets and people want news about the second season, asking when Mt. Vernon is coming and who is on the team — just the shear excitement behind it.”

Brister added that nearly 60 athletes showed up to the Maples’ girls camp this year, a significant increase from the 35 who participated last year.

He said that the team is  aiming to be even better in 2023.

“Last season was an inaugural season,” Brister said. “We competed, man. We won our division and went to the playoffs. We lost that tough game against Mt. Vernon at home. 

“Like this year we have a sense about ourselves, and where we are looking to come and say, ‘OK, what does it take to go and compete for the world title.’ … We found that not being a big fish was good for us.”

He said there are six new faces on the team, but they will have to remain nameless for the moment. 

“We’ve got a couple of returning players that will be back,” he said. “(Coach Jim Seavey) is still trying to work those contracts out. I don’t really feel comfortable giving names. 

“We are actually going to downsize the roster this year. We are going to carry nine to 12 players. That gives us some salary cap room and just some other things.” 

Brister said there haven’t been any new rules being introduced to the Women’s American Basketball Association this season. 

The WABA is adding a new women’s team from Syracuse, New York, to the Maples’ division. 

“We’ve added two more home games this year, so we went from four to six,” he said. 

The Maples’ first home game is slated for July 9 against the New England Trailblazers.

Brister said that the Maples will continue to hold promotional events, “but as far as trying to get out of our market, specifically Lewiston-Auburn, we are not. We have so much love from Lewiston-Auburn. We don’t have to appeal to the Portland market, the Bangor market, the Midcoast.” 

But when he heard an ABA men’s basketball team, the Maine Bulldogs, was also moving into the Armory, Brister was not keen on the idea of sharing the gym. 

“I just wasn’t happy,” Brister said. “We let it cool down. We didn’t get (frustrated) about it. One thing we told them is, ‘Look, you need to promote women’s basketball. What does that mean? Every time the Maples play, the Bulldogs need to be in that gym. The Bulldogs need to be there encouraging the women’s game. 

“That was our conversation with that ownership. They were receptive to it. They brought girls to the camp.” 

Right now, Brister is looking forward to those Sunday afternoon home games in Lewiston. 

“The LA-Maples are the hottest ticket in the summertime,” Brister said. “The Sunday 2 p.m. (games) … that’s our niche. We had over 2,000 fans over four games. We are partners with the (WIC Nutrition Program) and we are helping feed our community. We are so much more than a basketball team.”