Basketball was in Amy’s DNA as she followed her dad, Hall of Fame coach Paul Vachon, from gym to gym as a five -year- old. She grew up with the sound of squeaking sneakers, the shrill of whistles, and the constant need to outwork others. Children of coaches often soak the game in through a kind of osmosis; Amy Vachon is one of our best examples of that.
The current head coach of the University of Maine women’s program starred for her dad’s Cony Rams during their unprecedented run in the 1990s; she was a four-time All-State selection and two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Maine. As a scoring guard who didn’t hesitate to take the ball to the rim, Amy served as a quasi- coach on the floor, and her unselfish style of play made her teammates better players.
Amy won two state championship at Cony and in her senior year she won the Miss
Basketball Award and was recognized as High School Athlete of the Year in 1996.
From high school, Amy received a full-scholarship from the Univ. of Maine. During Amy’s four years at “Maine”, the women’s program flourished. She was a four-year starter and two-time captain and helped her team to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Indeed, it was her 1999 team that upset Stanford in the first round of the tournament! The Black Bears went 87-35 during her career and in 1997 and 1998 they won consecutive America East Championships.
Her playing days ended and Amy decided to go in a different direction professionally. But, after a year or so, the game she loved called her back. Her high school coaching career was highlighted by her Catherine McAuley High School won the Class A State Championship in 2011.
In 2016 Amy stepped into the Head Coaching job at “Maine” as an interim for Coach Richard Barron. Her team went 11-6 and a berth in the America East championship game. In 2017 she was named permanent Head Coach of the University of Maine. In her three seasons, Amy has produced a 72-32 record, good for .692 percentage.
Amy Vachon will join her father as the only father/ daughter couple in the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame. Her career is so well deserved and Amy is a tremendous ambassador for the game we love.