Whit Lesure, the longtime coach at Bridgton Academy and a legendary figure of New England prep school basketball, died on Monday morning, according to the school. He was 66.
“The entire Bridgton Academy community is devastated by the loss of Basketball Coach Whit Lesure, 66, who passed away early this morning after a medical emergency at his home on campus,” Bridgton Academy head of school Diana J. Gleeson said in a statement. “Coach Lesure won four NEPSAC AAA championships during his 29-year tenure at Bridgton Academy, earning him admission into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
“He was beloved by his players, as well as the students who turned to him for support in his role as advisor, dorm parent, and college counselor. He was deeply admired and respected by his colleagues on campus and fellow basketball coaches everywhere. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Marybeth and the Lesure family. Coach Whit’s passing leaves an enormous hole in our hearts and in our community.”
Lesure, the head coach at Bridgton since 1997, led the Wolverines to NEPSAC championships in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009, and he earned induction into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. A player at Hobart College, Lesure went on to become the head coach at New Hampton from 1982 to 1991 before taking a college assistant job at the University of New Hampshire.
