SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine— Ryan Cloutier is Southern Maine Community College’s student-athlete spotlight of March. Cloutier recently completed his first season as a member of the men’s basketball team under Head Coach Matt Richards—a team that was crowned Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) champions, and awarded an automatic bid to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Tournament.
Cloutier, considered a sophomore, transferred to SMCC from Salem State University in the fall of 2017 as a Precision Machining and Manufacturing major.
Cloutier joined childhood friend and teammate Dylan Silvestri this season as part of the “Pelham Connection,” a phrase made famous by SMCC’s play-by-play announcer Jeff Mannix for their alley-oop dunks. Cloutier says, “I’ve been playing with Dylan since the third grade, but we never thought we would be playing college ball together.” Both went to Pelham High School, leading their team to an undefeated and state championship season their senior year.
In-between his busy schedule on the court and in the classroom, Cloutier makes time to be a mentor. Pelham Elementary School was where Cloutier met Bryan Doherty, at the time a fourth grader with Down syndrome. Cloutier recalls, “I met Bryan in the fourth grade, and then we were in the same fifth grade class together. I helped him with whatever he needed—we’ve stayed best friends ever since. We’ve been to Red Sox games and the Special Olympics—he’s quite the athlete.” Doherty works as the Pelham Basketball Team Manager, but comes to every SMCC game he can to support his favorite player.
The 6’5’’ forward averaged 12.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and more than a block per game for the SeaWolves spanning 31 games in his 2016-17 campaign. Cloutier logged double-digit points in 20 games this season, his most impressive showing was against College of St. Joseph (VT) on January 14 when he poured in 20.
In describing his experience in athletics, Cloutier explained, “Being here on this team is like joining a family. Everyone buys in and has the same goal.” Cloutier plans to return to the team next season as a junior, saying the expectation is “to repeat as conference champions and make another run at the national tournament.”
Cloutier, appreciative of his opportunity to play under Coach Richards, mentioned, “He’s always going to tell you to do the right thing. Just listen to what he says and you’ll be fine on and off the court. Coach wants to help you in every facet of your life.”
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