Josh Sprague Tournament Lives On
Teams of Three Can Come Play March 13
BAR HARBOR—Sometimes people make such an impact that their memory becomes embedded into a community, into a rock wall at a park, or into each dribble of a ball on a basketball court, and a lot of people’s hearts.
That’s how it is for Josh Sprague. Sprague died in March 1999 in a car accident on the Eagle Lake Road. The three-sport-high school athlete who loved the Red Sox was just 18. His impact, however? It keeps going on.
And on March 13, at the annual Josh Sprague Memorial Tournament, dozens of kids and adults will gather at the MDI High School gym, where they will cheer teams of three players on, and maybe even follow in Josh’s footsteps—not just his footsteps on the court, but his footsteps in other people’s lives.
Not only did Josh impact people when he was alive, Josh’s organs and tissues were donated. Josh helped at least 36 people directly that way. But he and his family have helped even more. The three-on-three tournament has raised countless dollars to help with local scholarships for local kids.
Josh’s story, though, his personality was more than that.
“One story that I will always remember was at a celebration of Joshua's life, when Billy Bishop and Mike Frongillo mentioned to me about watching and playing basketball with Josh at the MDI YMCA,” Josh’s father, Steven Sprague said. “They were around ten years old at the time.”
Josh and all his friends played pickup games at the YMCA in the summer. Billy and Mike weren’t quite as old as Josh’s gang. It didn’t matter. They still got court time because of Josh and his empathy.
“They said that Josh would always let Billy and Mike sub in for him so they could have a chance to play with the high school guys,” Steve Sprague remembered. “They’d said, ‘We tagged along with him all summer and played pickup basketball.’ If the tables were turned, I could never see myself letting some random ten-year-old play with me, but that was the way Josh was, helping the younger kids, and we will always have those memories of Josh.”
At Josh’s funeral at MDI High School, people remembered his kindness along with his humor, his hardworking ethic, and his empathy.
“He was my best friend,” Justin Norwood said. “We grew up at the Y basically, the old YMCA where the Abbe Museum is. We both loved competing. We were Y rats, they used to call us. There were 12 of us. We played basketball all morning.”
Then the older men would kick them out at noon for their own pick-up games. When that happened, Josh and Justin and the rest of the guys would find something else to play, to compete at. Pool. Ping-pong. Whiffle ball. Video games. You name it and they played it.
When the First National Bank held its first three-on-three basketball tournament, the boys were all in.
“We couldn’t wait to play in it. We loved playing,” Justin said. They might have even made their own t-shirts. He’s not sure, but it feels like it, because that’s how hyped up they were about it. The upcoming Josh Sprague Memorial three-on-three?
“This was something that Josh and all of our friends would have just killed to do,” Justin said.
And Josh would have done it with some finesse, a lot of competitiveness, and some mischief thrown in.
“Josh was outgoing. You know, you have those people in your life and you go and visit your parents’ house and you have that kid who ends up being better friends with the parents because they are so outgoing?” Justin asked.
That was Josh. One of Justin’s daughters is a lot like him that way. The extraversion and mischievous streaks combined makes a lot of fun.
“He was extremely loyal. If you were in his circle, he’d do anything for you,” Justin said.
And his friends and his family and community are loyal back. That’s why the tournament exists. That’s another way that Josh’s legacy is playing it forward, giving elementary kids a chance to have the kind of event that helped shape him and his friends.
“That was the kind of stuff we lived for. This was right up his alley. He would’ve been super happy to know that it’s his tournament,” Justin said. “It’s nice to remember why we’re doing the three on three.”
Their moms were friends in high school. They knew each other their whole lives. They became real friends, solid friends, the best kind of friends.
“You have friends, but when you start getting into fifth or sixth grade, that’s when those bonds become real,” Justin said.
After school, they’d walk to the YMCA (then on Mount Desert Street) on their own. First they’d go to Bee’s on Cottage Street and get candy with their dollar, load up a paper bag, and head to the Y to play those games after game.
Sports helped forge that bond.
“We would have been friends if I was in chess club, but I don’t know if it would have been as deep a friendship. I remember getting in fights with him, fights on the courts. We’d be going at it and ten minutes later we’d be walking to Epi’s,” Justin said.
Part of the beauty of sports and competition and friendship, he said is that it helps you know how to communicate, to forgive, to evolve, to accept challenges and differences and the occasional divisive call on a play on the court and still get pizza after.
“Sports is one of those places where you learn those social and emotional skills. It’s one of the places where you can learn those things really well. Sports made a big difference in our lives,” Justin said. “You create things you have for a lifetime. It’s hard to put into words what he meant to me and to a lot of people in our community.”
Sometimes what people mean is bigger than words. It’s about community, forgiveness, and cheering each other on. It’s about getting candy in a paper bag and having it be the best moment ever. It’s about recognizing a sweet jumper and the occasional double dribble. That’s what sports and friendship is all about and it’s part of what’s meant to be celebrated at the tourney.
THE TOURNAMENT DETAILS
The MDI YMCA has also named its Youth Member of the Year Award after Josh. This is presented each year at its annual meeting.
“He was and still is an example of the type of young leader that the organization strives to develop through its various programs,” Steve said. “Josh Sprague was a dedicated young man who exemplified caring, honesty, respect and responsibility, attributes that made him beloved throughout the community.”
According to Nick Shaw, “The tournament has been a huge success in the past and we hope to bring it back to life! We also plan to open it up to high school students and even adults next year.”
Acadia Youth Sports will present The Josh Sprague Memorial Tournament on March 13, 2024 at the MDI High School Gym.
Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Josh Sprague Scholarship Fund. Before his death, Josh was very involved with the MDI YMCA and MDIHS where he participated in many sports and recreational programs.
The hope is that Josh and the tournament will continue to inspire local kids to be their best person. The scholarship has helped community centers like the YMCA in Bar Harbor and individuals.
“The fund also helps families that need assistance paying for sports fees or island recreation teams. In the past it has also funded travel sport teams with uniforms and purchasing other items,” Steven Sprague said.
Participants receive a tournament t-shirt with Josh Sprague’s retired MDIHS baseball jersey number 5 on it. This number was retired at the high school when Josh died. It was the same number as his favorite Sox player, Nomar Garciaparra.