Wolverine Alumni Take Helm of Bridgton Basketball
The very difficult and unexpected loss of Coach Whit Lesure has been a significant shift for the Bridgton Academy community. Coach Whit’s nearly thirty years of love and dedication to Bridgton will remain with everyone fortunate to know him. While we continue to grieve this loss, we know one message from Coach Whit would be crystal clear at this time—put in the work and achieve the mission that we together set out to do.
In order to continue the mission that Coach Lesure set out with this season, and in a truly unique Wolverine story, Bridgton Academy recently named two of Whit’s former players, Greg Hill ’07 and Paris Horne ’07, to lead the Wolverines as Co-Acting Head Coaches for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
Coach Horne and Coach Hill were teammates on Coach Whit’s 2007 NEPSAC Championship team. As Academy classmates, Greg and Paris have, for many years, shared a long-standing friendship and love of all things Bridgton basketball. And while the circumstances are difficult, Coach Hill and Coach Horne are committed to working together to continue Coach Whit’s legacy on the court and beyond.
Coach Hill joined the Bridgton Academy staff in 2024 as an Assistant Coach and Admissions Associate. A native of Indiana, Greg went on to attend Texas Christian University after Bridgton Academy where he earned a number of accolades on the basketball court. A published author, Coach Hill continued to share his positive life outlook and leadership lessons after his college career in both the workplace and as a youth basketball coach. A passionate leader with a big heart, Coach Hill has created impactful relationships with our Class of 2026 basketball team, a team he worked with Coach Whit to recruit. These close relationships have allowed Coach Hill to seamlessly step forward into this role.
Coach Horne is also a well-known entity to the Academy. After his year at Bridgton, Horne went on to play Division I basketball for St. John’s University, making a name for himself in the Big East. Upon his graduation, Coach Horne entered the NBA draft as a free agent, ultimately spending time playing for several years in the Euro League including stops in Greece, Turkey, and Finland, and a brief stint with the Charlotte Hornets.
In 2020, Coach Horne returned to Bridgton Academy to work with Coach Whit as an Assistant Basketball Coach, a position that he held for four years, including working with Head of School, Diana J. Gleeson, in her first year at the Academy. During his years as an assistant, Coach Horne was an energetic and competitive addition to Coach Whit’s staff, along with serving as a Focused Academic Coach, dorm parent, and advisor. In short, he knows, has lived, and loves Bridgton Academy.
Our remaining schedule includes a number of NEPSAC AAA home and away games, and we invite Wolverines from near and far to come and cheer on this hard-working team now led by two of Whit’s most long-time proteges.
