STANDISH —  College has been a constant learning experience.

From his studies to watching and learning from the bench, James Philbrook has tried to absorb it all and benefit from the lessons they bring.

No experience did more than the car accident he survived last April.

“The whole thing was a life-changing experience,” said Philbrook. “It was a complete eye-opener. My life changed after that. That could have been me, too.”

Philbrook was in a car with four others last spring when the car went off the road. Teammate Clark Noonan, a former outstanding player at Bangor, was killed. Tyler James Hall, the driver of the car, was arrested in July on charges of manslaughter, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident. Three others, including Philbrook, survived with cuts and bruises.

Philbrook and the team has tried to move forward from the accident, carrying with them a little extra motivation and responsibility.

“Being my roommate and being one of my closest friends here, with him gone, I just don’t want to let him down,” said Philbrook. “I want to do everything I can to be everything he was, too.”

It is the same approach his fellow Monks brought to the court when this year’s basketball campaign began.

“It was definitely different starting the year,” said Philbrook. “All the guys that are returning, they went through that last year. We all got a lot closer from it. There’s that extra motivation for Clark. He was one of the hardest working kids on the team. We don’t want to let him down.”

St. Joe’s went 18-9 last year before losing in the Greater Northeast Athletic Conference semifinal. The Monks graduated their top two scorers in Chris Petzy and Zach O’Brien. That leaves Matt Medeiros as the only returnee that averaged double figures last year. Still, the Monks were picked to finish second overall in the GNAC preseason poll.

“We’re looking pretty good actually,” said Philbrook, whose been out of action with a broken rib suffered during practice recently. “Everyone seems to be on the same page. We’re believing in what the coach is saying. I haven’t played in any preseason games, yet.  So I’m looking forward to seeing how everything turns out, but right now, I feel we’re pretty good.”

Philbrook was one of the team’s top players off the bench last year. He played in 27 games and averaged 15 minutes of action, chipping 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 points per game.

It has been an adjustment going from playing regularly at Edward Little to having a role off the bench, but Philbrook has embraced the learning experience gained from it.

“When you’re used to playing all the time and being in the game constantly and then going to not playing, it’s definitely different,” said Philbrook. “You see so much more that you don’t notice. You learn things that you can improve on as you watch teammates that are just as good as you are. It’s really beneficial. You can learn a lot from just watching.”

Philbrook hopes to do just that this year. He expects a larger role this year, especially once his rib injury heals.

“I feel I’ll be playing a lot more and having more of a role,” said Philbrook. “I’m not much of a scorer. So I’m doing little things like rebounding, getting guys open and getting other people shots.”

He’s excited about what he can do this season and anxious to see what the team can put together after facing its share of adversity.

“We have a lot of key guys and we’re kind of regrouping,” said Philbrook. “Hopefully we can turn it around and do a little better than last year.”

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