Renowned Augusta basketball coach Paul Vachon nearly died 3 years ago. Now he’s back in the game.
AUGUSTA — Paul Vachon’s voice echoes through the Augusta Civic Center with a familiar, commanding resonance. On Tuesday, the legendary Maine girls basketball coach stood at midcourt, barking instructions into a microphone as a swarm of elementary and middle school players navigated a 5-on-5 drill around him.
The 72-year-old Vachon is back on the sidelines, leading the Capital City Future Stars Basketball Camp, just over a year after surviving a massive heart attack and subsequent organ transplants that threatened to end his coaching career forever.
Vachon, who led the Cony girls to 11 Eastern Maine championships and seven state titles during his tenure from 1985 to 2008, was inducted into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. His health crisis began in the early hours of May 11, 2023, when he was rushed to the hospital following a massive heart attack. He was subsequently transferred by ambulance to Maine Medical Center in Portland and airlifted to Boston, where he received a life-saving heart transplant on June 4 and a kidney transplant on June 6. He remained intubated until June 15 and was not released from the hospital until July 2, 2023.
Even after recovering, Vachon remained immunocompromised and was unable to attend live games during the 2023-24 season—a difficult period while his daughter, Amy, coached at the University of Maine and the Cony girls launched a regional title run. "It was hard, but I knew I had to do it because otherwise I would put myself right back in the hospital," Vachon said. He found solace in watching games via broadcast. "(Streaming) is the best thing that’s ever happened because I could still watch games, so I’m thankful for that. … I’m thankful for everything — every day I get up is a great day."
As his strength returned, Vachon wanted to reconnect with the game. He approached Karen and Travis Magnusson of Maranacook to bring his long-running Capital City Clinic back to the Augusta Civic Center, where he had coached from 1989 to 2022. Karen Magnusson, who played for Vachon at Cony from 1999 to 2003 and now coaches the Maranacook girls team, eagerly agreed.
"It started when he said, ‘Why aren’t you guys at the Civic Center?’ and when I said, ‘I don’t know,’ he said, ‘Let’s do it,’” Magnusson said. She added that the reunion has been deeply emotional. "He’s back doing the things he loves, and that couldn’t bring us more joy. For anyone who understands what he’s been through and how good of a coach he is, it couldn’t bring us more joy." She also noted that the dynamic between them has shifted in a meaningful way. "The thing I’m most grateful for is that I’ve been able to create a different relationship with him. It’s more colleague-to-colleague, and for me, that’s been surreal."
The camp has drawn significant participation. A boys session is currently underway with 101 players from third through ninth grade attending from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. A girls session will follow the next week at the same times, with roughly 100 players set to attend. Volunteer coaches at Tuesday’s session included former and current Maranacook players, such as rising seniors Brennan Boyd and Jack Fontaine, as well as graduates Celia Bergdahl (2026) and Grace Dwyer (2022). Dwyer attended Vachon’s original Capital City Clinic camps and understands the weight of his return. "I was there through eighth grade, and I know (what) it means to him to be back," Dwyer said. "When he gets the microphone, you know he’s going to say something motivational to get the kids going. … With him coaching (Karen Magnusson) and me playing for (her), now I know where all that knowledge came from."
While hospitalized, Vachon admitted he did not know if he would ever return to coaching. He credited his wife, Debbie, reading the countless letters, emails, and messages from friends, family, and former players for keeping his spirits alive. Now, watching the excited young athletes fill the civic center floor, Vachon says the passion on display proves that the love for basketball in Maine has not faded.
"It hasn’t changed a bit," Vachon said. "Kids want to be part of it and come here and work hard six hours a day. It’s a great tribute to the wonderful coaches we have that continue to carry on the tradition of basketball that we’ve had in this state for many, many years."
