Minutemen March Past Rider

Despite trailing the Rider Broncs 24 to 45 at the end of the first half, the UMass Minutemen overcame the deficit by scoring 53 points in the second half.  Senior Anthony Gurley deserves a great deal of the credit for the Minutemen's 76 to 67 victory, since the six-foot-three guard contributed 31 points while shooting 12 for 20 from the field.  Anthony "Agent" Gurley transferred to the University of Massachusetts after attending Wake Forest for his freshman year.  Sophomore Freddie Riley, the only other Minuteman to reach double-digits, chipped in 28 points while shooting 10 for 15 from the field.  The six-foot-five Fla. native made six buckets from beyond the arch, including a few clutch three-pointers that sparked the comeback.  The Minutemen now prepare to square off against TCU at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. 


                                         (Courtesy of Umass Athletics)

Season Starting Soon

With the season opener only five days away, the UMass men’s basketball team squares off against the Division III Brandeis team in the Mullins Center at 7 p.m.  Admission will not be charged at this exhibition game, however two cans of food are required to be donated to The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in order to attend.  Brandeis finished last season with a solid 22 wins and seven losses.  The Brandeis Judges advanced all the way the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III basketball tournament, their second time making it there in the past four seasons.  Brandeis is lead by their one returning senior, six-foot-five Chirstian Yemga.  The Cameroon native was the team’s leading rebounder and shot blocker, but he only averaged four points and one assist per game. 

            The Minutemen expect to march right past Brandeis as they prepare for the Rider Broncs on Friday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mullins Center.  Rider is relying upon six-foot-six Ryan Thompson of Mount Laurel, N.J. to carry the majority of the workload for the Broncs.  The senior averaged 17 points and three assists per game.  


                                                                    Ryan Thompson

                                                         (Courtesy of Google Images)

Memorable Minutemen

Since the University of Massachusetts was founded in 1846, there have been a lot of spectacular basketball players to come through the program.  Most notably, the legendary Julius Erving graduated from UMass in 1971.  Although he became famous in the ABA for his flashy, smooth slam dunks, Irving was limited to laying the ball in due to an NCAA rule that outlawed dunking at the time.  In 1988, Julius was given the honor of being inducted into the University of Massachusett's Hall of Fame.  The New York native practically rewrote the school's record book; to this day he holds the scoring title, most points in a half, most free throws in one game, and most consecutive games in double digits. 

                                           Julius Erving

                               (Courtesy of Google Images)

Another noteworthy UMass alumni is Marcus Camby, currently on the Los Angeles Clippers.  The 14 year NBA veteran was an unstoppable force while at Amherst.  In 1996 while leading the Minutemen to the Final Four, Camby was named the National Player of the Year.  He is the only UMass player to get more than 100 blocks in three consecutive seasons.

              

                                           Marcus Camby

                              (Courtesy of Google Images)

Minutemen Hope to Shoot Down Eagles

In an October 6th interview, head coach Derek Kellogg requests the support of UMass fans in the TD Bank Garden when the Minutemen go to battle with the Boston College Eagles.  Kellogg expects an intense atmosphere when the two rivals meet in the home of the Celtics on December 4th.  Derek hopes that soon New England, and the Boston area in particular, will become the "epicenter of college basketball, where for one day or one weekend every year, this is the place where college basketball happens."  
                                
                                Derek Kellogg

                           (Courtesy of Google Images)
 
    In order to have any chance to be competitive versus their ACC rival Boston College, the underclassmen for the Minutemen will have to step up and have a tremendous impact.  In particular, six-foot-seven forward Terrell Vinson, and six-foot-five guard Freddie Riley will have to carry their share of the defensive workload.  The Minutemen will have a tough night trying to cover senior forwards Corey Raji and Joe Trapani, who averaged 12 and 14 points respectably in their junior year.  

                                 Joe Trapani

                         (Courtesy of Google Images)

Pre-Season Polls are Published

    Despite losing three seniors in their starting lineup, Duke is still the top ranked college basketball team according to USA Today. Former captain Jon Sheyer is expected to be enter the NBA draft, along with power forward Lance Thomas.  Behind the experience of Kyle Shingler and Nolan Smith, Coach Krzyzewski has plenty of proven talent to work with.  The obvious favorites coming into this season would have been Kentucky, but freshmen sensations John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins both entered the NBA draft.  Kentucky has five players currently hoping to make the leap to the NBA, but they're still ranked fifth in the pre-season polls.  Other expected contenders include Purdue, lead by Bobby Hummel and E'Twaun Moore, as well as Michigan State if Kalin Lucas returns. 

    As a member of the Atlantic Ten conference, Umass has a relatively easy schedule.  The toughest opponent we play will be either Xavier or Saint Joseph's.  Unfortunately, both teams are expected to be in the top twenty in the nation.  Temple was ranked 13th in the nation at the end of last season, but dropped out of the preseason rankings due to the loss of senior forward Lavoy Allen. 

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/usatpoll.htm

New Season Starting

After finishing last year with a mediocre 8-12 record, the Minutemen are hoping to bounce back strong this season.  Head coach Derek Kellogg has high hopes for his team, but the competition does not expect much from such a young, inexperienced UMass team.  The Minutemen will have to recover from the loss  of Ricky Harris, who carried the offensive workload last season by averaging 19.8 points per game.  Gary Correia is the only true senior returning to the team, although Hashim Bailey and Anthony Gurley are both fifth-year seniors.  Six-foot-nine center Sean Carter lead the team in rebounds last season, and will have to be a dominant force on the glass this season.  The Minutemen's first game is on November 12th, in the Mullins Center, against Rider.  The first true test versus a talented team comes on December 4th in the TD Garden, against Boston College.