University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Basketball Home Opener This Monday Night
November 26, 1999 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 26, 1999
Amherst - Scoring Punch In two games so far this season the Minutemen have lived up to their new and improved offensive game averaging 75 points in the first two games of the season. In the season opener the Minutemen scored 85 at Iona. Last season, UMass scored 80 or more points only twice in 30 games. The Minutemen scored 87 against Niagara in the season opener and 80 points against Duquesne in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament. Five Minutemen scored in double-figures in New Rochelle against the Gaels and were led by Monty Mack?s 21 off the bench. Last season UMass failed to have any contests where five Minutemen scored in double-figures.
The Stopper Senior Mike Babul is known nationally as one of the best defensive players in the country. On Saturday he picked up right where he left off with a lock-down on MAAC preseason player of the year, Tarik Kirksay. Babul, who has been nursing a lower back strain the past three weeks, did not draw the assignment at the beginning of the game and Kirksay would score 15 first half points. The high scoring Gael would fail to register a field goal in the second half after Babul took over on the coverage. Kirksay wouldn?t score until 19 seconds left in the game with the final verdict already decided. Babul will most likely tonight draw Kevin Freeman as his assignment. Last year against the Huskie Babul held All-America Richard Hamilton to 11 points on 3-11 shooting from the field.
Player(school) fg-fga 3fg-3fga Pts Avg.
Tarik Kirksay (Iona)* 0-2 0-0 5 13.8
Kevin Freeman (UConn) 1-8 0-0 2 13.3
*second half only
vs. Marshall This will be the third meeting between UMass and Marshall University with both schools winning at home. Last season the Thundering Herd rumbled past the Minutemen in Huntington, W.Va., for a 22-point victory, the largest margin of defeat on the year for UMass (SEE BOX). Anthony Oates started for Lari Ketner and Winston Smith was ejected for a flagrant foul in what turned out to be a game that UMass fans would rather forget. The last time Marshall was in Amherst was in 1997-98. UMass squeeked out a 61-59 victory at the Mullins Center.
Overall Series 1-1 Bruiser Flint vs. Marshall 1-1
Last Meeting Marshall (88-66) on 12/5/98 at Marshall
Last Five Meetings 1-1
Most UMass Points 66, (66-88) on 12/5/98 at Marshall
Fewest UMass Points 61, (61-59) on 12/6/97 at Mullins Center
Largest UMass Margin 2, (61-59) on 12/6/97 at Mullins Center
Most Marshall Points 88, (88-66) on 12/5/98 at Marshall
Fewest Marshall Points 59, (59-61) on 12/6/97 at Mullins Center
Largest Marshall Margin 22, (88-66) on 12/5/98 at Marshall
In Overtime: n/a
A Visit with Marshall Marshall University is picked to finish fourth in the East division of the MAC in this year?s preseason poll as voted by the media. They are coming off a pair of victories in the Hoopfest tournament in Binghamton, N.Y., over Canisius (85-77) and Stony Brook (81-52). The Thundering Herd is led by sophomore big man, J.R. VanHoose. VanHoose averages 19.0 points and 8.5 rebounds a game. Cornelius Jackson starts at the point where he led the MAC in assists a year ago with 145.
Keep it Going, Little Man With All-America candidate, Monty Mack, out for most of the preseason, head coach Bruiser Flint has had to go down his bench and look for someone to step up. At 5-9 you may not have noticed it but junior Jonathan DePina has stepped up his game and more. After two games he is averaging 10.5 points with four three-pointers in four tries. Last season DePina had five three-pointers in 26 games. A more confident player in UMass? uptempo game, DePina is making the smart plays this season and should continue to get minutes even after Mack is back at 100 percent after a stress fracture in his left foot sustained six weeks ago.
Homecoming UMass Athletic Director, Bob Marcum, knows Marshall University well. He should, he grew up in Huntington, West Virginia and attended Marshall where he earned his Bachelor?s degree in Social Studies and Physical Education in 1959.
Debut Three UMass players made their collegiate debuts as a Minuteman in a regular season game at Iona...Junior JoVann Johnson, sophomore Shannon Crooks and freshman Micah Brand all saw gametime in their first opportunity in the maroon & white...Crooks started at shooting guardand finished the game with 11 points on 50 percent shooting from the field... for Crooks it was his first regular season game after sitting out a year last season after transferring from St. John?s University...Brand is the only freshman on the squad...he had a team high seven rebounds coming off the bench in 22 minutes of action...Johnson is a junior college transfer from Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel, Ill. who failed to scored in only two minutes of play.
Center(s) of Attention It is still very early in the season BUT, while Lari Ketner plays for the Chicago Bulls the 1999-2000 UMass big men did look good in their season debut. In fact, senior Anthony Oates, junior Kitwana Rhymer and freshman Micah Brand combined for a total of 39 minutes of playing time at Iona on Saturday. In that span they scored 18 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked a shot. Rhymer, who foulded out with only 11 minutes of action under his belt, was 6 of 8 from the field for a career-high 12 points to go along with seven rebounds. Brand also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and five fouls in 22 minutes of action. Oates provided much needed depth while scoring two points, grabbing a couple of boards and a critical steal late in the game. Rhymer followed his performance against the Gaels with 17 rebounds and seven points against No. 7 UConn in Storrs, Conn. The 17 boards is the most by a Minuteman since Ajmal Basit grabbed 19 at Rhode Island in the 1997-98 season.
Welcome to the Team Senior Dwayne Early is the latest addition to the UMass basketball family. Early is a 6-4, 205-pound walk-on guard from Springfield Central High School. Early will be wearing No. 24 this season. Joining him is C.W. Post transfer, Dale Menendez. Menendez is 5-8, 180 pound point guard who will not be eligible to play this season due to NCAA transfer rules. At Westhampton Beach high school, Menendez led his team to the New York State Class B Championship after posting a perfect 28-0 record. He pulled double duty for Westhampton scoring 1,000 points while also rushing for 1,000 yards in his career as a tailback.
Television Update UMass basketball has been a popular television show in the ?90s and continues to be a prominant TV player as the new millenium beckons. Three more games have been added to the television slate, giving the Minutemen 20 televised games during the regular season. In Detroit against the Titans, Fox-Detroit is producing the now 3:05 tipoff (previously 4:05), and the game will be aired locally by Fox-New England. The New England Sports Network (NESN) has also announced that it will be televising the Commonwealth Classic pitting UMass against Boston College at Conte Forum, and the UMass-Providence tilt on December 30 at the Providence Civic Center.
Any Time, Any Place, Any Team This season, UMass will have 10 teams on their schedule which appeared in the 1999 NCAA Tournament and two teams that competed in last year?s NIT. This schedule includes a game against defending national champion UConn, and games against perennial national powers Texas and Villanova, 1999 NCAA Tourney participants Detroit, Rhode Island, Temple and George Washington, and NIT participants, Xavier and Providence. The Minutemen will appear on television at least 20 times this year, including seven national telecasts.
Time Out A new timeout policy has been installed by the NCAA and will be in effect this season. The Atlantic 10 has adopted this policy for all games. Media will be guaranteed protection fro 105 seconds during nine (9) timeouts per game. Each ?Full media timeout? shall last one minute, 45 seconds from the time the game official signals the timeout. All team-called timeouts, except for the first one, shall last 30 seconds from the time the game official signals the timeout. Nine ?full media timeouts? shall be permitted per game. Those include four each half at the first non-shooting dead-ball situation after the game clock has passed 16:00, 12:00, 8:00 and 4:00 minutes remaining. The other ?full media timeout? will be the first team-called timeout, whenever it occurs. That timeout does not replace one of the scheduled ?full media timeouts.? All other team-called timeouts will be 30 seconds including any timeouts taken during any overtime period. Each team is entitle to five 30-second timeouts and may carry-over four of those timeouts to the second half. Each team is entitled to one additional 30-second timeout during each extra period. Unused 30-second timeouts from the second half may be used at any time.
Climbing the Charts Senior Monty Mack is attacking the UMass career leader boards for three-point shooting. His 86 three-pointers made last season was the third best single season performance in UMass history. He has eight three-pointers on the season and currently sits fourth all-time for three-pointers made at UMass. At his current pace he will pace Carmelo Travieso as the all-time leader in three-pointers made.
3-point Field Goals Made Player 3FG 3FGA Pct. Years
1. Carmelo Travieso ?97 245 666 .368 1993-97
2. Rafer Giles ?91 221 592 .373 1987-91
3. Lorenzo Sutton ?88 178 424 .420 1984-88
4. Monty Mack ?00 148 407 .364 1997-
5. Derek Kellogg ?95 138 362 .381 1991-95
6. Edgar Padilla ?97 136 431 .316 1993-97
7. Mike Williams ?95 123 406 .303 1991-95
8. Tony Barbee ?93 116 341 .340 1989-93
9. Charlton Clarke ?99 113 339 .333 1995-99
10. Anton Brown ?92 92 218 .422 1988-92
3-point Field Goal Attempts Player 3FG 3FGA Pct. Years
1. Carmelo Travieso ?97 245 666 .368 1993-97
2. Rafer Giles ?91 221 592 .373 1987-91
3. Edgar Padilla ?97 136 431 .316 1993-97
4. Lorenzo Sutton ?88 178 424 .420 1984-88
5. Monty Mack ?00 148 407 .364 1997-
6. Mike Williams ?95 123 406 .303 1991-95
7. Derek Kellogg ?95 138 362 .381 1991-95
8. Tony Barbee ?93 116 341 .340 1989-93
9. Charlton Clarke ?99 113 339 .333 1995-99
10. Anton Brown ?92 92 218 .422 1988-92
3-point Field Goal Percentage (min. 45 made) Player 3FG 3FGA Pct. Years
1. Carl Smith ?87 54 122 .443 1983-87
2. Anton Brown ?92 92 218 .422 1988-92
3. Lorenzo Sutton ?88 178 424 .420 1984-88
4. Jerome Malloy ?95 86 215 .400 1991-93
5. Derek Kellogg ?95 138 362 .381 1991-95
6. Rafer Giles ?91 221 592 .373 1987-91
7. Carmelo Travieso ?97 245 666 .368 1993-97
8. Monty Mack ?00 148 407 .364 1997-
9. Tony Barbee ?93 116 341 .340 1989-93
10. Charlton Clarke ?99 113 339 .333 1995-99
Exhibition Season The Minutemen wrapped up a challenging exhibition season with an overtime victory, downing the Converse All-Stars 97-88 at the Mullins Center. Senior forward Chris Kirkland (Timmonsville, S.C.) led the Minutemen with 23 points and eight rebounds, while junior center Kitwana Rhymer (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands) added 15 points and 17 rebounds. UMass trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half before cutting the defecit to seven at the half. The Minutemen registered their first lead with 3:59 left in regulation when junior JoVann Johnson (Johnson City, Tenn.) hit both of his free throws to put UMass up 71-70. After 40 minutes of play the game was knotted at 78 a piece. In overtime UMass jumped out to an early lead but fell behind by two after five consecutive points by Converse. The Minutemen put the game away with a 12-2 run in the final 2:16 of play for the nine point victory. Junior Jonathan DePina (Boston, Mass.) posted one of the best games of his UMass career with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Also scoring in double figures was sophomore Shannon Crooks (Everett, Mass.) with 17 points while Johnson added 15 points and seven rebounds. UMass opened the exhibition season with an impressive offensive showing, downing the California All-Stars 103-97 at the Mullins Center. Crooks led the Minutemen with 24 points and seven assists, while Kirkland added 26 points and six rebounds. UMass opened the game with a 17-8 run and never trailed in the contest, behind its potent fast-break offense. The Minutemen saw their lead grow as large as 14 points with just under five minutes remaining in the game, before a late spurt by the All-Stars made the final score look close. UMass scored 30 fast break points on the evening, while also totaling 72 points in the paint. Freshman forward Micah Brand (Middletown, N.Y.), playing his first game in a UMass uniform, totaled 16 points and eight rebounds, including an impressive 10 for 10 performance at the free throw line. DePina had 13 points and six assists, while Rhymer added 10 points and nine boards.
Last Game In the annual MassMutual ?U? Game the Minutemen scrapped and battled the No. 7 UConn Huskies at Gampel Pavilion only to come up short, 65-79. With 8:46 left in the game sophomore Ronell Blizzard hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 54-51 after UConn jumped out to a 13 point lead just four minutes into the second half. Monty Mack led all scorers with 26 points as the Minutemen never got any closer. Junior Kitwana Rhymer grabbed a career-best 17 rebounds against a UConn team that at times had three frontcourt players on the floor standing over 6-10. Mike Babul put the defensive clamps on Kevin Freeman limiting him to two points in 37 minutes but it was not enough for the Minutemen.
Did You Know? The 85-77 win at Iona was the first time UMass has opened a season in an opponent?s home gym with a victory in 22 years. Not since the Minutemen defeated Harvard in Cambridge by a score of 73-66 to open the 1977-78 season under coach Jack Leaman had they accomplished it.
Captain(s) of the Ship Senior leadership has always played an important part of UMass basketball and this year should be a banner year in that department. Seniors Mike Babul and Chris Kirkland were named co-captains this year not only because of their improved play but because of their leadership skills and poise under fire.
Player Updates #0 Anthony Oates ? Played perhaps the best game of his UMass career at Iona in season opener...in only six minutes of play he scored two points, grabbed a pair of rebounds, garnered his first career steal and played solid defense.
#1 Jonathan DePina ? Hit a career-best three for three from three-point land and finished with 10 points against No. 7 UConn. Scored 11 points in the season-opener at Iona. Currently third on the team with a 10.5 ppg scoring average.
#3 Ronell Blizzard ? Has played well in his first two games with five points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in 20 minutes. He hit his first career three-pointer at No. 7 UConn to cut the Huskies lead to three with 8:46 left to go in the game.
#4 JoVann Johnson ? A junior college transfer who has seen only six minutes of playing time in the first two games.
#5 Monty Mack ? Came off the bench and scored a season-high 26 points at No. 7 UConn. Scored 21 points off the bench in the season-opener at Iona. Passed the 1,000 career points total in the Iona game achieving the feat in only 63 contests. He has been the leading scorer (for either team) in every game this season. In his career Mack has scored 25 points or more in a game five times, 20 points or more in a game 18 times and has scored in double figures 56 times out of 64 games.
#11 Darryl Denson ? Has not played this season
#20 Winston Smith ? Notched his first basket of the season in the season-opener at Iona.
#22 Chris Kirkland ? Registered nine points and five rebounds against the defending national champion UConn Huskies. Scored 15 points and grabbed another five boards in the season-opener at Iona.
#23 Mike Babul ? Shut down UConn?s Kevin Freeman holding him to two points on 1-8 shooting from the field. Shut down first team All-MAAC selection Tarik Kirksay, in the second half holding him to five points, all on free throws. Babul did not have the defensive coverage on Kirksay in the first half when the Gaels? leading scorer dropped in 15 points in the opening stanza.
#24 Dwayne Early ? Has not played this season.
#30 Shannon Crooks ? Scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists in his first game as a Minuteman in the season-opener at Iona.
#33 Kitwana Rhymer ? Scored a career-high 12 points in the season-opener at Iona along with a team-high seven rebounds in only 11 minutes of play. Grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds at No. 7 UConn in Gampel Pavilion. The last UMass player to grab 17 or more rebounds was Ajmal Basit against Rhode Island in the 1997-98 season.
#40 Micah Brand ? In his collegiate debut he grabbed a team-high seven boards in the season-opener at Iona. He also registered four points and a blocked shot against the Gaels.