University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Host Villanova Tonight
December 05, 1999 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 1999
Amherst, Mass. -
After Five With a 3-2 record after five games this season the Minutemen are in a much better situation than they were last year at this time of the year. After five games UMass was 1-4 and wouldn?t win game number three until December 19th. UMass started the conference season with a 3-6 nonconference record last year. With a win tonight the Minutemen would register victory number four nearly a month ahead of last year?s pace where the fourth win didn?t come until after the new year.
Kit is No Pussy Cat Starting center Kitwana Rhymer has taken on the starting role in the middle and flourished so far in this young season. Rhymer is replacing Lari Ketner who is now playing for the Chicago Bulls. He had 11 rebounds while hitting six of six free throws from the charity stripe against Boston University this past Thursday. Rhymer registered his first double-double Monday night against Marshall with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He also established a career high with six blocked shots, five coming in the first half. The last time a Minuteman had six or more blocked shots in a game was in the Rock ?N? Roll Shootout in Cleveland against Cincinnati when Ajmal Basit had six at Gund Arena on Dec. 12, 1997. The last time a Minuteman had six or more blocked shots at the Mullins Center was January 27, 1996 when Marcus Camby had nine against St. Bonaventure. Only five games into the season and Rhymer has already eclipsed most of Ketner?s single game highs from a year ago. Ketner had season highs of four blocked shots, 15 rebounds and 21 points. Rhymer has a season high of six blocked shots (vs. Marshall), 17 rebounds (at UConn) and 12 points (at Iona). Rhymer currently leads the Atlantic 10 in rebounding with 10.8 rpg.
WHO?S HOT? Senior Chris Kirkland came alive against Boston University four days ago when he registered his season-high of 23 points to lead the Minutemen to a 70-51 victory. Kirkland hit a career-high 10 field goals in 15 attempts and currently is shooting .535 from the field ? good enough for third in the Atlantic 10 conference. Senior Monty Mack poured in 26 points at Boston College for his fourth 20+ game of the season. He is now averaging 26 points a game against Big East opponents with 26 at UConn in the second game of the season.
vs. Villanova This will be the 14th meeting between UMass and Villanova with the Wildcats winning all but one in the series. The last time these two teams met was last year at the Pavilion when UMass ran out to a ten point lead but wouldn?t be able to hold on as it lost by 11(SEE BOX). Prior to that game the last time these two schools met was nearly 18 years ago in Philadelphia on Feb. 26, 1980 in the Eastern 8 Playoffs. The Wildcats won handily, 63-85. UMass? only victory came in February of 1978 in the Curry Hicks Cage.
Overall Series 12-1 Bruiser Flint vs. Villanova 0-1 Last Meeting Villanova (66-55) on 12/15/98 at Pavilion Last Five Meetings Villanova, 5-0 Most UMass Points 87, (87-72) on 2/14/78 at Curry Hicks Fewest UMass Points 51, (51-66) on 1/10/79 at Springfield CC Largest UMass Margin 15, (87-72) on 2/14/78 at Curry Hicks Most Villanova Points 100, (100-83) on 12/27/71 at Philadelphia Fewest Villanova Points 66, (66-51) on 1/10/79 at Springfield CC 66, (66-55) on 12/15/98 at Pavilion Largest Villanova Margin 33, (92-59) on 1/9/80 at Villanova In Overtime: Villanova leads 1-0
A Visit with Villanova Villanova is 2-0 on the season with victories over Fairleigh-Dickinson and Lafayette. The starting backcourt of John Celestand and Howard Brown are no longer at ?Nova. Malik Allen and Brian Lynch are the Wildcats leading scorers with 16.5 and 16.0 ppg, respectively. Villanova was 21-11 last season, 10-8 in the Big East Conference. They lost to Mississippi in the first round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
Against the Big East Massachusetts is a long time member of the Atlantic 10 but it seems like they always play a strong Big East schedule as well. Villanova will be the third of four Big East teams the Minutemen will face this year. Two weeks ago UMass gave No. 7 UConn all it could handle before falling to the defending national champions. This past Saturday afternoon the Minutemen won the Commonwealth Classic for the fifth consecutive time downing Boston College 74-67 at Conte Forum. After tonight the Minutemen will wrap up their Big East part of the schedule on December 30 at Providence to take on the Friars in the final UMass game of the millenium. As a head coach Bruiser Flint is 5-7 against the Big East in his four years at UMass.
Coaching Debut Associate head coach Geoff Arnold made his UMass head coaching debut Thursday night in the 70-51 victory over Boston University. Head coach Bruiser Flint served a self-imposed one game suspension following the use of an expletive on his post-game radio show in the aftermath of UMass? 65-55 loss to Marshall Monday night. ?I always tell my players that when they do something wrong, there is a price to pay,? said Flint. ?Obviously, my language on the radio the other night was inappropriate. I caught it right away and apologized on the air, but after thinking about it and talking it over with Bob Marcum, sitting out for a game is the right thing to do.?
Love Those Cameras ESPN and UMass have gotten to know each other pretty well over the years. The upcoming Rhode Island game will be the 55th time ESPN has televised a UMass basketball game since the ?90s began. UMass posts a 34-20 (.630) record on ESPN and 72-39 (.649) record overall in the 1990?s on the national networks. This will be UMass? 21st appearance on ESPN 2 where the Minutemen have posted a record of 12-8 (.600). This is UMass? second appearance on the Deuce this season.
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 five games he is averaging 5.8 points with five three-pointers in nine 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 now that Mack is back at 100 percent after a stress fracture in his left foot sustained in the preseason.
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 guard and 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 score in only two minutes of play.
The Stopper Senior Mike Babul is known nationally as one of the best defensive players in the country. In the season opener he picked up right where he left off with a lock-down on MAAC preseason player of the year, Tarik Kirksay. Babul, who had been nursing a lower back strain the previous 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 then clamped down on No. 7 UConn?s Kevin Freeman. Freeman was 1-8 from the field and scored two points in 37 minutes of action. Last year against the Huskies 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
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. 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.
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 12 three-pointers on the season and currently sits fourth all-time for three-pointers made at UMass. At his current pace he will pass 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 ?00 158 432 .366 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. Monty Mack ?00 158 432 .366 1997- 4. Edgar Padilla ?97 136 431 .316 1993-97 5. Lorenzo Sutton ?88 178 424 .420 1984-88 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 ?00 158 432 .366 1997- 9. Tony Barbee ?93 116 341 .340 1989-93 10. Charlton Clarke ?99 113 339 .333 1995-99
Last Game Monty Mack scored 26 points, including seven in the final 4:20, to lift UMass over Boston College 74-67 Saturday in the fifth-annual Commonwealth Classic. Chris Kirkland added 16 points for the Minutemen (3-2), who have won all of the meetings between the schools since the series was restarted in 1995. It was UMass coach Bruiser Flint's first game back after a self-imposed one-game suspension for using profanity during a postgame radio show. Boston College pulled to a 46-41 lead on Kenny Walls' basket 6:08 into the second half, but UMass went on a 14-3 run over a 4 1/2-minute span. Kirkland keyed the spurt by scoring seven consecutive points and Mack ignited it with a 3-pointer. The Eagles cut the margin to 59-57 on Bell's steal and breakaway dunk before Mack nailed a 3-pointer from the left side and scored on a fast-break layup, pushing the Minutemen back ahead by seven. Mack's 3-pointer from the right corner with two minutes left pushed the score to 69-60. Boston College cut it to 70-67 on Bell's basket with 45 seconds left. Michael Cotton missed a baseline jumper that would have cut it to one before Micah Brand hit a free throw and Kirkland added one to seal it. In the first half, the Eagles jumped ahead 12-2 in the opening 5 1/2 minutes and maintained between a five and 10-point lead through initial 16 minutes. The Minutemen then closed the half with a 15-5 run, taking a 36-35 edge at intermission after Kitwana Rhymer scored on a put-back at the buzzer.
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. 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.
Atlantic 10 Commissioner?s Cup UMass sits atop the Atlantic 10 Commissioner?s Cup standings through the completion of the fall sports season. UMass earned 49.5 points during the fall season, six points better than second place Rhode Island. Massachusetts relied on a strong showing from its women?s programs, grabbing 32 of its points on that side of the ledger. The Minutewomen earned first-place finishes in field hockey and women?s cross country to catapult to the lead. Overall Men Women 1. UMass 49.5 17.5 32.0 2. Rhode Island 43.5 19.0 24.5 3. Virginia Tech 38.0 18.0 20.0 4. Dayton 35.5 11.0 24.5 5. Duquesne 32.0 17.0 15.0 6. La Salle 30.5 16.5 14.0 7. St. Joseph?s 28.0 13.0 15.0 8. Xavier 27.0 5.0 22.0 9. Temple 23.0 5.5 17.5 10. St. Bonaventure 20.5 10.5 10.0 11. George Washington 17.5 5.0 12.5 12. Fordham 13.0 6.0 7.0
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.
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...missed the Marshall game with a contusion in his left foot.
#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...grabbed a season-high four rebounds against Boston University.
#3 Ronell Blizzard ? played well in the 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 10 minutes of playing time in the first three games...registered his first career steal against Marshall.
#5 Monty Mack ? Came off the bench and scored a season-high 26 points at No. 7 UConn...knocked down another 26 points in front of friends and family in victory at Boston College...equalled his career-high with six three-pointers at BC...scored 21 points off the bench in the season-opener at Iona. Scored 22 against Marshall to give hime three consecutive 20 point games for the first time in his career. 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 UMass in all but one game this season. In his career Mack has scored 25 points or more in a game six times, 20 points or more in a game 20 times and has scored in double figures 59 times out of 67 games.
#11 Darryl Denson ? Played in the final minute of the win over Boston University.
#20 Winston Smith ? Played a season-high 26 minutes at Boston College scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds...dished out a season-high three assists against Boston University.
#22 Chris Kirkland ? Nailed a career-high 10 field goals in 15 attempts posting a game-high 23 points against Boston University...followed that game with 16 points, 12 in the second half, in victory at Big East foe Boston College...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. Registered 10 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots against Marshall.
#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 ? Played in the final minute of the victory over Boston University registering his first career steal.
#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...connected on his first career three-pointers as a Minuteman scoring 10 points, grabbing four rebounds and handing out four assists in 21 minutes in a 70-51 win over Boston University...team leader in assists for the second consecutive game with four in Commonwealth Classic victory at Boston College.
#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. Swatted away a career-high 6 blocked shots and registered his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Marshall...was six for six from the free throw line while grabbing 11 rebounds against Boston University...grabbed eight rebounds and scored six points in 25 minutes before fouling out at Boston College.
#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...posted a career-high 9 points at Boston College including a free throw with 24 seconds left in the game to give the Minutemen a four point lead.
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) announced that it will be televising the Commonwealth Classic pitting UMass against Boston College at Conte Forum (this past Saturday), and the UMass-Providence tilt on December 30 at the Providence Civic Center.
