University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Hoops Visits St. Joseph's Sunday
January 13, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 13, 2000
AMHERST, Mass. - Today's game will be the 38th meeting between UMass and St. Joseph's, with the Minutemen leading the all-time series 22-15. The Minutemen have won the last four meetings between the schools, and 18 of the last 21. For games played at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, the all-time series is tied at 7-7, but UMass has won the last two and seven of the last nine. For all games played in Philadelphia, including Atlantic 10 Tournament games, the Hawks hold an 11-9 advantage. The teams have gone to overtime on five occasions, with the Minutemen holding a 3-2 advantage in those games. Three of the last eight meetings have been overtime contests, with UMass winning all three times.
Kirkland Stays Hot
Senior co-captain Chris Kirkland, who has been one of the top offensive threats for the Minutemen all season long, has been particularly effective over the last few games. In last Saturday's victory over Fordham, Kirkland totaled 21 points, five rebounds, five steals and two assists. He also recorded double-doubles in the previous two games, totaling 16 points and 10 rebounds against St. Bonaventure and recording 12 points and 11 rebounds at Providence the previous week. Kirkland has led the team in scoring three times this year and in rebounds five times, while scoring in double figures in 12 out of 14 games. Earlier this season against Boston University on Dec. 2, Kirkland scored a season-high 23 points on 10 of 15 shooting. He also exploded for 22 points and nine rebounds in the come-from-behind victory over Villanova. Some of Kirkland's other big games this season have come against Southern Illinois (18 points and seven rebounds), Detroit (17 points and six boards) and Florida State (16 points and six rebounds). For the season, Kirkland is averaging 15.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while hitting on 45.7 percent of his field goal attempts. He currently ranks third in the Atlantic 10 Conference in field goal percentage, 12th in scoring and 14th in rebounding. Dating back to last season, Kirkland has now scored in double figures 19 times in his last 21 games, including six double doubles.
Series Quick Facts
| Overall Series | UMass, 22-15 |
| Bruiser Flint vs. St. Joseph's | 4-2 |
| Last Meeting | UMass (59-58) on 2/7/99 at UMass |
| Last Five Meetings | UMass, 4-1 |
| Most UMass Points | 99, (99-73) on 2/22/94 at UMass |
| Fewest UMass Points | 50, (50-84) on 2/15/86 at UMass |
| Largest UMass Margin | 26, (99-73) on 2/22/94 at UMass |
| Most St. Joseph's Points | 98, (98-86) on 1/26/83 at SJU |
| Fewest St. Joseph's Points | 43, (43-61) on 3/4/93 at UMass |
| Largest St. Joseph's Margin | 34, (84-50) on 2/15/86 at UMass |
| In Overtime | UMass, 3-2 |
Crooks Returns to Starting LIneup
Sophomore guard Shannon Crooks, who has started at point guard in each of the last three games, continues to be one of the top scoring threats for the Minutemen. He totaled 10 points, four rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two assists against Fordham, marking the sixth straight game in which he has reached double figures. Crooks also scored 14 points against St. Bonaventure and tied his career-highs of 17 points and six rebounds at Providence. He also had some big games for the Minutemen during the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, scoring in double-figures in each of UMass' three contests. Crooks began the tournament with 13 points and six rebounds against Southern Illinois, then recorded a career-high 17 points and three assists against American-Puerto Rico. In the final game, he totaled 11 points and three rebounds against Boston College. Over the last six games, Crooks has averaged 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, while hitting on five of 12 three-point attempts. For the season, Crooks has now reached double figures in scoring nine times. He previously scored 13 points at Detroit, had 11 points at Iona in the season opener, and scored 10 points against Boston University. For the year, Crooks is averaging 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He ranks third on the team in scoring and second in assists.
Atlantic 10 Success
The Minutemen have been the dominant team in the Atlantic 10 Conference over the past decade, finishing with a winning record in conference play for each of the last 10 seasons. Today, UMass will look to keep alive a streak of six straight victories in Atlantic 10 road openers. The streak includes a pair of victories over St. Joseph's at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, with a 94-89 overtime win in 1995-96 and a 72-66 victory in 1997-98. Other road opening conference wins over the last six years came at St. Bonaventure in 1993-94 (86-66) and 1994-95 (81-76 in overtime), at La Salle in 1996-97 (56-50) and at Fordham in 1998-99 (67-65). The last time the Minutemen lost their opening Atlantic 10 road game was during the 1992-93 season, when Temple posted a 52-44 victory over UMass.
A Visit with St. Joseph's
St. Joseph's enters today's game with an overall record of 6-6 and an 1-2 mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Hawks have posted non-conference victories over the likes of New Mexico, South Carolina and Long Beach State, while picking up their lone conference win against Fordham. St. Joseph's ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in rebounds with an average of 38.6 per game, while standing second in assists with 15.8 per game. Sophomore guard Marvin O'Connor leads the team in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game to go along with 44 assists, while senior guard Tim Brown is scoring 10.8 points per game with 46 assists. Sophomore center Damian Reid leads the Hawks on the boards with an average of 6.4 rebounds, while also scoring 7.8 points per game.
The Stopper
Senior Mike Babul is known nationally as one of the best defensive players in the country. In the season opener he locked down 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 would not score until 19 seconds remained 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 week at Providence, Babul shut down Erron Maxey who was averaging 16.7 points per game. Maxey could manage only seven points, all of them coming while Babul was on the bench.
| 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 |
| Erron Maxey (Providence) | 2-4 | 1-1 | 7 | 16.7 |
*second half only
Climbing the Charts
Senior Monty Mack is attacking the UMass career leader boards for three-point shooting. His 86 three-pointers made last season were the third best single season performance in UMass history. He has 41 three-pointers on the season and currently sits third 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. | Monty Mack '00 | 181 | 499 | .363 | 1997- |
| 4. | Lorenzo Sutton '88 | 178 | 424 | .420 | 1984-88 |
| 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 | 181 | 499 | .363 | 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 | 181 | 499 | .363 | 1997- |
| 9. | Tony Barbee '93 | 116 | 341 | .340 | 1989-93 |
| 10. | Charlton Clarke '99 | 113 | 339 | .333 | 1995-99 |
Rhymer Continues Strong Play
Junior Kitwana Rhymer has taken on the starting role at center and flourished so far in this young season. He has been the top rebounder for the Minutemen seven times in 13 games, while recording at least eight rebounds in a game eight times. Rhymer played big against Boston College in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, scoring a career-high 13 points on six of nine shooting, to go along with four rebounds and three blocked shots. He also had a strong game in the victory over Florida State, totaling nine points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Earlier in the season against Boston University, Rhymer had 11 rebounds while hitting six of six free throws from the charity stripe. Rhymer registered his first career double-double on November 29 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. Rhymer's most impressive game of all may have come against No. 7 Connecticut, when he totaled 17 rebounds against a front court which included three players over 6-10. Rhymer currently ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference with an average of 7.4 rebounds per game, while scoring 5.9 points per contest.
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 14 games he is averaging 3.9 points with five three-pointers in 12 tries. Last season DePina totaled five three-pointers in 26 games. DePina also leads the team in assists with 37 on the year. 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.
Any Time, Any Place, Any Team
This season, UMass will have 10 teams on its 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 Connecticut, to go along with 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.
Brand Contributes off the Bench
Freshman center Micah Brand has contributed some key minutes off the bench along the UMass front line so far this season. In the win over Fordham he tied his career high with seven rebounds, while also recording three points, two assists and a block. Brand also pulled down seven rebounds in the Providence game, to go along with four points in only 12 minutes of action. Against American-Puerto Rico, he scored 11 points on five of six shooting, while also bringing down five rebounds. In the Detroit game, Brand scored 11 points on five of eight shooting and pulled down four rebounds, while tying his career-high for minutes played with 22. A week earlier at Boston College, he scored nine points on four of six shooting, in addition to recording four rebounds. In the first game of his collegiate career at Iona, Brand tied for the team lead by pulling down a career-high seven rebounds. Through his first 14 games as a Minuteman, Brand has averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest. The only freshman on the UMass roster, Brand has played 13.4 minutes per game, while hitting on 50.0 percent of his field goal attempts.
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 73-39 (.652) record overall in the 1990's on the national networks. The Villanova game was UMass' 21st appearance on ESPN2 where the Minutemen have posted a record of 13-8 (.619).
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 led the Minutemen with 23 points and eight rebounds, while junior center Kitwana Rhymer added 15 points and 17 rebounds.
UMass trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half before cutting the deficit to seven at the half. The Minutemen registered their first lead with 3:59 left in regulation when junior JoVann Johnson 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 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 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, 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.
Shooting Well
After 14 games the Minutemen are shooting 40.6 percent from the field while averaging 67.2 points a game. Both marks are better than last year's 34.4 percent and 64.3 points per game averages at the end of the season. In fact, UMass has shot better from the field than its opponent in nine out of 14 games so far this season. Only defending national champion UConn, Florida State, Boston College, Providence and St. Bonaventure have outshot the Minutemen. UMass is 6-3 on the year when it shoots better than its opponent.
Coaching Debut
Associate head coach Geoff Arnold made his UMass head coaching debut on Dec. 2 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."
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 |
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.
Player Updates
#0 Anthony OatesHad three points and three rebounds against Fordham... Played a career-high 19 minutes against Providence, totaling two points and two rebounds...Had two points and a career-high three rebounds in 14 minutes of action against Southern Illinois... Scored two points, grabbed a pair of rebounds, garnered his first career steal and played solid defense in only six minutes of action against Iona.
#1 Jonathan DePina
Had eight points and five rebounds against Fordham, while hitting on six of nine free throws... Handed out nine assists against American-Puerto Rico, while also totaling seven points and three rebounds... 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 fifth on the team with a 5.0 ppg scoring average... Grabbed a season-high four rebounds against Boston University.
#3 Ronell Blizzard
Scored four points in the win over Fordham... Totaled five points and three steals against American-Puerto Rico... Equalled his career-high with six points and three rebounds in one-point victory over Villanova... Played well in the first two games with five points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in 20 minutes... 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... Added another three-pointer at Detroit, cutting the Titans' lead to three in the final minute of play.
#4 JoVann Johnson
Totaled five points and three steals against American-Puerto Rico in 16 minutes of action... Had a pair of assists at Detroit... Registered his first career steal against Marshall.
#5 Monty Mack
Has been the leading scorer for UMass 11 times this season... In his career, Mack has scored 25 points or more in a game seven times, 20 points or more in a game 26 times and has scored in double figures 65 times out of 76 games... Led the team with 22 points against Fordham... Scored a team-high 19 points against St. Bonaventure... Totaled 22 points and eight rebounds at Providence... Scored 20 points on seven of 11 shooting against Boston College in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic... Had 21 points on seven of 11 shooting against American-Puerto Rico (including five of six three-pointers), while playing only 15 minutes... Totaled 20 points on seven of 14 shooting against Southern Illinois... Scored a season-high 30 points in the win over Florida State, hitting four three-pointers and all 12 of his free throw attempts... Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and WHMP / UMass Athlete of the Week following the Florida State game... 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 B.C.... Scored 21 points off the bench in the season-opener at Iona... Scored 22 against Marshall to give him 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.
#11 Darryl Denson
Scored five points with two rebounds, two blocks and an assist in eight minutes of action against American-Puerto Rico... Played in the final minute of the win over Boston University.
#20 Winston Smith
Dished out three assists in the win over Fordham, while scoring two points... Had four rebounds and two points at Providence... Grabbed a team-high seven rebounds while also scoring six points against Boston College in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic... Scored four points and grabbed two rebounds against Southern Illinois... Had four points against Florida State... 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... Had another three assist game against Villanova.
#22 Chris Kirkland
Scored 21 points against Fordham, while totaling five rebounds, five steals and two assists... Recorded his second straight double double in the St. Bonaventure game with 16 points and 10 rebounds... Had a double double against Providence with 12 points and 11 rebounds... Scored 14 points on six of six shooting against American-Puerto Rico, while also totaling six rebounds, two assists and two steals... Had 18 points, a team-high seven rebounds and four steals in the Southern Illinois game... Totaled 16 points, six rebounds and three assists in the victory over Florida State... Had team-highs of 17 points and six rebounds at Detroit... 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 Boston College... Totaled 22 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists in one point victory over Villanova in front of a national TV audience on ESPN2... In the second half of the Villanova game, he had 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals... 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
Had five points, six rebounds and four assists in the win over Fordham... Scored six points against American-Puerto Rico... 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
Recorded his first career block against Fordham... Had two points and a rebound against American-Puerto Rico... Played in the final minute of the victory over Boston University registering his first career steal.
#30 Shannon Crooks
Has reached double figures in six straight games... Totaled 10 points, four rebounds, four steals, two blocks and two assists against Fordham... Scored 14 points in the St. Bonaventure game... Tied his career highs with 17 points and six rebounds at Providence... Had 11 points against Boston College in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic... Scored a career-high 17 points against American-Puerto Rico, to go along with three assists and two rebounds... Totaled 13 points and six rebounds against Southern Illinois, while hitting on two of three three-point attempts... Hit the game-winning three pointer from 25-feet with 14.7 seconds left in the game to give the Minutemen a one-point victory over Villanova... Posted a career-high six assists against the Wildcats... Scored a career-high 13 points and also recorded a career-high four steals at Detroit... 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 the Commonwealth Classic victory at Boston College.
#33 Kitwana Rhymer
Had eight rebounds and three blocked shots against St. Bonaventure... Scored a career-high 13 points against Boston College in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, while also totaling four rebounds and three blocks... Had seven points, a team-high eight rebounds and two blocks against American-Puerto Rico... Totaled nine points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in the victory over Florida State... 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...grabbed another eight rebounds and blocked four shots in victory over Villanova.
#40 Micah Brand
Tied his career high with seven rebounds against both Providence and Fordham... Scored 11 points on five of six shooting at American-Puerto Rico, while also collecting five rebounds... Scored 11 points and pulled down four rebounds in 22 minutes of action at Detroit... In his collegiate debut, grabbed a team-high seven boards in the season-opener at Iona... Also registered four points and a blocked shot against the Gaels... Posted nine points at Boston College including a free throw with 24 seconds left in the game to give the Minutemen a four point lead.
WHO'S HOT?
Senior Monty Mack has led UMass in scoring in each of the last seven games, while scoring at least 20 points six times. He began the streak by scoring 30 points in the victory over Florida State, totaling 20 points against Southern Illinois and scoring 21 points in only 15 minutes of action against American-Puerto Rico. Mack totaled 20 points in the Boston College game, scored 22 points at Providence, had 19 points against St. Bonaventure and put up 22 points in the Fordham game. He has scored in double figures 13 times in 14 games this season, and has now reached double digits 65 times in his 76-game UMass career. For the season, Mack is averaging 19.9 points per game to rank 25th in the country. The last UMass player to average over 20 points for a season was Marcus Camby, who scored 20.5 points per game in 1995-96.
Game Information
| Game #15 | UMass vs. St. Joseph's |
| Tipoff | 2:00 p.m. (EST) |
| Radio | WHMP 1400 AM / 99.3 FM |
| (Bob Behler, Skip Connors, Jack Leaman) | |
| Television | Atlantic 10 Network |
| (Matt Devlin, John Griffin) | |
| Satellite Coordinates | GE 3, Trans. K-19 |
| Polls | ESPN/USA Today - NR |
| Associated Press - NR | |
| Site | Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (3,200) |
Bruiser Flint: UMass head coach Bruiser Flint is in his fourth season as head coach of the Minutemen (61-47, .565) and 11th season as a coach at UMass.
Sparking with Flint
Coach Bruiser Flint has already established himself as one of the best young head coaches in the country and his record at UMass supports it. With 40 wins in his first 63 games at the helm, he achieved that win total faster than any other UMass coach in Minuteman history. In only his fourth season he is already moving up the career wins chart by leaps and bounds. Flint moved into fifth place on the career wins list with win number 58 after beating Villanova at the Mullins Center on December 6th.
The Recruiting Wars
Lamb Signs with UMass BasketballRaheim Lamb is a 6-5, 190 pound forward ranked among the top 150 seniors in the country by most of the recruiting services.
"At first I wanted to leave Massachusetts and see what was out there but after travelling this summer I found that I wanted to stay close to home so that I could be close to my family," said Lamb. "I can't wait to get up there because I'm going into a good conference and I like everything about the school. I just can't wait to get up there."
"He's going to be a wonderful addition to your program," said Boston English head coach Barry Robinson. "Bruiser Flint is going to bring out the best in Raheim Lamb. Right now Raheim can play at that level. He's a phenomenal athlete who has a good perimeter game. I'm just going to be ecstatic to come up there and watch this kid develop under Bruiser and the coaching staff."
As a junior last season at Boston English, Lamb averaged 21.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots per game. He is listed as a high honorable mention and All-Metro team selection for the Boston area in Street & Smith and is the 16th ranked small forward by Hoop Showcase.
"Raheim is another big piece for our team's future success," UMass head coach Bruiser Flint said. "He's the best player in the Boston area and we want the best of Massachusetts to stay in the state because we are the State University. We've done a good job in the past in keeping the state's best home grown talent here in Amherst and Raheim is another in that category."
Pugh Signs with UMass Basketball
Jameel Pugh is a 6-4, 200-pound shooting guard ranked among the top 75 seniors in the country by most of the recruiting services.
As a junior last season at Grant Union High School in Sacramento, Calif., Pugh averaged 16.0 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game. He is listed as the no. 2 shooting guard on the West Coast by Pac-West Hoops, the 78th ranked senior in the country by Bob Gibbons All-Star Report and is the 71st ranked senior by Basketball News.
"Jameel is a talented shooting guard who is extremely athletic," UMass head coach Bruiser Flint said. "He is a great get for us because he is coming in from the West Coast, an area we haven't had a lot of success with in recruiting. He's a good fit because of his athleticism and the fact that we are trying to get to a more athletic style of play."
The Bruiser Show
Coach Flint's weekly radio show, "The Bruiser Flint Show," is on live from Rafter's Sports Bar and Restaurant in Amherst from 6-7 p.m. on WHMP 99.3 FM and 1400 AM.. The next show will be broadcast on Monday, Jan. 17. Flint's weekly television show, "The UMass Basketball Show with Bruiser Flint presented by the TJX Companies," airs on WGGB Channel 40 (ABC, Springfield) on Sunday evenings at 11:35 p.m. The show will also be shown by WGGB on Sunday afternoons at 12:30 p.m. on weekends when UMass does not play a Sunday game. Fox Sports New England will carry the show on Monday evenings.
NEXT UP: Following the St. Joseph's game, the Minutemen will return to home to play a pair of Atlantic 10 Conference games. UMass will play host to Dayton on Thursday, Jan. 20, and Rhode Island on Saturday, Jan. 22.
