University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Basketball Heads West To Face Oregon
November 29, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2000
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Probable UMass (1-2) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 2 Jackie Rogers 6-8 230 Jr. F 20 Winston Smith 6-5 228 Sr. C 33 Kitwana Rhymer 6-10 256 Sr. G 5 Monty Mack 6-3 200 Sr. G 30 Shannon Crooks 6-2 222 Jr.
Probable Oregon (4-0) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 20 Frederick Jones 6-4 209 Jr. F 42 Bryan Bracey 6-7 210 Sr. C 21 Julius Hicks 6-8 235 Sr. G 13 Luke Ridnour 6-2 165 Fr. G 34 Anthony Norwood 6-3 185 Jr.
The Game: After a week off, coach Bruiser Flint's 1-2 UMass basketball team hopes to square its record at .500, as the Minutemen head West to face 2000 NCAA Tournament entrant Oregon in the Pap? Jam at Portland's Rose Garden. The Minutemen, who opened their season with a 67-65 win over Iona two weeks ago today, have lost their last two, at Marquette (68-64) and at Holy Cross (78-65), and haven't dropped three straight to non-conference opponents since a four-game skid during the 1998-99 campaign. UMass stands 1-2 three games into the season for the fifth straight year, and will be looking to avoid its third 1-3 start in the last five seasons by beating a red-hot Duck team which is out of the gate at 4-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season. UMass' All-America and A-10 player-of-the-year candidate Monty Mack tallied 13 points at Holy Cross and moved his career point total to 1,646, good for fourth on the school's all-time scoring list, 85 points behind No. 3 Lorenzo Sutton's 1,731 points. In the Holy Cross game, Mack also became the school's all-time leader in three point attempts (669) and he needs four treys to break Carmelo Travieso's UMass career record for three pointers made.
About Oregon: Coach Ernie Kent's Ducks are 4-0 on the year after Tuesday's 66-60 homecourt victory over instate rival Portland. Oregon opened its season with an 85-70 victory over Mississippi Valley State, then posted wins at Denver (99-90) and at home over Portland State (84-66) and Portland. The high-scoring Ducks, averaging 83.5 points per game, have topped the 80-point mark in three of four games this year, and are 26-3 (.897) all-time under Kent when scoring 80 or more points, including a 15-0 mark vs. non-Pac 10 opponents. Bidding for its third 5-0 start since 1974-75 (the Ducks opened 10-0 in both 1974-75 and 1996-97), Oregon has won five straight at the Rose Garden since a 99-76 loss to Nebraska, Dec. 29, 1995, in the Far West Classic, and stands 2-0 in the Pap? Jam, downing Vanderbilt (90-70) in 1998 and Minnesota (82-75) last year. A year ago, the Ducks were 22-8 (their highest win total since 1944-45), won 13 games in the Pac-10 en route to a third-place finish and earned their fourth postseason bid in the last six seasons with their first NCAA Tournament trip since 1994-95.
Head Coach Bruiser Flint: Minuteman bench boss James "Bruiser" Flint (St. Joseph's, 1987) is 72-59 (.550) in his fifth season as a head coach, all along the UMass sideline. In his 12th season overall in Amherst, Flint is one of only two coaches in school history to take three teams to postseason play in their first four seasons at the UMass helm (John Calipari was the other), and ranks as the fifth-winningest coach in school history, 10 victories behind No. 4 Robert Curran. Flint, whose first two Minuteman squads earned NCAA Tournament bids and whose fourth team went to the NIT, owns a 41-23 (.641) record in regular-season Atlantic 10 Conference play. Each of Flint's first four UMass squads finished third or higher in the A-10 standings, and his 2000 unit became the first to reach the conference tournament semifinals since the 1996 squad captured the last of five consecutive league tournament crowns. In addition, his program has produced at least one all-conference performer each season, and nine of his 11 seniors (81.8 percent) have left Amherst with degree in hand. Before being tabbed to replace Calipari, Flint spent seven seasons as an assistant to Cal on the UMass bench. One of only 31 active Division I head coaches to have both played and coached a team in the NCAA Tournament, he is coaching against Oregon for the first time.
Oregon Head Coach Ernie Kent: Oregon's Ernie Kent (Oregon, 1977) owns a 148-115 (.563) record in his 10th season as a head coach, and a 58-34 (.630) mark in his fourth season at his alma mater. Kent led the Ducks to a fourth-place finish in the 1999 National Invitation Tournament and the NCAA Tournament last season. Before returning to Eugene as head coach of the Ducks, Kent spent six seasons as head coach at St. Mary's (Calif.) and led the Gaels to a 23-8 record, a West Coast Conference title and an NCAA bid in 1996-97. He is coaching against UMass and Flint for the first time.
The Series: First meeting between the schools in a series that will continue next year with a game at a site to be determined in The Commonwealth. UMass is 4-3 all-time vs. the Pac-10 Conference, most recently dropping a 59-55 decision to California in the consolation game of the 1996 Maui Invitational. Oregon owns a 9-9 record vs. current members of the A-10, and after tonight's game, would only need to face Fordham to have played each of the league's current membership at least once.
Four and Counting: In its 92nd season of intercollegiate basketball competition, UMass needs just four wins to reach the 1,000-victory plateau in its history. The Minutemen, who own an all-time record of 996-881 (.531) on the hardwood, have enjoyed their greatest success over the last 11-plus seasons, posting a 255-112 (.695) mark and advancing to postseason play 10 times in that span while winning an average of 23.1 games per season.
70 or More Equals Victory: Although UMass has yet to hit the 70-point mark this season, that figure was a good indicator a year ago in which to predict the team's success. In 13 of its 17 victories last season, UMass tallied 70 or more points, and for the season it was 13-2 when putting 70-plus points on the scoreboard. Under coach Bruiser Flint, the Minutemen are 39-10 (.796) all-time when reaching the 70-point mark, but just 33-49 (.402) when scoring 69 or fewer points. UMass is also 11-34 (.244) under Flint when it allows 70 or more points, including an 0-1 record this season.
Watch the Clock: Under coach Bruiser Flint, UMass has been nearly unbeatable when leading with 5:00 remaining, as the Minutemen are 64-9 (.876) all-time under his leadership when leading with 5:00 to play, including a 1-0 mark this season. UMass is 2-1 (.667) in Flint's tenure when tied after 35 minutes of play. UMass has struggled nearly as much when trailing with 5:00 left, posting a 6-49 mark (.133) when it is behind with 5:00 to go under Flint, which includes an 0-2 record this year. The Minutemen's come-from-behind victories in Flint's tenure were against North Carolina-Wilmington and Duquesne in 1996-97, Charlotte and St. Joseph's in 1997-98, St. Joseph's in 1998-99 and Villanova last year.
Regaining the Touch: After hitting a blistering 54.0 percent from the field in its season-opneing victory over Iona, which included a 59.3 percent shooting exhibition in the first half, the Minutemen have hit just 37.7 percent (40-for-106) from the floor in their last two outings. In its loss at Holy Cross a week ago today, UMass hit 52.4 percent from the field in the first half, but cooled to 21.6 percent in the second half, the fourth-lowest shooting half for a Bruiser Flint-coached team, to finish at a season-low 32.8 percent. Through three games this season, UMass has been a better shooting team from the floor in the first half than the second, hitting 50.0 (32-of-64) from the field in the first half, compared to 38.0 (35-of-92) marksmanship in the second stanza. The Minutemen, who were 7-0 a year ago when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the floor, own a 26-4 mark under Flint when hitting better than half of their fielders and have won 12-straight when reaching the 50.0 percent mark since an 88-83 loss to George Washington in the quarterfinals of the 1998 Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Foul Shooting: Despite hitting a season-high 67.7 percent from the free throw line a week ago at Holy Cross, foul shooting continues to be an area which the Minutemen must improve. For the year, UMass is hitting just 58.2 percent from the foul line, compared to 75.7 percent shooting for its opponents. The Minutemen, who were outscored 35-21 at the foul line a week ago at Holy Cross, have outscored their opponents by a 150-127 count from the field for the season, but their opponents have held the advantage at the foul line, scoring 84 points to UMass' 46. The Minutemen's top free throw shooter is junior guard Shannon Crooks at 72.0 percent (18-for-25).
Going to the Glass: Another area in which UMass must get better in quickly is rebounding, as it has been outrebounded in every game this season and its opponents own a +12.0 (41.7-29.7) advantage on the glass over the Minutemen. After being outrebounded by one (30-29) in its homecourt victory over Iona, UMass was outboarded by 13 at Marquette and 22 at Holy Cross. Entering the 2000-01 season, Flint-led UMass teams had either been even or won the battle on the glass in 60.2 percent of his games on the Minuteman bench. Junior forward Eric Williams leads UMass in rebounding with 5.7 per game.
Road Warriors: One of the toughest things to do in college basketball is win on the road, but under Bruiser Flint, the Minutemen have enjoyed good success away from the Mullins Center. Including games played at neutral sites, UMass is 39-42 (.482) outside of Amherst under Flint, including an 11-10 record last year. Tonight's game marks the 82nd of Flint's 132 career games along the Minuteman sideline that have been played away from Amherst. UMass and Temple were the only A-10 teams to record winning road records in conference play last season, as the Minutemen were 5-3 vs. A-10 foes on the road a year ago, their third winning league road mark in Flint's tenure. The Minutemen were also the only Atlantic 10 team to post a victory at Virginia Tech last season.
We Can Play the "D": A trademark of the UMass basketball program over the last 12 years has been stingy defensive play, and that looks to again be the case this season. None of the Minutemen's first three foes have hit 50.0 percent from the floor in a game, and for the year their opponents are shooting just 38.5 percent from the field, including 25.0 percent from three-point range. UMass' last two opponents, Marquette and Holy Cross, have shot just 35.1 percent from the field (39-of-111), including 15.8 (three-for-19) from the three-point line, but have hit 77.4 percent (65-of-84) from the foul line to beat the Minutemen. The Minutemen have held 39 of their last 45 opponents (and seven straight) to under 50 percent shooting from the field (UMass is 21-18 in those games) and 23 foes to under 40 percent (16-7) marksmanship. Under Bruiser Flint, UMass has held an opponent to under 40 percent shooting 68 times (in 131 total games) and owns a 52-16 (.765) record in those contests. Last year, UMass ranked fourth in the A-10 in both scoring (64.8 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.412). Each of Flint's first four teams rank among the school's top 10 in fewest points allowed per game (since the 1951-52 season), with the average points scored against UMass in that stretch being 64.6 points per game.
Defensive Wizards: A year ago, UMass averaged a school-record 9.0 steals per game and recorded 296 thefts, the second-highest one-season total in school history, and it has been credited with 22 steals in three games this season. In the Minutemen's victory at Rhode Island a year ago, they tallied 18 steals, their highest one-game total since a 21-steal effort against St. Joseph's, on Feb. 28, 1990. Monty Mack (62), Chris Kirkland (60) and Shannon Crooks (58) accounted for 180 of the team's 296 thefts a year ago, and the trio ranked fifth, eighth and 10th on the A-10 leader board in steals, the only league school to have three players among the league's top 10 in thefts. This year, Crooks (eight) and Mack (three) have accounted for half of UMass' 22 steals on the season.
Mighty Mack: After earning first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors a year ago, senior guard and tri-captain Monty Mack will challenge for All-America and A-10 Player of the Year honors in his final season as a Minuteman. Mack, who averaged 19.8 points per game a year ago, has averaged 14.5 points in two appearances this season. He is on track to become just the second player in school history to top the 2,000-point mark, joining Jim McCoy, who tallied 2,374 points in four seasons from 1988-92. Mack starts tonight's game with 1,646 points, good for fourth on the UMass career scoring list, 85 behind No. 3 Lorenzo Sutton, 260 away from second place and 354 to reach the 2,000-point plateau. The fifth player in UMass history and first since Marcus Camby in 1996 to earn both first team all-league and all-tournament honors in the same season, Mack's 1,646 points rank second among all active Division I players, behind Centenary's Ronnie McCollum's 1,737. He has scored in double figures 86 times in 96 games, and has hit at least one trey in 18-straight appearances. Mack is UMass' all-time leader in three-point goals attempted (669) and his 242 career treys rank second on the school's career chart behind Carmelo Travieso's 245.
Here's Jonathan: UMass guard and tri-captain Jonathan DePina has started his senior season in impressive style. He has tallied 31 points in three appearances, the highest three-game scoring total of his 94-game career. DePina had nine points, seven assists and one steal in a career-high-tying 40-minute effort against Iona, then had 13 points and three assists in 25 minutes of work off the bench at Marquette and nine points, three assists and a career-high-tying three steals in 34 minutes at Holy Cross. His scoring output against the Golden Eagles was just two points off his career high. After connecting on 44.4 percent of his three-point attempts a year ago, DePina has hit a team-high 60.0 percent (six-of-10) this season and also leads the club in assists (13).
Crooks Continues to Shine: After tallying 20 points and a Mullins Center-record-tying six steals against Iona, junior guard Shannon Crooks netted a team-high 19 points in 29 minutes at Marquette and nine points and three assists at Holy Cross. Crooks, whose 16.0 scoring average leads the Minutemen, has recorded 18 multiple-steal games in 36 career appearances and has a team-best eight thefts on the season. UMass is 4-0 over the last two seasons when Crooks scores 20-or-more points in a game, and 12-6 when he has more assists than turnovers in a game.
Captain Smith is Unselfish: Fifth-year senior and tri-captain Winston Smith ranks second on the team in assists through three games with 12. He had a then career-high five assists in the Iona game, then had six assists and no turnovers against Marquette. Smith, who did not score against Marquette and had just one point at Holy Cross, has started three consecutive games for the first time since his freshman season (1996-97).
Kit's Block Party: Another senior, center Kitwana Rhymer, recorded a season-high four blocked shots at Holy Cross, and now has 79 in his career, good for 10th on UMass' all-time chart. Rhymer, who has 19 multiple-block games to his credit, had a season-high 10 points in 20 minutes of work at Holy Cross. After averaging 26.0 minutes as a junior, he has averaged just 14.3 minutes of "PT" this season, mainly because of foul trouble. Rhymer has played just 20 of a possible 60 first-half minutes this season because the Minuteman staff has been forced to put him on the bench after he picks up his second foul in the first half. As a result, Rhymer has scored just four first half points and grabbed one rebound in the opening half this season. He has committed three or more fouls in each game this season, and fouled out of the Marquette game.
New Kids on the Block: Three first-year UMass players, junior forwards Jackie Rogers and Eric Williams, and freshman swingman Willie Jenkins have worked their way into coach Flint's rotation. The trio is accounting for 29.2 percent of the UMass offense (19.1 ppg) this season. Rogers, who has started all three games this season, is UMass' third-leading scorer at 10.7 points per game. He had a Minuteman career-high 15-point outing at Marquette, and has hit 52.6 percent from the field over the last two games. A transfer from Syracuse who sat out last season, Williams had 14 points and nine rebounds in the season-opening win over Iona, but has three points and eight rebounds to his credit in his last two outings. For the season, Williams is averaging 5.7 points and a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game in 20.7 minutes of work off the bench. Jenkins, a true freshman, had a career-high six point showing in 16 minutes off the bench at Holy Cross.
The Schedule: UMass Basketball continues to subscribe to the any time, any place, any where scheduling philosophy, and that will again be the case this season, as 14 of its 27 games before the A-10 Tournament will be against teams which earned postseason bids a year ago. Tonight's game marks the third of seven non-league tilts against 2000 postseason tournament entrants for the Minutemen, and the first against a 2000 NCAA Tournament participant. UMass has already faced NCAA Tournament entrant Iona and NIT qualifier Marquette, and still must play 2000 Final Four entrant North Carolina in the opening round of the Hardee's Tournament of Champions in Charlotte, N.C., at Ohio State and UConn in Hartford later this month. When A-10 play begins in January, UMass will face all three of the league's entries into the 2000 NCAA Tournament home and home, Temple, St. Bonaventure and Dayton, and it gets to play the league's other postseason tournament team, Xavier (NIT), twice as well.
Another Winning A-10 Record: With nine victories in A-10 play a year ago, the Minutemen finished with a winning record against league opponents for the 11th consecutive season. UMass posted 10-8 conference records in both 1989-90 and 1990-91, went 13-3 in 1991-92, had an 11-3 mark in 1992-93 and posted a 14-2 record in 1993-94. The Minutemen then went 13-3 in conference play in 1994-95, posted a 15-1 mark in 1995-96, had an 11-5 mark in 1996-97 and went 12-4 in 1997-98. Over the last two seasons, UMass has posted identical 9-7 worksheets. The Minutemen, who haven't had a losing record in A-10 play since a 5-13 mark in 1988-89, own a 127-51 (.713) mark in regular-season league games over the last 11 years and have captured 10 conference titles (five regular season, five tournament) in that stretch.
Consistent Success: The Atlantic 10 Conference's winningest program over the last 11 seasons, UMass is one of 21 Division I schools to have earned 10 postseason tournament bids in the last 11 years (from 1989-90 through 1999-2000). The guest list:
Early Signees: During the recently completed early-signing period, the Minutemen received national letters of intent from forwards Eddie Basden (Greenbelt, Md.) and Mauricio Branwell (Silver Spring, Md.) and guard Jeremiah King (Passaic, N.J.). Basden averaged 19.3 points and seven rebounds as a junior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, while Branwell averaged 18 points and 13 rebounds as a junior at Dunbar High School. King averaged 22.6 points a year ago at Paterson Catholic (N.J.) High School and will play at the Winchendon (Mass.) School as a senior. Branwell will play at Notre Dame Prep School in Fitchburg, Mass., this season.
Quick Tips: Sophomore center Micah Brand was credited with a career-high four blocked shots at Marquette...the UMass bench has been outscored 62-59 through three games this season, with a high of 23 points at Holy Cross...the Minutemen have hit at least one three-point goal in 66-straight games since a first-round 1998 NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Louis...the 2000-01 Minuteman roster features four former Bay State prep products...UMass is 7-6 all-time in games played on Dec. 2, including a 2-0 record under coach Flint, most-recently downing Boston U., 70-51, on this date a year ago...this marks UMass' first-ever visit to the State of Oregon...under Flint, UMass is 20-26 (.435) in games played in November and December, 52-33 (.612) in games played in January, February or March...the 2000-01 season marks the 25th year of A-10 basketball, and the Minutemen have been there for every season...the A-10, of course, was founded as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League and started play with the 1976-77 campaign...the league became the Eastern Eight a year later, and the A-10 in 1983...UMass has produced at least one all-conference performer for 17-straight seasons.
