University of Massachusets Athletics
Men's Basketball To Face Central Connecticut On Saturday
December 14, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2001
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Game Day Quick Facts
Probable Massachusetts (4-3) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. F 34 Raheim Lamb 6-5 190 So. F 40 Micah Brand 6-11 243 Jr. C 33 Kitwana Rhymer 6-10 256 Sr. G 12 Anthony Anderson 5-11 175 So. G 30 Shannon Crooks 6-2 222 Sr.
Probable Central Connecticut (7-2) Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. F 15 Ron Robinson 6-7 210 So. F 22 Ricardo Scott 6-9 190 So. C 34 Corsley Edwards 6-9 280 Sr. G 3 John Alexander 5-10 170 Jr. G 5 Damian Battles 6-3 210 Jr.
The Game: With final exams just around the corner in the classroom, the 4-3 Massachusetts basketball team faces a stern test on the hardwood as it hits the road for the third time this season to tackle a 7-2 Central Connecticut State squad that has won three-straight games. After opening its season with four consecutive victories for the first time since the 1995-96 season when it roared to a 26-0 start, UMass has dropped its last three games--to Holy Cross (67-56), at 11th-ranked Boston College (80-78) and most-recently to UConn (69-59) last Tuesday in Amherst. UMass' 4-0 start allowed Steve Lappas to become just the third first-year coach in school history, and first since Johnny Orr in 1963-64, to begin his rookie season in Amherst 4-0. The Minutemen, who will break for final exams after tonight and won't return to action until hosting Maine on Dec. 23, are 1-1 away from home this season. UMass won its first road game of the year, beating North Carolina State, 69-62, two weeks ago today in Raleigh, N.C., then dropped a two-point decision to Boston College (80-78) in the Commonwealth Classic last Saturday. Despite its recent three-game losing streak, Massachusetts has enjoyed a complete reversal in fortune from a year ago when it opened its season with a win over Iona and then dropped six-straight games. Last year, the Minutemen went 2-9 in the non-conference season and didn't pick up their fourth win until the season's 13th game (a 75-64 victory at Xavier, Jan. 9, 2001). Central Connecticut State, 7-2 after nine games for the second time in the last three seasons (it also started 7-2 in 1999-2000 en route to a school-record 25 wins and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament bid), is fresh off Wednesday's 107-76 victory at Long Island. The effort against the Blackbirds marked the Blue Devils' highest offensive output since putting up 119 points in a 119-118 victory at Troy State during the 1995-96 season. CCSU opened its season with a 66-44 loss at Oklahoma in the Preseason NIT, then beat Bucknell (68-55) and Brown (66-60) to capture the Mohegan Sun Classic title in this building. The Blue Devils then beat Hartford (73-59) and Niagara (60-55) to win the Phoenix Classic, before dropping an 82-69 decision to defending regular-season Northeast Conference champion St. Francis (N.Y.) in their league opener. Since its loss to St. Francis, Central Connecticut State has beaten Mount St. Mary's (80-69), Maryland-Baltimore County (66-62 in overtime) and Long Island away from home.
Minute-Matters: Some things to consider as Massachusetts looks to end a three-game losing streak against a Central Connecticut team that has won three-straight games . . .
Minuteman Coach Steve Lappas: A new chapter in UMass basketball history began on March 26, 2001, when athletic director Bob Marcum introduced Steve Lappas (CCNY, 1977) as the school's 19th basketball coach. In his 14th season as a head coach, Lappas owns a 234-175 (.572) record, including a 4-3 (.571) mark in his first year on the Minuteman bench. Just the third rookie UMass coach to start his career in Amherst 4-0, Lappas is coaching against Central Connecticut for the first time. Lappas joined the UMass staff after spending nine highly-successful years at Villanova (1993-2001), where he guided the Wildcats to a 174-110 (.613) record and seven postseason appearances (four NCAA, three NIT). He ranked as the sixth-winningest coach in Big East history (and the third-winningest among active league coaches) at the time he left the Main Line with 97 league victories. At Manhattan (1988-92), Lappas improved the Jasper win total every year, going from seven in 1988-89, to 11 the following year, 13 in his third season and 25 in his fourth and final campaign (1991-92) en route to a 56-62 (.475) four-year mark and one postseason (NIT) appearance. Equally impressive as Lappas' on-court record is the classroom performance of his players, as all of his seniors at both Villanova and Manhattan graduated. Prior to moving to Manhattan, Lappas spent four seasons as an assistant to Rollie Massimino at Villanova, and was a member of the Wildcats' 1985 national championship staff.
Blue Devil Coach Howie Dickenman: Central Connecticut State's Howie Dickenman (Central Connecticut, 1970) owns a 77-76 (.503) record in his sixth season as a head coach, all with the Blue Devils. His first two teams posted a 12-41 (.226) record, but his teams have fashioned a 65-35 (.650) record since then. Dickenman, who spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach at UConn (1982-83 through 1995-96, the longest assistant coaching tenure in the school's history) before returning to his alma mater as head coach April 17, 1996, led the Blue Devils to their first winning season as a Division I institution in 1998-99 (19-13) and delivered a Northeast Conference title, school's first-ever NCAA Tournament bid and a school-record 25 victories during the 1999-2000 campaign. He is coaching against UMass for the first time as a head coach, but as a UConn assistant, he helped the Huskies to a 6-1 record against the Minutemen.
UConn in Review: Connecticut built a double-digit lead in the game's first seven minutes, held a 13-point halftime lead, and went on to post a 69-59 victory over Massachusetts last Tuesday in the Mullins Center. After trailing, 36-23 at haltime, the Minutemen opened the second half to pull within 41-37 with 12:07 left, but could get no closer in dropping their 11th-straight game to the Huskies. UConn kept UMass at bay by hitting seven of eight free throws in the game's final 42 seconds. Senior guard Shannon Crooks led the UMass attack with 14 points, while senior center Kitwana Rhymer turned in his first double-double of the season (12 points and 12 rebounds) and sophomore guard Anthony Anderson netted 10 points. Tony Robertson led UConn with a game-high 15 points. UMass hit a season-low 32.9 percent from the field for the game (just 5.6 percent from three-point range), while UConn connected on 47.8 percent of its field goals and 57.1 percent of its three-pointers. The Minutemen, though, outrebounded the Huskies, 46-28.
The Series: This is the fourth meeting in a series UMass leads, 2-1. Massachusetts dropped its first-ever meeting with Central Connecticut State, March 13, 1950, in an NAIA Tournament game played at New Britain, Conn., but has won the last two meetings, both of which were played in Amherst. The Minutemen beat the Blue Devils, 78-52, during the 1992-93 season and 90-63 the following year. UMass is 3-2 all-time vs. current members of the Northeast Conference, with its most-recent game coming against Central Connecticut State during the 1993-94 campaign.
Fans Returning to Mullins Center: In four games played at the Mullins Center this season, the Minutemen have averaged 6,759 fans, an increase of 1,280 per game over last year's 10-game average of 5,479. A season-high crowd of 8,894 was on hand for last Tuesday's game against UConn. UMass last averaged more than 6,000 fans at the Mullins Center during the 1998-99 season, when it averaged 6,723 over its 14-game home slate. Tickets for all remaining UMass home games may be purchased either through TicketMaster outlets around the Commonwealth or by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 1-866-UMASS-TIX or (413) 545-0810. Fans may also order tickets on line at www.ticketmaster.com.
Rogers Wears Redshirt: Massachusetts senior forward Jackie Rogers, who averaged 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game a year ago, has elected to take a redshirt season in 2001-02 and play his final year in a Maroon and White uniform next year. He was slowed by nagging injuries during much of the preseason, and had not played in a game this season prior to making his Nov. 26 announcement. Rogers' decision will also allow him to finish his degree during the same year that he completes his athletic eligibility.
Getting it Done with Defense: A key to UMass' 4-3 start has been its play at the defensive end of the floor, a trademark of the Minuteman program that has continued under coach Steve Lappas. Massachusetts continues to lead the A-10 in field goal percentage defense at 38.9 percent, ranks fourth in scoring defense (65.0 ppg) and fifth in three-point field goal percentage defense (.331). A year ago, Massachusetts ranked fourth in the A-10 in scoring defense for all games (68.2 ppg, which marked the 10th-straight season the Minutemen held their foe to a season mark below 70.0 ppg) and third in field goal percentage defense (.413, the 10th-straight year UMass held its opponent below .420 for the season). Here's a look at some of the early-season gems turned in by the UMass defense this season:
The SWAT Team is Back: Led by 2001 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year Kitwana Rhymer, the Minutemen continue to rank among the league's leaders in blocked shots. Rhymer leads the A-10 in blocks (3.29 bpg), while the UMass team is tied for second in the league with Xavier at 4.57 bpg, and has had at least four rejections in six of seven outings. UMass led the A-10 in blocks a year ago at 5.07 bpg (a league-best 152 on the season, the ninth-best single-season mark in school history), and recorded five more snuffs 17 times. Rhymer led the Minutemen and ranked second in the A-10 with 2.10 bpg, Micah Brand was second on the team and seventh in the A-10 (1.1 bpg) and Ronell Blizzard was third on the squad and 11th in the league (0.9 bpg). Those three players had more blocks (123) than nine other A-10 schools recorded for the entire season, and Rhymer's total by itself stood ahead of one team.
Crashing the Glass: Going into the season, rebounding was expected to be a strength for the 2001-02 Minutemen, and through seven games, they've done nothing to dispel that notion. UMass has outrebounded five of its first seven opponents, and holds a +4.9 margin (third-best in the A-10) over its opponents (38.0 rpg-33.1 rpg) on the glass. Against UConn, UMass held a 46-28 advantage on the board, as six Minutemen grabbed at least two rebounds. Senior center Kitwana Rhymer led the way with a game-high 12 caroms, as UMass recorded its largest advantage on the boards since outrebounding Rhode Island by 23 boards (45-22), Jan. 30, 2001. For the season, Rhymer leads the team and ranks 16th in the A-10 in rebounding (6.1 rpg), while junior forward Micah Brand is second (5.1 rpg). Five UMass players, including the starting backcourt duo of senior Shannon Crooks and sophomore Anthony Anderson, are averaging at least 4.1 rpg.
The Greek Experience: The UMass basketball team got a head start on the 2001-02 season when it traveled to Greece, Aug. 12-23, 2001. The Minutemen, who traveled overseas for just the second time ever and for the first time since a mid-season excursion to France and Germany for the Buckler Christmas Classic in December, 1994, finished 1-3 on the trip to Athens, Kavouri and Mykonos. UMass was one of two A-10 institutions (St. Bonaventure was the other) to take a foreign trip last summer with their first-year coaches at the helm. Two seniors, forward Eric Williams and guard Shannon Crooks, paced the UMass offensive attack. Williams posted team-leading marks of 10.8 ppg and 8.5 rpg, while Crooks averaged 10.3 ppg and led the team in both assists (16) and steals (13), while committing just seven turnovers.
Another Tough Slate: After playing one of the toughest schedules in school history a year ago (College RPI.com and Jeff Sagarin ranked the 2000-01 schedule as the 17th-toughest, while Collegiate Basketball News ranked it 18th), the Minutemen are tackling another challenging slate in 2001-02. But that's really nothing new, as over the last eight seasons, only once has the Massachusetts strength of schedule been ranked lower than 56th in degree of difficulty among Division I institutions, and four times in that stretch it has had an SOS ranked among the nation's top 20. Twenty of UMass' 30 games last season were against 2001 postseason tournament entrants, and the Minutemen fashioned a 7-13 record in those games (5-8 vs. 2001 NCAA Tournament field, 2-5 vs. 2001 NIT entrants). UMass, 0-3 this season against teams which went to postseason play a year ago, has six games left against 2001 NCAA Tournament entrants (Ohio State, Xavier, Temple-2 and St. Joseph's-2) and four contests left against teams that participated in the 2001 NIT (Dayton, Richmond and St. Bonaventure-2). Through games of Dec. 13, 2001, UMass was ranked No. 13 in the RPI calculated by CollegeRPI.com and had the nation's third-toughest schedule, as its first seven opponents have posted an impressive 41-13 (.759) record.
Consistent Success: The Minutemen, who have posted 12-straight winning A-10 records (after posting no winning marks, just two .500 records and 56 victories in their first 13 seasons in the league) since a 5-13 mark in 1988-89, own a 138-56 (.711) record in regular-season league play since then and have captured 10 league titles (five regular season, five tournament) in that time frame. Last year, after a 2-9 non-conference start, Massachusetts went 11-5 in the A-10 (its eighth 11-win league mark in the last 12 seasons), good for fourth place in the standings, and advanced to the title game of the Verizon Atlantic 10 Tournament for the first time since 1995-96, but dropped a 76-65 decision to Temple. Over the last 12-plus seasons, UMass owns a 273-128 (.681) overall record (includes 2001-02 record, too), an average of 22.4 wins per season, and has posted seven 20-win seasons, 11, .500 or better campaigns, and made 10 postseason appearances (seven NCAA, three NIT). The A-10 is one of only six conferences to send at least two teams to the NCAA Tournament every year since 1991, joining the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC. Temple is the only league team with more NCAA appearances (11) than UMass (seven) over that 11-year stretch.
The Comeback Kids: It really shouldn't have come as much of a surprise that UMass overcame double-digit deficits to beat both Oregon and Arkansas-Little Rock earlier this year, as those type of comebacks have happened before in Amherst. Including those comebacks, the Minutemen have now recorded 19 double-digit comebacks to win over the last eight seasons, including a pair last year. In the Oregon game, the Minutemen were down by as many as 11 points on two occasions in the first half, but came back to score a 62-58 victory over the Ducks at the Springfield Civic Center. Against Arkansas-Little Rock, UMass trailed by 10 points, 37-27, with 19:31 left in the game, only to rally for a 66-60 victory. In last year's game against George Washington in Amherst, UMass overcame a 15-point deficit with 1:07 left in the first half to beat the Colonials, 76-60. That deficit was the largest the Minutemen had overcome to win since rallying from 16 down to beat Maryland, 50-47, Dec. 2, 1995.
To Catch a Crook(s): The old man of the Massachusetts backcourt, senior guard and tri-captain Shannon Crooks, has gotten his final season in a Maroon and White uniform off to a solid start. The first UMass player since Edgar Padilla in 1996-97 to lead the Minutemen in both assists (95) and steals (47) in the same season, a feat Crooks accomplished a year ago, he leads this year's squad in scoring (15.5 ppg/11th in the A-10), three-point goals made (14/tie-13th) and attempted (37), assists (29/tie-eighth), steals (12/tie-10th) and minutes played (251), while ranking second in three-point percentage (.378/13th). His scoring is up because of the improvement in his field goal and three-point percentages. Crooks shot 36.2 percent from the field a year ago, including 24.3 percent from beyond the arc, but has shot 44.0 percent from the field and 37.8 from the three-point line over the season's first seven games after being moved from the point to his natural two-guard position by coach Lappas. The only Minuteman to score in double figures every time this season, Crooks had a team-high 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and just one turnover in 38 minutes of work vs. UConn. He has scored in twin-digits in nine-straight games dating to last year (a career-long string), and had a season-high 20 points at North Carolina State. It marked Crooks' fifth 20-point career outing (and first since last year's season-opening 20-point effort against Iona), and the Minutemen are 5-0 during his career when he's pumped in 20 or more points. The fifth-year senior is 199 points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career (and 242 points shy of that plateau in his UMass career). Crooks needs 78 assists to crack the UMass career list (he has 223) and 17 steals (he has collected 117) to make the school's career theft chart. One of four former Bay State preps on this year's roster, Crooks has had at least one assist in 44-straight games and in 68 of 70 career games as a Minuteman.
Kit's Hits: Fifth-year senior and tri-captain Kitwana Rhymer turned in his first double-double of the 2001-02 season (and the 15th of his career), a 12-point, 12-rebound effort, against Connecticut. He also had four blocks against the Huskies. Rhymer leads the A-10 and ranks 11th nationally in blocks (3.29 bpg) this season, and has had at least two blocks in six of seven outings. He ranks fifth on the school's all-time block chart with 160 rejections, 30 behind No. 4 Edwin Green's (1980-84) total of 190. While first-place Marcus Camby's 336 career blocks are well out of Rhymer's reach, he needs just 63 rejections to climb into second place on the UMass career list. Having improved his scoring average every season he has been in Amherst, Rhymer needs 315 points (he enters tonight's game with 685) to become the school's 35th career 1,000-point scorer, and 199 rebounds (has 592 in career) to crack the UMass top 10 in that category, too. He has two double-figure scoring games to his credit this season and has grabbed five or more rebounds in five of seven outings. In addition to leading the A-10 in blocks, Rhymer ranks 16th in the league in rebounding (6.1 rpg). He ranks fourth on the team in both scoring (8.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (.472). Rhymer was a second team 2001-2002 preseason All-Atlantic 10 pick by the league's coaches and media, the only Minuteman named to the early-season honor squad, and was one of five players selected to Dick Vitale's All-Velcro (nation's top defensive players) unit. He was also named to the A-10's preseason all-defensive team, after garnering the league's Defensive Player of the Year award a year ago. Rhymer's selection to the 2001 A-10 all-defensive team marked the fifth-straight season a Minuteman had been named to that squad.
Minuteman Foes Get Branded: No Atlantic 10 player stepped up his game more in 2000-01 than UMass' Micah Brand, who shared the league's 2001 Chris Daniels Most Improved Player honor with teammate Kitwana Rhymer, and his junior season is off to a strong start, too. Brand has scored in double figures in five of seven games this season, including a career-high-tying 23-point effort against Arkansas-Little Rock in the season-opener. He also reached twin-digits against Marist (10), N.C. State (14), Holy Cross (15) and Boston College (12). Against Connecticut, Brand had seven points and six rebounds in 35 minutes before fouling out. UMass' second-leading scorer (12.4 ppg) and rebounder (5.1 rpg) after seven games, Brand also ranks second on the team in field goal shooting (.536) and fourth in free throw percentage (.684). He ranks third in the A-10 in field goal percentage, 16th in scoring. After playing 30 or more minutes just four times in 59 games over his first two seasons in a UMass uniform and averaging 17.5 minutes per game (21.8 a year ago), Brand already has five, 30-plus minute playing stints to his credit this season while averaging 31.3 minutes of work.
Double A Please: No, not batteries, but UMass sophomore point guard Anthony Anderson, who earned A-10 Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season for his performances last week. He had career-highs of 13 points and seven assists against Holy Cross, then netted a career-best 19 points, four rebounds, a career-high four steals and three assists in 35 minutes against Boston College. Included in his effort against BC were nine points (on three treys) in the game's final 15.1 seconds as the Minutemen nearly overcame a 26-point Eagle lead to win. Against UConn, Anderson had 10 points, a career-high-tying seven rebounds, three assists and just one turnover in 39 minutes of work. Over the last three games, all double-figure scoring efforts, Anderson has averaged 14.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 4.3 apg, while playing 114 of a possible 120 minutes with just six turnovers. He currently leads the Atlantic 10 in assist/turnover ratio (2.70/1) and is 12th in the league in three-point percentage (.382), 13th in assists (3.86 apg). Anderson leads the Minutemen in three-point percentage (.382), ranks second on the squad in minutes played (237), three-point goals made (13) and attempted (34), assists (27) and steals (six, tie), third in both scoring (9.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.7 rpg). In his regular-season debut, Anderson came off the bench to score 10 points (eight in the second half), grab five rebounds, dish out four assists and collect a steal in 37 minutes against Arkansas-Little Rock. For his efforts against the Trojans, Anderson earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors, the first Minuteman to earn the honor since Monty Mack captured the last of his three awards during the 1997-98 campaign. Anderson has had at least three assists in every game this season and has recorded four double-figure scoring games (UMass, though, is 1-3 in those games).
Jenkins & Lamb Strengthen Frontline: Heading into the 2001-02 season, one of coach Lappas' biggest concerns was the small forward position. However, a pair of sophomores, Willie Jenkins and Raheim Lamb, have stepped up big in the early-going, averaging a combined 10.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg. Jenkins, who has not scored in his last three appearances, had career-highs of 12 points and three assists, while grabbing six rebounds in 23 minutes at North Carolina State. He has already scored more points (31) and grabbed more rebounds (25) than he did in limited playing time last year. Against UConn, Jenkins came off the bench for the first time this season, did not score, and played a season-low four minutes. While Jenkins has not shot the ball well from the field this season (.242, on eight-of-33 shooting), he's 12-of-12 at the free throw line, with every attempt coming in the game's final 4:50, while averaging 4.4 ppg and 3.6 rpg. Jenkins would lead the A-10 in free throw percentage (1.000) if he met the league's standard of 2.5 made per game. Lamb, who sat out the 2001-02 season due to academics, has gotten his rookie season off to a strong start, too. After coming off the bench in each of the season's first six games, he earned his first career start against UConn, and responded with four points and five rebounds in 21 minutes of action. For the season, Lamb has averaged 6.1 ppg and 3.9 rpg, while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor (third-best on the team). He has tallied six or more points in four of seven outings, including a career-high 12-point, seven-board performance in 23 minutes of work against Boston College a week ago tonight.
Williams is Super-Sub: Senior forward and tri-captain Eric Williams has been a reliable player for coach Steve Lappas off the bench in the early going. Over the last three games, he has averaged 8.0 ppg and 5.3 rpg, while making 64.3 percent of his field goals and all six free throw attempts. Against UConn, Williams tallied eight points and a pair of rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. That effort followed a season-high 10-point, eight-rebounding at Boston College. For the season, he has contributed six or more points four times, while grabbing six or more rebounds in three games. Williams, who made his first UMass career start against Marist in place of Kitwana Rhymer, is UMass' fifth-leading scorer (and tops off the bench) at 6.4 ppg and fourth-leading rebounder (4.4 rpg). He also leads the team in field goal percentage (.552) and ranks second in free throw percentage (.833).
Quick Tips: When freshman guard Kyle Wilson was in the starting line-up against Arkansas-Little Rock, it marked the first time a freshman was in the UMass opening-day starting five since the 1996-97 season when Winston Smith debuted against Chaminade...Wilson came off the bench against Marist and dished out a team-high four assists in 12 minutes, then had three points, four assists, two steals and just one turnover in a productive 12-minute stint vs. Oregon...he was back in the starting line-up against N.C. State, and had three points and a pair of rebounds in 17 minutes, then did not score in nine minutes off the bench against Holy Cross or in nine minutes at Boston College, but had two points, an assist and a steal in nine minutes against UConn...in 14 of its 15 wins last season, UMass out-shot its opponent (the lone exception was in the victory at Temple) from the floor, a trend that has continued in its four victories this season...over the last three years, Massachusetts owns a 21-6 record when scoring 70 or more points, including an 0-1 mark this year...UMass has won 18-straight games when reaching the 50.0 percent mark since an 88-83 loss to George Washington in the quarterfinals of the 1998 A-10 Tournament...UMass is 6-5 in games decided by five or fewer points the last two years (1-1 this season), after going just 1-6 in such games during the 1999-2000 season...the Minutemen have made at least one three-point goal in 100-straight games since a 1998 first-round NCAA Tournament loss to St. Louis, while their opponents have made at least one trey in 44-straight games...UMass, 3-0 this season when leading with 5:00 to play, has won 17-straight when leading at that juncture of the game and owns an 81-9 (.900) record since the start of the 1996-97 season when leading with 5:00 left...UMass has produced at least one all-conference performer for 18-straight seasons.
Fast Breaks: UConn (Huskies, 69-59)--For second-straight game, UMass found itself down by double-digits in the opening half, as the visiting Huskies owned 13-point halftime lead and went on to beat the Minutemen for the 11th-straight time, UMass cut Husky lead to four in the second half, but could get no closer, as visitors made seven of eight free throws in the final minute to hold on, senior guard Shannon Crooks led UMass attack with 14 points, while senior center Kitwana Rhymer turned in his first double-double of the season (12 points/12 rebounds) and sophomore guard Anthony Anderson was in double figures for the third-straight game (10 points), UMass hit season-low 32.9 percent from the field, made just one three-point attempt (in 18 tries), outrebounded Huskies, 46-28, but UConn hit 47.8 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from the three-point line to win. At Boston College (Eagles, 80-78)--No. 13 Eagles roared to 23-point halftime lead, led by as many as 26 early in second half, before Minutemen got back in game and nearly pulled off dramatic comeback, Anderson drained three treys in game's final 15.1 seconds but BC held on for the victory to capture second consecutive Commonwealth Classic title, Anderson had career-high 19 points, while Crooks added 18, as Minutemen had five double-figure scorers for first time since Dec. 7, 2000, game against Providence, Troy Bell poured in a career-high 34 points to lead Eagles, who were outscored 67-53 from the field, but hit 27-of-38 at the line (compared to UMass' 11-of-21) to secure the win. Holy Cross (Crusaders, 67-56)--Crusaders overcome four-point halftime deficit to beat Minutemen for second-straight season, junior forward Micah Brand led UMass scoring attack with 15 points, while Anderson added a then-career-best 13 points and a career-high seven assists in 39 minutes, Holy Cross shot 53.2 percent from the floor against UMass (including 61.9 percent in second half and hit 72.7 percent from beyond the arc), while Minutemen hit season-low 42.9 percent. At North Carolina State (Minutemen, 69-62)--In first road game of season, Minutemen respond with victory, holding hometown Wolfpack to 33.9 percent shooting from the floor, Crooks scored season-high 20 points, Brand added 14 and sophomore forward Willie Jenkins a career-high 12 as UMass moved to 4-0 for 16th time in school history and made Steve Lappas the first rookie UMass mentor to start career 4-0 since Johnny Orr in 1963-64, Minutemen became only third non-ACC team to win in N.C. State's three-year-old Entertainment & Sports Arena. Oregon (Minutemen, 62-58)--Ducks jumped to an 11-point lead in game's first nine minutes, only to watch Minutemen storm back for the win, Brand scored four points in game's final 1:16 as UMass posted 13th win in last 14 games it has played at the Springfield Civic Center, Lappas became first rookie UMass mentor to start career 3-0 since Orr in 1963-64, Crooks in double figures for third-straight game with 13 points, Minutemen held an Oregon team, which had scored 90 or more points in each of its first four games, to 58 points and 35.8 percent shooting from the field, while hitting 50.0 percent (seven-of-14) from three-point range. Marist (Minutemen, 66-59)--Minutemen raced to a 12-2 lead in game's opening minutes, held 19-point halftime advantage, but watch visiting Red Foxes get within three in second half, first 2-0 start for UMass since 1995-96 season, Rhymer came off bench, had 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while Crooks added 14 and Brand 10. Arkansas-Little Rock (Minutemen, 66-60)--UMass overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to give coach Lappas a victory in his first game on the Minuteman bench, Brand netted a career-high-tying 23 points and Minutemen won season opener for eighth time in the last nine years, despite the Trojans' 10, 3-point goals.
An Eye Toward the Future: University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach Steve Lappas has signed four players, 6-9 forward Stephen Briggs (Houston, Texas), 6-8 forward Rashaun Freeman (Schenectady, N.Y.), 6-1 guard Michel Lasme (York, Pa.) and 6-9 forward Alassane Kouyate (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) to National Letters of Intent for the 2002-03 season. Briggs averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots as a junior at Houston's Westside High School, and is considered a top 150 prospect by most recruiting services. An outstanding student, he plans on majoring in engineering at UMass. A tremendous all-around athlete, Lasme played at Crispus Attucks High School in York, Pa., last year, where he averaged 21 points and 10 assists per game. He is spending his senior year at Life Center Academy in Burlington, N.J. A native of the Ivory Coast, Lasme has a 45-inch vertical jump and was ranked as the nation's 30th-best player by ESPN.com. Kouyate, a 6-9 senior at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, is originally from Mali. As a sophomore at Medina Highland (Ohio) High School, he was a standout basketball and soccer player, earning all-Suburban honors in both sports and averaging 18 points on the hardwood for coach Fred Pollack. He then transferred to Walsh Jesuit, but had to sit out the season as a transfer student, although he was able to practice with coach Frank Lupica's team. As a junior at Schenectady (N.Y.) High School, Freeman averaged 15.1 points per game. He led Schenectady to the 2001 New York Class A state title, the school's second state crown in four years. The 6-8 Freeman tallied 18 points and nine rebounds as the Patriots beat Hempstead to claim the state title for coach Mark Sausville. He played his AAU ball for coach Jim Hart's Albany City Rocks, and led that team to the state's 2000 17's and 16's AAU championship. In addition, UConn transfer Marcus Cox (Bridgeport, Conn.), a 6-4 junior guard, is sitting out the 2001-02 season, and will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2002-03 season. Gabe Lee (Newton, Ga.), a 6-9 forward, is attending UMass this season and is expected to join Lappas' program next season, too.
From Here: UMass takes a break for final exams, then returns to action a week from tomorrow (12-23) when it hosts Maine at 2 p.m. in the Mullins Center. Central Connecticut is off until hosting Loyola (Md.), Saturday, Dec. 22, at 1 p.m.