University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen To Take On Saint Francis
November 18, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2003
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Game Day Quick Facts
UMass Radio Network: Bob Behler, play-by-play; Jack Leaman, color; WRNX 100.9 FM, Holyoke, flagship
UMass Student Radio: WMUA 91.1 FM, Amherst
Series Record: First Meeting
Last Meeting: None
PROBABLE UMASS STARTERS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 1 Rashaun Freeman 6-9 255 So. F 22 Jeff Viggiano 6-6 215 So. C 2 Gabe Lee 6-9 210 Jr. G 12 Anthony Anderson 5-11 170 Sr. G 34 Art Bowers 6-4 190 Fr.
THE SERIES WITH SAINT FRANCIS: The 2003-2004 season opener will mark the first-ever meeting between the Minutemen and the Terriers on the basketball court. UMass does own a 4-3 mark all-time against current members of the Northeast Conference, having gone 3-2 against Central Connecticut State, 1-0 vs. Monmouth and 0-1 against Saint Francis (Pa.).
FOR OPENERS: UMass owns a 61-33 all-time mark in season openers, including victories in eight out of the last 10 seasons. Last year, the Minutemen dropped an 84-71 decision to No. 22 Indiana in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. Prior to that, UMass posted victories in four straight season openers, against Arkansas-Little Rock (66-60 in 2001-2002), Iona (67-65 in 2000-2001 and 85-77 in 1999-2000) and Niagara (87-73 in 1998-1999). This year marks only the fifth time the Minutemen have opened the season at the Mullins Center, with UMass owning a perfect 4-0 mark in the first four games.
MINUTEMEN IN THE PRESEASON NIT: For the third time in the last 11 years, UMass will open its season in the Preseason National Invitation Tournament. The Minutemen own a 4-2 all-time record in the Preseason NIT, including a runner-up finish in 1993. During the 1993 tournament, the Minutemen knocked off No. 1 North Carolina in the semifinals (91-86 in overtime), before falling to No. 6 Kansas in the title game (86-75). In their second appearance, to open the 1998-1999 campaign, the Minutemen split a pair of games. UMass stands 3-0 all-time in Preseason NIT games at the Mullins Center, and owns a 2-0 mark in opening round games. Atlantic 10 Conference teams are 13-11 all-time in the Preseason NIT.
THE RETURNING CAST: Massachusetts' 2003-2004 team will be built around a solid returning cast that features three returning starters and four other letterwinners. All-told, the seven returnees provided 50.8 percent of the scoring and 50.7 percent of the rebounding a year ago when the Minutemen went 11-18 overall and 6-10 in the Atlantic 10 (fourth in the East Division). Leading the way is senior guard Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.), who averaged 11.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season. Other returning starters for the Minutemen are junior center Gabe Lee (Camilla, Ga.) and sophomore forward Jeff Viggiano (Suffield, Conn.). Lee averaged 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 2002-2003, while Viggiano averaged 7.0 points and 2.9 rebounds.
MULLINS CENTER OPENERS: Since the building opened during the 1992-1993 season, UMass has posted a 9-2 mark in its first Mullins Center game of the year. Last season, the Minutemen were defeated by Boston College (80-62) in their Mullins Center opener. UMass defeated West Virginia (64-59 in overtime) in its first-ever game at Mullins during the 1992-1993 season, and won its home opener six straight seasons from 1993-1994 through 1998-1999.
THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: UMass will have a number of new faces on the court this season, with a total of eight new players on the roster. Junior guard Chris Chadwick (Union, Md.) has joined the Minutemen as a junior college transfer, while sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman (Schenectady, N.Y.) will see his first collegiate action after sitting out the 2002-2003 season. Three freshmen have also joined the team, in guard Art Bowers (Wilmington, Del.), guard Maurice Maxwell (Philadelphia, Pa.) and forward Stephane Lasme (Libreville, Gabon). Rounding out the new faces on the roster are a trio of walk-ons: junior forward Tim Collins (Lee, Mass.), junior guard Mike Jones (Franklin, Mass.) and freshman forward Adham Osman (Natick, Mass.).
HEAD COACH Steve Lappas: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Minutemen, Steve Lappas has an overall record of 24-34 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 254-206 in 16 seasons as a head coach, including nine years at Villanova (174-110) and four seasons at Manhattan (56-62). A 1977 graduate of the City College of New York, Lappas has led his teams to four NCAA Tournament appearances (with Villanova in 1994-1995, 1995-1996, 1996-1997 and 1998-1999) and four trips to the National Invitation Tournament (Manhattan in 1991-1992 and Villanova in 1993-1994, 1999-2000 and 2000-2001). In addition, his 1993-1994 Villanova team claimed the NIT championship. Entering this season, Lappas ranks 11th all-time in career coaching victories at UMass, needing only 15 more wins to move into eighth place.
GET YOUR SCORECARDS READY: Massachusetts' 2003-2004 roster will feature eight players making their Maroon and White debuts, and only three Minutemen who have been in the program since Steve Lappas' arrival. The only players on the team who have spent more than one year with the Minutemen are senior guard Anthony Anderson, senior guard Marcus Cox (Bridgeport, Conn.) and junior forward Brennan Martin (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.). All told, eight of UMass' 11 scholarship players are either in their first or second year in Lappas' program.
EXHIBITION GAME #2 - PLAYAZ: Rashaun Freeman notched a double-double with a team-high 19 points and 15 rebounds, to lead the Minutemen to a 95-87 victory over the Playaz on Nov. 13, in preseason action at the Mullins Center. Freeman, who canned 12 of his 19 points in the first half, grabbed nine rebounds in the second half, and finished the game hitting eight of 12 from the field. Anthony Anderson had 16 points, including a trio of three-pointers, while Art Bowers and Maurice Maxwell each had 12 points. Jeff Viggiano rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points, including a pair of three pointers. Omar Cooper led the Playaz with 31 points, while James Scott added 23.
EXHIBITION GAME #1 - HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS: Anthony Anderson scored 16 points on five of six shooting, including four of five from three-point range, as the Minutemen dropped a hard fought 77-68 decision to the Harlem Globetrotters at the Springfield Civic Center on Nov. 9. UMass led by as many as seven points early in the game, and was up 27-22 with six minutes remaining before the break. The Globetrotters then used a 16-10 run to take a one-point lead into the lockerroom. The lead expanded to eight points after the Globetrotters scored the first seven points of the second half, and the Minutemen trailed 64-55 with 6:21 left to play in the game. UMass then went on an 8-0 run to trim the lead to one point, but was unable to get any closer. The Globetrotters outscored the Minutemen 13-5 the rest of the way, to claim a nine-point win. Rashaun Freeman totaled 14 points, five assists and four rebounds for UMass, while Art Bowers added 12 points. The Globetrotters were led by Darrick Martin with 19 points and nine assists, while Cedric Ceballos had 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.
MORE GLOBETROTTER FACTS: With their 77-68 loss to the Harlem Globetrotters, the Minutemen made a very impressive showing. During the Globetrotters first four games on their 2003 College Tour, they scored at least 95 points in every game, while averaging 101.0 points per contest and a 25.0 margin of victory. Prior to UMass, the closest any team had come to the Globetrotters was Michigan State, which fell 97-82. With the win over UMass, the Globetrotters extended their current winning streak to 286 games, dating back to a 106-82 loss to Ohio State on Nov. 22, 2002.
STEADY AT THE POINT: Senior guard Anthony Anderson returns to lead the Minutemen at the point after ranking as the team's second-leading scorer (11.8 ppg) and rebounder (4.3 rpg) a year ago. Anderson led UMass in seven different categories last season - minutes (36.1 mpg), field goal attempts (254), three-pointers (74), three-point attempts (189), free throw percentage (.757), assists (107) and steals (38). He also ranked among the Atlantic 10's top 10 in five categories. On track to earn a fourth season of competition by graduating by the summer of 2004, Anderson already ranks as one of the most prolific three-point shooters in school history. He stands fifth on the school's all-time charts for both three-pointers made (145) and three-point percentage (.390), while ranking seventh in three-point attempts (372). Anderson, who needs just 367 points to become the school's 36th career 1,000-point scorer, already owns two of the top 10 places on the school's single-season chart for three-point goals made.
VIGGIANO LOOKS FOR ANOTHER BIG SEASON: Sophomore forward Jeff Viggiano started 21 of 29 games as a rookie in 2002-2003, and averaged 7.0 point and 2.9 rebounds per game. One of 16 true freshmen in UMass history to start at least 20 games, and the first since Tony Barbee and Harper Williams each made 26 starts in 1989-1990, Viggiano drew 21 straight starts to end the year. He recorded nine double-digit scoring games, the most for a true UMass freshman since Marcus Camby recorded 14 such performances in 1993-94.
MULLINS MAGIC: UMass is entering its 12th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, posting an all-time record of 92-35 in the building. The Minutemen were 8-6 in the Mullins Center last year, and have not had a losing record at home since moving into the new arena in 1992-1993. In fact, UMass has gone 21 straight seasons without having a losing record on its homecourt. The Minutemen also own a 59-22 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.
DIALING LONG DISTANCE: The three-point shot has become an important part of the UMass offense since Steve Lappas began his tenure as head coach. The 2001-2002 Minutemen set school records for both three-point field goals made (204) and three-point field goals attempted (587) during Lappas' first season. Last year, UMass sank 164 three-pointers (fourth-most in school history), while attempting 544 shots from beyond the arc (second-most in school history). Massachusetts has made at least one three-point goal in 151 straight games heading into the 2003-2004 season.
AMONG THE ATLANTIC 10'S BEST: Over the last 14 seasons, Massachusetts owns a 293-159 overall record, good for an average of 20.9 wins per season. The Minutemen have made 10 postseason appearances over that stretch, while winning 20-or-more games in a season seven times. In addition, UMass has posted a winning record in Atlantic 10 play 12 times in the last 14 years, while finishing with an overall record below .500 just three times. After posting no winning campaigns, just two .500 records and a 53-133 overall mark in its first 13 seasons in the Atlantic 10, UMass has gone 150-76 in regular-season league play over the last 14 campaigns en route to 10 conference crowns (five regular season, five tournament). Eight times over the last 14 seasons, the Minutemen have won at least 11 league games. In the Atlantic 10, no program that has called the league home in each of the last 14 years has won more games overall than UMass (293). Xavier, though, does have 311 victories to its credit over that time frame, but the Musketeers didn't join the league until the 1995-1996 campaign.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE: During the 2002-2003 season, the Minutemen were consistently one of the top defensive teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference. UMass allowed only 66.5 points per game last season, the fifth lowest mark in the league, while standing third in the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goal percentage defense (31.6 pct.) and fourth in the conference in field goal percentage defense (41.3 pct.). The Minutemen were even more impressive with their perimeter defense against conference foes, leading the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goal percentage defense (30.4 pct.). UMass held its opponents to 62 points or fewer 14 times last season, posting an 8-6 record in those games.
MINUTEMATTERS: Former UMass head coach Jack Leaman, who currently provides color commentary for the UMass Radio Network, was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in September. Leaman compiled an overall record of 217-126 in his 13 seasons at UMass, while winning eight Yankee Conference titles ... Massachusetts has made at least one three-point field goal in 151 consecutive games and in 527 of 534 games it has played since the arc was added to the college game in 1986-1987 ... UMass has won 24 of its last 26 games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field, including last year's 4-1 mark and a 6-2 record in Steve Lappas' tenure in Amherst.
