University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Takes Week Off Before Facing Vermont
November 26, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2003
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (1-2) vs. Vermont (0-2)
Date: December 2, 2003
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: William D. Mullins Memorial Center (9,493), Amherst, Mass.
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
Catamount Sports Network: Chris Wojcik, play-by-play; Tom Crowley, color; WVMT 620 AM, Burlington, flagship
Series Record: UMass leads, 45-19
Last Meeting: UMass 62, Vermont 58 (Jan. 21, 1991, Burlington, Vt.)
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 VERMONT: The Minutemen hold a 45-19 advantage in the all-time series with the Catamounts, having won the last eight meetings. Former members of the old Yankee Conference, UMass and Vermont played at least once every season from 1945-1946 through 1978-1979. Since then, the teams have met only twice, with the Minutemen winning 85-70 at home on Feb. 5, 1990, and 62-58 on the road on Jan. 21, 1991. This year's game marks the first between the two schools at the Mullins Center, but UMass does hold a 27-5 advantage for games played in Amherst, with 23 straight victories. The Minutemen also have a 223-109 mark all-time against current members of the America East Conference.
LEE A FORCE IN THE MIDDLE: Junior center Gabe Lee (Camilla, Ga.) has become a solid presence in the lane for the Minutemen. He turned in an outstanding all-around performance against Hartford, totaling 16 points, nine rebounds, seven blocked shots and two steals. He tied his career high for blocks against the Hawks, in addition to hitting eight of 10 attempts from the floor. Lee also had a big game in the season-opening victory over Saint Francis (N.Y.), recording career highs of 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots, in addition to scoring eight points. He also totaled six points, five rebounds and a block at Texas Tech. Through three games on the season, Lee is now averaging 10.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per contest. As a rookie in 2002-2003, Lee started 13 times in 28 appearances, averaging 5.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. In addition, he led the team in blocked shots with 46, while ranking third in the Atlantic 10 Conference with an average of 1.6 blocks per game. Although he is only in his second season with the Minutemen, Lee already has 61 career blocked shots, needing 29 more to move into the all-time UMass top 10.
HEAD COACH Steve Lappas: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Minutemen, Steve Lappas has an overall record of 25-36 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 255-208 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. Lappas currently ranks 11th all-time in career coaching victories at UMass, needing only 14 more wins to move into eighth place.
ANDERSON STARTS SEASON STRONG: Senior guard Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.) has been the leader on the court for a young UMass team so far this season. In the Hartford game, Anderson played only 27 minutes due to foul trouble, but still scored 12 points, while hitting four of nine attempts from three-point range. He also had an outstanding game in the victory over Saint Francis (N.Y.), totaling 21 points while hitting six of 10 shots from the floor, three of five from three-point range, and six of six from the foul line. In addition, he dished out six assists against the Terriers, with only one turnover, while also collecting five rebounds. Through three games so far this year, Anderson is averaging 12.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists, while hitting 44.4 percent of his three-point field goals. Last season, Anderson ranked as the team's second-leading scorer (11.8 ppg) and rebounder (4.3 rpg). He 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). 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 (153) and three-point percentage (.392), while ranking seventh in three-point attempts (390). Anderson, who needs just 341 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 (Suffield, Conn.) has returned to the starting lineup for the Minutemen this season, after starting 21 of 29 games as a rookie in 2002-2003. In two games so far this year, he has totaled 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. Last year, Viggiano averaged 7.0 point and 2.9 rebounds per game. He became 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), and drew 21 straight starts to end the year. Viggiano recorded nine double-digit scoring games in 2002-2003, the most for a true UMass freshman since Marcus Camby recorded 14 such performances in 1993-1994.
HARTFORD RECAP: Junior center Gabe Lee totaled 16 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots, but it was not enough as the Minutemen suffered a 72-66 defeat to Hartford on Nov. 24 at the Mullins Center. UMass trailed only 11-10 with 10 minutes left in the first half, before the Hawks used a 5-0 run to increase their lead to six. The Minutemen would get no closer than four for the remainder of the first half, and trailed by eight at the break. Hartford extended its lead to 12 points early on the second half, before UMass came back to make it close. An 8-0 run by the Minutemen made the score 61-59 with four minutes left to play, but that was as close as UMass would get, as Hartford held on for the win. Sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman led the Minutemen with 19 points and nine rebounds, while hitting eight of 11 shots from the floor. Senior guard Anthony Anderson chipped in with 12 points on four three-pointers. Guard Aaron Cook led Hartford with 20 points, while guard Ryan Stys added 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Hawks hit 25 of 30 free throws on the night to secure the victory, while also connecting on five out of nine attempts from three-point range.
THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: UMass has 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.).
FREEMAN HAS IMPRESSIVE START TO SEASON: Sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman has had three outstanding games to open his collegiate career. Against Hartford, he led the team with 19 points and nine rebounds, while hitting eight of 11 attempts from the floor. Freeman was previously named the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week on Nov. 23, following his performances against Saint Francis (N.Y.) and Texas Tech. In the season opener against Saint Francis (N.Y.), Freeman recorded a double-double, totaling 11 points and 14 rebounds, in addition to recording two assists, two steals and a block. With that performance, he became the first Minuteman to post a double-double in his collegiate debut since John Murphy had 16 points and 14 rebounds against West Virginia on Dec. 2, 1972. Then, in the Texas Tech game, Freeman led the Minutemen with 17 points on eight of 13 shooting. Through three games so far this year, he is averaging a team-high 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds, while hitting 59.4 percent of his shots. Freeman came to UMass from Schenectady High School, where he averaged 17.8 points per game during his senior season in 2001-2002. He was named Player of the Year by the Albany Times Union as a senior, in addition to earning All-State honors and leading his team to the New York Section II Class A title.
BOWERS TAKES OVER A STARTING SPOT: Freshman guard Art Bowers has been in the starting lineup at shooting guard for UMass' first three games this season. Bowers came up big for the Minutemen in his first collegiate game against Saint Francis (N.Y.), totaling 14 points while hitting five of eight shots from the field, two of three from three-point range, and two of four from the free throw line. In addition, Bowers recorded three assists, a steal and a rebound against the Terriers. Against Hartford, he turned in a solid performance with four points, four rebounds, and a team-best four assists. Through three games so far this season, he is averaging 8.7 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds. Bowers came to UMass from St. Benedict's (N.J.) Prep School, where he averaged 18 points and six rebounds per game last season. He was a two-time All-State selection, and was ranked among the top 50 high school seniors in 2002-2003 by both ESPN.com and PrepStars.
LASME A FORCE ON THE BOARDS: Freshman forward Stephane Lasme has been a pleasant surprise for the Minutemen so far this season, and currently ranks third on the team in rebounding. Against Texas Tech, Lasme pulled down a team-best 13 boards, in addition to scoring six points and blocking four shots. He also played well against Saint Francis (N.Y.), turning in a solid debut with six points and six rebounds. Through three games, Lasme is averaging 4.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest. Lasme came to UMass from Leon MBA High School, where he played for coach Ebolo Firmin in the African High School Federation.
MINUTEMEN ON THE RADIO: All University of Massachusetts basketball games can be heard live on the UMass Basketball Radio Network, with WRNX 100.9 FM (Holyoke) serving as the flagship station. Bob Behler is in his fifth season as the play-by-play announcer, while former UMass head coach Jack Leaman is in his 10th year as color analyst. Here is the list of this week's affiliates on the UMass Basketball Radio Network: WCAP 980 AM (Lowell / Boston) and WATD 95.9 FM (Marshfield / Boston). In addition, WMUA 91.1 FM, the UMass student station, will carry a number of Minuteman basketball games during the 2003-2004 season.
THE COORS LIGHT COACH'S SHOW: Head coach Steve Lappas' weekly radio show, "The Coors Light Coach's Show with Steve Lappas," airs live from the Blue Wall Pub in Amherst from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on WRNX 100.9 FM (Holyoke). The show, hosted by Bob Behler, runs throughout the season, and will next air on Monday, Dec. 1. The show is open to the general public.
THE UMASS BASKETBALL SHOW: Head coach Steve Lappas' weekly television show, "The UMass Basketball Show with Steve Lappas presented by Coca-Cola," airs on WGGB Channel 40 (ABC, Springfield) on Sundays at 11:30 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, and on WLVI Channel 56 (Boston) on Sundays at 11:55 p.m.
MINUTEMEN ON TELEVISION: UMass will once again make a number of appearances on live television during the 2003-2004 regular season. The Minutemen will play on ESPN2 at least three times, on Nov. 21 at Texas Tech, on Jan. 3 against Tennessee and on Jan. 24 against Temple. UMass will have four games carried as part of the Atlantic 10 Television Network package, against Duquesne (Jan. 18), Dayton (Feb. 8), Xavier (Feb. 14) and Richmond (Mar. 6). The Minutemen could make additional appearances on ESPN or ESPN2 in the semifinals and finals of the Preseason NIT, while the Mar. 3 contest at Temple will be shown on CN8, and the contest at Boston College will be shown by the New England Sports Network.
MINUTEMEN BRING IN PRESEASON HONORS: Senior guard Anthony Anderson was named a preseason third team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection by the league's coaches and media, announced during Atlantic 10 Media Day on Nov. 6. In addition, freshman guards Art Bowers and Maurice Maxwell were both selected to the preseason Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team. Bowers had previously been honored by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, which selected him as the preseason Atlantic 10 Newcomer of the Year.
UMASS PICKED FOURTH IN A-10 EAST: In the Atlantic 10 Conference's preseason poll, conducted among the league's coaches and media, the Minutemen were picked to finish in fourth place in the East Division. Saint Joseph's placed first in the poll and collected all 34 first place votes, with Temple coming in second and Rhode Island third. Following the Minutemen, Saint Bonaventure was ranked fifth and Fordham sixth. Xavier was picked to win the West Division with 17 of 34 first place votes, followed by Dayton (second, 17 first place votes), Richmond (third), La Salle (fourth), George Washington (fifth) and Duquesne (sixth).
MULLINS MAGIC: UMass is currently in its 12th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, posting an all-time record of 93-36 in the building. The Minutemen stand 1-1 at the Mullins Center so far this season. UMass was 8-6 in the Mullins Center last year, and has 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). In two games so far this season, the Minutemen stand 14 of 53 from three-point range. Massachusetts has made at least one three-point goal in 154 straight games heading into the 2003-2004 season.
AMONG THE ATLANTIC 10'S BEST: Over the last 14-plus seasons, Massachusetts owns a 294-161 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-plus years has won more games overall than UMass (294). Xavier, though, does have 314 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.
ABOUT THE CATAMOUNTS: Vermont opened the season with an 0-2 record, prior to a game at UCLA on Nov. 29. The Catamounts dropped their season opener to Nevada 69-49 in the Preseason NIT, and were also defeated by Iona 56-53. Junior forward Taylor Coppenrath leads Vermont with an average of 17.5 points per game on the season, in addition to pulling down 6.5 rebounds per contest. In addition, junior guard T.J. Sorrentine (10.5 points per game) and junior guard Alex Jensen (10.0 points per game) are both scoring in double figures. Last year, the Catamounts had an overall record of 21-12, while winning the America East Conference title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Coppenrath was named last year's America East Player of the Year, after averaging 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.
VERMONT HEAD COACH TOM BRENNAN: Now in his 18th season as the head coach at Vermont, Tom Brennan owns a 216-260 mark during his time with the Catamounts. A three-time America East Coach of the Year selection, he has led Vermont to the America East regular season title each of the last two years. Brennan's career record stands at 268-336 over 23 years, including four seasons at Yale, and one year at Division III Fairleigh Dickinson-Madison.
MINUTEMATTERS: Senior guard Marcus Cox (Bridgeport, Conn.) is expected to miss the entire 2003-2004 season due to injury ... With the 80-58 victory over Saint Francis (N.Y.), UMass won its season opener for the ninth time in the last 11 years, while moving its all-time record in season openers to 62-33 ... Massachusetts has made at least one three-point field goal in 154 consecutive games and in 530 of 537 games it has played since the arc was added to the college game in 1986-1987 ... UMass has won 25 of its last 27 games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field, including this year's 1-0 mark and a 7-2 record in Steve Lappas' tenure in Amherst.
