University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass To Play Maine On Tuesday Night
December 22, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2003
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (3-4) vs. Maine (5-2)
Date: December 23, 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
Maine Radio: Ron Lisnet, play-by-play; Dean Smith, color; WZON 620 FM, Bangor
Series Record: Massachusetts leads, 40-16
Last Meeting: Massachusetts 78, Maine 60 (December 23, 2001, Amherst, Mass.)
PROBABLE UMASS STARTERS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 0 Brennan Martin 6-6 190 Jr. F 1 Rashaun Freeman 6-9 255 So. C 2 Gabe Lee 6-9 210 Jr. G 11 Maurice Maxwell 6-5 175 Fr. G 12 Anthony Anderson 5-11 170 Sr.
THE SERIES WITH MAINE: This will be the 57th meeting between the Minutemen and the Black Bears, with Massachusetts leading the all-time series 40-16. The last meeting came two years ago, when the Minutemen posted a 78-60 victory at the Mullins Center on Dec. 23, 2001. Prior to that, the teams had not played since Feb. 16, 1980, when Maine posted a 76-63 victory in Orono. This year's game will mark only the second appearance by Maine at the Mullins Center, where UMass holds a 1-0 advantage. This will also be the 31st time the schools have played in Amherst, with the Minutemen holding a 26-4 advantage in those games.
MAXWELL STEPS INTO STARTING LINEUP: Freshman guard Maurice Maxwell (Philadelphia, Pa.), who has taken over as UMass' starting shooting guard for the last two games, turned in the top game of his young career in the victory over Marshall. Maxwell scored a career-high and team-best 19 points against the Thundering Herd, while hitting nine of 14 attempts from the floor, and was named Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week. He also recorded a career-best five steals against Marshall (the most by a Minuteman since the 2000-2001 season), with three assists, a rebound and a block. Previously, in the victory over Vermont, Maxwell scored 14 points, while hitting five of seven shots from the floor, including both of his three-point attempts, and two of two shots from the line. He had another big game against Boston College, scoring 10 points and tying for the team lead with four assists, in addition to pulling down three rebounds. For the season, he is now averaging 8.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Maxwell came to UMass from Philadelphia (Pa.) Lutheran Christian Academy, where he averaged 26 points and 12 assists last year, while leading his team to a 20-5 overall record.
FREEMAN HAS IMPRESSIVE START TO SEASON: Sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman (Schenectady, N.Y.) has had some outstanding games to open his collegiate career, and has already been named Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week twice this season, on Nov. 23 and Nov. 30. In UMass' last contest against Marshall, he recorded his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while also recording three steals. In the previous game at Central Connecticut, Freeman led the team in both scoring (15 points) and rebounding (13 boards), while at Boston College, he scored 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Freeman also had big games against Hartford (team-high 19 points and nine rebounds, while hitting eight of 11 field goals), Texas Tech (team-high 17 points on eight of 13 shooting) and Saint Francis (11 points and 14 rebounds). Through seven games this year, he is averaging 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds, while hitting 48.7 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.
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 victory over Marshall last Saturday, Anderson totaled 17 points, six assists, two rebounds and two steals. He was previously named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week on Dec. 7, after a pair of outstanding performances against Boston College and Vermont. In the Boston College game, he led the team with 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals, while playing all 45 minutes. In the previous game against Vermont, Anderson scored a career-best 29 points, while hitting nine of 13 shots from the floor and seven of nine from three-point range. His 29 points were the most by a Minuteman since Kitwana Rhymer scored 30 against Rhode Island on Feb. 20, 2001, while his seven three-pointers were the most by a UMass player since Monty Mack hit eight against Saint Bonaventure on Mar. 8, 2001. Anderson also turning in a solid performance at Central Connecticut with nine points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. And in the season-opening victory over Saint Francis (N.Y.), he totaled 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, Anderson dished out six assists against the Terriers, with only one turnover, while also collecting five rebounds. Through seven games so far this year, Anderson is averaging a team-high 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while hitting 49.3 percent of his shots from the field, and 49.0 percent from three-point range.
HEAD COACH Steve Lappas: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Minutemen, Steve Lappas has an overall record of 27-38 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 257-210 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 12 more wins to move into eighth place.
MARSHALL RECAP: Freshman guard Maurice Maxwell scored a career-high 19 points and added five steals, to lead the Minutemen to an 83-65 victory over Marshall at the Mullins Center on Dec. 20, 2003. UMass scored the first six points of the game, and would never trail, as the lead grew to 17 points by the end of the first half. The Thundering Herd would get no closer than 14 points after the break, with the Minutemen expanding their lead to as much as 24 points. Sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman had an excellent game, recording his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, in addition to recording three steals and hitting eight of nine free throw attempts. Senior guard Anthony Anderson chipped in with 17 points and six assists, while freshman forward Stephane Lasme added five points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots. Forward David Anderson led Marshall with 11 points and eight rebounds, but the Thundering Herd's top two scorers, forward Marvin Black and guard Ronny Dawn, were held to seven points each. The Minutemen collected a season-high 13 turnovers, while forcing Marshall into a total of 24 turnovers.
ANDERSON BECOMING AN IRON MAN: Senior guard Anthony Anderson has become a familar sight on the hard wood, as he recently had a streak of 157 straight minutes on the court. Anderson played all 20 minutes in the second half against Hartford, and then turned in complete game efforts against Vermont (40 minutes), Boston College (45 minutes) and Central Connecticut (40 minutes). His streak ended when he took a brief eight second rest in the first half of the Marshall game. For the season, Anderson has now played 259 out of a possible 265 minutes, good for an average of 37.0 minutes per game. This comes as nothing new to Anderson, who averaged 36.1 minutes per game last season, and 34.0 minutes per contest in 2001-2002.
LEE A FORCE IN THE MIDDLE: Junior center Gabe Lee (Camilla, Ga.) has become a solid presence in the lane for the Minutemen. In the Central Connecticut contest, he totaled 12 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Previously at Boston College, Lee totaled nine points, six rebounds and three blocks, while hitting a three-point field goal in the final minute of play to force overtime. He also turned in a pair of solid all-around performances against Hartford (totaling 16 points, nine rebounds, seven blocked shots and two steals, while hitting eight of 10 attempts from the floor) and Saint Francis (recording career highs of 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots, in addition to scoring eight points). Through seven games on the season, Lee is now averaging 8.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.3 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 76 career blocked shots, needing just 14 more to move into the all-time UMass top 10.
MULLINS MAGIC: UMass is currently in its 12th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, posting an all-time record of 95-36 in the building. The Minutemen stand 3-1 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.
THE LAST TIME: In the last meeting between the Minutemen and the Black Bears, UMass overcame a five-point second-half deficit to hand Maine a 78-60 loss on Dec. 23, 2001, at the Mullins Center. UMass led for most of the first half, but never by more than four points, as there were six ties en route to the Minutemen taking a 28-27 halftime advantage. The Black Bears opened the second half on an 8-2 run to take a 35-30 lead with 17:30 to play, but the Minutemen countered with a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead (36-35) at the 15:50 mark. With the game tied at 41 with 12:40 to play, UMass used another 6-0 spurt to take a 47-41 advantage with 11:07 left. Maine would get no closer than two points the rest of the way, the last at 49-47 with 8:47 remaining, as the Minutemen outscored their guests 29-13 down the stretch. Micah Brand led a five-player parade of Minuteman double-figure scorers with 17 points (all in the second half), while Kitwana Rhymer added 16, Jameel Pugh had 12, Shannon Crooks netted 12 and Anthony Anderson had 11. Errick Greene paced Maine with a game-high 23 points.
UMASS TO RETIRE AL SKINNER'S JERSEY: UMass interim athletic director Thorr Bjorn has announced that the school will retire the No. 30 jersey of former star Al Skinner during the Rhode Island game on Feb. 18, 2004. Currently the head coach at Boston College, Skinner was a three-time first team All-Yankee Conference selection at UMass from 1971-1974, while leading the team to a pair of Yankee Conference titles. Following his UMass career, Skinner went on play professionally in both the ABA and NBA, with the New York Nets, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers. He began his collegiate coaching career at the University of Rhode Island, before taking over at Boston College in 1997. Skinner will become only the fourth player in UMass men's basketball history to have his jersey number retired. The previous three players to have their jersey retired are George "Trigger" Burke (No. 32, 1954-1956), Julius Erving (No. 32, 1969-1971) and Lou Roe (No. 15, 1991-1995).
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 seven games so far this season, the Minutemen stand 45 of 131 from three-point range (34.4 percent), including a sizzling 12 of 19 performance (63.2 percent) in the victory over Vermont. Massachusetts has made at least one three-point goal in 158 straight games heading into the 2003-2004 season.
ANDERSON CLIMBS CAREER CHARTS: With his strong start to the 2003-2004 season, senior guard Anthony Anderson continues his assault on the all-time school records for three-point shooting. He currently stands fourth on the school's all-time chart for three-point percentage (.402), while ranking fifth in three-pointers made (170) and sixth in three-point attempts (423). On track to earn a fourth season of competition by graduating by the summer of 2004, Anderson will have a chance to break Monty Mack's school record for three-pointers made (331) and attempted (910), which were set from 1997-2001. Anderson, who also needs just 254 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.
BOWERS HAVING A FINE ROOKIE CAMPAIGN: Freshman guard Art Bowers (Wilmington, Del.) was in the starting lineup at shooting guard for each of UMass' first five games this season, before missing the Central Connecticut and Marshall games due to injury. He had a career night in the victory over Vermont, totaling a career-high 16 points and a team-best seven rebounds, while hitting seven of 11 shots from the floor and both of his three-point attempts. Bowers also came up big against Saint Francis (N.Y.), totaling 14 points while hitting five of eight shots from the field, including two of three from three-point range. Through five games this season, he is averaging 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. 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.
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).
AMONG THE ATLANTIC 10'S BEST: Over the last 14-plus seasons, Massachusetts owns a 296-163 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 (296). Xavier, though, does have 316 victories to its credit over that time frame, but the Musketeers didn't join the league until the 1995-1996 campaign.
LASME A FORCE ON THE BOARDS: Freshman forward Stephane Lasme (Libreville, Gabon) has been a pleasant surprise for the Minutemen so far this season, and currently ranks fourth on the team in rebounding and second in blocks. Against Texas Tech, Lasme pulled down a career-best 13 boards, in addition to scoring six points and blocking four shots. He also totaled five points, eight rebounds and five blocks against Marshall, while recording six points and six rebounds against Saint Francis (N.Y.). Through seven games, Lasme is averaging 2.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. 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 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, Jan. 5. The show is taped at 11:45 a.m. from the Blue Wall Pub in Amherst, and 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. Televised games so far this season have come at Texas Tech on Nov. 21 (ESPN2), at Boston College on Dec. 6 (New England Sports Network) and against Marshall on Dec. 20 (ESPN Regional). The Minutemen will play on ESPN2 two more times, on Jan. 3 against Tennessee and on Jan. 24 against Temple. UMass will also 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). In addition, the Jan. 7 game with La Salle and the Mar. 3 contest at Temple will be shown on CN8. So far this season, the Minutemen stand 1-2 in games shown on live television.
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. Through seven games so far in 2003-2004, the Minutemen are allowing opponents to shoot only 41.3 percent from the floor, ranking fourth in the Atlantic 10.
ABOUT THE BLACK BEARS: Maine enters the game with an overall record of 5-2 on the year. The Black Bears began the season with a 69-49 loss at Florida State, but then ran off four straight victories against Bethune-Cookman (68-63), the University of New England (99-5), Brown (79-69) and Harvard (89-78). Following a 68-65 overtime loss to Dartmouth, Maine won its last game over Morgan State, 69-63. The Black Bears are averaging 74.0 points per game, with five players scoring at least 9.0 points per contest, and four other averaging between 6.1 and 8.0 points per game. Sophomore guard Kevin Reed leads Maine in both scoring (18.3 ppg) and rebounds (7.6 rpg), while hitting 38.2 percent from three-point range (21 of 55). The Black Bears are coming off a 2002-2003 season in which they posted an overall record of 14-16, with an 8-8 mark in the America East Conference.
MAINE HEAD COACH JOHN GIANNINI: Now in his eighth season as the head coach of the Black Bears, John Giannini owns an overall mark of 110-103. During the 1999-2000 season, Giannini led Maine to an overall record of 24-7 and a 15-3 mark in America East Conference games, to set school records for both overall and league victories. His career record stands at 278-141, including seven seasons at Division III Rowan College. Giannini earned his bachelor's degree from North Central College in 1984, and went on to receive his master's from North Texas State in 1986, and his doctorate from Illinois in 1992.
MINUTEMATTERS: Senior guard Marcus Cox (Bridgeport, Conn.) and sophomore forward Alassane Kouyate (Bamako, Mali) are both expected to miss the entire 2003-2004 season due to injury. Kouyate is eligible to redshirt and will have three years of collegiate eligibility remaining, while Cox's college career is now over ... 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 158 consecutive games and in 534 of 541 games it has played since the arc was added to the college game in 1986-1987 ... UMass has won 26 of its last 28 games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field, including this year's 2-0 mark and an 8-2 record in Steve Lappas' tenure in Amherst ... 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.