University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Travel To Boston College
December 05, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2003
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (2-2) vs. Boston College (5-0)
Date: December 6, 2003
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Place: Silvio O. Conte Forum (8,606), Chestnut Hill, Mass.
New England Sports Network: Eric Frede, play-by-play; Bob Wenzel, color
UMass Radio Network: Bob Behler, play-by-play; Jack Leaman, color; WRNX 100.9 FM, Holyoke, flagship
Eagles Radio Network: Ted Sarandis, play-by-play; Bill Ebben, color; WEEI 850 AM, Boston, flagship
Series Record: Boston College leads, 19-17
Last Meeting: Boston College 80, Massachusetts 62 (Dec. 7, 2002, Amherst, Mass.)
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 BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles hold a 19-17 advantage in the all-time series with the Minutemen, which began in the 1905-1906 season. Boston College has won the last four meetings between the schools, but prior to that UMass had posted six straight wins in the series. Since the teams resumed playing each other on an annual basis during the 1995-1996 season, the Minutemen hold a 5-4 advantage. For games played on the Boston College campus, the Eagles hold a 7-3 advantage with a 1-1 mark at the Conte Forum. The schools have also played nine times at either the Boston Garden or the FleetCenter, with UMass leading 6-3 in those contest.
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 Vermont game, 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. Previously, 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 four games so far this year, Anderson is averaging a team-high 16.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while hitting 55.6 percent of his three-point field goals.
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, while recording two points, six rebounds and six blocks against Vermont. Through four games on the season, Lee is now averaging 8.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 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 67 career blocked shots, needing just 23 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 26-36 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 256-208 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 13 more wins to move into eighth place.
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 four games so far this year, he has totaled 26 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and three 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.
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.).
VERMONT RECAP: Senior guard Anthony Anderson scored a career-high 29 points, to lead the Minutemen to a 76-64 victory over Vermont at the Mullins Center on Dec. 2, 2003. The Catamounts jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead, but UMass responded with a 5-0 run of its own and never looked back. The Minuteman lead increased to 10 points by the nine-minute mark of the first half, and grew to 17 points at the break. UMass led by as many as 20 points during the second half, before Vermont cut the lead to seven with just over two minutes left in the game. But the Minutemen hit seven of 11 free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Anderson hit nine of 13 shots from the floor, including seven of nine from three point range, while also collecting four rebounds and four assists. Freshman guard Art Bowers had a career-high 16 points on seven of 11 shooting, and also led the team in rebounds with seven. Freshman guard Maurice Maxwell also turned in a solid performance, with a career-high 14 points and four rebounds off the bench. Junior center Gabe Lee (six blocks) and freshman foward Stephane Lasme (Four blocks) led UMass on the defensive end. Vermont was led by forward Taylor Coppenrath with 23 points and five rebounds.
BOWERS TAKES OVER A STARTING SPOT: Freshman guard Art Bowers has been in the starting lineup at shooting guard for UMass' first four games this season. He had a career night in the victory over Vermont, totaling 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 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. Through four games so far this season, he is averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 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.
FREEMAN HAS IMPRESSIVE START TO SEASON: Sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman 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. Against Hartford, he led the team with 19 points and nine rebounds, while hitting eight of 11 attempts from the floor. In the Texas Tech game, Freeman led the Minutemen with 17 points on eight of 13 shooting. And in the season opener against Saint Francis (N.Y.), he recorded a double-double, totaling 11 points and 14 rebounds, in addition to recording two assists, two steals and a block. With that performance, Freeman 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. Through four games so far this year, he is averaging 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds, while hitting 55.3 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.
THE LAST TIME - BOSTON COLLEGE 80, UMASS 62: Troy Bell scored a game-high 21 points to lead Boston College to an 80-62 victory over the Minutemen in the last meeting between the two schools, on Dec. 7, 2002, at the Mullins Center. Massachusetts got out of the gate quickly, racing to a 7-0 lead in the game's first 90 seconds. But Boston College used a 10-2 run to take a 10-9 lead with 15:21 left in the opening period, and the game remained tight for much of the half. The Eagles took the lead for good on a Troy Bell dunk with 6:59 left before intermission to break a 24-24 tie, and took a 34-28 lead into the lockerroom. UMass scored the first hoop of the second half on a Micah Brand jumper to pull within 34-30, but Boston College scored the game's next 14 points to stretch the lead to 18 at 48-30 with 16:17 left. The Minutemen would get no closer than 14 the rest of the way. Michael Lasme led the Minutemen with 13 points off the bench, while Gabe Lee added a career-high 11 points, and Brennan Martin chipped in with a career-high-tying nine points. Boston College placed four players in double figures, and held a 44-31 advantage on the boards.
UMASS 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. 15. 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 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). In addition, 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.
MAXWELL HAS BIG NIGHT AGAINST VERMONT: Freshman guard Maurice Maxwell had the top game of his young career in the victory over Vermont. Maxwell scored a career-best 14 points against the Catamounts, while hitting five of seven shots from the floor, including both of his three-point attempts, and two of two shots from the line. For the season, he is now averaging 6.8 points and 2.3 rebounds 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.
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).
ANDERSON CLIMBS CAREER CHARTS: With his strong start to the 2003-2004 season, senior guard Anthony Anderson continues his assult 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 (.401), while ranking fifth in three-pointers made (160) and seventh in three-point attempts (399). 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 312 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.
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 four games so far this season, the Minutemen stand 26 of 72 from three-point range (36.1 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 155 straight games heading into the 2003-2004 season.
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 94-36 in the building. The Minutemen stand 2-1 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.
ABOUT THE EAGLES: Boston College enters the game with a 5-0 record on the year. The Eagles began the season by winning the Paradise Jam with victories over Appalachian State (92-67), Monmouth (60-50) and Wichita State (84-81). Boston College has also posted home wins over Boston University (67-44) and Holy Cross (64-51) to keep its record perfect. Forward Craig Smith currently leads the team with averages of 16.4 points, and 8.6 rebounds per contest. Forward Uka Agbai (11.8 ppg), guard Jermaine Watson (10.8 ppg) and forward Jared Dudley (10.2 ppg) are also scoring in double figures for the Eagles.
BOSTON COLLEGE HEAD COACH AL SKINNER: Now in his seventh season as the head coach at Boston College, Al Skinner owns a record of 103-85 during his time with the Eagles. Skinner's career record stands at 241-211 over 16 seasons as a Division I head coach, including nine years at Rhode Island (138-126). A standout for the forward for the Minutemen under coach Jack Leaman from 1971 through 1974, Skinner was inducted into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982. He still ranks 16th on the all-time UMass scoring chart (1,235 points), ninth on the career assist list (320), 10th in career rebounding average (9.5 rpg). Skinner owns 6-21 coaching record against his alma mater as a head coach, including a 4-3 mark at Boston College.
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 and second in blocks. Against Texas Tech, Lasme pulled down a team-best 13 boards, in addition to scoring six points and blocking four shots. He also totaled six points and six rebounds against Saint Francis (N.Y.), while recording four rebounds and four blocks against Vermont. Through four games, Lasme is averaging 3.5 points, 5.8 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.
AMONG THE ATLANTIC 10'S BEST: Over the last 14-plus seasons, Massachusetts owns a 295-161 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. Through four games so far in 2003-2004, the Minutemen are allowing opponents to shoot only 38.9 percent from the floor, ranking second in the Atlantic 10.
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 155 consecutive games and in 531 of 538 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.
