University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass To Play CCSU At Mohegan Sun
December 08, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2003
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (2-3) vs. Central Connecticut State (1-1)
Date: December 9, 2003
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Mohegan Sun Arena (10,000), Uncasville, Conn.
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
Central Connecticut Radio: Bruce Biel, play-by-play; Jeff Dooley, color; WPOP 1410 AM, Hartford
Series Record: Massachusetts leads, 3-2
Last Meeting: Central Connecticut 46, Massachusetts 45 (Dec. 2, 2002, Uncasville, Conn.)
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 11 Maurice Maxwell 6-5 175 Fr. G 12 Anthony Anderson 5-11 170 Sr.
THE SERIES WITH CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: The Minutemen hold a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Blue Devils. Central Connecticut won the first-ever meeting between the schools, posting a 68-47 victory on Mar. 13, 1950, in an NAIA Tournament game played in New Britain, Conn. UMass came back to post back-to-back home wins over the Blue Devils, winning 78-52 on Dec. 5, 1992, and 90-63 on Dec. 9, 1993. The teams have met at the Mohegan Sun Arena during the last two seasons, with each team winning once. The Minutemen posted a 64-49 victory on Dec. 15, 2001, while Central Connecticut won 46-45 on Dec. 2, 2002.
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 Boston College game, he led the team with 20 points, eight 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. 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 five games so far this year, Anderson is averaging a team-high 17.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists, while hitting 51.4 percent of his three-point field goals.
HEAD COACH Steve Lappas: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Minutemen, Steve Lappas has an overall record of 26-37 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 256-209 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.
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 against Saint Francis (N.Y.), recording career highs of 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots, in addition to scoring eight points. In UMass' last game at Boston College, Lee totaled nine points and six rebounds, while hitting a three-point field goal in the final minute of play to force overtime. 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 five games on the season, Lee is now averaging 8.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.2 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.
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 five games so far this year, he has totaled 34 points, 15 rebounds, eight 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.
BOSTON COLLEGE RECAP: Craig Smith hit a pair of three throws with 14.6 seconds remaining in overtime, to lead Boston College to a 76-75 victory over the Minutemen at Conte Forum on Dec. 6, 2003. UMass led the game for much of the first half, jumping out to a 24-15 lead with seven minutes left before the break. But the Eagles responded with a 15-0 run, to take a 30-24 lead with a minute left in the first half. Junior forward Brennan Martin broke the UMass scoring drought with a pair of three pointers in the final minute of the half, and the Minutemen trailed only 33-30 at the break. The game stayed close throughout the second half, with neither team taking a lead larger than five points. UMass was down 70-67 in the final minute of regulation, when junior center Gabe Lee hit the first three-point field goal of his collegiate career to force overtime. The Minutemen had the ball and a one-point lead in the final minute of the extra session, but missed four free throw attempts before Smith won the game for the Eagles. Senior guard Anthony Anderson led the Minutemen with 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Martin scored a career-best 13 points off the bench. Sean Marshall led Boston College with 21 points, while Smith recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
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.).
MAXWELL PLAYING BIG OFF THE BENCH: Freshman guard Maurice Maxwell has been a key player off the bench over UMass' last two games, and is expected to move into the starting lineup against Central Connecticut. In the victory over Vermont, Maxwell scored a career-best 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 came back with 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 7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists 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).
THE LAST TIME: In the last meeting between the Minutemen and the Blue Devils, Central Connecticut came from behind to post a 46-45 victory at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Dec. 2, 2002. UMass scored the game's first five points, led by nine less than eight minutes into the game, and stretched the advantage to as many as 13 points in the first half before taking an 11-point, 28-17 halftime lead. The Minutemen enjoyed their biggest lead of the game at 34-19 with 18:00 to play, but Central Connecticut refused to die. UMass held a 40-30 lead with 7:44 to play, but the Blue Devils ended the game on a 16-5 run to pull out the victory. The Minutemen held Central Connecticut State to 32.7 percent shooting for the game, including 26.9 percent marksmanship in the first half. UMass' frontline duo of Jackie Rogers and Micah Brand led the Minutemen with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Brand also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to record his fourth career double-double. Ricardo Scott led Central Connecticut State with game-high 18 points.
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. In UMass' last game at Boston College, Freeman scored 11 points on five of 10 shooting, while also pulling down seven rebounds. 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 five games so far this year, he is averaging 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds, while hitting 54.2 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.
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 five games so far this season, the Minutemen stand 36 of 99 from three-point range (36.4 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 156 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).
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 (.401), while ranking fifth in three-pointers made (164) and sixth in three-point attempts (409). 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 292 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 was in the starting lineup at shooting guard for each of UMass' first five games this season. 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.
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.
AMONG THE ATLANTIC 10'S BEST: Over the last 14-plus seasons, Massachusetts owns a 295-162 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 (295). 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.
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. 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. Televised games so far this season have come at Texas Tech on Nov. 21 (ESPN2) and at Boston College on Dec. 6 (New England Sports Network). 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 Mar. 3 contest at Temple will be shown on CN8. So far this season, the Minutemen stand 0-2 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 five games so far in 2003-2004, the Minutemen are allowing opponents to shoot only 40.5 percent from the floor, ranking fourth in the Atlantic 10.
ABOUT THE BLUE DEVILS: Central Connecticut enters the game with a 1-1 record on the year. The Blue Devils opened the year with a 66-55 victory over Charleston Southern, and were then defeated by Loyola Marymount 58-57. Central Connecticut was scheduled to play Quinnipiac on Dec. 6, but the game was postponed due to the weather. Forward Ron Robinson leads the team with 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Forward Rich Pittman (13.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and guard Ron Christy (10.5 ppg, 4.0 apg) are also averaging in double figures. The Blue Devils are coming off a 2002-2003 season in which they posted an overall record of 15-13, and placed third in the Northeast Conference with a 12-6 mark in league games.
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT HEAD COACH HOWIE DICKENMAN: Now in his eighth season as the head coach at Central Connecticut, Howie Dickenman owns an overall record of 113-93. His first two teams posted a 12-41 record, but his teams have gone 101-52 since then. Dickenman, who spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach at Connecticut (1982-1983 through 1995-1996, 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 1998-1999 (19-13) and has delivered Northeast Conference titles and NCAA Tournament bids in both 1999-2000 and 2001-2002, while winning 25 and 27 games, respectively. He stands 1-1 against UMass as a head coach, and as a UConn assistant, helped the Huskies to a 6-1 record against the Minutemen.
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 156 consecutive games and in 532 of 539 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.