University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Set To Face #3 Saint Joseph's
January 19, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2004
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (5-10, 0-4 A-10) vs. #3 Saint Joseph's (15-0, 5-0 A-10)
Date: January 21, 2004
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse (3,200), Philadelphia, Pa.
UMass Radio Network: Bob Behler, play-by-play; Jack Leaman, color; WRNX 100.9 FM, Holyoke, flagship
Saint Joseph's Sports Network: Tom McCarthy, play-by-play; Joe Lunardi, color; WPEN 950 AM, Philadelphia, flagship
Series Record: Massachusetts leads, 25-20
Last Meeting: Saint Joseph's 52, Massachusetts 49 (March 8, 2003, Amherst, Mass.)
PROBABLE UMASS STARTERS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 5 Stephane Lasme 6-8 190 Fr. F 11 Maurice Maxwell 6-5 175 Fr. C 1 Rashaun Freeman 6-9 255 So. G 12 Anthony Anderson 5-11 170 Sr. G 34 Art Bowers 6-4 190 Fr.
THE SERIES WITH SAINT JOSEPH'S: This will be the 46th meeting between UMass and Saint Joseph's, with the Minutemen leading the all-time series 25-20. The Hawks have won four straight meetings and five of the last six, but prior to that UMass ran off six consecutive victories in the series. Saint Joseph's holds a 13-8 advantage against the Minutemen for regular-season games played in Philadelphia, including a 10-8 mark against UMass in Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
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 four times this season (on Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 28 and Jan. 11) and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week once (Dec. 29). In UMass' last game at Duquesne, he led the team with 16 points, in addition to pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. At Saint Bonaventure, Freeman totaled 19 points and five rebounds, while hitting seven of 12 shots from the field and five of seven at the line. Previously against George Washington he posted another double-double, totaling 19 points and 10 rebounds, while hitting nine of 11 free throws. Freeman also had big games against Connecticut (15 points, three boards), Albany (22 points, 10 rebounds), Maine (career-high 23 points, six rebounds, three steals), Marshall (18 points, 10 rebounds, three steals), Central Connecticut (15 points, 13 boards), Hartford (team-high 19 points and nine rebounds), Texas Tech (team-high 17 points on eight of 13 shooting) and Saint Francis (11 points and 14 rebounds). Through 15 games this year, Freeman is averaging a team-best 15.1 points and 8.1 rebounds, while hitting 52.1 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 this season. In the Saint Bonaventure game, he scored a game-high 26 points on nine of 14 shooting (including six of nine three pointers), while also leading the team in rebounds (eight) and steals (three). In the La Salle game, Anderson scored a team-best 20 points, to go along with three rebounds and three steals. Earlier this season, Anderson was 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 (20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals) and Vermont (career-best 29 points, while hitting nine of 13 shots from the floor and seven of nine from three-point range). Some of his other big games this season have come against Tennessee (15 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals), Connecticut (15 points, four rebounds), Marshall (17 points, six assists, two rebounds, two steals) and Saint Francis (21 points, five rebounds, six assists). Through 15 games so far this year, Anderson is averaging 14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists, while hitting 42.5 percent from three-point range and posting a 1.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
VIGGIANO PROVIDES A SPARK: Sophomore forward Jeff Viggiano (Suffield, Conn.) has been a key player for the Minutemen this year, while seeing time at both power forward and small forward. In UMass' last game at Duquesne, he totaled 13 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots, while hitting three three-pointer. Earlier this year against No. 1-ranked Connecticut, Viggiano had a huge night with a career-best 22 points on nine of 12 shooting against, in addition to totaling four rebounds, two assists and two steals. He was also solid in the Tennessee game, with eight points, five rebounds and two blocks. In 14 games played so far this year, including 11 starts, he has averaged 8.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest. Last year, Viggiano averaged 7.0 point and 2.9 rebounds per game, while starting 21 out of 29 games. 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.
MAXWELL MAKING PRESENCE FELT: Freshman Maurice Maxwell (Philadelphia, Pa.) has turned into a key perimeter player for the Minutemen, while seeing action at both shooting guard and small forward. In UMass' last game at Duquesne, he totaled eight points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. In the La Salle game, Maxwell recorded eight points, four rebounds and a team-best four assists. Previously against Tennessee, he recorded 12 points, four assists and three steals, while hitting three of five attempts from three-point range. Earlier in the season against Marshall, Maxwell scored a career-high 19 points on nine of 14 shooting, and was named Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week. He also recorded a career-best five steals against Marshall, with three assists, a rebound and a block. Maxwell had some other big games against Albany (10 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal), Vermont (14 points on five of seven shooting) and Boston College (10 points, four assists, three rebounds). For the season, he is now averaging 7.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 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.
DUQUESNE RECAP: Guard Jack Higgins scored 24 points on eight of 13 shooting, to lead Duquesne to a 88-62 victory over the Minutemen at the A.J. Palumbo Center on Jan. 18, 2004. The Dukes opened the game on a 13-5 run, but UMass responded with a 9-3 spurt of its own to make it a two-game game at the 12-minute mark of the opening half. But the Dukes offense turned it on again with a 15-4 run, before the Minutemen cut the lead to seven points at the break. The second half was also Duquesne, as the Dukes began the half on a 14-2 run to take a 19-point lead. UMass would get no closer than 16 points the rest of the way, as Duquesne opened up the lead as large as 26 points late in the game. Forward Rashaun Freeman led the Minutemen with 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while guard Anthony Anderson added 14 points and two assists. Forward Jeff Viggiano also had a big day off the bench, totaling 13 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. Duquesne had four players score in double figures, including Higgins, forward Elijah Palmer (16 points), guard Bryant McAllister (13 points) and center Kieron Achara (10 points).
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 charts for three-pointers made (192) and three-point attempts (487), while ranking fifth in three-point percentage (.394). 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), which was set from 1997-2001. Anderson, who also needs just 143 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.
BLOCK PARTY: Throughout the 2003-2004 season, the Minutemen have been the top team in the Atlantic 10 Conference, and among the best in the nation, at blocking shots. UMass currently has 91 blocks though 15 games, good for an average of 6.1 blocks per contest. The Minutemen are blocking nearly two more shots per game than every other school in the Atlantic 10, as Saint Joseph's currently ranks second with an average of 4.3 blocks. In the latest NCAA statistics, through games of January 12, UMass stood 13th in the nation with 6.3 blocks per game. Leading the way for the Minutemen is junior center Gabe Lee (Camilla, Ga.), with an average of 3.2 blocks per game. He currently ranks first in the league and 12th in the nation, while blocking more shots alone than five Atlantic 10 teams. In addition, Lee has blocked at least one shot in each of his last 19 games, during a span in which five teams opposing UMass have gone an entire contest without a block. Freshman forward Stephane Lasme (Libreville, Gabon) has also come up big for UMass, totaling 21 blocks to rank sixth in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 1.5 blocks per game.
THE LAST TIME: In the last meeting between the Minutemen and the Hawks, guard Jameer Nelson totaled 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead Saint Joseph's to a 52-49 victory at the Mullins Center on March 8, 2003. The game was close in the early going, with Saint Joseph's holding a 15-9 lead after six minutes of play. UMass then went cold from the field, going over eight minutes without a point, but the Hawks scored only four points of their own during that time, to increase their lead to 10 points. The Minutemen then used an 8-0 run to make it a two-point game, before Saint Joseph's scored the final four points of the half to take a six-point lead into the lockerroom. The Hawks increased their lead to nine points early in the second half, but UMass would not go away. The Minutemen cut the lead to two points at the 14:15 mark, and would stay close for the remainder of the game. UMass had a chance to tie the score in the closing seconds, but forward Jeff Viggiano's three-point attempt from the corner was no good. St. Joseph's won despite going the final 12:37 without a field goal, but did make 17 of 22 free throw attempts during that span. UMass seniors Micah Brand (11) and Jackie Rogers (13) both scored in double figures in their final regular season game at the Mullins Center.
HEAD COACH Steve Lappas: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Minutemen, Steve Lappas has an overall record of 29-44 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 259-216 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 11 more wins to move into eighth place.
ANDERSON BECOMING AN IRON MAN: Senior guard Anthony Anderson has become a familiar sight on the hard wood, and earlier this season he 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 556 out of a possible 585 minutes, good for an average of 37.1 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.
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).
BOWERS HAVING A FINE ROOKIE CAMPAIGN: Freshman guard Art Bowers (Wilmington, Del.) has turned into one of the team's top players in his first season with the Minutemen. In UMass' last game at Duquesne, he totaled nine points, in addition to pulling down a career-high eight rebounds. In the Saint Bonaventure game, Bowers totaled eight points and four assists, while hitting two of four three-point attempts. In the previous contest against George Washington, he scored 11 points while hitting three of five attempts from three-point range. Bowers, who has been in the starting lineup at shooting guard for eight games this season, turned in some other outstanding performances against Albany (13 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals), Vermont (career-high 16 points on seven of 11 shooting, team-best seven rebounds) and Saint Francis (14 points on five of eight shots from the field, including two of three from three-point range). In the 13 games he has played this season, Bowers is averaging 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Bowers came to UMass from Saint 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.
LEE A FORCE IN THE MIDDLE: Junior center Gabe Lee, who has become a solid presence in the lane for the Minutemen, missed the Duquesne game due to injury and is doubtful for the contest with Saint Joseph's. In the George Washington game, Lee totaled 11 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots. Previously against La Salle, he had 10 points on four of six shooting, with team highs of eight rebounds and three blocks. Earlier in the year against Tennessee, Lee scored a career-high 23 points, including a seven of 10 performance at the free throw line. He also had 10 rebounds against the Volunteers, good for his first double-double of the season, and blocked four shots. Lee also turned in some big performances against Albany (nine points, seven rebounds), Central Connecticut (12 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two assists), Boston College (nine points, six rebounds and three blocks, while hitting a three-point field goal in the final minute of play to force overtime), Hartford (16 points, nine rebounds, seven blocked shots, two steals) and Saint Francis (11 rebounds, seven blocked shots, eight points). In 14 games played this season, Lee is averaging 9.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per contest. As a rookie in 2002-2003, Lee averaged 5.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.
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 15 games so far this season, the Minutemen stand 91 of 280 from three-point range (32.5 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 166 straight games.
MULLINS MAGIC: UMass is currently in its 12th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, posting an all-time record of 97-39 in the building. The Minutemen stand 5-4 at the Mullins Center so far this season, and recently had four consecutive victories. 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 home court. The Minutemen also own a 59-23 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.
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 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 Thursday, Jan. 22. 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 on ESPN (Jan. 3 against Tennessee), ESPN2 (Nov. 21 at Texas Tech), the Atlantic 10 Television Network (Jan. 18 at Duquesne), New England Sports Network (Dec. 6 at Boston College), CN8 (Jan. 7 against La Salle) and ESPN Regional (Dec. 20 against Marshall). The Minutemen will play on ESPN2 one more time, on on Jan. 24 against Temple. UMass will also have three more games carried as part of the Atlantic 10 Television Network package, against 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 1-5 in games shown on live television.
LEE MOVES UP CAREER BLOCKED SHOT LIST: With his outstanding start to the 2003-2004 season on the defensive end of the court, junior center Gabe Lee has already cracked the UMass career top 10 in blocked shots. Despite being in only his second season of play with with Minutemen, Lee has already blocked 91 shots in his career, and is now in 10th place on the UMass career chart. As a rookie in 2002-2003, Lee totaled 46 blocks, while in just 14 games so far this season, he has 45 blocks. With nine more blocks, he can become only the eighth player in school history with 100 career blocked shots.
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).
ABOUT THE HAWKS: Saint Joseph's enters the game with an overall record of 15-0 on the season, including a 5-0 mark against Atlantic 10 Conference foes. Ranked third in the nation in this week's Associated Press poll, the Hawks have outscored their opponents by an average of 15.1 points per game, and can tie the longest winning streak in school history with a victory over UMass. Senior guard Jameer Nelson leads the team with an average of 20.8 points per game, in addition to averaging 5.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.3 steals per contest. Junior guard Delonte West ranks second on the team with an average of 18.4 points per game, while sophomore center Dwayne Jones averages a team-best 7.9 rebounds per contest.
SAINT JOSEPH'S HEAD COACH PHIL MARTELLI: Now in his ninth season with the Hawks, Phil Martelli owns a 164-97 record during his time at Saint Joseph's. Martelli has led the Hawks to three appearances in the NCAA Tournament and two trips to the National Invitation Tournament during his first eight seasons. Prior to his time as head coach, Martelli spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph's from 1985-1995. Martelli is a 1976 graduate of Widener University, where he helped the team to NCAA Division III Tournament appearances during his junior and senior years.
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 ... Massachusetts has made at least one three-point field goal in 166 consecutive games and in 541 of 548 games it has played since the arc was added to the college game in 1986-1987 ... UMass has won 27 of its last 29 games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field, including this year's 3-0 mark and a 9-2 record in Steve Lappas' tenure in Amherst.
