University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Hits Road To Face URI
January 29, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2004
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (7-11, 2-5 A-10) vs. Rhode Island (13-7, 2-4 A-10)
Date: January 31, 2004
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Place: Ryan Center (7,571), Amherst, Mass.
Cox-3 Television: Don Coyne, play-by-play; Abu Bakr, color
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
Rams-on-Radio: Steve McDonald, play-by-play; Don Kaull, color; WHJJ 920 AM, East Providence, flagship
Rhode Island Student Radio: WRIU 90.3 FM, Kingston
Series Record: Massachusetts leads, 68-52
Last Meeting: Rhode Island 65, Massachusetts 58; March 2, 2003; Kingston, R.I.
PROBABLE UMASS STARTERS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. F 11 Maurice Maxwell 6-5 175 Fr. F 22 Jeff Viggiano 6-6 215 So. 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 RHODE ISLAND: This will be the 121st meeting between UMass and Rhode Island, with the Minutemen leading the all-time series 68-52. UMass has won 24 of the last 32 games in the series, but the Rams have been victorious in two straight and three of the last four contests. For games played in Kingston, the Rams lead the series 33-23, with a 1-0 mark at the Ryan Center. UMass' last win in Kingston came on Jan. 20, 1992, when it posted a 72-59 victory. The Minutemen have both defeated (68 wins) and played (120 games) the Rams more than any other opponent in school history. UMass coach Steve Lappas owns a 1-3 career mark against the Rams, while Rhode Island coach Jim Baron stands 9-16 against UMass (3-1 since moving to Kingston).
BOWERS HAVING A FINE ROOKIE CAMPAIGN: Freshman guard Art Bowers (Wilmington, Del.) has turned into one of the team's top scorers in his first season with the Minutemen. In Wednesday's 76-70 victory over Fordham, he totaled 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. In the previous game against Temple, Bowers hit the game-winning three-point shot with only 32 seconds remaining, to bring UMass back from a 65-63 deficit. He finished the Temple game with a career-high 19 points, to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Bowers, who has been in the starting lineup at shooting guard for 12 games this season, turned in some other outstanding performances against Saint Joseph's (10 points, four rebounds, four assists), George Washington (11 points), Albany (13 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals), Vermont (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 16 games he has played this season, Bowers is averaging 9.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
ANDERSON LEADS MINUTEMEN IN BACKCOURT: Senior guard Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.) has been the leader on the court for a young UMass team this season. In the Fordham game, he totaled 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, while hitting four of six three-point attempts. In the previous contest against Temple, Anderson totaled 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. At Saint Bonaventure, 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). 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). Some of his other big games this season have come against La Salle (team-best 20 points, three rebounds, three steals), 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 18 games so far this year, Anderson is averaging 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while hitting 42.4 percent from three-point range and posting a 1.62:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
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 five times this season (on Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Dec. 28, Jan. 11 and Jan. 25) and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week once (Dec. 29). In UMass' last game against Fordham, Freeman led the team with 18 points and 10 rebounds, good for his eighth double-double of the season. In the previous contest against Temple, he scored 16 points on five of seven shooting from the floor. At Saint Joseph's, Freeman led the team with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while at Duquesne, he posted another double-double with team highs of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Freeman also had big games against Saint Bonaventure (19 points, five rebounds), George Washington (19 points, 10 rebounds), 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 18 games this year, Freeman is averaging a team-best 15.4 points and 8.1 rebounds, while hitting 53.7 percent of his shots from the floor.
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. Against Fordham on Jan. 28, Anderson hit the 200th three-point shot of his UMass career, becoming only the fourth player in school history to accomplish the feat. He currently stands fourth on the school's all-time charts for three-pointers made (201) and three-point attempts (504), while ranking fifth in three-point percentage (.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), which was set from 1997-2001. Anderson, who also needs just 112 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.
FORDHAM RECAP: Forward Rashaun Freeman totaled 18 points and 10 rebounds, including nine points in the final six minutes of play, to lift the Minutemen to a 76-70 victory over Fordham at the Mullins Center on Jan. 28, 2004. The Rams jumped out to an early 8-5 lead in the first five minutes of play, but UMass responded with a 10-0 run to take a seven-point lead. Fordham cut the lead to five points at the five-minute mark of the first half, before the Minutemen used 21-10 run to take a 16-point lead into the locker room. The Rams stayed close after the break, cutting the lead to 49-45 with just under 10 minutes left to play. UMass used a 7-0 run to build its lead back to 11 points, but Fordham would not go away. The Minutemen were up by just two points 70-68, with a minute remaining, when a jumper by Freeman made it a four-point game. UMass made only four of eight free throw attempts in the final 34 seconds, but it was enough to hold on for the win. Guard Art Bowers totaled 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Minutemen, while guard Anthony Anderson (14 points) and forward Jeff Viggiano (11 points) also scored in double figures. Forward Michael Haynes led Fordham with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
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 against Fordham, Viggiano totaled 11 points and three rebounds, while hitting four of six shots from the field. In the previous contest against Temple, he pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, to go along with nine points, three assists and two blocks. At Saint Joseph's, Viggiano posted the first double-double of his collegiate career with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while also posting two assists and two steals. At Duquesne, he totaled 13 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots, while hitting three three-pointers. Earlier this year against No. 1-ranked Connecticut, Viggiano had a huge night with a career-best 22 points on nine of 12 shooting, 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 17 games played so far this year, including 14 starts, he has averaged 8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest. Last year, Viggiano averaged 7.0 point and 2.9 rebounds per game, while starting 21 out of 29 games.
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 102 blocks though 18 games, good for an average of 5.7 blocks per contest. The Minutemen are blocking over one more shot per game than every other school in the Atlantic 10, as Richmond currently ranks second with an average of 4.6 blocks. In the latest NCAA statistics, through games of January 26, UMass stood 16th in the nation with 5.8 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 ninth in the nation, while averaging more blocks 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 went an entire contest without a block. Freshman forward Stephane Lasme (Libreville, Gabon) has also come up big for UMass, totaling 25 blocks to rank fifth in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 1.4 blocks per game.
THE LAST TIME: In the last meeting between the Minutemen and the Rams, guard Dawan Robinson scored a career-high 29 points, including 23 in the second half, to lead Rhode Island to a 65-58 victory at the Ryan Center on March 2, 2003. Rhode Island controlled the game early on, jumping out to a quick 13-2 lead in the first eight minutes of play. UMass came back to score the next eight points, starting a 19-4 run which put the Minutemen up by four. The Rams tied up the score at 21-21, but UMass would close the half with a 10-2 run to take a nine-point lead into the lockerroom. Guard Michael Lasme led the Minutemen with 15 first half points, including a five of eight performance from three-point range. UMass extended its lead to 11 points early in the second half, before Rhode Island went on a 9-0 run to get back into the game. The Rams regained the lead at the 12:30 mark on a jumper by guard Steve Mello, but the score would remain close until the closing minutes. Center Micah Brand hit a pair of free throws to tie the score at 56-56 with 2:18 left, before Rhode Island finished the game with a 9-2 run to claim the victory. Brand had one of his best games of the season, leading the team with 18 points and seven rebounds, while making all 10 of his free throw attempts.
HEAD COACH Steve Lappas: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Minutemen, Steve Lappas has an overall record of 31-45 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 261-217 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 (from the Hartford game on Nov. 24 to the Marshall contest on Dec. 23). He has played all 40 minutes six times this season (including a 45-minute stint in the overtime game at Boston College) including each of UMass' last two contests, against Temple and Fordham. For the season, Anderson has now played 675 out of a possible 705 minutes, good for an average of 37.5 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).
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 the Saint Joseph's game, he totaled eight points, six rebounds and three assists. Previously at Duquesne, Maxwell totaled eight points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. 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 7.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
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 18 games so far this season, the Minutemen stand 113 of 328 from three-point range (34.5 percent), including a sizzling 12 of 19 performance (63.2 percent) in the victory over Vermont, and a nine for 15 night (60.0 percent) in the win over Fordham. Massachusetts has made at least one three-point goal in 169 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 99-39 in the building. The Minutemen stand 7-4 at the Mullins Center so far this season, and need only one more win to post their 100th all-time victory at Mullins. 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 61-24 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.
MINUTEMEN ON TELEVISION: UMass will once again make a number of appearances on live television throughout 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 and Jan. 24 against Temple), 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 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, and the Jan. 31 game at Rhode Island will be carried on Cox-3. So far this season, the Minutemen stand 2-5 in games shown on live television.
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 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.
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 Wednesday, Feb. 4. The show is taped at 11:45 a.m. from the Blue Wall Pub in Amherst, and is open to the general public.
LEE A FORCE IN THE MIDDLE: A solid presence in the lane for the Minutemen, junior center Gabe Lee has not played in the last four games, and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2003-2004 season due to injury. 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 the 14 games he played this season, Lee averaged 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.
ABOUT THE RAMS: Rhode Island enters the game with an overall record of 13-7 on the season, including a 2-4 mark against Atlantic 10 Conference foes. The Rams have not played since last Saturday, when they posted a 75-54 victory at Fordham to snap a four-game losing streak. Rhode Island owns an 8-3 record so far this season at the Ryan Center, but has gone only 1-2 at home against Atlantic 10 foes. Junior guard Dawan Robinson leads the team with an average of 17.5 points per game, while senior guard Brian Woodward (13.7 ppg) and junior guard Dustin Hellenga (12.4 ppg) are also scoring in double figures. The Rams average an Atlantic 10-best 40.9 rebounds per game, with eight different players pulling down between 3.3 and 4.8 boards per contest.
RHODE ISLAND HEAD COACH JIM BARON: Now in his third season as head coach of the Rams, Jim Baron has led Rhode Island to an overall record of 41-38, including a trip to the National Invitation Tournament in 2003. Baron's career coaching record stands at 247-240, including nine years at Saint Bonaventure from 1992-2001, and five seasons at Saint Francis (Pa.) from 1987-1992. Baron also spent time as an assistant coach at Notre Dame (1981-1987), Saint Bonaventure (1980-1981), Loyola of Maryland (1979-1980) and Rochester (1978-1979). A 1977 graduate of Saint Bonaventure, Baron was a three-year letterwinner for the Bonnies, helping the team to an overall record of 73-28 during his playing career.
MINUTEMATTERS: Former Minuteman Tyrone Weeks is in his third season as an assistant coach at Rhode Island ... Former UMass stars Marcus Camby and Lou Roe were both selected to ESPN's Silver Anniversary All-Atlantic 10 Conference team ... 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 169 consecutive games and in 544 of 551 games it has played since the arc was added to the college game in 1986-1987 ... UMass has won 29 of its last 31 games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field, including this year's 5-0 mark and an 11-2 record in Steve Lappas' tenure in Amherst.
