University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen To Face La Salle At Mullins
January 05, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2004
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Game Day Quick Facts
The Teams: Massachusetts (5-6, 0-0 A-10) vs. La Salle (5-7, 0-0 A-10)
Date: January 7, 2004
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: William D. Mullins Memorial Center (9,493), Amherst, Mass.
CN8 Television: Scott Graham, play-by-play; Rob Kennedy, 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
La Salle Radio Network: Kale Beers, play-by-play; Steve Degler, color; WPHY 920 AM, Philadelphia, flagship
Series Record: Massachusetts leads, 9-3
Last Meeting: La Salle 78, Massachusetts 57 (January 22, 2003, Philadelphia, Pa.)
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 LA SALLE: This will be the 13th meeting between UMass and La Salle, with the Minutemen leading the all-time series 9-3. UMass had won three consecutive games and nine out of 10 in the series, before the Explorers won 78-57 in Philadelphia last season. Since La Salle joined the Atlantic 10 Conference during the 1995-1996 season, the Minutemen hold a 7-2 lead in the series. UMass stands 4-0 all-time against the Explorers at the Mullins Center, with a 5-0 mark for all games played in Amherst.
LEE A FORCE IN THE MIDDLE: Junior center Gabe Lee (Camilla, Ga.) has become a solid presence in the lane for the Minutemen. In UMass' last game 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. Previously against Albany, Lee totaled nine points and seven rebounds, while hitting four of five attempts from the floor. In the Central Connecticut contest, he totaled 12 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Lee also turned in some big performances against 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 (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 11 games on the season, Lee is now averaging 9.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 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 84 career blocked shots, needing just six more to move into the all-time UMass top 10.
MAXWELL MAKING PRESENCE FELT: Freshman guard Maurice Maxwell (Philadelphia, Pa.) has turned into a key perimeter player for the Minutemen, while seeing action both as a starter and off the bench. Against Tennessee, Maxwell came off the bench to total 12 points, four assists and three steals, while hitting three of five attempts from three-point range. In the Connecticut game, he scored eight points on four of eight shooting, while totaling four rebounds and three assists. 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 has also had some 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 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 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.
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 UMass' last game against Tennessee, he totaled 15 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals, while hitting four of eight three-point attempts. Previously at Connecticut, Anderson scored 15 points, while also tying for the team lead with four rebounds. Against Albany, he tied his career-high with nine assists, while also totaling six points and two rebounds, and committing only one turnover. Anderson also had a big game against Marshall, when he 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. 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 collecting five rebounds and dishing out six assists with only one turnover. Through 11 games so far this year, Anderson is averaging 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists, while hitting 42.5 percent from three-point range and posting a 1.74:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
HEAD COACH Steve Lappas: Now in his third season as the head coach of the Minutemen, Steve Lappas has an overall record of 29-40 while at UMass. He owns a career mark of 259-212 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.
TENNESSEE RECAP: Guard Scooter McFadgon scored 22 points, to lead Tennessee to a 74-66 victory over UMass on Jan. 3, 2004, at the Mullins Center. The first half featured five ties and nine lead changes, and neither team led by any more than four points. The Minutemen finished the half on a 13-8 run, to take a one-point lead into the locker room. After the break, the Volunteers came out on fire, opening the second half on a 16-4 run, to take a 42-31 advantage. UMass stayed close for the rest of the game, but was never able to cut the lead to less than eight points. Tennessee sank seven of nine foul shots in the final two minutes of play to hold on for the victory, and was an impressive 23 of 28 (82.1 percent) at the free throw line on the night. Junior center Gabe Lee led the Minutemen with a career-high 23 points, including a seven of 10 performance at the free throw line. Lee also had 10 rebounds for his first double double of the season, and blocked four shots. Senior guard Anthony Anderson (15 points) and freshman guard Maurice Maxwell (12 points) also scored in double figures for UMass.
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 three times this season (on Nov. 23, Nov. 30 and Dec. 28) and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week once (Dec. 29). In the Connecticut game, Freeman scored 15 points while pulling down three rebounds. In the previous contest against Albany, he scored 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting from the floor, while adding 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Against Maine, Freeman scored a career-high 23 points on nine of 12 shooting from the floor, while also leading the team in rebounds (six) and steals (three). He also had big games against Marshall (18 points, 10 rebounds, three steals), Central Connecticut (15 points, 13 boards), Boston College (11 points, seven rebounds), 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 11 games this year, Freeman is averaging a team-best 14.6 points and 7.9 rebounds, while hitting 52.5 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.
VIGGIANO HAS CAREER NIGHT AT UCONN: Sophomore forward Jeff Viggiano (Suffield, Conn.), who has returned to the starting lineup for the Minutemen this season, had the top game of his career against No. 1-ranked Connecticut. Viggiano scored a career-best 22 points on nine of 12 shooting against the Huskies, while also totaling four rebounds, two assists and two steals. In the Tennessee game, he came back with eight points, five rebounds and two blocks. In 11 games so far this year, including nine starts, Viggiano has averaged 8.7 points, 3.7 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. 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 LAST TIME: In the last meeting between the Minutemen and the Explorers, guard Gary Neal scored a game-high 19 points to lead La Salle to a 78-57 victory at Tom Gola Arena on Jan. 22, 2003. UMass jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the first two minutes of play, but La Salle closed the gap, and the Minutemen were up only 13-12 at the 13 minute mark of the first half. The Explorers then went on an 11-0 run, and increased their lead to as much as 11 points, before taking an eight-point advantage into the lockerrrom. UMass again started hot in the second half, going on an 8-2 run to make it a two-point game with 16 mintues left to play. But La Salle responded with a 9-0 spurt of its own to take control of the game. The Minutemen would get no closer than 11 points in the final 10 mintues, with the Explorers expanding their lead to 21 points late in the game. Guard Marcus Cox totaled 11 points for the Minutemen on five of six shooting, while guard Anthony Anderson (13 points) and forward Jackie Rogers (12 points) also scored in double figures.
BOWERS HAVING A FINE ROOKIE CAMPAIGN: Freshman guard Art Bowers (Wilmington, Del.) has returned to his role as one of the top scorers for the Minutemen, after missing the Central Connecticut and Marshall games due to injury. In the victory over Albany, he came off the bench to total 13 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Bowers, who has been in the starting lineup at shooting guard for seven games this season, turned in some other outstanding performances earlier in the year. He had a big night against 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. In nine games played this season, he is averaging 6.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 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.
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).
MULLINS MAGIC: UMass is currently in its 12th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, posting an all-time record of 97-37 in the building. The Minutemen stand 5-2 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 59-22 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.
ANDERSON BECOMING AN IRON MAN: Senior guard Anthony Anderson has become a familiar 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 406 out of a possible 445 minutes, good for an average of 36.9 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.
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 11 games so far this season, the Minutemen stand 67 of 197 from three-point range (34.0 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 162 straight games.
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 (179) and three-point attempts (452), while ranking fifth in three-point percentage (.396). 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 210 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.
AMONG THE ATLANTIC 10'S BEST: Over the last 14-plus seasons, Massachusetts owns a 298-165 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 (298). Xavier, though, does have 319 victories to its credit over that time frame, but the Musketeers didn't join the league until the 1995-1996 campaign.
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 Monday, Jan. 12. 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), against Marshall on Dec. 20 (ESPN Regional) and against Tennessee on Jan. 3 (ESPN). The Minutemen will play on ESPN2 one more time, on 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 1-3 in games shown on live television.
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 EXPLORERS: La Salle enters the game with an overall record of 5-7 on the season. After losing their first four contests of the year, the Explorers have come back to win five of their last eight. Sophomore guard Gary Neal leads the team with an average of 21.3 points per game, while hitting 29 of 76 attempts (38.2 percent) from three-point range. Sophomore forward Steven Smith is also enjoying a fine season, averaging 15.3 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds per contest. The Explorers, who won this year's Dr. Pepper Classic with victories over South Carolina State and Chattanooga, are coming off a 13-16 season in which they placed fourth in the Atlantic 10 West Division with a 7-9 mark.
LA SALLE HEAD COACH BILLY HAHN: Now is his third season with the Explorers, Billy Hahn owns a 32-41 record during his time at La Salle. Hahn previously served as the head coach at Ohio University for three seasons, where he posted a 42-45 record from 1986-1989. In addition to his head coaching stints, Hahn has served as an assistant coach at Maryland (1990-2001), Ohio (1981-1986), Rhode Island (1978-1980), Davidson (1977) and Morris Harvey College (1976). A 1975 graduate of the University of Maryland, Hahn was a three-year letterwinner for the Terrapins, serving as team captain during his senior season. He led Maryland to the Atlantic Coast Conference titles during his senior year, while helping the team to one NCAA Tournament (1975) and three National Invitation Tournament (1972, 1973, 1974) appearances.
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 162 consecutive games and in 537 of 544 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 ... 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.
