University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Heads To Davidson For First Time Since `98
November 21, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2005
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UMASS (1-0) at DAVIDSON (0-1)
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2005 • 7 P.M.
John M. Belk Arena (5,700), Davidson, N.C.
Radio: WRNX (100.9 FM - Flagship)
WCRN (830 AM), WATD (95.9 FM)
UMass Heads To Davidson For First Time Since `98
• Coming off a win in his first game at UMass, head coach Travis Ford takes his Minutemen on the road to Davidson for the team's first road game of the season. UMass topped Hartford, 67-62, in the season-opener last Friday night at the Mullins Center as Rashaun Freeman poured in 25 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the way for UMass. Senior Jeff Viggiano netted 14 points for his highest-scoring game in two seasons.
• Davidson, which went 16-0 in the Southern Conference last season, and went 23-9 overall in 2004-05, comes off a season-opening loss at No. 1 Duke, 84-55, last Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Ian Johnson led the way with 19 points while SoCon Preseason Player of the Year Brendan Winters had 17.
• UMass headed to Davidson Monday afternoon and returns home on Wednesday morning to prepare for the 2005 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic against UAB on Friday, Nov. 25 at the MassMutual Center. The game will be nationally-televised on Fox SportsNet beginning at 1 p.m. The Minutemen host Savannah State on Monday, Nov. 28 before a 10-day break before facing No. 3 Connecticut on Dec. 8 at the Hartford Civic Center at 9 p.m. That game will be on ESPN2.
The Series With Davidson
• UMass has a 3-2 all-time record against the Wildcats. In games in North Carolina, the teams have split the two meetings, with UMass winning the last on Jan. 22, 1998. Davidson won the first game in the series, at home, 71-68 on Dec. 11, 1982.
• LAST MEETING: UMass won last season's battle, 70-67 on Dec. 19, 2004 the Mullins Center. Rashaun Freeman came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points and five boards to lift the Minutemen. The Mullins Center also saw its 1,000,000th men's basketball fan walk through the turnstiles at the game. Amherst's own Zachary Gabor was greeted by Senior Associate A.D. Thorr Bjorn before the contest and was honored during a timeout during the opening half. The Minutemen and Wildcats (5-5) were evenly matched through the first half, with UMass holding two and three-point leads early on. Davidson opened up the contest with an 8-0 run behind a jumper and trey from Jason Morton to take the 19-13 lead. Maurice Maxwell helped close the gap for UMass, starting a 12-6 run to knot the game at 26. Chris Chadwick drained a three pointer, adding two of his four total field goals in that span for the Minutemen. Massachusetts regained the lead for good with 2:41 remaining in the first, capitalizing on Wildcat miscues to take the 34-30 advantage into the locker room at the half. The Wildcats stayed within striking distance throughout the second, taking their first lead with 6:10 remaining in the game--Davidson's first advantage since the 5:42 mark of the first. UMass quickly regained composure with an Art Bowers three and followed that up with foul shots by Jeff Viggiano for the two-basket cushion. Both teams exchanged field goals through the waning minutes of the game, with UMass holding the 67-65 advantage with less than a minute to go. Freeman was put on the line for two with 36 seconds left to extend the lead by three and the Minutemen held on for the 70-67 victory.
• Davidson won the previous game on Dec. 29, 1998, 75-66 in overtime at the Mullins Center. Monty Mack had 24 points (20 in the first half) in the game as the Wildcats came back from a 42-27 halftime deficit to send the game to overtime.
• Prior to that loss, UMass had won two straight in the series winning both games in the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons, topping the Wildcats, 77-64 and 82-66 in the meetings. Davidson won the first match-up back in 1982, 71-68 in North Carolina.
• Head coach Travis Ford has never coached against Davidson or head coach Bob McKillop. McKillop is 1-3 against the Minutemen, coaching the last four games in the series.
UMass Connections With Davidson
• UMass has no players from the state of North Carolina and the Wildcats do not have any players from Massachusetts.
• Davidson's guard Kenny Grant is a Lido Beach, N.Y., native and has played with and against UMass' Etienne Brower (Hempstead, N.Y.) since they were children. Brower will not make the trip as he is redshirting this season after transferring from Boston University. UMass associate head coach and Long Beach, N.Y. native Tim Maloney has known Grant since he was 1-year old.
• Davidson head coach Bob McKillop is a native of New York and went to college at Hofstra on Long Island, while UMass has three members of its coaching staff from the Long Island: Maloney, Adam Ginsburg and James Altman.
Noting The Win Over Hartford
• The crowd of 6,488 was the largest for a UMass home opener since the 1997-98 opener when 7,356 came out for the College of Charleston game on Dec. 2, 1997.
• Rashaun Freeman scored in double-figures for the 47th time in his career with 25 points. He did it 22 times last season. It was his seventh career game with 25 or more points.
• Jeff Viggiano had 14 points his highest total since March 3, 2004, when he netted 23. It was his 27th career double-figure scoring game.
• Stephane Lasme had three blocks in the first 3:31 and finished with four. He now has 127 in his career and is seventh all-time at UMass trailing Will Herndon (128). The fourth came with 26 seconds left in the game.
• Travis Ford is now 5-1 in his last six season openers as he went 4-1 in openers at Eastern Kentucky including a win at A-10 foe Dayton last season.
• UMass is now 64-33 all-time in season openers having won 11 of the last 13. They are 7-0 at the Mullins Center in season openers.
Coaches In UMass Debuts
• With Travis Ford winning his UMass debut against Hartford, the last five UMass basketball coaches won their Minuteman debut. Prior to that the three coaches lost their debuts including legend Jack Leaman, who lost his first game on the bench at UMass, falling to Boston College, 86-63, on Dec. 3, 1966.
• Starting with Ron Gerlufson's 75-73 win over New Hampshire in 1983, John Calipari, Bruiser Flint and Steve Lappas all won their UMass debut games.
ESPN'S BILAS RECOGNIZES FORD
• UMass basketball coach Travis Ford is among the college coaches ESPN's Jay Bilas has recognized as a "Coach To Watch." Here's the excerpt from Bilas: "Travis Ford (UMass) The last two times I have seen Travis Ford outside of the NCAA Tournament has been at other coaches' practices. Ford studies the game and is a great student. He took an exceedingly difficult job at Eastern Kentucky and turned the program into a winner. Now at UMass, expect the Minutemen to play faster and use a lot of ball screens -- and win. Ford is the right guy at the right time in Amherst."
Fly Swatter
• In two short years, Stephane Lasme has become one of the A-10's best shot blockers. As a freshman, the 6-8 native of Libreville, Gabon, swatted 51 shots. Last season, he blew that number away by rejecting 72 opponent shots - second-best in the league. His 72 blocks were the sixth-most in school history. With four blocks in the opener against Hartford, he has 127 career blocks, already seventh all-time at UMass. With two more blocks, he will move to sixth all-time at UMass.
Welcome To The Minutemen
• Three players made their debuts with UMass in the opener against Hartford. Junior Brandon Thomas started and scored the first points of the season for UMass 1:04 into the game, but did not score again.
• Freshman Chris Lowe was impressive off the bench, scoring eight points and adding five rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes. Lowe hit a clutch shot for UMass and had several nice assists contributing to the win.
• Junior College All-American James Life scored eight in his debut including a pair of three-pointers.
Just Five More For Milligan
• UMass is playing with just nine scholarship players to start the season. That number will up by one to 10 when Danté Milligan becomes eligible for the Siena game on Dec. 23 -- just five games away. Milligan transferred to UMass from Pittsburgh after the first semester last season and will add depth up front.
See You Next Year
• Three Minutemen are sitting the entire season as transfers from Division I programs, all will be eligible to play in the 2006-07 season. Junior forward Gary Forbes came to UMass for Virginia where scored 9.4 points per game with the Cavaliers last year including a career-high 23 against eventual national-champion North Carolina. Forbes will have two seasons to play at UMass. Junior forward Etienne Brower will also have two years after coming over from Boston University. Brower started all 29 games with the Terriers in 04-05 scoring 8.3 points per game and 5.4 rebounds. Sophomore center Luke Bonner will have three years to play at UMass after his freshman season at West Virginia where he was part of the Mountaineers Elite Eight team.
HOME SWEET HOME AT MULLINS
• UMass is in its 14th season of play at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center, and has posted an all-time record of 113-47 in the building. Last year, UMass is 12-5 at the Mullins Center as they hosted a school-record 17 games. The 12 home wins last season was the second-best total at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen were 14-0 in 1993-94 and 11-1 in 1994-95.
• With the addition of last year's 12-5 home record, UMass has not had a losing record at home since moving into the new arena in 1992-1993. In fact, UMass has gone 22 straight seasons without having a losing record on its home court. The Minutemen also own a 67-30 all-time record in regular season Atlantic 10 Conference games at the Mullins Center, and a 3-1 mark in Atlantic 10 Tournament contests.
The Cupboard Isn't Bare
• Head Coach Travis Ford inherits a team which returns 81 percent of its scoring from a year ago. Leading the returnees is Rashaun Freeman. As a freshman, Freeman was the A-10 Rookie of the Year. He followed that by earning first-team All-Conference honors last season. The 6-8 junior led the Minuteman in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 rpg), while pacing the A-10 in field goal shooting (162-301, .538). Freeman is one of four returning starters, each of whom is a junior: 6-5 guard Maurice Maxwell (11.4 ppg, 3.8 apg), 6-4 guard Art Bowers (8.4 ppg, 2.7 apg), and 6-8 forward Stephane Lasme (6.3 ppg, 2.6 bpg).
Welcome Aboard
• The Minutemen welcome one of the top recruits in the nation in junior college All-American James Life from Manatee Community College in Florida. A year ago, the 6-4 guard averaged 24.5 ppg in scoring 721 points, more than any player in all of junior college basketball. UMass also welcomes freshman point guard Chris Lowe from Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High School. The 6-0 Lowe averaged 11.1 points and 6.5 assists a game and is expected to step right in and start as the Minutemen look to replace the tandem of Anthony Anderson (10.2 ppg, 2.9 apg) and Chris Chadwick (4.9 ppg, 2.1 apg). UMass also has five transfers on the roster, two of whom will play this season. Swingman Brandon Thomas was Long Island University's leading scorer in 2003-04 before sitting out last season, and Danté Milligan came over from Pittsburgh in the middle of last season and will be eligible after the first semester. Luke Bonner comes to UMass from West Virginia, where he played for the Elite Eight Mountaineers last season. He will redshirt this year as a transfer but will still practice. Also joining the team and preparing for next season are Virginia transfer Gary Forbes and Etienne Brower who starred at Boston University. Both are 6-7 forwards who can also play some guard.
Hi Mom, I'm On TV
• UMass plays at least 14 games on television this season including four national broadcasts. The Minutemen play on the ESPN Networks twice: Dec. 9 vs. UConn in Hartford and at the Mullins Center on Jan. 21 against Temple. UMass also plays on FOX SportsNet (FSN) twice in nationally televised games: Nov. 25 vs. UAB in the Tip-Off Classic and at Florida State on Feb. 12. The A-10 TV Network will broadcast four UMass games: at Duquesne on Jan. 7, at Saint Louis on Jan. 14, at LaSalle on Jan. 29 and the regular season-finale vs. Xavier on March 4. The Boston College game will be on NESN.
Back In The Classic
• The University of Alabama at Birmingham, who reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004 and round of 32 in 2005, will take on UMass, in the 27th annual Tip-Off Classic in Nov. 25, 2005. The Classic, to be played at the new MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, will be the second appearance in the prestigious event for UMass, who beat top-ranked Arkansas in the 1994 Classic. That win vaulted UMass to No. 1 in the nation.
Saintly Schedule
• UMass has a chance to play five schools named "Saint" this season in addition to playing a team nicknamed the Saints -- Siena (on Dec. 23). The Minutemen take on St. Peter's on Dec. 27 in the Panasonic Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. The next day, UMass has a chance to face host St. John's in the second round. Atlantic 10 conference games features match-ups with Saint Joseph's on Jan. 11 and Saint Louis on Jan. 14 along with a trip to St. Bonaventure on Feb. 19.
MinuteMatters
• UMass won five overtime games last season, the second most of any school in a single-season in NCAA history ... UMass was 13-5 in games decided by 10 points or less in 2004-05...Rashaun Freeman was sixth in the A-10 scoring and fifth in rebounding last year...for the second year in a row and the 10th time in league history, UMass led the A-10 in blocked shots (5.2 bpg).
Preseason Honors
• UMass has picked up several preseason Atlantic 10 honors as Rashaun Freeman was named to the Coaches' Preseason Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team. Freshman point guard Chris Lowe was named to the league's Preseason All-Rookie Team.
• As the new era of UMass basketball approaches, the team continues to receive much local and national attention. In Athlon Sports, the annual magazine predicted UMass to obtain an NIT birth. As said in Athlon Sports, "Ford may have the mix to be an instant winner in the Atlantic 10."
• Travis Ford is coming in with a wealth of returning talent, the best of which is returning junior Rashuan Freeman. Freeman was picked to be on the All Atlantic First Team in Street and Smith's, Lindy's Basketball, and Athlon Sports. He made Sporting News' All Conference 2nd Team. Along with honors within the Atlantic 10, Freeman was chosen as the 17th best center in the country in Lindy's. As mentioned in Lindy's, "Travis Ford left Eastern Kentucky and inherited a stud."
• Besides Freeman, UMass will depend on other upperclassmen to carry the team. According to Sporting News, Stephane Lasme is a player on the rise. The magazine is quoted as saying, "He has added weight and improved his post moves. Add those to his tremendous athletic ability, and new Minutemen coach Travis Ford has something."
• Newcomers will have a big impact. According to Sporting News,""Massachusetts will rely on transfer Danté Milligan to solidify its inside game." In Lindy's James Life is predicted to be the newcomer who will have the most impact. In the same publication, freshman guard Chris Lowe is picked as the best playmaker/passer.
• With the 4th best recruiting class in the A-10, according to Sporting News, the team is looking up. "... Look out for Massachusetts, with new coach Travis Ford and several veteran regulars." (Street and Smith's).
• CBS Sportsline magazine has a great feature on the return of the Atlantic 10, called "Brewing In The Atlantic." As part of the story, UMass is mentioned as one of the top teams. According to George Washington coach Karl Hobbs, who is quoted in the story, "UMass is going to be really good ... If you are looking for a sleeper, it's going to be UMass. They've got the best center in the league by far (Freeman), who's going to get 20 points every game and they've got talent and experience."
Winning The Close Ones
• UMass made a practice of winning the close games last season. The Minutemen were a remarkable 11-2 in games decided by six points or less, suffering their only losses against Richmond (67-63) on Jan. 29 and at Dayton, 53-52 on March 1.
• UMass picked up a five-point win at Rhode Island (49-44) on Feb. 9. The Minutemen went 3-0 in two-point games and 2-0 and three-point games to be 5-0 overall in games decided by three and two points.
The Magic 70 mark (69 too)
• UMass was a perfect 10-0 in games the Minutemen scored 70 or more points last season. They netted 70 in the win over Rhode Island on Feb. 23. They also won games against St. Bonaventure (74-58), Fordham (76-63), Yale (70-56), Davidson (70-67), Rider (73-63), Xavier (90-86), GW (76-74 in OT) and Florida State (78-68) this season.
• Interestingly, UMass won two games when they scored 69 to be 12-0 when they reach the 69-point mark last season. They beat LaSalle (69-66) and Duquesne (69-64) for those two wins.
CHECK OUT THE Travis Ford RADIO/TV SHOWS
• The New England Communications UMass Basketball Show with Head Coach Travis Ford is live from Delanoes most Monday nights at 7:00 p.m., with food provided by Pinnochios On The Go. Voice of UMass Athletics Bob Behler hosts the weekly show with Coach Ford beginning in November and running through March. The show is open to the general public and can be heard on WRNX FM.
• Head coach Travis Ford's weekly television show, "The UMass Basketball Show with Travis Ford presented by Coca-Cola" airs on WGGB Channel 40 (ABC, Springfield) on Sundays at 11:30 p.m. For the first time in school history, the show will also be broadcast nationally on CSTV each week as part of the CSTV's Coast2Coach.
