University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Aims For Holiday Festival Championship
December 28, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2005
UMASS (5-3) at ST. JOHN'S (6-4)
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005 • 8:30 P.M.
Madison Square Garden (19,673), New York, N.Y.
TV: MSG Network (Delayed to 12:30 a.m.) • Live Streaming Video: MSGNetwork.com
Radio: WRNX (100.9 FM - Flagship)
WCRN (830 AM), WATD (95.9 FM)
UMass Aims For Holiday Festival Championship
• UMass goes for its first regular-season tournament championship in 10 years as the Minutemen take on host St. John's in the title game of the 2005 Panasonic Holiday Festival at approximately 8:30 p.m. tonight. The game will be televised on a delayed basis on MSG Network (DirecTV Channel 621) at 12:30 a.m. There will be live streaming video on MSGNetwork.com, linked to UMassAthletics.com. The Minutemen's games will be carried on the UMass Sports Network on 100.9 FM in Western Massachusetts and 830 AM and 95.9 FM in the Eastern portion of the state. Bob Behler and Kevin Kennedy call the action for UMass.
• UMass won its last regular-season tournament on Dec. 30, 1995 as the Minutemen captured the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii with a 65-47 win over Syracuse in the final. UMass also beat NC State (78-67) and USC (78-63) to get to that championship. It was the second regular-season tournament win for UMass that season as they also won the Franklin National Bank Classic in Landover, Md. That 1995-96 team went on to the Final Four, the only appearance for UMass in school history as that team went 35-2.
• UMass advanced to the title game with a solid team effort against St. Peter's, winning 66-49 on Tuesday night. Junior Stephane Lasme had career highs in points (21) and rebounds (14) along with eight blocked shots as he had his best game at UMass. It was his fourth career-double-double and first-career 20-point game. Senior Jeff Viggiano had his first double-double since Feb. 8, 2004, as he had 11 points and 11 rebounds along with a career-high six blocked shots.
• UMass had two players with double-doubles for the first time since Feb. 3, 2004 against Rider when Rashaun Freeman (17, 11) and Jeff Viggiano (14, 10) accomplished it then.
• Junior Rashaun Freeman scored 10 points including his 1,000th career point on a basket in the first half. Freeman has 1,006 in his career entering the St. John's game and is the 37th UMass player to break the 1,000-point barrier.
• UMass blocked 16 shots in the game, the second-most in school history, including 11 in the second half. It was the most since the record 20 vs. West Virginia (1/3/95). UMass continues to lead the nation in blocked shots with 9.5 per game, a full blocked shot more than second-place Alabama A&M (8.5).
• Stephane Lasme is third in the nation in blocked shots with 4.9, behind only Justin Williams (6.3) of Wyoming and Shawn James (6.1) of Northeastern. Lasme is working his way up the all-time UMass shot blocks chart with 162 in just his third season. He is 22 away from Kitwana Rhymer (1998-2002), who had 184. Marcus Camby is the all-time leader with 336.
Head Coach Hoping For a Happy Birthday
• UMass head coach Travis Ford will be looking to make his 36th birthday an extra special one as the UMass coach celebrates his birthday tomorrow, Dec. 29. Ford is 3-0 all-time at Madison Square Garden after Tuesday's win over St. Peter's. As a player at Kentucky, Ford won the 1992 ECAC Holiday Festival Championship.
• These games at the Garden mark the first time new UMass head coach Travis Ford has been to MSG since he helped Kentucky to the 1992 ECAC Holiday Festival championship. As the starting point guard playing for UMass alum Rick Pitino, Ford started both games as was the play-maker as Kentucky defeated St. John's 86-77 on Dec. 28, 1992 in the semifinals and captured the title with an 89-77 win over Rutgers on Dec. 30, 1992.
• Against St. John's, Ford played 32 minutes and scored eight points while handing out six assists. Roderick Rhodes led the Wildcats with 23 points. Versus Rutgers, Ford played 28 minutes and scored two points while dishing out six assists. Jamal Mashburn led the way with 22 points.
UMass-St. John's Series
• UMass and St. John's have a chance to play for the eighth time in history. SJU has won all previous seven meetings, the last coming in the 1998 Preseason NIT as the Red Storm beat UMass, 73-69 on Nov. 18, 1998 at Alumni Hall. Mike Babul and Monty Mack had 15 points each for UMass. Tyrone Grant had a game-high 20 points for St. John's.
• Prior to that game, the teams had not played since a six-game home-and-home series from 1963-69 with the St. John's Redmen beating the UMass Redmen each time.
Connections With UMass and St. John's
• UMass freshman guard Chris Lowe played his high school ball with Red Storm forward Dexter Gray at Mount Vernon High School.
• St. John's assistant Jose "Chuck" Martin was an assistant coach at UMass in 2000-01 under Bruiser Flint. He followed Flint to Drexel from 2001-04 before joining St. John's for the 2004-05 season.
Saintly Schedule
• UMass will play five schools named "Saint" this season in addition to playing a team nicknamed the Saints -- Siena (on Dec. 23). The Minutemen beat St. Peter's on Dec. 27 in the Panasonic Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden, 66-49. Tonight, UMass faces St. John's in the championship game. 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.
UMass At The "World's Most Famous Arena"
• After Tuesday's win over St. Peter's, all-time at Madison Square Garden, UMass has a 8-11 overall record entering the 2005 Panasonic Holiday Festival. The Minutemen had never played in the Holiday Festival prior to this year. UMass has had two of the biggest wins in school history at the Garden, beating a ranked team for the first time ever and beating a No. 1 team for the first time ever.
• The Minutemen are now 7-3 in regular-season games at the "Mecca of Basketball" including a 1-1 mark in the 1993 Preseason NIT and 5-2 in other regular-season games, mostly against metro New York area teams. The Minutemen are 1-8 in the postseason NIT, winning only once in 1973, over Missouri, 78-71 -- the first win over a ranked team in school history.
• UMass will be playing at Madison Square Garden for the first time in nearly 10 years when then-No. 1 UMass beat Fordham, 73-47 on Feb. 6, 1996 as part of the Chemical Bank Challenge. In that game, current Denver Nugget Marcus Camby led UMass with 26 points as then UMass coach and current Memphis coach John Calipari won his 100th Atlantic 10 game.
• The most memorable game for UMass at the Garden came in the 1994 Preseason NIT. then-No. 18 UMass beat No. 1 North Carolina, 91-86 in overtime on Nov. 24, for the Minutemen's first win over a No. 1-ranked team in school history. Lou Roe led UMass with 28 points. With the big win and nation taking notice, the Minutemen played No. 6 Kansas tough two nights later but lost to the Jayhawks, 86-75 as Roe had a team-high 25 points.
• UMass played its first-ever game at MSG against St. Peter's -- its opponent on the first night of the Holiday Festival. The then-Redmen beat St. Peter's 94-75 on Feb. 1, 1962. UMass played Iona in each of the next two seasons at the Garden, losing both times.
• UMass made its postseason NIT debut at the Garden in 1970, falling to Marquette, 62-55 on Mar. 14. Hall of Famer Julius Erving was held to just 18 points in the game -- only the second time that season he failed to score 20 in a game -- as he averaged 25.7 that season.
• In the lone postseason NIT win, coming at MSG, UMass defeated No. 15 Missouri, 78-71 on Mar. 17, 1972 for its first-ever win over a ranked team in school history after being 0-10 against Top 10 teams. Coached by UMass Hall of Famer Jack Leaman, current Boston College coach Al Skinner had 14 points and six rebounds in the win. UMass lost to No. 11 North Carolina in the second round, 73-63 on Mar. 20 as current Louisville coach Rick Pitino scored eight points.
• UMass advanced to the NIT Final Four for the first time in school history in 1991, playing at the Garden, but lost in the semifinals, 73-71 to Stanford on March 25, 1991. In the third place game, Colorado beat UMass, 98-91 on March 27.
New Yorkers Returning Home
• UMass' coaching staff features four members who are native New Yorkers, who will get a chance to visit with their families while in New York City. Associate Head Coach Tim Maloney is a native of Floral Park and Long Beach. Assistant Coach Steve Middleton grew up in Brooklyn and played at Samuel J. Tilden High School. Assistant Coach Adam Ginsburg is a native of Baldwin on Long Island while Director of Basketball Operations James Altman grew up in Rockville Centre and played his high school basketball at South Side.
• Recent addition to the active roster Danté Milligan is a native New Yorker who played his high school basketball at Trinity-Pawling. Point guard Chris Lowe is a native of Mount Vernon where he played basketball.
• Junior guard James Life makes his home in Fort Myers, Fla., but was born in Jamaica, New York and lived their until seventh grade, when he moved to the Sunshine State.
• Two players who are sitting out this season after transferring are also from the New York area. Virginia transfer Gary Forbes is from Brooklyn and played at Benjamin Banneker High School. Boston University transfer Etienne Brower is from Hempstead, Long Island where he played at West Hempstead.
Welcome (back) To The Garden
• Head coach Travis Ford will be returning to MSG for the first time since 1992, here's a look at the last time UMass' staff and players have been the Garden in addition to notable trips in.
• Associate head coach Tim Maloney was part of the Florida staff which played in the 2002 Preseason NIT. The then-No. 7 Gators beat then No. 2 Kansas, 83-72 for Florida's win over a highest ranked team in school history to that point.
• Assistant coach Steve Middleton has not been the Garden in 21 years since he played in high school summer league tournament and a Brooklyn prep game while he attended Tilden High School.
• These games will mark the first time assistant coach Adam Ginsburg and director of basketball operations James Altman will be on the sidelines for a game at the Garden. Both are lifelong Knicks fans, who grew up going to games during the Patrick Ewing era at MSG.
• Freshman point guard Chris Lowe has played in the Garden twice while at Mount Vernon High School, during his senior year in 2005, Lowe played against Rice High School and also played against Bayonne (N.J.) as a junior in 2004.
• R-Sophomore forward Danté Milligan was on the Pitt Panthers bench for several games at MSG including the 2004 Big East Championships while he was redshirting. Pittsburgh lost to UConn 61-58 in the Final on March 13, 2004. He was on the bench in the 2004-05 season when Pitt played Memphis in the Coaches Vs. Cancer event and when the Panthers played St. John's last season.
• Junior center Rashaun Freeman and sophomore guard Nana Ampim have both been the Garden to watch Knicks games while they were in high school, but never played on the floor.
• Junior forward Brandon Thomas spent two years at nearby Long Island University, but his only visit to MSG came on his recruiting visit with LIU.
• Senior forward Jeff Viggiano, junior guard James Life, junior guard Maurice Maxwell, junior guard Drew Rossi, junior forward Matt Pennie, junior forward Stephane Lasme, sophomore forward Lawrence Carrier will be making their first visits to the World's Most Famous Arena.
