Just Take A Minute: Dec. 21-24

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   Thursday, Dec. 24

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On behalf of the UMass Athletic Department, Happy Holidays! Enjoy the next few days with your families as we wish everyone a festive holiday season. Just Take A Minute will return on Monday, Dec. 28. The men's basketball team suffered a tough 79-67 loss at Boston College on Wednesday, read the recaps here in JTAM. Also a nice Christmas story on former Minuteman basketball player Papa Lo, who is now at Bryant.

Here are recaps on the UMass hoop loss at BC, before a large pro-UMass crowd. Springfield Republican, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Berkshire Eagle, WEEI.com, MetroWest, ABC40 TV, and The Examiner.

In the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Matt Vautour writes about senior Ricky Harris' recent troubles after an ankle injury.

The Daily News Tribune of Newton, Mass., has a feature on hometown hero and UMass junior guard Anthony Gurley.

The Providence Journal has a wonderful Christmas feel good story on former UMass basketball paper Papa Lo, who is now at Bryant University in Rhode Island.

The Sports Network has a look at its 2009 FCS Football All-Americans including first-teammers Vladimir Ducasse and Jeromy Miles along with third-team kicker Armando Cuko.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Looking for your favorite UMass photo? Visit the Photo Gallery webpage.

Don't Miss This: The next UMass team to be in action is the No. 15 hockey team which takes on Union on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 4 p.m., at UConn in Storrs.

   Wednesday, Dec. 23

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The basketball team looks to make it two wins in a row in Boston and seven wins in a row in Massachusetts as the Minutemen take on Boston College tonight at 7 p.m. The Commonwealth Classic is not on TV tonight, but you can listen in on the UMass Sports Network starting at 6:30 p.m. The Boston Globe has a great feature on the Minutemen and Terrell Vinson. JTAM also has previews of the game.

The UMass Sports Luncheon takes place this afternoon at 12:15 p.m., Associate A.D. for Academic Services Joan Hopkins will be the guest speaker. Call 413-545-4290 for more info.

The Boston Globe has a story by Marty Dobrow, who crafts his unique look at the Minutemen's win over Memphis on Saturday and how UMass hopes the winning ways continue with Terrell Vinson has a centerpiece.

The Springfield Republican has a preview of the UMass at BC game on Wednesday with a focus on the Minutemen trying to avoid a letdown after a huge win, which has happened in the past in previous regimes.

In the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Matt Vautour has his outlook on the game at BC, talking about the Minutemen have to give the same type of effort as they did on Saturday.

On Masslive.com, Daily Collegian writer Adam Miller has a story on five opponents UMass could consider to play at the TD Garden in the future: Kentucky, UConn, Louisville, Oklahoma State and Florida.

In his "Hitting The All Fields" Garry Brown leads off with UMass basketball, stating: Just sitting and wondering if UMass can do it again tonight. He also adds: News item: Kentucky beats Drexel to become first NCAA basketball program with 2,000 victories. In a meeting of ex-UMass coaches, John Calipari and Bruiser Flint.

Marcus Camby and his L.A. Clippers suffered a 108-99 loss to the Houston Rockets. Camby has 12 points and 19 rebounds.

In the Springfield Republican, Chimelis has a story on UMass alum Chris Lowe making an impact with the D-League's Springfield Armor. "It's helping JamesOn Curry to have Chris Lowe here, I think," Springfield Armor coach Dee Brown said Tuesday. "Before Chris got here, JamesOn had the ball all the time. Now we can play him off the ball sometimes, give him a break from the decision making, and keep him from getting fatigued that way."

Also, in the story is mentioned that, next week, the Armor will face a personnel decision when alum Dante Milligan becomes available. The 6-9 former UMass forward has been out with a broken nose. He expects to be fitted for a mask after Christmas. Milligan's roster spot has been taken by 6-10 Brayden Bilbe, who was cut in preseason. The Armor want Milligan back, but Bilbe has served a good purpose in a spot role.

In the Berkshire Eagle, Howard Herman has a story on UMass' alums playing with the Springfield Armor. "[Lowe's] an energizer," Armor coach Dee Brown said. "He's high energy, very talkative and, for a young point guard, he demands respect already. I like that. Maxwell has a big shot. You can't be a hero until you're a goat. He didn't mind being a goat if he missed that shot."

In New Jersey, the News Transcript has a bit on UMass women's basketball star Kristina Danella. The paper writes: Manalapan's Kristina Danella is leading the University of Massachusetts basketball team in scoring. Danella, a sophomore forward, is averaging 13.9 ppg. game for UMass (5-6). The 6-1 Danella also leads the team in rebounding at 6.5 rpg. Danella was named the UMass co-Athlete of the Week for Nov. 30 when she was named to the Miami Wyndham Thanksgiving All-Tournament Team. She led UMass to a secondplace finish at the tournament, averaging 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game during the tournament. Danella is a graduate of Red Bank Catholic High School, Red Bank.

In the New England Patriots preview of their game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend, its pointed out that Jags long snapper Jeremy Cain is a UMass alum as a "connection" between the Pats and Jags.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Seven Auctions end tonight at 8 p.m. Check them out, featuring mostly basketball items along with a zamboni ride for the Northeastern hockey game on Jan. 15.

Don't Miss This: It's the last UMass event before Christmas Break, as the Minutemen travel to Boston College tonight at 7 p.m.

   Tuesday, Dec. 22

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Welcome back to Just Take A Minute on Tuesday. Happy Winter to everyone out there as yesterday was the shortest day of the year. JTAM has plenty of stories on basketball as the Minutemen prep for their second game in a row in Boston, at BC tomorrow night. Lots of references and connections to UMass during last night's ESPN college basketball games. JTAM also has some hockey and football news.

If you are up early, Derek Kellogg is slated to be on WHYN Radio 560 AM with Bo Sullivan on the The Morning Show With Brad and Bo at 8 a.m. today.

Congrats to UMass alum Tony Barbee and his UTEP Miners on their big win over Oklahoma, 89-74 on ESPN2. Following that game, former UMass coach Travis Ford and Oklahoma State downed A-10 school La Salle, 77-62, also n ESPN2 from Oklahoma City. Over on ESPNU, former UMass head man John Calipari coached Kentucky to their 2,000th win as a program in beating his former assistant and the man who replaced him at UMass in 1996 Bruiser Flint. Kentucky handled Drexel, 88-44 at Rupp Arena. During all three broadcasts UMass was mentioned prominently with four coaches having connections to the school.

Ron Chimelis has three UMass basketball team stories in the Springfield Republican. First he writes about how UMass makes it clear the classwork comes first for UMass basketball players as the team bus trip to Boston was delayed several hours because one player, forward Sean Carter, had to take an academic final that could not be rescheduled.

Chimelis also writes about how UMass is hopeful of playing a game in Boston at the TD Garden annually or semi-annually.

Finally, Chimelis writes about Terrell Vinson's hard work. "I like to start the game inside, then work my way outside. If I do that, I know I'll have a good game," said Vinson, whose game-winning shot Saturday put the 6-foot-7 freshman - and his team - on the national map.

In the Springfield Republican, Chimelis has a column on the situation between Bobby Knight and John Calipari. It is an interesting read as Chimelis writes: Would I trust my kid to Calipari, slick salesman/father figure? Absolutely. Calipari does not turn honest kids into dishonest ones. He has taken some real at-risk kids and helped them succeed.

On ESPN.com Andy Katz has his "Weekly Watch" with references to UMass' thrilling win over Memphis.

Scout.com as the weekly Atlantic 10 Basketball notebook.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal takes a look at the Memphis Tigers after their loss to UMass on Saturday. The Tigers say they were out-toughed and out-battled by the Minutemen. "It was just that UMass beat us on the glass. That's not about playing hard. That's about a toughness factor. They out-toughed us in that game," said coach Josh Pastner. "They killed us on the rebounding. That's what it really came down to. At the end of the day, it was rebounding and loose balls," said senior guard Doneal Mack.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal has a story on locals who were stranded in Boston and elsewhere on the East Coast due to the snow storm over the weekend. Many of the travelers were in Boston to watch the Tigers take on UMass at the TD Garden.

UMass hockey hangs in at No. 15 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll and USCHO.com Poll as there was little hockey action last week.

On Comcast Sports Net New England's website, Joe Haggerty has a look at the top teams in the NHL and places the L.A. Kings at No. 7 with the following comment: UMass alum Jon Quick has been the answer between the pipes out in La-La land after a parade of lackluster goaltending for the Kings over the last few years.

The Cape Cod Times has a snipet on UMass swimmers Chelsea Downing, Peter Sacco and Brian Schmidt. They will be joined by Mashpee High senior Chris Inglis, who is mentioned as well. Downing, of Hatchville and the Sturgis Charter School, recently set a new UMass record in the 500 freestyle.

The Bleacher Report has an opinion piece on the state of football among the CAA North teams.

ESPN.com has a feature story on Hofstra football kicker Roger Williams, who is seeking a school to transfer to after the Pride dropped its program several weeks ago. Kieran Darcy take a look at the situation from inside inside the minds of a player who called it the "worst day of his life."

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: An exclusive auction item has been added to UMass' group. From the TD Garden where UMass beat Memphis, 73-72 on Dec. 19, is an official game poster that measures 3 feet by 5 feet on a foam core (1/2 inch thick). It is signed by Head Coach Derek Kellogg and the entire team.

Don't Miss This: If you have a satellite dish, check out Fox Sports South tonight at 9 p.m. A feature on John Calipari: In My Own Words, debuts tonight. It takes a look at Calipari's career with a heavy emphasis on his time at UMass from 1988-1996.

   Monday, Dec. 21

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What a weekend for the UMass basketball!!! The men's team captured the excitement of the city of Boston with a thrilling last-second win over Memphis in the TD Garden on Saturday. The Minutemen will be back in Beantown on Wednesday at Boston College. Hopefully a nice portion of the 8,000 fans at the Garden will make their way to Conte Forum. The women's team knocked off NJIT on Sunday to make it a sweep weekend.

If you were watching ESPN SportsCenter on Saturday, Terrell Vinson's game-winning basket with 0:00.7 left was the No. 1 Play of the Day on the late night SportsCenter.

Recaps from UMass' dramatic win at the TD Garden on Saturday come from: Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Springfield Republican, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Associated Press, Memphis Flyer, The Examiner and ABC40.

ESPN's Andy Katz mentions UMass' win over Memphis in his blog on ESPN.com.

On ESPN Boston.com, UMass alum Mike Reiss has a great feature story on junior Anthony Gurley as he prepared for the Minutemen's game at the TD Garden, in his hometown of Boston.

With UMass' win over Memphis on Sunday, the Minutemen moved from around 160 to 126 in RealtimeRPI's rankings. Also, teak note of the Atlantic 10. The conference is No. 5 in RPI and has the No. 1 Strength of Schedule. The A-10 is ranked ahead of the Big Ten and Pac 10. UMass has the No. 61 strength of schedule based on RealtimeRPI.

The Berkshire Eagle writer Howard Herman has a column from the eyes of Santa Claus. He writes: "the best gift Kellogg - and the rest of Minuteman Nation - can get is the gift of patience. UMass played Memphis Saturday night at the TD Garden, and it didn't have the sheen a Kellogg vs. Calipari game might have had. Didn't those retro "Massachusetts" uniforms look sweet? The Minutemen should wear them more often. But Santa digresses. Patience is the key because with only Ricky Harris and Anthony Gurley having extensive varsity experience, it is going to take a while to develop a team chemistry.

Vinson's honor of being named the A-10 Rookie of the Week was covered on Springfield Republican. Vinson is UMass' first rookie of the week since November 2006, when Tiki Mayben claimed the honor.

UMass' next foe Boston College easily dispatched Bryant, 72-46 on Sunday. Joe Trapani scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Corey Raji added 20 points and eight boards to lead BC. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Eagles (7-4) heading into Wednesday's matchup with UMass, which upset Memphis on Saturday. "We got this one out of the way and now we have to look forward to UMass," Raji said. BC coach Al Skinner downplayed the rivalry game, saying, "Right now I don't care who we play. Right now it's more about us than it is about the opposing team. It's about us improving our play, raising our level of play and our intensity."

One connection between the snow and UMass basketball came from Rhode Island's win over Fairfield on Sunday. Two of the officials from the UMass-Memphis game, worked the URI game according to the Providence Journal.

The Hartford Courant has a look at UConn basketball's top 10 comebacks. The Huskies comeback vs. UMass in 2002 ranked No. 4 on the list. UConn trailed 30-9 at halftime, having shot 4-for-26 in the first half, and by as many as 21. The Huskies have not scored fewer than 10 points in a half since, nor had they for at least the previous 22 seasons (records kept only since 1980). The Huskies made 12 of 22 field goals in the second half, including eight three-pointers after making none in the first half.

Checking in on the women's team, The Examiner and Springfield Republican have recaps of the Minutewomen's 70-59 win at NJIT. Megan Zullo netted 17 for UMass.

In the Springfield Republican, Dick Baker has a story on men's cross country runner Kevin Johnson.

The Examiner has a look at UMass' fall postseason honors.

In NFL action on Sunday, UMass alum James Ihedigbo had a blocked punt in the New York Jets' 10-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He also had two tackles including one on the game's opening kickoff.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Looking for a nice holiday gift? Want to relive great moments from UMass Athletics? Visit the Photo Gallery page for all the best images from UMass teams.

Don't Miss This: Check out the latest hockey polls on Monday. See if UMass hangs at No. 15 in both.

Look Back To The Week Of: Dec. 14-18 | Dec. 7-11 | Nov. 30-Dec. 4 | Nov. 23-24 | Nov. 16-20 | Nov. 9-13 | Nov. 2-6 | Oct. 26-30 | Oct. 19-23 | Oct. 12-16 | Oct. 5-9 | Sept. 28-Oct. 2 | Sept. 21-25 | Sept. 14-18 | Sept. 7-11 | Aug. 31-Sept. 4 | Aug. 24-28 | Aug. 17-21 | 709aaa.html">Aug. 10-14 | Aug. 3-8 | July 27-31 | July 20-24 | July 13-17 | July 6-10 | June 29-July 3 | June 22-26 | June 15-19 | June 8-12 | June 1-5 | May 25-29 | May 18-22 | May 11-15 | May 4-8 | April 27-May 1 | April 20-24 | April 13-17 | April 6-10 | March 30-Apr. 3 | March 23-27 | March 16-20 | March 9-13 | Mar. 2-6 | Feb. 23-27 | Feb. 16-20 | Feb. 9-13 | Feb. 2-6 | Jan. 26-30 | Jan. 19-23 | Jan. 12-16 | Jan. 5-9 | Dec. 29, 2008-Jan. 2, 2009 | Dec. 22-26 | Dec. 15-19 | Dec. 8-12 | Dec. 1-5 | Nov. 24-28 | Nov. 17-21 | Nov. 10-14 | Nov. 3-7 | Oct. 27-31 | Oct. 20-24, 2008 | Oct. 13-17, 2008 | Oct. 6-10, 2008 | Sept. 29-Oct. 3, 2008 | Sept. 22-26, 2008 | Sept. 15-19, 2008 | Sept. 8-12, 2008 | Sept. 1-5, 2008 | Aug. 25-29, 2008 | Aug. 18-22, 2008

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