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| Derek Kellogg is gearing up for his second season as head coach of his alma mater. |
Chat live with men's basketball head coach Derek Kellogg on Thursday at 11 a.m. The 2009-10 Minutemen are a new-look bunch, with five freshman and two transfers joining the ranks. Here is your chance to ask Coach about the newcomers, what he expects from his veterans, or just find out what the Kelloggs have been up to this summer.
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Coach Kellogg: Hello fans ... I'll be back just after 11 a.m. to take your questions. Keep them pouring in! |
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| Peter (Chicopee): Derek, things are looking bright for the future of UMass hoops with you back at the helm. Just a non-basketball queston... How has your first head coaching experience been regarding your interactions with fans and media, both home and away? |
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Coach Kellogg: Hello Peter ... The one great thing about being back in the area and home is all the positive fan interaction and media exposure we have been able to get for both the University and the basketball program. As we continue to build the program, I expect the fan base to continue to grow and the media exposure to grow at a similar pace. |
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| mark Bertrand, Boston: What can you do to generate more interest about the team here in Boston. It seems that interest is pretty low. |
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Coach Kellogg: Good morning Mark, I am trying to do everyting possible to get the fans, friends and alums of UMass back involved and interested in the prorgram. We will be playing Memphis in the TD BankNorth Garden on ESPN2 on Dec. 19. We are very close to securing a radio deal with a station in the heart of Boston that will be a key to fans following us all season. Lastly, I am trying to play games throughout the state each and every year, to get not only the fans in Boston involved but throughout the state of Massachusetts. People should realize that UMass is THE State University. |
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| Chizzle (Amherst): Love your coaching style. Can we expect more up and down the court this season? Is Gibbs the key to the season? |
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Coach Kellogg: Chizzle ... Nice name ... This is going to be a fun and exciting year. I'm looking to play a faster more exciting brand of basketball. At times last year, through injury we just didn't have the depth to press and play as quick as I'd like to play. I feel through recruiting and maturation of the players that are here, we should be deeper and more athletic. I'm expecting a great season from David Gibbs. I'm confident that he can build on the way he played at the end of last year. He has all the tools to be great and now he had to carry that over to the court. |
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| Meredith heragon (springfield): How does your wife deal with all the travel of a coach? Do you get time at home ? How's baby max? He's 1 isn't he. Go umass! |
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Coach Kellogg: Hello Meredith ... First and foremost, Max and Nicole are doing great. He is already being groomed for the Class of 2023. I just spent the whole month of July away from home recruiting and that can be difficult on a family. It takes a special wife and son to deal with the rigors of having a husband and dad being a head coach. But it feels great to be back and we are actually heading to Florida for a week on the beach! |
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| adam/west springfield: is wiggins still on the team? |
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Coach Kellogg: Adam ... Doug Wiggins is no longer with the program. |
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| adam/west springfield: How likely is it derek, that you can actually restore umass basketball back to its glory days?
Here is your blueprint:
1)make ncaa tourney this year
2)land 2 top 50 recruits for 2010
3)continue to be a recruiting power
4)never look back
The area needs UMASS back on top
YOUR DREAM IS OUR DREAM
MAKE IT A REALITY |
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Coach Kellogg: Adam ... No one wants UMass back to the so-called glory days more than I. It takes time to build a winning program. It starts with recruiting, great student-athletes and then giving them time to get experience. I feel like we have the right kids in the program and with another recruiting year under our belt, the program is heading in the right direction. I really like your blueprint by the way ... I hope its that easy! LOL |
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| david (salem, ma): thoughts on future scheduling ? kentucky owes Umass a return at TD Garden after buying out the game prevoiously scheduled return of the game played at Rupp. |
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Coach Kellogg: David in Salem ... I was with Coach Cal almost the whole month of July and we spent a lot of time talking about our programs together. He absolutely loves UMass and if its in the best interest of both programs then that opportunity might be explored. As of today, we really haven't discussed playing each other. But that's not saying it can't happen. |
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| Steve - Athol: DK, what can you tell us about our returning players, their summer assignments and how they are doing and blending with the new guys? |
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Coach Kellogg: Steve ... The returning players have done an unbelievable job getting the five new freshmen acclimated to UMass and how we do things as a basketball program. I'm really impressed with the type of kids we have in the program and their character . They have done an unreal job this summer both academically and athletically. I can't wait until September when I can start working with these guys on the basketball court. |
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| Marty (New York, NY): Coach,
Really looking forward to seeing how the team competes against the first rate schedule you and your staff have put together in the off season. Any plans to meet with UMass fans while in the greater NY/NJ area? There are a bunch of us who would love an appearance...also, how high are the expectations for Vinson in his first year? |
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Coach Kellogg: Marty in NYC! Its funny you ask about meeting with people in NYC. There are plans for a lot of different events and outings with our great fan base in the city. I actually love going to NYC, my wife and I spend a ton of time there when we have a break from the action. I am expecting a great year from Vinson. I am so impressed with his maturity. He is a pleasure to be around ... and boy he can really play ... lol. |
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| Nick (Wilbraham): How much are you allowed to work with your players during the summer? |
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Coach Kellogg: Nick ... The summer is a time for the players to work on their own as students and athletes. We are not allowed to work with our guys until they return to school in Sept. |
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| Anthony (Springfield): Tell me about Sean Carter and Bailey...are they legit big men? |
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Coach Kellogg: Anthony hello ... The one thing I like about Bailey and Carter is that they are true 5-men. They do their best work in and around the bucket. They should give us a presence in the paint that we didn't have last year. Bailey is more of a traditional big guy at 6-10, 280. Carter is more of an athletic big who we can run and trap with. They both have been here all summer and seem to be getting into great shape for the season. |
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| Cory Schmidt - Northampton: With a year under your belt, do you and your staff fell more prepared going into the upcoming season? |
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Coach Kellogg: Hello Cory ... I feel great about the upcoming season. I love the type of kids and type of athletes we now have in the program. This group that I have on my team now, is the building block for the future of UMass basketball. It should take 1 of 2 more recruiting classes to have all the pieces in place. |
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| Greg (Belchertown): Do you think Coach Cal will be successful right away at UK? I think he could win multiple national champs! |
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Coach Kellogg: Greg ... Come on! He's the best I have ever been around or seen in his profession. |
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| Chase (Philadelphia): Coach, how do you see the A-10 shaping up this season? What teams do you think will be at the top of the standings come March? |
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Coach Kellogg: Chase from Philly ... Temple? or SJU or La Salle ... The A-10 will be very competitive. I haven't given much thought to the A-10 schedule at this point of the summer, but it will be tough as always. |
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| bob-springfield: Derek great job so far. Excitement is building for this edition of UMASS basketball. One thing that needs to be done by you and your assistants is to reach out to different areas to get the passive UMASS fans re-engaged to the team,and attending games. Please reach out to the following areas (Ware/Belchertown;Athol/Gardner;Wilbraham/Longmeadow) to make the Mullins Center a true home court advantage!! No more empty sections. Good luck!! |
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Coach Kellogg: Bob from my neck of the woods ... I have always said you can;t have a national program without a rabid fan base and I have seen what it looks like and been a part of it. I am begging the fans to come out and support their program. That will lead to more victories the more people you have in the seats. So I want to see you in November! |
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| Joe, Belchertown, MA: One thing we have lacked since Rashaun Freeman is an imposing post player. Can City get down the court fast enough to play the DDM at speed? |
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Coach Kellogg: Joe ... City has done a good job this summer to get himself in playing shape. I'm hopeful he can keep up with the breakneck speed we are going to play. I'm envisioning playing him in shorter periods of time so he can keep up with the pace of play. Its tough getting 280 up and down the floor. lol. |
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| james c. (seattle): i love umass basketball, but can't make it to any games (i live in seattle). how can i keep up with you guys during the season? |
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Coach Kellogg: James .. love having fans on the west coast. Well, this website is the best place for all UMass information. Follow us all season long. You can watch live streaming games, listen to the games online and watch the stats every game. We are hopeful of having more games on TV. We know ESPN has expressed interest in several games, so keep checking back. |
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Coach Kellogg: Fans I'm off to a workout! Chat with you soon again here on UMassAthletics.com. It has been a lot of fun. AND, don't forget to buy those tickets call now. 866-UMASS-TIX. |
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