Just Take A Minute: Jan. 11-15, 2010

Boomer bytes

   Friday, Jan. 15, 2010

Pivotal hockey game tonight at the Mullins Center as UMass hosts UMass-Lowell at 7 p.m. Its the hockey first home game in more than a month. News on the 2010 football schedule is in JTAM and more. Happy Birthday to student-athletes Morgan Brandso, Mike Donato and Anniek Scholten.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAN. 15:
Morgan Brandso (Men's Soccer),
Mike Donato (Baseball) and Anniek Scholten (Field Hockey)

Hockey previews on tonight's game with UMass-Lowell are in the Springfield Republican and Daily Hampshire Gazette.

The New England Hockey Journal has a feature on UMass hockey, wondering what the rest of the season holds for the Mass Attack.

The UMass/UMass Lowell weekend series is the key match-up according to InsideCollegeHockey.com's Friday Four-cast. Joe Gladziszewski states "This in-state rivalry doesn't get the notoriety of BC-BU or UNH-Maine within Hockey East circles but it means plenty to the fans, students, alumni and teams that are involved. This weekend it also means a great deal in the Hockey East standings. Since almost nothing was determined in the first half of the Hockey East season, this is a big chance for one of these teams to make a big jump in the standings and get some quality wins in terms of NCAA Tournament criteria." Both teams enter the series tied for fourth in the league standings and if the season ended on Sunday, the winner of the series would have home ice for the upcoming playoffs.

In Scott McLaughlin's weekly Hobey Watch column at InsideHockey.com James Marcou is his No. 1 pick for college hockey's top honor for the second straight week. Fans can vote for James at www.HobeyBaker.com.

Stories on the football team's schedule being unveiled come from the Springfield Republican, Daily Hampshire Gazette and WWLP NBC 22.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette has the Associated Press' lengthy feature about Kentucky coach John Calipari, who coached UMass from 1988-96.

In the Springfield Republican, Bill Wells has a story on the HoopHall Classic this weekend in Springfield. It mentions UMass coach Derek Kellogg, who has appeared at games for the past few years.

The Boston Herald has a feature story on UMass' hiring of women's soccer head coach Ed Matz.

The Lacrosse Magazine mentions the UMass-Georgetown game as part of the ESPNU Warrior Classic at UConn on April 24.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: The Promotions Page has all the latest info on marketing's special events at the UMass games. Its starts with tonight's Family 4-Pack Night at the hockey tilt.

Don't Miss This: Its been more than a month since the hockey team played at the Mullins Center. Join us tonight as the Minutemen take on the Riverhawks at 7 p.m.

   Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010

Two OT games, one win, one loss. The women's squad picked up a 62-59 win at Saint Louis while the men dropped a 70-63 game at Richmond on Wednesday. The men continued on to Philaldelphia, busing up after the game. Thursday night the Bud Light UMass Basketball Show takes place at the Dark Horse Pub in Philly. Be sure to listen at 7 p.m.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - JAN. 14
Katie Florence (Women's Lacrosse)

The UMass men's overtime loss at Richmond is covered in the Springfield Republican, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Boston Herald, Associated Press. Darrius Garrett set a Richmond and Atlantic 10 Conference record with 14 blocked shots.

Garrett's performance reminded UMass coach Derek Kellogg of former teammate Marcus Camby as he said in the postgame press conference. On Wednesday night, Camby grabbed a season-best 20 rebounds in a 108-94 loss to the New Orleans Hornets.

The men's next opponent Temple, picked up a 60-45 Big 5 win over Penn on Wednesday night. Ryan Brooks scored 15 points and Juan Fernandez added 12. The Owls are ranked 19th in the AP Poll.

The Boston Herald reports that Patriots owner Robert Kraft traveled to Gainesville, Fla., Tuesday night to visit with his old friend John Calipari, the University of Kentucky basketball coach and former UMass coach. When the Wildcats came back to beat the Florida Gators, Kraft addressed the victorious team.

The Bleacher Report has a piece on how UMass' offensive line All-American Vladimir Ducasse would be a perfect fit for the Oakland Raiders.

The Fort-Worth Star-Telegram has more on Texas Tech's hiring on former UMass player and coach Neal Brown as the Raiders' Offensive Coordinator.

On NESN.com, Kathryn Tappen has a story on the Boston Bruins trip out west where they will face former UMass star Jon Quick and the L.A. Kings. Quick is pictured and mentioned in the story.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: The men's basketball home page has a new module for coach Derek Kellogg's twitter page. Check it out and join today.

Don't Miss This: The Bud Light UMass Basketball Show hits the road in Philadelphia. Be sure to tune in at 7 p.m., to hear the latest from Derek Kellogg at 7 p.m. tonight on WRNX 100.9 FM or here on UMassAthletics.com.

   Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010

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Busy day in the UMass Athletics world today. It kicks off with the Sports Luncheon at 12:15 p.m. in the Campus Center. Hockey coach Toot Cahoon and swimming coaches Bob Newcomb and Russ Yarworth will be the speakers. At night the men's hoop team takes on Richmond at 7 p.m., in Virginia. The women's squad is at Saint Louis at 8 p.m.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jan. 13:
Ben Arikian (Men's Soccer)
Eric Zeimetz (Men's Swimming)
Lacy Gunn (Asst. Athletic Trainer)

The Springfield Republican has Ron Chimelis' preview of Wednesday's UMass-Richmond basketball game. Chimelis writes about how two months into the season, the UMass rotation is still being tweaked and adjusted.

In the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Matt Vautour has a preview of UMass' game at Richmond. With just two days between Sunday's loss to La Salle and tonight's game, Derek Kellogg and his staff worked feverishly at practice Tuesday to prepare the Minutemen. Two days is a small window before any game, but it's a particularly short time to get ready for Richmond's style of play which is rooted in the Princeton offense.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a preview of the UMass at Richmond game. Tonight, the Spiders begin a stretch that includes three consecutive home games and five of seven.

Freshman Freddie Riley leads off a local notebook of "Hometown Heroes" in the Ocala Star-Banner. Riley showed no ill effects from his knee surgery last month, pouring in a game-high 22 points for the Minutemen on Sunday.

The Boston Herald has a story on Boston College head coach and UMass alum Al Skinner which mentions Hall Of Fame UMass coach Jack Leaman. The story is about Skinner's use of the flex offense. Skinner picked up some of the principles of the flex while playing for Leaman at UMass in the early 1970s.

In Philadelphia, La Salle freshman Aaric Murray's impact on the Explorers' win at UMass on Sunday is the subject of a story on PhillyBurbs.com.

The Bergen Record has a great feature on UMass alum and New York Jets General Manager Mike Tannebaum. The story mentions how Tannenbaum thought of the foundation he started at his alma mater, UMass, a scholarship program for interns pursuing a career in sports.

Sean Morris is in his second year with the NLL's Boston Blazers.

The Daily Free Press has a behind-the scenes story on the Frozen Fenway event with a mention of UMass hockey coach Toot Cahoon.

UMass alum and former football assistant coach Neal Brown has been named the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech under new coach Tommy Tuberville. Brown, 29, is the youngest offensive coordinator in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and was Troy's offensive coordinator the past two seasons. Stories come from the Fort-Worth Star Telegram, Daily Toreador

The San Jose Mercury News mentions former UMass football head coach Mark Whipple is a possibile candidate to join the Oakland Raiders staff to work with embattled quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Former 1940s UMass football star Ed Struzzierio is featured in the Springfield Republican. He played football for the Redmen before being called into action in the Navy. He has have a very interesting career and was back at UMass in 1993 after he took a position as a fund-raiser for the Newman Catholic Center at UMass Amherst.

Last weekend, NLL indoor lacrosse team the Boston Blazers opened the season at the TD Garden with a 17-7 loss to the Toronto Rock. UMass alums Sean Morris and Jack Reid are back for their second seasons with the Blazers.

UMass alum Jeff Zywicki had a huge weekend with the Washington Stealth of the NLL with five goals and three assists for eight points.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Seeking some content for your iPod? Visit our Podcasts Page for radio shows, highlights and interviews.

Don't Miss This: Join us at the Campus Center Room 1009 for the UMass Sports Luncheon at 12:15 p.m. Hockey coach Toot Cahoon and swimming coaches Bob Newcomb and Russ Yarworth will be the speakers. Also Athlete of the Week Will Ortiz will be honored.

   Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010

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The Bud Light UMass Hockey Radio Show is on the air tonight at 7 p.m. Come on out to the Hangar on University Drive to listen to Toot Cahoon and player guests. The hockey team is ranked 19th in the USCHO.com poll. Just Take A Minute has updates on football alums Jeromy Miles and Liam Coen. Find out what state Coen's pro football career is taking him to next.

In the latest hockey polls, UMass is No. 19 in the USCHO.com Poll and is receiving three votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll.

In the Springfield Republican, Dick Baker has a story on the hockey team being "back on track."

In the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Matt Vautour leads off his weekly basketball notebook with a look former UMass coach John Calipari's early seasons success at Kentucky. The last two times Calipari was undefeated in nonconference play and flirted with a perfect season, his teams advanced to the Final Four (at UMass in 1996 and Memphis in 2008).

The key to that 1996 UMass team is part of a resurgent team in the NBA. Marcus Camby's L.A. Clippers are the lead item in a USA Today NBA notebook. The Los Angeles Clippers, who have won four in a row, are 17-18 overall despite their numerous injuries -- compared with 8-27 a year ago. They have not been at .500 since Nov. 24, 2007, a season that ended with the Clippers at 23-59. Camby is third in the league in rebounding at 11.7 a game.

UMass will take on the No. 19 Temple Owls on Saturday, based on the AP Poll. The Owls are ranked No. 21 by the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Other UMass opponents in the poll are Michigan State (7/8) and Baylor (22/24). Also receiving votes are foes: Dayton, Cornell and Rhode Island.

Here are some Atlantic 10 basketball notebooks from around the region: Dayton Daily News, Press Of Atlantic City and Cincinnati Enqurier.

Jeromy Miles could be drafted in the fourth or fifth round of the NFL Draft.

Sporting News.com has a look at five seniors who did not receive one of the 256 invitations to the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis but merit one of the final slots: including UMass' Jeromy Miles. Russ Lande writes: He has good size at 6-1 and 218 pounds, and he is a smooth and fluid athlete who makes plays all over the field in run support and pass coverage. He likely was passed over because of his lack of elite speed and the fact he's more of a grab-and-drag tackler rather than someone who delivers violent blows. When NFL scouts and coaches come to UMass to watch G/OT Vlad Ducasse work out, Miles then will have a stage to impress. We expect he'll move onto teams' draft boards at that point, ultimately being drafted in the fourth or fifth round.

More football news on UMass alums, Liam Coen is listed on the preseason roster Alabama Vipers of Arena Football. The Examiner has a story on a team that moved from Tennessee Valley last season.

The New York Post has a story on Jets General Manager and UMass alum Mike Tannenbaum and his success running the Jets football operations this season.

More football news related to UMass. Former football head coach Mark Whipple is mentioned as a possible head coach candidate for the opening a South Florida according to New York Post writer Lenn Robbins.

No UMass Athlete Birthdays Today.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: The men's basketball archive page has been updated with some historical rosters and statistics dating to the 1950s.

Don't Miss This: Come on out to the Hangar for the Bud Light UMass Hockey Show at 7 p.m.

   Monday, Jan. 11, 2010

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The hockey team salvaged a tough weekend for the UMass teams with a 4-1 win at Northeastern last night on ESPNU. The men's hoop squad suffered an 80-74 loss to La Salle in Springfield. The hockey team lost at UNH on Saturday. The women's team dropped a one-point affair with URI. Alums safety James Ihedigbo, assistant coach Brian Smith and GM Mike Tannenbaum of the New York Jets moved on to the NFL Divisional Playoffs at the San Diego Chargers next Sunday.

Terrell Vinson (13 points) had his seventh-career game in double-figures.

The hockey team got back in the win column with a 4-1 victory at Northeastern last night. Check out the stories in the: Springfield Republican, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Boston Globe and ABC40.

The men's basketball loss to La Salle is covered in the Springfield Republican, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and the New York Times.

In his Masslive.com blog Scott Coen writes about the basketball team's loss in Derek Kellogg's hometown.

If you missed it all-time UMass assist leader Chris Lowe was released by the Springfield Armor on Friday. Without Lowe, the Armor won their third game of the season on Saturday, 113-110 win over the Maine Red Claws.

Two former Minutemen who are on the Armor was at Sunday's UMass game at their home, the MassMutual Center. Dante Milligan and Maurice Maxwell sat in the first row across from the UMass bench at the loss to La Salle.

Looking back to Saturday's hockey loss at New Hampshire, here are some recaps from the Springfield Republican, Boston Herald, Boston Globe, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Union-Leader, SeaCoastOnline, Concord Monitor, College Hockey News and USCHO.com. "I want to apologize to the entire UMass hockey community, and anybody that's been following this program, for that showing," Coach Toot Cahoon said after the game. "Like every coach at this level, I have to be accountable and take responsibility for the way my team shows up and competes, and tonight we played like a defeated group of people."

In the Boston Globe's weekly NHL notebook by Kevin Paul Dupont, he mentions the pipeline of Bay Staters in the NHL and on the Olympian team. UMass' Jon Quick is mentioned.

The women's basketball 1-point loss to Rhode Island is covered in the -10-opener">Daily Hampshire Gazette and Boston Globe.

James Ihedigbo had three tackles vs. the Bengals in the Wild Card win.

The New York Jets moved on to the NFL Divisional Playoffs with a 24-14 win at Cincinnati on Saturday. UMass alum James Ihedigbo made a major impact in blitzing from his safety position. He is mentioned in the New York Daily News, Newark Star-Ledger and SI.com.

Jets General Manager Mike Tannebaum was given a lot of credit for drafting Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez in various articles after the rookie guided the Jets to the Wild Card win. Tannebaum is mentioned in stories in the New York Daily News and the Bergen Record.

Another UMass alum was part of a winning NFL Playoff team, the Baltimore Ravens. Defensive line coach Clarence Brooks was a guard at UMass in the early 1970s and has been coaching in the NFL for the better part of three decades. Brooks' Ravens will take on the AFC No. 1 seed Indianapolis Colts next Saturday. Brooks' match-up at homestate New England Patriots was mentioned in South Coast Today.

UMass football alum Matt Lawrence (on injured reserve with the Ravens) is mentioned in the Hartford Courant's look at Connecticut locals in the NFL.

The website Draft Season.com has the Dallas Cowboys selecting UMass' Vladimir Ducasse with the 28th overall selection in the NFL Draft. The quote on Ducasse is: The Cowboys take Vlad the Impaler to add some young depth in the interior of their offensive line.

Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: With the new year a week in, check out the updated Calendar of Games for the month of January 2010.

Don't Miss This: Weekly league honors will be handed out on Monday. Check out the latest hockey polls on Monday. See if UMass is still ranked.

Look Back To The Week Of: Jan. 3-8, 2010 | Dec. 28, 2009-Jan. 1, 2010 | Dec. 21-24 | 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 | 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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