University of Massachusets Athletics

Just Take A Minute: March 22-26, 2010

March 29, 2010 | General

 

Boomer bytes

  

Friday, March 26, 2010

Lots of action to review including UMass Football's Pro Day and Minutemen connections to college basketball including features on alum Tony Barbee being hired at Auburn. It will be a busy weekend for UMass teams with most of the action away from Amherst with the exception of the Top 20 match-up at Garber Field between the No. 18 Minutemen and No. 6 Hofstra. JTAM has news on all the teams and videos as well.

FOOTBALL

  • Here are the numerous stories on UMass' Pro Day at McGuirk Stadium: Springfield Republican, Masslive.com (Video Feature), Daily Collegian, Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY - MARCH 26:
    Brandon Potvin (Football)

  • The NFL Network's "Path To The Draft" show had a nice mention of UMass' strong senior class. Analyst Mike Mayock spoke about Vladimir Ducasse, Jeromy Miles and Victor Cruz. He said in addition to Ducasse, a probable second-round NFL Draft pick, UMass has plenty of talent that will get a look in the NFL.

    MEN'S LACROSSE

  • The huge CAA opener between No. 18 UMass and No. 6 Hofstra on Saturday is previewed in the Daily Collegian. Adam Miller focuses on how despite strong offenses in the game, defense is key to winning.

    HOCKEY

  • The Nanaimo Daily News has a feature on UMass' Matt Irwin, who signed with the San Jose Sharks organization. "Matt is a pro-style defenseman with an excellent blend of offence and defence," said Sharks general manager Doug Wilson.

  • The Worcester Sharks play their first game since the addition of several UMass players. The Sharks will be on the road at Hershey tonight.

  • Casey Wellman continues to see action with the NHL's Minnesota Wild. In the team's 4-3 overtime win at the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, he played 12:50 and had a shot.

    MEN'S BASKETBALL

  • UMass alum and all-time great Tony Barbee was officially introduced as the head coach at Auburn on Friday. Here are great features on him from: ESPN.com, Press-Register. Watch high press conference below.

    Tony Barbee talks Auburn basketball

  • Sensational feature in the New York Times on how John Calipari uses his social networking to help fans keep in touch with his every move.

  • NESN.com has a look at the Top 10 NCAA Tournament moments with connections to New England. No. 7 is UMass appeal: Head coach John Calipari led the UMass Minutemen to their first Final Four appearance in 1996 -- the farthest the Minutemen had ever gotten in the tourney.

    SOFTBALL

  • UMass opens its A-10 schedule on Sunday at George Washington. The Daily Collegian has a preview of the twinbill.

  • The Daily Collegian takes a look at star pitcher Sara Plourde, who leads the NCAA in strikeouts.

    TENNIS

  • The Minutewomen look to start new winning streak with weekend pair. The Minutewomen will first travel to face the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Saturday before returning home for a match with Hofstra on Sunday. The Daily Collegian has a preview.

    ROWING

  • The rowing team will travel to Kingston, R.I. Saturday to compete in the Yankee Cup, a four team regatta that will include Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Connecticut. The regatta will include races for the first Varsity 8, second Varsity 8, Varsity 4, first Novice 8, second Novice 8 and Novice 4. The Daily Collegian has a preview.

  • Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Get instant updates on UMass teams with RSS Feeds. All the links are included on the page.

  • Don't Miss This: Friday's UMass action is on the road in the Mid-Atlantic region in a pair of A-10 openers. The women's lacrosse team faces George Washington at 4 p.m., and the baseball team takes on Saint Joseph's in Camden, N.J., at 7 p.m. Follow all of the action on our t/webcasts.html">Webcasts Page.

      

    Thursday, March 25, 2010

    UMass Football Pro Day takes place at McGuirk Stadium today. All 32 NFL teams are expected to be on hand to watch the top Minutemen seniors including lineman Vladimir Ducasse. The Haitian native is expected to be drafted in the late first round or second round. JTAM also has stories on baseball's first win of the season as well as alum Tony Barbee being named the head hoop coach at Auburn.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY - MARCH 25:
    Jason Cook (Diving),
    Shawn Saunders (Hockey)

    BASEBALL

  • The Minutemen picked up their first win of the season, pounding Hartford, 14-6 in a slugfest. Here are some recaps: Daily Hampshire Gazette, Daily Collegian.

    MEN'S BASKETBALL

  • Former UMass basketball star and assistant coach Tony Barbee has been named the head coach at Auburn after a successful career as the head coach at UTEP. Here are various stories: ESPN.com, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Masslive.com, El Paso Times, Columbus Ledger-Enterprise, Opelika Auburn News and Birmingham News.

  • Of course the big game tonight pits Kentucky vs. Cornell in the Sweet 16. Former UMass head coach John Calipari is featured in the Boston Globe.

  • UMass foe Rhode Island has advanced to the NIT Semifinals at Madison Square Garden after beating Virginia Tech, 77-72 on Wednesday night. Congrats to UMass alum and current URI AD Thorr Bjorn and the Rams.

    MEN'S LACROSSE

  • The UMass Lacrosse Radio takes place today at 5 p.m., on WMUA. Listen here.

    HOCKEY

  • More on UMass players signing with the San Jose Sharks comes from various sites: College Hockey News, NHL.com, Victoria Times, and USHL.com.

  • On Masslive.com, Scott Coen writes about UMass' changing roster.

    FOOTBALL

  • The UMass football team's bone marrow drive held at the Campus Center was covered by CBS3 Springfield.

  • The Chicago Bears are looking at Vladimir Ducasse as a possible draft pick.

    WOMEN'S LACROSSE

  • The Daily Collegian has a preview of women's lax's A-10 opener at George Washington on Friday.

  • The Daily Collegian also takes a look at the conference season and how UMass thrived in league play last season.

    SOFTBALL

  • The Bristol Press have info on native Sara Plourde collecting honors for her amazing week with the Minutewomen. She leads the NCAA in strikeouts with 233.

    TRACK & FIELD

  • In the Springfield Republican, Bill Wells writes about the Holyoke St. Patrick's Road Race with featured several UMass runners including twins David and Kevin Johnson.

  • Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Looking for the official UMass athletic logos? Check out the Logo Page.

  • Don't Miss This: The big event is UMass Football Pro Day at McGuirk Stadium. All 32 NFL teams are expected to be on hand to watch probably top-round pick Vladimir Ducasse along with the likes of Chris Zardas, Jeromy Miles and Victor Cruz. Check back for photos, video and story later today.

      

    Wednesday, March 24, 2010

    The baseball team is hopeful of opening its home schedule this afternoon, but Mother Nature will have a lot to say about that. Continue to check for updates here on UMassAthletics.com, as first pitch is slated for 3 p.m., at Earl Lorden Field. The UMass Sports Luncheon takes place at 12:15 p.m., at the Campus Center. Softball's Sara Plourde will be honored as the Athlete of the Week. Fresh off a thrilling 11-10 win at No. 15 Brown, Greg Cannella will be one of the guest speakers.

    No student-athlete birthdays on March 24.

    MEN'S LACROSSE

  • Here are stories on UMass' 11-10 win over Brown in lax yesterday in rainy Providence: Daily Collegian, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Inside Lacrosse, =18212">Lax Power and the Brown Daily Herald.

  • On Lax Power there is a great feature story on UMass alum and Hall of Famer Mark Millon. Sixteen years ago, Millon had just finished his stellar college career and faced a tough decision: enter into coaching or go into the business side of lacrosse. Millon chose the business world, but he still had a need to pass on his skills to young players. He did that by starting a lacrosse camp, and 16 years later it has evolved into a premier teaching camp.

    BASEBALL

  • The Daily Collegian has a preview of the baseball home opener set for 3 p.m., vs. Hartford.

  • The Daily Collegian also has a look at the pitching staff and how coach Mike Stone intends to use his crew.

    HOCKEY

  • In the Daily Hampshire Gazette, there is an in-depth look at hoe Casey Wellman made it to the NHL after growing up in California.

    Atlanta Thrashers Coach John Anderson: Separated at birth from Toot Cahoon? A NESN writer thinks so.

  • The San Jose Mercury News also has a story on Wellman and how he is excited to play with childhood hero Owen Nolan, with the Minnesota Wild. When Wellman was growing up in the East Bay city of Brentwood, about 65 miles north of San Jose, Nolan was one of his favorite Sharks.

  • UMass' James Marcou and Matt Irwin officially signed with the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. Here are some stories: Worcester Telegram, New England Hockey Journal, San Jose Sharks.com, USHL.com.

  • On NESN.com, UMass alum Jeff Howe makes mention of hockey coach Toot Cahoon in his Bruins game blog. He writes how Atlanta Thrashers coach John Anderson looks like Cahoon's "long-lost brother."

  • The Daily Collegian handed out its end-of-the-season awards for the hockey campaign.

    MEN'S BASKETBALL

  • UMass alum Luke Bonner played a key role in D-League's Austin Toros downing the Springfield Armor last night in overtime, 118-109. The Springfield Republican reports that Bonner made all three of his shots, including two 3-pointers, for a total of eight points, four fewer than former UMass teammate Dante Milligan for Springfield.

  • UMass alum and UTEP coach Tony Barbee is mentioned as a candidate at Auburn in the Birmingham News and the Opelika Auburn News.

  • The Advocate Messenger has a story on former UMass Athletic Director and UMass Hall of Famer Bob Marcum and his thoughts on John Calipari's success at Kentucky.

    FOOTBALL

  • According to Scout.com, Vladimir Ducasse has a bunch of pre-draft visits scheduled in the coming weeks. Ducasse has confirmed visits scheduled with the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings.

  • Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Find your favorite photo on our Photo Gallery Page.

  • Don't Miss This: Today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the football team will take part in "Get In The Game and Save A Life" in seeking possible bone marrow registrants to be entered into the national database. The football players will be in the UMass Campus Center on Wednesday, March 24, seeking students and staff to be registered.

      

    Tuesday, March 23, 2010

    The huge two-game week for the #18 men's lacrosse teams underway at 4 p.m., on Tuesday as the Minutemen take on #15 Brown in Providence. UMass hosts #6 Hofstra on Saturday at Garber in CAA opener. The UMass Basketball Throwback Jersey Auctions ends this evening so be sure to get your bid in now! JTAM also has news on the hockey front and plenty more.

    MEN'S LACROSSE

  • The Daily Collegian has a preview of the UMass-Brown game slated for 4 p.m., today in rainy Providence.

  • The Daily Collegian also has a story on how UMass' offense has been very spread out this season. The Minutemen are third in the NCAA in goals per game (14.7).

  • The newest lacrosse polls came out n Monday and UMass is back in both polls. The Minutemen are No. 18 in the USILA Coaches Poll and 19th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.

    HOCKEY

  • Casey Wellman continues to draw praise from his Minnesota Wild coach Todd Richards. In the Minneapolis Tribune, Richards said: "He doesn't look out of place, doesn't look slow," he said of the UMass sophomore playing his second NHL game. "Really the only way he looks out of place is he just looks too young."

  • Jonathan Quick continues to star in nets for the L.A. Kings. Last night his squad pulled off a 4-3 overtime win over the Colorado Avalanche. He made 18 saves for his 39th win of the year, tied for most in the NHL. Check out one of his saves from last night below.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY - MARCH 23:
    Adam Duffield (Diving)

    SOFTBALL

  • The Eagle Tribune has a great feature story on UMass' Katie Bettencourt. After spending a year learning the system, the former Salem standout has become one of the top hitters for softball power UMass.

  • The Daily Collegian looks back at Sunday's trip-ending loss to Long Beach.

    WOMEN'S TENNIS

  • The Daily Collegian has a recap of UMass' 1-2 trip to South Carolina.

    BASEBALL

  • William & Mary's school paper, The Flat Hat has a recap of the Tribe's 17-13 win over UMass on Sunday.

  • Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Visit the UMass Auctions Page as the UMass Throwback Jersey Auction ends on Tuesday. There are also some new auctions for baseball and hockey jerseys.

  • Don't Miss This: One of the best rivalries in college lacrosse is back at 4 p.m., as No. 18 UMass takes on No. 15 Brown in Providence. Listen tot he game on UMassAthletics.com.

      

    Monday, March 22, 2010

    Welcome back to Just Take A Minute. Hope you enjoyed the wonderful weather over the weekend! It was a busy weekend for the UMass teams including a record-setting performance by softball's Sara Plourde. Also, JTAM has a look at UMass' foes in the NCAA Tournaments, as four men's hoop opponents are in the Sweet 16. Casey Wellman made his NHL debut over the weekend and assisted a goal in his first game.

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY - MARCH 20:
    Nicole Jones (Women's Basketball),
    Joe Sanford (Football),

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY - MARCH 22:
    Michaela Streitfield (Rowing)

    MEN'S BASKETBALL

  • The NCAA Tournament is down to the Sweet 16. Of those 16 teams UMass played four of them this season as the Minutemen truly had one of the nation's toughest schedules. Here's a look at UMass' connections to the remaining teams - including the four 2009-10 opponents: Baylor, Cornell, Michigan State and Xavier.

    - Michigan State won the thriller of the weekend, beating Maryland, 85-83. The Minutemen fell to the Spartans back in November in the Legends Classic.

    - Cornell dominated Wisconsin, 87-69 to become the first Ivy League team including the Sweet 16 since Penn in 1979.

    - Xavier held off Pitt, 71-68. Of course the Musketeers are A-10 opponents for the Minutemen and paid the Mullins Center a visit in early February.

    - Baylor has won its first NCAA Tournament games since 1950 and reached the Sweet 16 with a 76-68 win over Old Dominion. UMass played at Waco in late January on ESPNU.

    - Kentucky rolled Wake Forest, 90-60. Of course the Cats are led by former UMass head coach John Calipari and his staff features several former UMass connections as well.

  • The Daily Collegian takes a look back at the end of the men's basketball season, with the loss to Richmond in the A-10 Quarterfinals.

  • In the Springfield Republican, Tom Shea writes about some new books coming out including: Dr. J - Julius Erving - the greatest basketball player in the history of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is the subject of a new biography. "Doc: The Rise and Rise of Julius Erving" is written by New York Times reporter Vincent Mallozzi.

    "My goal," the author says, "is to reintroduce Erving to generations of basketball fans who barely know his name and to introduce him to those who have never heard of him at all." Erving, who played two seasons for UMass before going off to save the American Basketball Association and then lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a National Basketball Association championship, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. He celebrated his 60th birthday last month.He did not cooperate with Mallozzi on the biography.

    HOCKEY

  • Casey Wellman made his NHL debut with the Minnesota Wild on Friday night and had an assist against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Here are some stories on Wellman: USA Today, Duluth News-Tribune, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Gazette and Columbus Dispatch.

  • The Minneapolis Star-Tribune pointed out Wellman's impressive debut on Saturday with a sidebar.

  • The Wild also played on Sunday, beating the Calgary Flames, 4-3. Wellman is mentioned in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as he played his first home game at the Xcel Energy Center. "He doesn't look out of place, doesn't look slow," coach Todd Richards said of the UMass sophomore playing his second NHL game.

  • UMass' James Marcou and Matt Irwin signed with the San Jose Sharks over the weekend and will report to play with the Worcester Sharks of the AHL. This will allow them to finish school work this semester. Here are stories on the signings: _marcou_and_matt_irwin_of.html">Springfield Republican, Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Examiner and the Worcester Telegram.

  • The NCAA Tournament field was announced on Sunday night and three Hockey East schools made the NCAAs: New Hampshire, Boston College and Vermont. The Eagles of course ended the Minutemen's season with a two-game sweep last weekend in Chestnut Hill. Also in the tournament is non-conference foe Yale, a team UMass beat 4-3 on Nov. 19, 2009 in a OT thriller.

  • The Daily Collegian looks at UMass' season-ending losses to BC in the Hockey East Quarterfinals.

    SOFTBALL

  • Sara Plourde's 22-strikeout record-setting game vs. Texas A&M is covered in various outlets including the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

  • Sunday's defeat to Long Beach State is covered in the Long Beach Post.

    WOMEN'S LACROSSE

  • The lax team suffered their first-ever loss to Albany on Saturday. Here are some reviews: Daily Collegian, Daily Hampshire Gazette.

    MEN'S LACROSSE

  • The Daily Collegian has a look at the men's lax team's 17-3 win over Providence last week.

    BASEBALL

  • The baseball dropped a trio of games at William & Mary over the weekend and finished its spring break trip without a win. Here are recaps from the weekend: Daily Collegian, Daily Hampshire Gazette and the Daily Press.

  • Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Visit the UMass Auctions Page to bid on the 2009-10 Throwback Jerseys worn by the basketball team during the season for the Memphis, La Salle and Xavier games.

  • Don't Miss This: Monday will bring conference weekly honors as well as the UMass Athlete of the Week announcement. Also check back to see if the men's lacrosse team returns to the USILA poll.

  • Look Back To The Week Of: March 15-19 | March 8-12 | March 1-5 | Feb. 22-26 | Feb. 15-19 | Feb. 8-12 | Feb. 1-4, 2009 | Jan. 25-29, 2010 | Jan. 18-22, 2010 | Jan. 11-15, 2010 | 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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