University of Massachusets Athletics

Just Take A Minute: June 1-4, 2010

June 07, 2010 | General

 

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Friday, June 4, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - JUNE 4:
Bryant Craft (Soccer), Ryan DiOrio (Track & Field) and Jasmine Watson (Basketball)
2009 UMass alum Mitchell Clegg moved to 7-0 on the season with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns last night. Get the details here in Just Take A Minute. Tough loss for the Boston Celtics and Tony Gaffney last night. JTAM also wishes Happy Birthday to a trio of UMass athletes on June 4: Bryant Craft (Soccer), Ryan DiOrio (Track & Field) and Jasmine Watson (Basketball).

BASEBALL

  • Mitchell Clegg's sensational start with the Hagerstown Suns continued last night as he hurled five innings in a 7-2 win over the Lakewood Blue Claws. Clegg threw five shutout innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out one.

  • Matt Torra (3-3, 3.41 ERA) will pitch for the Reno Aces tonight against Colorado Springs.

    BASKETBALL

  • The Boston Celtics dropped a 102-89 decision to the L.A. Lakers last night at Staples Center. UMass' Tony Gaffney was on the bench for the C's, looking fine in a new suit.

  • CBS Sports.com's Gary Parrish has a column on summer recruiting with a quote from UMass coach Derek Kellogg. "flying to a big summer event and seeing 100 kids is a cheaper alternative for us than driving to Philadelphia for one day to see one kid," said UMass coach Derek Kellogg. "And for a new coach who takes over a program and has to sign five or six or seven players in that first year, the summer recruiting period is paramount. Without it, I don't know how a new coach builds a program."

  • Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman has Summer ACC Capsules with a mention of UMass as an opponent of Boston College on Dec. 4.

    FOOTBALL

  • UMass grad and second-round draft pick Vladimir Ducasse is mentioned in two stories about the New York Jets summer workouts. Read about Vlad on SNY.tv and the Sporting News.

    LACROSSE

  • The Major League Lacrosse Draft will take place on Sunday at Yale University. UMass products Diogo Godoi, Jim Connolly and Bobby Hayes could be selected. Godoi and Connolly will play for the College All-Stars in a game against Team USA, which features UMass alum Kevin Leveille.

  • Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: The UMAA Golf Auctions end on Monday, be sure to get your bids in now.

  • Don't Miss This:The UMAA Golf Outing takes place on Monday, June 7. Call 413-545-4290 to get more info or to sign up .

      

    Thursday, June 3, 2010

    The NBA Finals get started tonight. Be sure to look for UMass' Tony Gaffney on the sidelines with the Boston Celtics. He was featured on ESPN's First Take on Wednesday and there are several more stories on the rookie here in Just Take A Minute. JTAM also has some tidbits on baseball, softball and hockey.

    BASKETBALL

  • Tony Gaffney continues to garner attention as a member of the Boston Celtics.

  • AOL Fanhouse has a story on Gaffney talking about his move from the Lakers to the Celtics. "I just told them that Kobe (Bryant) is really, really good,'' Gaffney said of Lakers star guard.

  • He made a surprise visit to his cousin's graduation party last week. Read the story in the Worcester Telegram.

    SOFTBALL

  • Pitcher Sara Plourde was named a third-team All-American on Wednesday. The news is covered in the Boston Herald

    HOCKEY

  • In hockey opponent news, Maine head coach Tim Whitehead was given a contract extension, read about it in the New England Hockey Journal.

    BASEBALL

  • UMass alum Chad Paronto is mentioned in this story in the Providence Journal for being the oldest member of the Pawtucket Red Sox, at age 34.

    No UMass student-athlete birthday today.

  • Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Some good ideas for Father's Day and Graduation gifts are in the UMass Online Store.

  • Don't Miss This: The NBA Finals get underway tonight. Look for Tony Gaffney, sporting one of his new suits, on the bench for the Boston Celtics as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

      

    Wednesday, June 2, 2010

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUNE 2:
    Amanda Doolin (Crew)
    UMass product Tony Gaffney has been getting lots of attention as he has ties to both teams in the NBA Finals. Gaffney played all preseason with the Los Angeles Lakers before signing with the Boston Celtics on the final day of the NBA regular-season. He is expected to be featured on ESPN First Take on Wednesday morning around 11:30 a.m.

    BASKETBALL

  • WEEI.com has a nice story on Tony Gaffney and his dream come true playing for the Celtics and heading to the NBA Finals.

  • The Fall River Herald News has a nice feature on hometown hero Tony Gaffney. The former UMass star has added to his wardrobe. Five new suits, which have been very much on display during Boston's playoff run to the NBA Finals. "I did a little shopping," Gaffney said Tuesday night from Los Angeles. "Some of the veterans helped me out."

    BASEBALL

  • Checking in on UMass Hall of Famer and long-time major leaguer Ron Villone with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs. He has a 2-2 record with a 6.19 ERA in 12 games for the Washington Nationals' top farm club. For the last few weeks and until June 7, he will be a teammate of sensation Stephen Strasburg.

  • The New England Collegiate Baseball League gets underway this Friday and UMass will be represented well. The Keene Sentinel has a story which mentions UMass' Tom Conley as one of the team's catchers. Conley hit .277 with five home runs and 21 RBIs this past season.

    LACROSSE

  • Three-time UMass All-American (1985-87) was named the new head coach at Guilford College in North Carolina on Tuesday. He left for the Greensboro, N.C., Division III school after 11 seasons as the head coach at Amherst College. Read about it on Lax Power and the Ithaca Journal, his hometown newspaper.

  • 2003 All-American Kevin Leveille was named the Major League Lacrosse Player of the Week on Tuesday. Leveille tallied five points on four goals and an assist for the Chicago Machine in their victory over the Chesapeake Bayhawks.

    FOOTBALL

  • The website Double T Nation has a profile of UMass product Neal Brown, the Red Raiders new offensive coordinator.

    FIELD HOCKEY

  • Opponent Syracuse announced its 2010 schedule including a rematch with UMass after the Orange beat the Minutewomen 5-2 in Syracuse.

  • Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Some good ideas for Father's Day and Graduation gifts are in the UMass Online Store.

  • Don't Miss This: On Wednesday on ESPN's First Take, there is expected to be a feature on UMass' Tony Gaffney, who has gone from Lakers gold to Celtics green this season as the two teams prep for the NBA Finals which start on Thursday.

      

    Tuesday, June 1, 2010

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUNE 1:
    Scott Strycharz (Soccer)

    Hope you enjoyed the long weekend celebrating Memorial Day! Welcome back to Just Take A Minute. Lots of UMass alums in action in minor league baseball and Major League Lacrosse. Also, today at 5 p.m., the UMass Spring Jersey Auction ends with more than 40 jerseys up for bid.

    BASKETBALL

  • The Boston Herald has a great story about UMass product Tony Gaffney, who has been on the Boston Celtics roster throughout the NBA Playoffs heading into the NBA Finals. The C's take on the Los Angeles Lakers, the team Gaffney played for in preseason, giving the forward connections with both squads. "If there were two teams in the NBA you could begin and end a season with, I don't know if anyone across the country would choose two other teams than the Celtics and the Lakers," Gaffney said. "As a rookie, being able to witness two of the most storied franchises and some of the best players ever to play the game go about their business on and off the court, I've been pretty blessed."

    HOCKEY

  • UMass alum Peter Trovato was featured on the Today Show on Monday morning as the national morning news show ran a piece on his Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund. Trovato started the fund while he was at UMass. The fund's aim is to help the children of fallen Massachusetts soldiers attend college. For more information on the fund, go to http://www.mslfund.org.

    Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

    LACROSSE

  • Lots of UMass mentions this weekend in connection with the NCAA Lacrosse Championships. Prior to Notre Dame this year, the Minutemen were the last unseeded team to play for a national title, reaching the final in 2006. It was mentioned on ESPN's broadcast several times an in the Baltimore Sun.

    Current Duke assistant coach and new National Champion Chris Gabrielli in action with UMass back in 2001.

  • Both teams in the final had alums on the sidelines -- both working as assistant coaches with the defense. With 2010 Champion Duke, 2001 grad Chris Gabrielli is an assistant coach in his fourth year with the Blue Devils. Notre Dame's defensive guru is a 1986 UMass alum Gerry Byrne. Both Long Island natives were All-New England honorees at UMass

  • Duke freshman Jake Tripucka, is the younger brother of UMass junior defenseman and football long snapper Travis Tripucka. Their dad Kelly Tripucka was an All-American basketball player at Notre Dame, before an NBA All-Star career. Also in the game on Monday, was Travis and Jake's cousin, Taylor Tripucka, who plays for Notre Dame. It was truly a family affair!

  • Notre Dame featured former Minuteman Colin Igoe, who played at UMass in 2007.

  • On his blog D1scourse, writer Patrick Stevens has nice breakdown of the UMass connection to Notre Dame and Duke: Another school with limited Memorial Day exposure will have some sort of influence on the outcome. The program with ties to both coaching staffs is none other than ... Massachusetts, which has reached just one final four (2006) in its history. But Duke defensive assistant Chris Gabrielli is a 2001 UMass grad and was an assistant on Greg Cannella's staff from 2003 to 2005. On the other sideline, Gerry Byrne (the architect of the rapidly switching Notre Dame defense) is a 1986 UMass grad.

  • Several UMass alums had big weekends in Major League Lacrosse. The top showing came from the stick of Kevin Leveille, who was the game MVP as Chicago beat the Chesapeake Bayhawks, 17-14. Leveille had four goals and an assist for five points. Leveille is third in Major League Lacrosse in scoring through three weeks, with 12 points. Brett Garber had two goals and an assist for the Machine as well.

  • Former All-Americans squared off as Long Island beat Boston 13-11 at Stony Brook. Chris Fiore had a goal and assist for the Lizards in the win. Jack Reid played solid defense for the Cannons, but had eight penalty minutes.

  • The defending MLL Champion Toronto Nationals fell to 0-3 with a 15-12 loss at the Denver Outlaws. 2009 grad and current assistant coach Doc Schneider was the back-up goalie, but didn't play in the game.

    BASEBALL

  • The 2010 NCAA Tournament Bracket was released on Monday afternoon and UMass played four teams in the field: Oklahoma, Central Connecticut, UConn and A-10 Champ Saint Louis. Against that quartet of teams, UMass went 2-6 with a pair of wins vs. the Billikens. UMass had narrow losses to the Sooners by just two and four runs.

  • UMass alum and New Hampshire native Chad Paronto is the subject of a great CBS3 Springfield video feature. He's the third oldest pitcher in the entire Red Sox organization -- major or minor leagues. But Chad Paronto hasn't spent most of his career in the big leagues. The former UMass pitcher is trying to work his way back to the big show, and is having a whole lot of fun in the process.

  • With the Hagerstown Suns, Mitchell Clegg moved to 6-0 with a 6-1 win over the Greenville Drive. Clegg allowed six hits and three runs over six innings.

  • With the Triple-A Reno Aces, UMass alum Matt Torra suffered a 9-2 loss to the Sacramento River Cats over the weekend. He gave up five earned runs and six hits in five-plus innings.

    SOFTBALL

  • The Bristol Press has mentions of UMass' softball season ending losses last weekend. The story lists Bristol native Sara Plourde's accomplishments from a record-setting season.

  • Check This Out On UMassAthletics.com: Pick up the perfect Father's Day Gift in the UMass Photo Store. Custom Frame Your Favorite Picture. Gifts starting at $69.99.

  • Don't Miss This: The UMass Spring Jersey Auction ends on Tuesday at 5 p.m. There are close to 40 jerseys from many sports up for auction. All prices start at $25 and all jerseys have no reserve. While you are on the page, check out our five UMAA Golf Auction items including a 2009-10 Boston Celtics autographed basketball.

  • Look Back To The Week Of: May 24-28 | May 17-21 | May 10-14 | May 3-7 | April 26-30 | April 19-23 | April 12-16 | April 5-9 |March 29-April 2 | March 22-26 | 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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