Here's a look at UMass products in NFL Training Camps, which open this weekend across the U.S.
Baltimore Ravens: Matt Lawrence - in Westminster, Md.
Cincinnati Bengals: Jeromy Miles - in Georgetown, Kentucky
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jeremy Cain - in Jacksonville
Kansas City Chiefs: Jeremy Horne - in St, Joseph's Missouri
New York Jets: Vladimir Ducasse, James Ihedigbo - in Cortland, N.Y.
New York Giants: Victor Cruz - in Albany, N.Y.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Brandon London - in Latrobe, Pa.
University of Massachusets Athletics
blog 2010 07
July 2010 Archives
Happy Birthday - July 31: Matthew Hess (Men's Soccer) and Nina Sarcona (Women's Lacrosse)
UMass School of Management grad and Minuteman supporter Mike Tannenbaum has received a five-year extension in his role as General Manager of the New York Jets. Here are various stories on the signing, which was coupled with an extension for head coach Rex Ryan. ESPN New York, New York Post, Journal News, New York Daily News, Newark Star Ledger.
Three UMass softball players are making strong contributions at the plate for the New England Firebirds U23 summer ball team. The Eagle Tribune has coverage on junior Katie Bettencourt, junior Stephanie Mayne, and incoming freshman Candace Waldie helping lead the Firebirds to winning the Umpires Open in Leominster last weekend, going 6-0 in the 12-team tourney.
Recent UMass softball grad and current marketing assistant Michelle Libby notched a hole-in-one at Cherry Hill Golf Club on Thursday. She nailed the 155-yard par 3 with an 8-iron. Congrats to Libby.
With the start of New York Jets training camp in Cortland, N.Y., here are articles on UMass alums James Ihedigbo and Vladimir Ducasse as Gang Green gets going.Jets Blog mentions Ducasse "is a mass of humanity second only to Kris Jenkins on this team in the "mountain man" department."
NESN.com mentions Ihedigbo in a story on Darrelle Revis.
In the Bergen Record, Ihedigbo is mentioned for participating in relief efforts after the nation's devastating earthquake.
Associated Press has a story on HBO's "Hard Knocks" focusing on the Jets. It mentions Ducasse's positional battle as a storyline.
The Springfield Republican has a sensational feature on UMass alum Mitchell Clegg. The 2009 alum is 8-1 this year with an ERA of 2.60 in 16 games, including nine starts, for Hagerstown. In 72.2 innings he allowed 69 hits and 15 walks with 43 strikeouts.
The story also mentions UMass' other products in the minors: Matt Torra, Chad Paronto, Nick Gorneault and Doug Clark.
If you missed it, check out Andy Katz' story on ESPN.com. "Being visible is a big part of what I have to do,'' said Barbee. "I've done speaking at every VFW club [locally] and speaking around the state and in the city. The only reason I've said no is that I can't be in two places at once. Victories go a long way but visibility does too. A lot of people are saying they haven't seen the Auburn program around.''
Happy Birthday on July 29 to women's soccer player Kelsey Anderson and Executive Assoc AD Tim Kenney. Tim turns the Big 4-0!
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Ander
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The 2010-11 UMass hockey schedule was announced Thursday afternoon highlighted by games at Minnesota and Wisconsin in addition to the regular slate of Hockey East action. The season starts with an exhibition on Oct. 2 against New Brunswick in the Mullins Center Practice Rink. There will also be the annual Skate With The Minutemen after the exhibition game for fans to meet the coaches and players!
Check out the Photo Gallery from CAA Football Media Day on Facebook. Check out Emil Igwenagu and Tyler Holmes.
UMass senior goalie Chris Piekos pitched his 7th shutout of the summer yesterday as D-Y Celtic defeated Wellfleet 5-0 in the Cape Cod Amateur Soccer League. The win gave D-Y its 2nd regular season title. Playoffs for the Cape league will begin on Sunday. Click Here for more information on the CCASL.
On Tuesday, UMass' Matt Gedman played all nine positions and picked up a save in the process
as the Lowell All-Americans defeated the North Adams Steeple Cats, 3-2. With two outs in the ninth inning, after Gedman had played each
position, Coach Jeff Kane walked to the mound and moved Gedman from
first base to the pitcher's mound. Reliever Brenden Shepard moved to first base and Gedman induced a fly ball to left field to end
the game and pick up the save. The feat that Gedman accomplished was a
very rare one. The NECBL does not keep track of those stats, but the
last time it was accomplished in Major League Baseball was in 2000.
After just recently joining the Holyoke Blue Sox roster, local product Joe Popielarczyk picked up the victory for Holyoke yesterday in a 13-4 win over the Lowell All-Americans, squaring off against fellow Minutemen Matt Gedman and Leif Sorenson. Popielarczyk pitched 5.2 innings of relief and gave up just one run.
Endicott College has announced the hiring of former UMass tennis player Lauren MacKay as its new head coach for men's and women's tennis. MacKay, a four-year player and captain as a senior for head coach Judy Dixon, played at UMass from 2005-09. The Examiner also has a story on MacKay taking over as coach of the Gulls.
Coming off the disabled list, Mitchell Clegg has been sent to the Gulf Coast League for his rehab assignment, reuniting him with former UMass teammate and current Gulf Coast League Nationals team pitcher Nick Serino. Clegg started yesterday's game against the GCL Astros and worked two innings, giving up two unearned runs on two hits, striking out two. Serino pitched on Tuesday against the GCL Mets and had another scoreless outing, throwing 2.2 hitless innings and fanning three.
Early season tournament pairings are slowly trickling out, as are full schedules. Plus, there are even a couple pieces of conference tournament news that are worth a mention. Blogging The Bracket has a look including UMass' appearance in Springfield.
The Hall of Fame Tip-Off, which last year was played in the non-conventional round-robin format, just with two five-team tournaments culminating in St. Louis, returns to Springfield, Mass. as an eight-team event. The reconfigured event will work like the Chicago and two Las Vegas events, with two four-team brackets. Bradley, UMass, New Mexico State, and USC will make up the marquee bracket, while Rider and three others will play in the second bracket.
Here's a look at the articles from CAA Football Media Day that took place in Baltimore.Springfield Republican with feature on All-CAA Preseason TE Emil Igwenagu.
Daily Hampshire Gazette with a look at UMass standing.
WWLP with UMass picked 8th.
Seacoast Online, from the UNH perspective.
Maine Sentinel look at Black Bears.
WDEL in Delaware with a Blue Hens Report.
With just two days left in July (wow, summer has moved quick), that means we are officially less than a month away from our first regular-season games of the year. First on the docket will be the field hockey team hosting Boston College and the women's soccer team hosting Washington on August 27. Several teams will begin preseason training camps in just under two weeks. Well, the downtime was nice while it lasted! Start making your plans out to Amherst by checking out the Schedule Calendar which lists everything in a nice month-by-month format. Also, you can order Football Season Tickets Online now!
In the Springfield Republican there is a recap of Mass Dash. Forty teams participated in the inaugural Mass Dash Saturday and Sunday, starting at the Mount Greylock State Reservation in Lanesboro and finishing 200 miles later at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. The route traveled from the Berkshires, through the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, across the Quabbin Reservoir and into Hopkinton before the finish at UMass-Boston. Relay teams consisted of a dozen or so runners each, with one member of each team always running along the route.
According to BleacherReport.com and the Chicago Daily Herald, the Chicago Blackhawks are using former UMass All-American and L.A. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick as a comparable player to goalie Antti Niemi who led them to the Stanley Cup this past season in an arbitration hearing to be held today. Niemi reportedly wants in excess of $3 million per year, while Quick, considered one of the rising stars in the NHL, currently makes $1.9 million. The stories both mention that the stats for both goalies are close, but what ultimately set the Blackhawks on the path to the championship was all around depth.
CAA Media Day was a great event with a strong showing from the media both regionally and nationally including USA Today and Sports Network. Rising juniors Tyler Holmes and Emil Igwenagu enjoyed themselves meeting with commissioner Tom Yeager as well as coaches and players from the other nine teams in the CAA. Here are video interviews with Holmes and Igwenagu as well as head coach Kevin Morris. The Minuteman contingent was lucky enough to catch and early flight back to Bradley Airport and return to campus around 5:30 p.m.
Check out these video blogs from the CAA Media Day. Emil Igwenagu and Tyler Holmes.
The Boston Globe has a softball story that, though centering on Cassidy Clayton, mentions other players from the Concord Raiders AAU softball team that will be playing at Division I schools. The story mentions UMass incoming freshman Paige Hansen. The 5-10 pitcher/outfielder from Concord, N.H. was the state's 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year. She is part of head coach Elaine Sortino's incoming class of seven.
The Atlantic 10 Conference just announced the 2010 Men's Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team with UMass' Ben Arikian earning a spot on the squad. Arikian had three goals and four assists last year and was selected to the 2009 Hermann Trophy Watch List. He was also the 2008 A-10 Midfielder of the Year. Check back to UMassAthletics.com for a full release soon.
CAA Media Day is in full swing at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens. Check out Kevin Morris' greeting from the stadium as he takes part in various interviews with the media all day.
According to InsideCollegeHockey.com, University of Minnesota defenseman Nick Leddy and forward Josh Birkholz both left the team yesterday. The Minutemen will open the 2010-11 season with a pair of games at the Gophers in October. Leddy, a 2009 NHL First Round Draft Pick, came to terms on a 3-year, $2.7 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks foregoing his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility. Birkholz is leaving to join the Everett (Wash.) Silvertips of the Western Hockey League as he was facing a suspension for violation of team rules.
UMass hockey alum Cory Quirk resigned with the Worcester Sharks - the AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks - where he played last season. The Sharks have a nice 'Checking In With...Cory Quirk' feature on their web site for you to check out. Quirk played in 59 games last year scoring 8 goals and adding 13 assists. The Sharks also have Justin Braun, Matt Irwin, and James Marcou on the roster all of whom saw time last year after the Mass Attack season ended.
CAA Football Media Day takes place today at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens. UMass preseason All-CAA selections Emil Igwenagu and Tyler Holmes are joining head coach Kevin Morris in the Charm City. Check back for updates all day long.
Watch Tyler and Emil's video welcome to Media Day.
Former UMass star Gary Forbes was back on campus today. He played pick up basketball with current members of the Minutemen at the Curry Hicks Cage late this afternoon. Forbes most recently played in the NBA Summer League with the Rockets and Clippers after his regular season in Israel.
We will have a video feature on Forbes in the next few days as he still keeps in close contact with his UMass teammates from the NIT Championship game run in 2008 including Dante Milligan, Chris Lowe, Etienne Brower. Forbes is working hard to get his chance at playing in the NBA. You can follow Forbes and his push for the NBA on twitter @GForbz3
UMass All-American Kevin Leveille is featured in the newest edition of Inside Lacrosse. He is the subject of this month's Shooting From The Hip. He mentions his time at UMass and repping the Minutemen. Leveille says, "We played a great style of lacrosse there. Coach Greg Cannella really let us get the ball up and down the field and we didn't have too many rules, which I think is the way lacrosse was meant to be played. It's helped me in MLL."
According to a Reno Aces press release posted on kolotv.com, former Minuteman Matt Torra will start tonight against the Las Vegas 51s. Torra is 7-6 on the season with a 4.18 ERA. The Aces have won eight of their last 11 games.
Despite the collegiate attitude surrounding a John Harbaugh Ravens camp, running back Matt Lawrence knows how tough it can be as well. One of 14 players who ended up on injured reserve last year with a November knee injury, Lawrence feels he's at 100 percent. But he understands professional football is a mental challenge as well as a physical one. Read comments from the former UMass back on The Press Box from Baltimore.
The Deanes and Hunts were the winners of the annual Friends of Football Golf Classic this afternoon at Wachusett Country
Club, West Boylston, Massachusetts. Ned Deane and son Ned Deane Jr., along with Don Hunt and Don Hunt Sr., combined to post a 15-under to capture the best score of the day.
While the A-10 achieved great athletic success in 2009-10, the
conference flourished academically as well. Josh Katzowitz takes an
in-depth look at the accomplishments on the court and in the classroom
in the first of four A-10 Summer Spotlight articles. Read The Story.
The Baltimore Ravens training gets underway this week and UMass product Matt Lawrence will be in the mix for playing time in the backfield. Check out these stories with mentions of Lawrence: Ravens Blog, Best Baltimore Ravens Blog and WNST.
Former UMass catcher Frank Curreri who is currently playing for the Braintree White Sox, was named the Cranberry league MVP after
hitting .400 with five home runs and 18 RBI, helping the squad to a league title. Curreri was
drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 41st round of the 2004 MLB Draft and spent six years in the Diamondbacks organization before joining Braintree. By winning the Cranberry League, the White Sox qualified for the Stan
Musial Tournament, a division of the American Amateur Baseball
Association.
The Manchester Union Leader mentions that Woodsville, N.H., native, former Minuteman Chad Paronto leads the Pawtucket Red Sox with 37 appearances. Paronto is 3-5 with a 4.12 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 54.2 innings pitched.
The New York Times has a preview of the New York Jets start of training camp. Former UMass All-Americans Vladimir Ducasse and James Ihedigbo will be key players in 2010. The Times mentions both the "330-pound straight-line mauler" and that Gang Green will look to "chiseled James Ihedigbo."
Also, the Bleacher Report mentions Ducasse as one of the team's breakout players. BR cites: What happens when your team releases nine-time Pro Bowl left guard Alan Faneca and drafts Vladimir Ducasse, a second-round pick from UMass? As coach Rex Ryan told the New York media, "We're getting better."
This find is a few days old, but I still wanted to share it with UMass hockey fans. Michael Marcou spent time down in his home town area with the NY Islanders for their prospect camp. Marcou along with Doug Kublin are two of UMass' top returning defensemen for the upcoming season, so this experience will no doubt be helpful for him. A native of Kings Park, Marcou is mentioned in the NY Islanders' Lighthouse Blog focusing on area hockey players who are in the camp this summer. "I was honored," said Marcou. "You grow up watching this team play and then you go out there, trying to be a part of it. It's something really special."
When the 2010 football season rolls around, All-Ivy quarterback Kyle Newhall-Caballero '11 will be under the tutelage of a coach who has had his own share of success in Rhode Island football. Liam Coen -- a native of Warwick, R.I., and a former star high school player at La Salle Academy in Providence -- was named the new quarterbacks coach by Head Coach Phil Estes in late June. Read about UMass' all-time leading passer and his new job in the Brown Daily Herald.
2006 UMass All-American lacrosse players went against each other last night as Boston with Jack Reid beat Toronto and Jake Deane 18-10. Deane opened the game's scoring with his second goal in as many games. He also had three groundballs and won four face-offs. Reid had four GBs for the winners, as the Cannons (7-3) clinched a playoff berth. Here's the game's blog.
In the Chicago Machine's 15-11 loss at Denver, Brett Garber had a goal and Diogo Godoi had a groundball on defense.
Spartak St. Petersburg of Russia strengthened
its frontcourt for the upcoming Eurocup Qualifying Round by inking
center Stephane Lasme to a two-year deal, the club announced Saturday.
Lasme (203, 27) arrives from Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, where he averaged
6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 20 Euroleague games last
season. He helped Maccabi to reach the Quarterfinal Playoffs, losing
against Partizan, the team where Lasme made his Euroleague debut in the
2008-09 season. Read stories on the 2008 A-10 Defensive Player of the Year and his signing on Eurocup Basketball, Sportando and The Examiner.
In signing with Spartak St. Petersburg, Lasme joins former UCLA Bruins guard-forward, Dijon Thompson, a former second round pick of the Knicks in 2005, and Levance Fields, a former point guard at the University of Pittsburgh.
The injury Sara Plourde received during the UMass run in Division I post-season
play in May, a stress fracture of the hip, has taken her off the playing
field this summer. She's been advised by her doctor to use crutches and
to keep weight off her leg. She'll get an X-ray on Monday to see how
she's doing. The Bristol Press has an update. "I'll definitely be back for next season," she said, "without a doubt."
The Vancouver Sun has a question and answer feature with Keron Williams. He recalls a three-sack game while at UMass against UNH's Ricky Santos, as his top college moment. He also mention his degree in graphic design while at UMass.
In the BC Lions' 24-20 loss to the Toronto Argos last night, alum Keron Williams had two tackles to give him six on the season. Anton McKenzie didn't post any stats.
The radio home for Boise State football games will change in 2010 -- a return to KBOI 670 AM -- but the announcers will remain the same. Former UMass "Voice of the Minutemen" Bob Behler will begin his third season as the team's play-by-play announcer. He worked at UMass from 1999-2008. In addition, Boise State announced Friday that KBOI will have a 5-hour pregame show. Read the story in the Idaho Statesman.
Former UMass guard Anthony Anderson and his brother Antonio, who played under Derek Kellogg at Memphis were in action last night. In a much-anticipated showdown with a playoff berth on the line, Antonio's Memphis squad defeated Anthony's LSU team, 63-61, in the final night of regular season play in the Lynn All-City Hoops League, Friday, at Fecteau-Leary School. Here's the recap from the Lynn Item. Along with a photo gallery: Gallery. Anthony had 14 points.
The Bleacher Report has a story on how fans shouldn't compare LeBron James to Michael Jordan but instead -- UMass Hall of Fame legend Julius Erving. The story mentions Erving averaged 32.5 points and 20.2 rebounds per game at UMass.
On Saturday
UMass alums will be in action as Boston with Jack Reid hosts Toronto
while Chicago with Kevin Leveille, Brett Garber and Diogo Godoi play at
Denver.
Junior rower Emily Boucher is competing in the 2010 World Rowing Under
23 Championships in Brest, Belarus. Boucher will be racing in the
Lightweight Single Sculls event, and finished fourth in her heat with a
time of 8:08.51 on Thursday. She held close to the leaders through the
first 1000M before the eventual top-finisher from Belarus pulled away in
the final stretch. Read more about the World Rowing Championships here.
Matt Torra won last night for the Triple-A Reno Aces as they took on the
Portland Beavers, capturing a 10-3
victory. Torra (7-6) kept the Beavers at bay, tossing eight innings
and surrendering just two runs on six hits.
In case you were wondering what has happened to Mitchell
Clegg, who was a regular in JTAM early in the season. The 2009
UMass product has been on the disabled list this entire month. He last
pitched on June 30. Clegg has an 8-1 record with a 2.60 ERA with
Hagerstown in the Washington Nationals system.
Friday night football in Canada will see a pair of UMass alums in action
as the BC Lions travel
to Toronto. Anton McKenzie and Keron Williams both have four
tackles on defense for the Lions.
In Attleboro, the Sun
Chronicle has an update on UMass women's goalie Katie Florence.
Former King Philip High lacrosse great, starting in goal at UMass, is
recuperating from a herniated disc, while also working the summer camps
of Northwestern University coach Kelly Amonte in Chicago, Long Island
and the Bay State .
Former UMass All-American Chris
Fiore was opened the scoring for Long Island Lizards as they beat
the Chesapeake Bayhawks, 14-11. For the year, he has eight goals
including three 2-pointers for 11 points.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - JULY 22:
Jenna Goodwin
(Soccer),
Jesse O'Donnell (Lacrosse)
Nick
Serino suffered a loss last night with the GCL Nationals, as he
fell to 1-2, allowing two runs in 2.1 innings.
Check out a feature on UMass Hall of Famer Ron Villone, who is currently
in the Washington Nationals system pitching for Syracuse -- his 12th
major league franchise. Check out Villone's mullet at UMass!
The Bleacher
Report has a summer look at the Atlantic 10. The report mentions:
UMass will be improved and should win more than five conference games
but may not be able to jump into the top half of the league.
UMass star Stephane Lasme was the featured guest at the Lycoming
College Basketball Camp in Pennsylvania. Before Lasme wrapped the
beginning parts of his shooting routine after 10 minutes, coach Bob
MacKinnon explained that Lasme, who played with the Miami Heat in
2007-08, was going through three 90-minute shooting workouts a day to
get back in shape for pro basketball. After the talk, Lasme, who is
currently weighing several professional contract offers, signed
autographs for each camper before heading downstairs to the Recreation
Center for a weightlifting workout.
UMass alum Vladimir Ducasse continues to be just one of two NFL Draft
Picks from the top two rounds to have signed a contract. The Boston
Herald mentions this fact in a story on Patriots draft picks
standing unsigned. Due in part to factors of the uncertain market amid
the uncapped season and expiring CBA, only second-rounders Brian Price
(defensive tackle, No. 39) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Ducasse -
had signed as of last night.
UMass alum Tracy Belton is fourth
in Arena Football in tackles with 105. He has 72 solo tackles and
six interceptions. He racked up 15 tackles last weekend as the Milwaukee
Iron knocked off Orlando 57-41.
Here's an interesting look at the Chicago
Machine and how they have played "six home games" at neutral sites.
The Machine have lots of UMass ties with alums Kevin Leveille, Brett
Garber and Diogo Godoi on the roster. UMass Hall of Famer inductee Scott
Hiller is a team executive. Chicago plays at Denver on Saturday.
Just Take A Minute has a link to a 360
Tour of McGuirk Stadium, check it out!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - JULY 21
Shiyi Zan
(Cross Country/Track & Field)
The Salt
Lake Bees website has a story on its players earning college
degrees while playing in the minors. Outfielder Nick Gorneault recently
graduated with a degree in kinesiology from the University of
Massachusetts. "It's kind of like sports medicine and exercise
science," Gorneault said.
Gorneault spent four years at UMass before being drafted by the Angels
in 2001. Since then, he has been taking classes part time in the
offseason to finish what he started. "I wanted to have that degree under
my belt so I could broaden my opportunities of other things I can do,"
Gorneault said. "I am very happy that I went back to finish."
The Vermont
Cynic has a story on Vermont's women's basketball new coach Lori
Gear McBride, who replaced Sharon Dawley, who came to UMass.
Get your tickets
for the UMass vs. UNH game at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 23. They are
on sale now for just $25. For more information, please call
1-866-UMASS-TIX.
In his "Hitting
To All Fields" Springfield Republican veteran Garry Brown mentions
Milt Morin as the: "UMass never had a better all-round athlete."
The Game
Promotions Page has been updated with the 2010 season football
promotions!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - JULY 20:
Danielle
Allocco (Cross Country),
Em Chiu (Crew)
Jeromy Miles (Football)
With the Pulaski Mariners in the Appy League, Bryan Leigh picked up an 8-7
win in 12 innings over the Danville Braves. Leigh lowered his ERA
to 0.87
in earning his first professional win. In his six games, he has allowed
just one run.
Checking in on veteran Chad
Paronto with the Pawtucket Red Sox. Paronto has allowed just one
run in his last six games and has a 1.17 ERA in his last 10 games. That
has lowered his overall ERA to 4.03 along with the 3-5 record.
Former field hockey player Deborah Jackson is featured in the Boston
Globe. Jackson, now 59 and serving as Salem's chief city assessor,
this past weekend pushed her physical limits even further as part of a
12-member team participating in The Jimmy Fund's Mass Dash, a 206-mile
running relay race across Massachusetts from the Berkshires to Boston.
UMass' foe for the game at Gillette, New Hampshire is featured in a notebook
in the Union Leader. It mentions the Wildcats arrangement at the
Patriots home.
More news involving alums in the coaching world. Abbey Capobianco has
been named the head coach
at Assumption College. After playing at Central Connecticut, she
transferred to UMass in 2007 and played lacrosse as a junior and ice
hockey as a senior. She has also coached for the Massachusetts Elite
Lacrosse Club. A native of Framingham, Mass., Capobianco was graduated
from UMass in 2009 with a bachelors in arts and humanities.
Check out the UMass
Hockey Record Book to see who the all-time leading goal scorer is.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - JULY 19:
Danielle
McNiff (Cross Country), Darius Velez (Track & Field)
Alum Matt Torra got back on the winning side of the ledger with a solid 6-3
victory for the Reno Aces on Saturday. After allowing one run in
the first inning and two in the third, Torra (6-6) settled down and held
Tacoma scoreless for the next three frames. Over 6 2/3 innings of work,
he allowed three runs on 10 hits and struck out six.
With the Salt Lake Bees, alum and Springfield native Nick Gorneault
played a key role 5-3
win over Sacramento.
Gary Forbes is mentioned on ESPN.com
as he played for the L.A. Clippers Summer League team after a stint
with the Rockets. He played on Saturday,
in a 77-62 loss to the Spurs. In 3:24, he didn't score. On Thursday
he had three points in 9:31 as the Clips beat
Portland 72-71.
The Bleacher
Report has a look at A-10 Hoops during the summer. This site, pegs
UMass at No. 10 in a pre-preseason poll.
The New
Haven Register has the unveiling of Quinnipiac's men's basketball
schedule including a date with UMass at home on Dec. 1, 2010.
Less than a week after Zowie Tucker was named the head coach at Holy
Cross, another UMass alum took over as a head coach. Tara Jelley
Danielson was named
head coach at Stanford last week. Since 2005, Danielson has served
as the Chief Executive Officer of RUSH Field Hockey, Inc., a non-profit
public benefit corporation committed to fostering the growth and
development of field hockey in the Southern California region. She
graduated from UMass in 1994 with a degree in sport management. A
four-year letterwinner in field hockey and team captain during her
senior year, she helped guide the Minutewomen to a pair of Atlantic 10
championships and four NCAA Tournament berths, including a
record-breaking 1992 campaign that resulted in a trip to the national
semifinals and the program's winningest season in school history.
The Minneapolis
Star-Tribune has a look at Casey Wellman and his off-season regimen
after joining the Minnesota Wild from UMass late in the season.
Alum Holly Drown was named the head
coach at St. Anselm's College in New Hampshire. A 2009 grad, Drown
was a four-year lacrosse player for the Minutewomen. She played in 69
career games for UMass, scoring 80 goals and 13 assists for 93 career
points.
The Kids
Club Information page has been updated. Sign up your child for a
$20 membership that lasts until their 13th birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - July 16:
Patrick
Holmes (Soccer),
Tyler Major (Football),
Molly
Papish (Swimming - pictured),
Lauren
Stocker (Cross Country)
Two UMass legends will be recognized this weekend at the College
Football Hall of Fame Festival Coach Dick MacPherson and the late
Milt Morin will be inducted into the Hall on Saturday night after a
weekend of events.
The College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement takes place this weekend with a pair of UMass legends set to be inducted. Coach Dick MacPherson and the late Milt Morin will be inducted on Saturday night. There are various stories mentioning the induction: San Diego Union Tribune, Chronicle Telegram and the Alamogordo.
The South Bend Tribune has a great feature story on Coach Mac, who led the Redmen and then Minutemen from 1971-77.
The College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement takes place this weekend with a pair of UMass legends set to be inducted. Coach Dick MacPherson and the late Milt Morin will be inducted on Saturday night. There are various stories mentioning the induction: San Diego Union Tribune, Chronicle Telegram and the Alamogordo.
The South Bend Tribune has a great feature story on Coach Mac, who led the Redmen and then Minutemen from 1971-77.
The Boston
Globe mentions UMass product Vladimir
Ducasse and his battle to start for the New York Jets after being a
second-round draft pick.
The Eagle-Tribune
has a story mentioning a pair of UMass pitchers from Eastern Mass.
Haverhill's Leif
Sorenson, who left UVM when it disbanded the program, ended up at
UMass. The Catamounts' demise was good news for the Minutemen. The
sophomore righthander went 2-1 and led the staff in ERA (3.94),
appearances (19) and saves (5). He fanned 14 and walked eight in 29.2
innings. Freshman pitcher Dennis
Torres of Lawrence made the team at UMass. He never played varsity
ball at Central.
UMass Hall of Famer Ron Villone pitched a scoreless inning of relief for
the Syracuse Chiefs vs. the Pawtucket Red Sox and fellow alum Chad
Paronto. The PawSox won the game though, 8-2
on Thursday. Villone has 5.97 ERA for Syracuse.
Looking back at Gary
Forbes Summer League action with the Houston Rockets. Forbes played
in four games averaging 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 10.5 minutes of
action.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - July 15: Joey Sbordon (Swimming)
Catch up with new women's basketball coach Sharon Dawley. Check out the video.
With the Houston Rockets, Gary
Forbes had a solid game in limited time. He racked up seven points
and four rebounds in nine minutes vs. the Denver Nuggets in an 82-75
win on Wednesday.
WEEI
Green Street takes a look at the Celtics roster situation with a
mention of UMass product Tony
Gaffney.
Nick
Serino continues his scoreless streak with the GCL Nationals. Last
night in a 9-2
win over the GCL Astros , he threw two innings and struck out two
to lower his ERA to 3.24. He has not allowed a run in his last four
outings out of the bullpen.
| Tony Gaffney talks about his NBA chances |
In NBA Summer League Action, Gary
Forbes had his best game in three outings with the Houston Rockets.
He had six points and three rebounds in 15 minutes as the Rockets fell 100-91
to the Raptors.
Former All-American Zowie
Tucker takes over as the head coach at Holy Cross. The news was
reported on the Patriot
League website.
Jaguars.com
has a feature story on UMass alum and former All-American Jeremy
Cain, who enters his second seasons as the Jags long snapper. Cain
made tackles, nine of them to be exact. Only Rich Griffith in 1999
totaled more tackles as a Jaguars long snapper. Nine tackles doesn't
seem like a lot but remember the snapper has to get ball to the punter
and block before thinking about getting downfield.
The Worcester
Telegram has a story on Milt Morin, a native of Leominster, passing
away. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder was not only a standout tight end at
UMass, catching passes from future NFL star Greg Landry of Nashua, N.H.,
but also played defense and was the team's placekicker. He also earned
varsity letters in lacrosse and wrestling, winning the New England
heavyweight title in 1965.
Major League Lacrosse posted a highlight
video from the Long Island Lizards' 17-15 win over the Chicago
Machine last Sunday. Alum Kevin
Leveille had two goals for Chicago.
The UMass
Women's Basketball Record Book has been updated and completed. It
features all the info you could ever need including lifetime stats for
every player in program history.
Bryan
Leigh's first professional save is mentioned in the Herald
News. Leigh teamed up with another Atlantic 10 product, Rhode
Island's Tim Boyce, in the winning effort for the Pulaski Mariners.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - July 13:
Kevin
Moore (Hockey), Cori
Murray (Lacrosse)
Must read: Ron Chimelis' column in the Springfield
Republican on Tony Gaffney his performance in the NBA Summer League with his
hometown Boston Celtics.
The high school coach of UMass great Rashaun
Freeman has resigned. CBS6
in Albany has a story on Mark Sausville stepping down as
Schenectady HS Head Coach. Several of Sausville's players went on to
play college Division I basketball, including Jason McKrieth at Rice,
and Freeman.
The Cleveland
Plain-Dealer has a story on the passing Milt Morin. Morin was the
Browns' first-round pick in 1966, and played 10 years for the team. He
was set to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this
weekend. "He could have played tight end in this era," said Paul
Warfield, recently retiring as a Browns consultant. "He'd be worth his
weight in gold because most teams have a tight end who can catch, or a
tight end who can block. Milt was such a good blocker, we ran Leroy
Kelly's sweeps around his end. He could run precise patterns, and he
could blow you off the ball with his blocks."
The Bleacher
Report has a story on the Top 25 NFL Rookies that will make an
impact this season. Heading the list is UMass product Vladimir
Ducasse. The site writes: "Ducasse will become an instant
contributor after the Jets released guard Alan Faneca. Ducasse is a
physical player who will do well in the Jets smashmouth offense. Ducasse
will be brought along slowly."
The New England Mutiny's WPSL Season
came to end with a 3-4-3 record on Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Boston.
Several Minutewomen played for the Mutiny this season with Therese
Smith heading the group with two goals for four points. Sydney
Stoll played in two games while alum Vanessa Patry played in six
games.
The Boston
Globe has a blog entry on UMass Hall of Famer Al Skinner and how he
hasn't talked to with the defending Eastern Conference champions. "I
haven't talked to them," Skinner said. "I wouldn't mind talking to them.
But I haven't talked to them."
In the NBA Summer
League, UMass alum Gary
Forbes is on the roster for the Houston Rockets. He has played in
two games. In the Rockets' 87-78
win over the Dallas Mavericks, Forbes had two points and two
rebounds on Saturday. In a 100-82
win over Phoenix on Friday, he didn't score but had three boards.
Houston is back in action against Toronto on Tuesday.
With the Reno
Aces, Matt
Torra had a rough outing last night as his squad fell 6-4
to Colorado Springs. Torra (5-6) surrendered the season-high 13 hits,
but blasted a two-run, go-ahead home run in the sixth inning to give the
Aces a 4-3 lead.
Springfield native and UMass alum Nick
Gorneault blasted a three-tun home run for the Salt
Lake Bees in a 9-8 loss to Las Vegas on Friday. It was his third
homer of the year.
Checking in on Bryan
Leigh with the Pulaski Mariners, the rookie pro has a 1.23 ERA in
7.1 innings with the Appalachian League squad, all in relief.
Nick
Serino pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning for the GCL
Nationals on Sunday. He has lowered his ERA to 4.26 after a tough start
to his pro career. He has not allowed a run in his last three outings.
In MLL action, UMass alums met up on Saturday as Long Island topped
Chicago, 17-15.
With the Lizards, Chris
Fiore didn't score. With the Machine, Kevin
Leveille had two goals while Brett
Garber had an assist. Boston beat the Bayhawks 16-10
as Jack
Reid had four groundballs for the Cannons.
Vladimir
Ducasse is mentioned in this story on the Bleacher
Report when it comes to the New York Jets and positional battles
for 2010.
The CFL had its second week of action with the BC Lions falling to
Saskatchewan 36-18.
On defense, UMass alums Anton
McKenzie (1 tackle) and Keron
Williams played for BC.
In the Arena Football League. UMass product Brandon
Freeman is third on the Arizona
Rattlers with 51 tackles through 11 games. He also has three
interceptions. In Saturday's 55-50
loss to the Chicago Rush, Freeman led the Rattlers with seven
tackles.
Last week, UMass alum Tracy
Belton was named the AFL Defensive Player of the Week with the
Milwaukee Iron. Belton was all over the Utah offense in Milwaukee's
82-56 win over the Blaze. Belton tallied 8 unassisted and 2 assisted
tackles, a tackle for loss, one pass break up and an interception ran
back for 12 yards. Belton is averaging the eight most tackles per game
in the league with 6.9. The Milwaukee victory brought the Iron to 8-5 on
the season, just behind division leader Chicago (9-4).
Jon
Quick is a new spokesperson for Vaughan. He was featured in an advertisement in the Hockey News.
In front of a professional lacrosse record crowd of 11,771, the MLL
All-Stars suffered
a dramatic 13-12 loss to Team USA. Former Minuteman Kevin
Leveille had two goals for the MLL squad.
Chad Paronto, currently relieving for the Pawtucket Red Sox, is
mentioned in this column
in the Pawtucket Times.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - July 8
Brett
Newgaard (Men's Lacrosse)
News of Vladimir
Ducasse's signing with the New York Jets is covered by multiple
outlets: USA
Today, ESPN,
MassLive,
NBC,
The
Newark Star-Ledger, Stamford
Advocate.
Tony
Gaffney's game-opening dunk got the Celtics off to a good start
last night in a 92-71
win over the Bobcats. Gaffney is mentioned in several recaps of
Boston's first Summer League victory: Boston
Herald, WEEI,
SBNation.
Greg Cannella's Lacrosse School is featured in this
piece from the Daily Hampshire Gazette about camps coping with the
heat this week.
In this
article about Michigan State losing its third player to early
departure to the NHL, UMass is mentioned as being one of four other
teams to have three players sign NHL deals this offseason.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - July 7
Cerie
Mosgrove (Women's Basketball)
In other summer league news, this
look at the Houston Rockets' summer league roster mentions Gary
Forbes, calling him "s an intriguing player because he has good
size for a two-guard."
The sports Network has
this column on transfers to watch in FCS and mentions UMass' John
Griffin.
Turning to the pros, KCChiefs.com
has this
great Rookie Spotlight Q&A with Jeremy Horne.
Vladimir
Ducasse is one of NFL blogger Josh Alper's AFC
players to watch. Athlon Sports has a 2010
Jets Preview, which mentions Ducasse.
Former Minutman defensive tackle and later assistant coach Ben
Albert, currently on staff with the Jacksonville Jaguars, is
profiled by Keith
Idec on NorthJersey.com.
James
Ihedigbo's charitable works along with fellow NFL players leads
off this piece from the Associated Press. Through his Hope Africa
charitable foundation, Ihedigbo aided in the Haiti relief efforts back
in March.
UMass grad Neal
Brown, the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech, is No.
4 on a list of top 10 impact assistant coaches at new schools in
SportingNews.
Former Minuteman Nick
Serino earned his first
professional win for the Gulf Coast League Nationals yesterday
against the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. Serino allowed just one hit in
2.2 scoreless innings of relief and struck out three.
In his start, Matt
Torra earned a no-decision in Reno's 14-13
slugfest loss to Sacramento. Torra allowed six runs on nine hits
with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings on the hill.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - July 6
Sean
Duncan (Cross Country/Track & Field)
Ron
Villone was on the mound in three straight games. He threw a
scoreless inning in a 5-3
loss to the Sranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees on Saturday, but gave up
runs in back-to-back games against the Buffalo Bisons on Sunday
and Monday.
Chad Paronto worked
1.2 innings in a combined 8-0 shutout of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
on Saturday.
Nick
Serino threw a scoreless inning in his relief stint against the
Gulf Coast League Astros on Saturday, picking up a strikeout for the
third time in his three professional appearances.
Recent UMass grad Bryan
Leigh, who began his professional career less than two weeks ago,
had his most successful outing on the mound yet as he tossed three
hitless innings in a
9-7 win over the Bristol White Sox, striking out three and picking
up the save.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - July 5
Emily
Cota (Soccer), Karen
Roa (Cross Country)
Today's big news is the start of the NBA Summer League as UMass' Tony
Gaffney finally gets to suit up in Celtics green and play for his
favorite team. The C's take on Oklahoma City at 5 p.m. Watch on NBA.com. UMass' Tony
Gaffney is mentioned as a player to watch by several outlets: Boston
Herald, Opposing
Views, Ridiculous
Upside, Boston
Globe, NESN.com
and Springfield
Republican.
Former UMass point guard Anthony
Anderson continues to play basketball. The Lynn
Item has a story on Anderson and his brother Antonio playing in the
All-City Hoops League.
The Boston
Globe has a great July 4th story on the Gedman family including
sons Mike and Matt, who play baseball for the Minutemen.
Current Minuteman Eric
Fredette is mentioned in the New
Britain Herald as he is playing summer league ball for Bristol.
Interesting nugget from the Toronto
Sun connecting two UMass Hall of Famers. Future big-league pitcher
Mike Flanagan played on the UMass freshman basketball team, where he
often got to scrimmage against a varsity forward named Julius Erving. "I
really didn't know much about Dr. J until I came down on a fast break
and pulled up to take a jump shot," Flanagan once told the Toronto Sun.
"Dr. J was nowhere in the area but, out of nowhere, he blocked the shot
and nine players were running the other way. First thing I thought?
Better work on my slider, because this is a whole different level of
play."
CFL action got underway this weekend. UMass alums Anton
McKenzie and Keron
Williams helped the BC Lions to a 25-10 win over
Edmonton. Williams had four tackles while McKenzie had three stops along
with a sack and a forced fumble.
UMass product Neal
Brown and
new Texas Tech offensive coordinator is the subject of a feature in the
AM
News. At age 29, Brown, who spent the last two years as offensive
coordinator at Troy, is youngest person to hold that position at a
Division I school. Brown talks about how a former UMass coach got him
his start in coaching.
If you ever want to go back and look for a story from our old Just Take Minute Format, here are the links dating to August 2008
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