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March 7, 2009 by Chris Frechette | A10CollegeHoops

KINGSTON, RI — The stage was set for another big win for URI.  Marquis Jones had just hit two free throws to put the Rams up 71-70 with just six seconds to play.  After a UMass timeout, the Minutement inbounded the ball to their star point guard, Chris Lowe.  Lowe then dribbled the ball coast to coast for a gamewinning layup over Ram forward Kahiem Seawright to win the game, 72-71. 

Lowe got a little help on the play by teammate Matt Glass who made a crippling blind pick on URI defender, Lamonte Ulmer, sending Ulmer to the floor in a heap.  URI and it’s 7,707 fans in attendence were waiting to hear a whistle blown on the play that didn’t come.  Maybe if the play was earlier in the game, a whistle would’ve come, but not in the final seconds.  The Rams and Ram faithful just stood stunned after what had just transpired. 

It was games like these URI was just getting used to winning.  Like the Dayton game a few weeks back where the crowd rushed the floor on “Pinkout night” after Jones hit the game winning basket.  The feeling was similar at the sold out Ryan Center on senior night.  After  Jones drove the lane and was fouled by UMass center, Luke Bonner, Jones hit both free throws to put the Rams up by one.  Security advised those in the courtside seats to prepare to take cover in case the crowd rushed the floor again.  Unfortunately for URI, that scenario didn’t come.

Chris Lowe led the Minutement with 18 points and 7 assists.  Also in double figures for UMass (12-17, 7-9 A-10) were Ricky Harris with 13 points, Gary Corriea with 12, and Matt Glass with 13 points all in the first half.  It appreared as though Glass couldn’t miss as he hit open shot after open shot going 5-6 from the field and 3-4 from behind the 3 point arc.

URI Coach Jim Baron acknowledged the open shots allowed by his Rams.  “They shot the ball well,” he said.  “We let them have open shots and they hit them”. 

In the first half URI wasn’t hitting anything from 3 point range, going 0 for 12 from threes in the entire first half, including o for 5 from URI guard Jimmy Baron.  Baron did heat up in the second half scoring 16 of his game high 22 points on 4 of 7 shooting from three point range.  URI was also led by Lamonte Ulmer’s 12 points, mostly on alley oops, dunks and layups.  Ulmer shot 5 for 6 from the field and 2 for 3 from the charity stripe.  Delroy James chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds.

URI’s first three pointer came with 14:47 left in the second half from Jimmy Baron, who was the only Ram to hit a three pointer in the whole game as the Rams went 4 for 19 (21%) for the game.  Baron’s second three at 5:57 left in the second half broke the URI single season three point record of 99 as well as the Atlantic 10 all-time record of 342.  Baron ended up with 102 threes for the season and 344 for his career.

One can only wonder what this loss means for URI (22-9, 11-5 A-10) in their quest for an NCAA tourney bid.  The A-10 would clearly like to be represented by 3 teams in the NCAA tourney, but the problem seems that their top teams aren’t closing the season out with wins.  Temple, Dayton and now URI have all lost within the last seven days.

URI players and coaches wouldn’t speculate what this loss does for their tourney hopes, but UMass coach Derek Kellogg thinks highly of the Rams.  “They’re a NCAA tournament quality team,”  he said.  But Kellogg also wouldn’t speculate if this loss burst the Rams bubble.

“You got to give credit to Lowe, he made some big plays,”  Baron said.  “He made a great play with the layup on the last play”.

When asked about senior night, Baron said, “It’s emotionally draining, we were flat, and I knew it would be a hard fought game.  You can’t take anything for granted”.

The Rams need to heed that advice and not let the NCAA committee decide their fate.  Their way into the Big Dance may now only come by winning the A-10 tournament.

February 18, 2009 by Chris Maza | A10CollegeHoops

AMHERST, Mass. – The UMass student section’s “blackout” couldn’t stop Keith Cothran from shooting lights out.

As the UMass fans donned all black in an attempt to throw the Rhode Island Rams off their game, Cothran found his with a career high in points and URI came back from a 12-point deficit to beat the Minutemen, 71-59, at the Mullins Center Wednesday night.

“He’s very aggressive and he attacks the bucket,” Rams head coach Jim Baron. “He’s a kid who just plays hard. He creates problems because he’s a big guard.”

Cothran came off the bench to score 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting.

Keith Cothran – Rhode Island Rams (G)

“I just knew I wanted to go out there and be aggressive,” Cothran said. “I watched film on them and they like to scramble (on defense), so I just wanted to hit the open shots and drive to the basket.”

It was an incredibly big effort on a night when usual team leaders Kahiem Seawright and Jimmy Baron disappeared. Baron, who came in averaging 16.6 points per game, was a non-factor throughout, scoring six points on 1-of-7 shooting. His lone field goal came in the final minutes of the first half. Seawright scored just four points.

Cothran and the rest of the Rams bench came through, however, combining for 43 points.

“It was tremendous. I think our younger guys stepped up,” Jim Baron said. “We had a lot of guys stepped up and in this league, you can’t do it with one or two guys. You need to have a number of guys being able to step up and our guys really showed it.”

UMass jumped out to a lead right off the bat with a pair of three points to start the game and didn’t give up the lead for the rest of the half. The Minutemen extended the lead to 12, the largest of the game, with a floater in the lane by Ricky Harris and a put back by Tyrell Lynch, putting the score at 31-19.

But the Rams charged back into it with a 9-0 run to end the half and close within three points at 31-28 going into the half.

Rhode Island finally took its first lead in the second half on Cothran’s three-pointer, but UMass posted an 8-0 run to jump back out front, 47-41.

The Rams finally took the lead for good with 2:28 remaining when Seawright hit two free throws to give Rhode Island a 59-57 lead. Those free throws sparked a 12-2 run to end the game.

“It’s getting a little redundant. We play really great basketball for 36 minutes and then almost figure out a way yourself to lose,” UMass head coach Derek Kellogg said.

After being held to 29 percent shooting in the first half, Rhode Island rebounded and shot at a 60 percent clip to outscore UMass, 43-28, in the second half. Meanwhile, UMass shot consistently poorly, hitting just 37 percent of its attempts.

 The Minutemen got 15 points apiece from Harris and Chris Lowe. Lowe also dished five assists, leaving him one short of becoming UMass’ career leader. Tony Gaffney added 11 points and blocked six shots, but no one took charge for the Minutemen down the stretch.

“Until someone steps up and says, ‘I’m going to take this game over, I’m going to be tough, I’m not letting us lose,’ we’re going to continue to throw games away at the end and our season will end before we know it,” said Gaffney.

It was UMass’ second straight loss and sixth in its last eight games. At 9-15 and 4-7 in the Atlantic 10, the Minutemen drop into a tie with St. Bonaventure with one of the conference’s worst records.

The win was a huge boost for the Rams, who leapfrogged St. Joseph’ to take over 4th place in the standings with an 8-4 conference mark. They are 19-8 overall on the season.

Massachusetts held the lead for most of the game, but St. Joseph’s found a way to battle back to a 68-64 win.

January 6, 2009  by WH | A10CollegeHoops

Here are my final noncon rankings and comments. Per usual, I am unlikely to post again until the end of league play once conference games begin.

Even though some teams have outperformed or underperformed my expectations, I can’t say any team has truly surprised me with the exception of GW (just terrible lately). I didn’t anticipate such a slow start for Charlotte, and UMass struggled more than I expected, but both teams had obvious question marks before the season began.

As of now, we only have two schools that look like NCAA teams, but Rhody has a decent chance and I expect another team to make a big run in league play (Temple with a full roster?). I would be thrilled to get three teams in given the so-so noncon performance.

Speaking of which, looks like I will finish 5 games below my noncon forecast. Ironically, this is the first year in awhile that I did not automatically deduct five wins from my combined forecast. Had I done so, I might be perfect! (not that it would be a good thing). Too many damned near misses and blown leads late in games.

VALEDICTORIANS

1)XAVIER (unchanged). The Muskies (11-2). The Musketeers bounced back from a two-game losing skid with convincing wins over Robert Morris and at Virginia. Frosh PG Terrell Holloway has taken over the starting position, allowing Dante Jackson to play more at his natural position of off-guard. Two other touted frosh, Kenny Frease and long-range gunner Brad Redford, have come on strong. Upperclassmen Derrick Brown and BJ Raymond have also stepped up. If Holloway continues to mature rapidly, the Musketeers have to be considered the clear league favorite.

2)DAYTON (unchanged). The Flyers (13-1) have beaten all the teams they are supposed to beat and have a marquee win over Marquette to put themselves in line for an NCAA bid. Dayton does struggle at times to put the ball in the basket, but the team is very athletic and plays topnotch defense. With just a little better shooting and scoring, the Flyers have all the tools to battle archrival Xavier for the league title.

HONOR ROLL

3)RHODE ISLAND (+1). The Rams (10-4) are a few points away – agonizingly close losses at Duke and Oklahoma State – from being locked in for an at-large bid. The team is still well positioned, but URI needs to rack up 11 or 12 wins in conference play and advance deep into the league tourney to merit consideration. Seven-foot sophomore Will Martell has been a surprise contributor while Jimmy Baron Jr. and Keith Cothran have performed like All-Conference players. The defense is still a bit unreliable, but the Rams are deep and athletic and have the talent to make a run for the conference championship.

AVERAGE STUDENTS

4)CHARLOTTE (+1). The 49ers (5-7) might be playing the best ball of any A-10 team outside of Xavier, Dayton and URI, but a rash of injuries has further depleted an already-thin roster. Sophomore forward An’juan Wilderness is out for a few weeks and sophomore Charles Dewhurst was lost for the year to a knee injury. Charlotte has no backup point guard and needs a few of its healthier players to step up. Hard to believe a 5-7 team might be the fourth best squad in the A-10, but every program in the conference has significant flaws.

5)RICHMOND (+1). The Spiders (8-6) are one of the most disappointing teams in the league despite eight wins. The team blew a late lead at Virginia Military Institute and has lost to all three in-state rivals (ODU and VCU are the others) even though the Spiders arguably have the most talent of the bunch. The defense has been soft and the offense mistake prone. Yet Richmond still has the size, athleticism and backcourt play to finish in the conference’s top four if the players learn how to close out games.

6) TEMPLE (-3). After beating Tennessee, the Owls (6-6) stumbled badly with three straight losses, including a whopper at Long Beach State. Temple rebounded Monday night with a win over Kent State. Sophomore forward Craig Williams had a career game (16 points) and touted Argentine PG Juan Fernandez (8 points, 4 assists) wowed the crowd in his debut. Temple’s problems have stemmed from poor point play – a concern of mine in my preseason review – and lethargic play among bigmen Lavoy Allen and Sergio Olmos. The addition of Fernandez and further contributions from Williams could make the Owls a big factor in conference play, however.

7)LASALLE (+2). The Explorers (8-5) beat several mediocre opponents to enter conference action with a three-game winning streak. Ruben Guillandeaux seems to be awaking from a season-long slumber while Rodney Green and Kimmani Barrett have stepped up their games. Defense and rebounding have kept LaSalle in most games, but postseason possibilities rest on whether the offense shows major improvement. The lack of consistent point play and outside shooting have been the team’s undoing.

*8*)ST. BONAVENTURE (unchanged). The Bonnies (7-3) recovered from a blowout loss at home to Niagara by topping Bucknell and Central Arkansas on the road. Granted, the competition wasn’t great, but two road wins of any sort is a big accomplishment for the rapidly recovering program. The 6-10 freshman sensation Andrew Nicholson looks like the program’s biggest recruiting find in a decade or more. Expect the Bonnies to be very competitive in most games, especially at home, and a winning record is by no means out of the question. The team now has enough talent to compete with almost any team in the A-10. Point play is just so-so, however, and the Bonnies lack outside shooting when Chris Matthews is cold.

9)DUQUESNE (+4). The Dukes (9-4) are one of the two big surprises in nonconference play, along with St. Bonaventure. They lost to the four best teams on their sked but have handled all the opponents from lesser conferences. Aaron Jackson, who’s playing like an A-10 First Teamer, is one of four “veterans” who have carried the program while the youngsters mature. Touted frosh Melquan Bolding has come on strong to join PG Eric Evans as top candidates for the league’s All-Rookie team. Shooter Jason Duty, formerly a recruited walk-on, has been a surprisingly big contributor. If only the Dukes had one legit bigman …

10) ST. LOUIS (+2). The Bills (9-5) have won seven of their last eight games against mostly weaker competition, though not without some struggles. Rick Majerus has his young squad playing solid defense and a controlled offense, but points sometimes are hard to come by. Frosh bigman Willie Reed looks like a future all-conference player and two other newcomers, PG Kwamain Mitchell and F Brian Conklin, have impressed. The Bills are a middle-of-the-pack team at best, but they will pull some upsets in league play.

BACK OF THE CLASS

11)ST. JOSEPH’S (-4). The Hawks (6-7) simply don’t have enough Division 1 players. Sophomore forward Idris Hilliard has shown marked improvement, but none of the reserves has contributed significantly. St. Joe’s has to rely on no more than 3-4 players, led by Ahmad Nivins, to do the scoring, but the core group doesn’t have tons of energy leftover for defense at the end of a game. The tank could run dry in late February unless Martelli develops a bench.

12)MASSACHUSETTS (-1). The Minutemen (5-8) followed a four-game win streak with a two-game skid in which the team lost by a combined 56 points to Houston and Vanderbilt. What to make? Impossible to say. Rookie coach Derek Kellogg sure looks green and senior point guard Chris Lowe is struggling mightily to run the new offense. Yet UMass is still capable of beating virtually any team in the A-10, as the win at Kansas attests. The first game in league play vs. Dayton could be telling.

CLASS CLOWNS

13)FORDHAM (+1). The Rams (2-10) have gotten a boost from 6-9 West Virginia transfer Jacob Green, but this team is headed for 20-plus losses. Much too young and much too small (-10 rebounding margin). Coach ain’t all that great, either.

14)GEORGE WASHINGTON (-4). The Colonials (6-6) aren’t worse than Fordham, but while the Rams are getting better, the Colonials have badly regressed. The team lost four straight to Vermont, Hawaii, Coppin State and … Longwood! Travis King is still not his old self, but at least he has an excuse. The same cannot be said for Rob Diggs, Wynton Witherspoon, Damian Hollis – or Karl Hobbs. GW is near the bottom of the league in scoring, shooting, rebounding and assists. Call the Coast Guard.

ALL-CONFERENCE PROJECTIONS (based on current performance)

POY

Dionte Christmas

FIRST TEAM

Dionte Christmas, Temple
Ahmad Nivins, St. Joseph’s
Derrick Brown, Xavier
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne
Chris Wright, Dayton

SECOND TEAM

Tony Gaffney, UMass
Jimmy Baron Jr., Rhode Island
Damian Saunders, Duquesne
Ricky Harris, UMass
Keith Cothran, Rhode Island

THIRD TEAM

Jonathan Hall, St. Bonaventure
David Gonzalvez, Richmond
Tommie Liddell, St. Louis
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Dijuan Harris, Charlotte

DEFENSIVE POY

Tony Gaffney, UMass

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Tony Gaffney, UMass
Garrett Williamson, St. Josephs
Aaron Jackson, Duquesne
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Ahmad Nivins, St. Josephs

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Eric Evans, Duquesne
Terrell Holloway, Xavier
Jio Fontan, Fordham
Brian Conklin, St. Louis

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

Tony Gaffney

November 24, 2008 | AP Press

AMHERST, Mass. — Jonathan Toles scored 18 points, including a runner from the key with eight seconds to play, as Jacksonville State beat Massachusetts, 75-74, on Monday.

The Gamecocks (3-1) fell behind 74-69 after Massachusetts mounted a dramatic 15-3 run in the final minutes. A four-point play by Brandon Crawford, however, set up the winning shot for Toles.

Crawford ended with 17 points and Geddes Robinson added 10 rebounds.

It was the home debut for Massachusetts and new coach Derek Kellogg.

Massachusetts (1-3) led 34-31 at halftime, but trailed by seven points several times in the second half before making its determined comeback.

Tony Gaffney had 20 points and 13 rebounds for Massachusetts. Chris Lowe added 20 points.

Massachusetts trailed most of the first half, holding an early margin at 13-9 before Jacksonville went on an 11-4 run.

November 18, 2008 | AP Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – During his years as a Memphis assistant, Derek Kellogg had seen the Tigers’ formula in many of their wins.

Let the opponent hang around for a bit, then start throwing more players at them, run them until they wear down and pull away in the second half.

Monday night, Kellogg — in his first year as Massachusetts coach — was on the receiving end of the tactic.

Antonio Anderson had 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds as No. 13 Memphis shook off a poor shooting performance to beat Massachusetts 80-58.”I’ve seen it before on that bench numerous times,” Kellogg said.

“Their process is, ‘We have more bodies than you. We have bigger, longer players than you, and we’re going to wear you down.’ At the end, they take advantage of it, and that formula worked again.”

Freshman Tyreke Evans had 19 points and Robert Dozier added 18 for the Tigers, who were limited to 39 percent shooting for the game, including 2-of-19 from outside three-point range. It marked the second straight game where Evans, one of last season’s prized recruits, led the Tigers (2-0) in scoring. Evans keyed a first-half rally that put the Tigers up for good.

“There were a lot of things that I didn’t like,” Memphis coach John Calipari said. “I’m going to go watch tape and probably pull my hair out.

“Ricky Harris led the Minutemen (1-2) with 17 points; Tony Gaffney scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds.

Calipari became the winningest coach in Memphis history with 221 victories, surpassing Larry Finch, who led the program from 1986 to 1997.The game was a real family affair.Kellogg, in his first year as coach at UMass, played for Calipari from 1991 to 1995 during Calipari’s tenure as coach of the Minutemen. Kellogg was an assistant under Calipari for eight years at Memphis before moving to his alma mater.

The Memphis crowd gave Kellogg a standing ovation when he was introduced at the start of the game.And, if that isn’t enough, Calipari’s daughter, Erin, is a fourth-year student at UMass. Calipari’s wife, Ellen, and his other daughter, Megan Rae, wore shirts representing both schools.Both coaches said afterward that they were just glad the game was over.

“Driving down, I thought: ‘If Derek wins, this would be a huge game for him on ESPN for recruiting,’ ” Calipari said. “Then I said: ‘Forget that.’ “Memphis built the lead to double digits in the first half and extended it to 27 in the second.

UMass was without 7-foot-1 senior center Luke Bonner, who injured his left knee in an 80-73 loss at Southern Illinois last week. In the second half Monday, the Minutemen lost 6-7 reserve forward Matt Hill to a left Achilles injury. But Gaffney’s effort allowed UMass to outrebound the Tigers 49-48.

“Tony Gaffney’s been absolutely phenomenal,” Kellogg said. “If we had two more of him, we’d have a pretty good record. We’re pretty thin, right now.”While Memphis struggled from the field, UMass was even worse, shooting 30 percent. Add in 24 turnovers, and the Minutemen were unable to stay in the game in the second half.The Tigers led 33-25 after a first half filled with poor shot selection, sloppy ballhandling and plenty of misfires from both teams.Harris was 3-of-5 from three-point range to lead UMass with 12 points in the first half.

Dozier had 12 points for Memphis and Evans had 11, seven coming during an 11-0 run that erased an early UMass lead and put Memphis up by double digits.

Dozier got inside for a handful of baskets to keep the Tigers in the game early, but turnovers, shots that barely caught the rim and difficult unsuccessful layup attempts led to anemic shooting percentages.

UMass shot 28 percent for the half; Memphis connected on 33 percent, but missed 11 of 12 3-pointers.

Memphis rebuilt the lead to double digits when Shawn Taggart, who had seven points and 11 rebounds, converted a three-point play with 15:37 left in the game, and Massachusetts never got the deficit to less than 10 the rest of the way.

“Guys just didn’t make shots,” Anderson said of the Memphis shooting. “That’s how it goes. … When guys aren’t making shots, we’ve got to figure out another way to earn the win. We did that by driving the ball and attacking the rim.”

November 11, 2008 | AP Press

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Behind double-doubles from seniors Chris Lowe and Tony Gaffney, the Minutemen kicked off a new era of UMass men’s basketball with a 90-71 win over Arkansas-Monticello in Derek Kellogg’s head coaching debut on Tuesday evening. Lowe (18 points, 11 assists) finished just four assists shy of tying the school-record of 15 while Gaffney’s double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds) was the first of his collegiate career. The final three minutes of the first half proved to be the difference as the Minutemen erased a two-point deficit with a 15-4 run to take a nine-point advantage heading into the locker room. With the win, the Minutemen advance to face the winner of California (Pa.) and host Southern Illinois in the regional final of the 2K Sports Classic on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, with a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line.

Junior Ricky Harris avenged a slow start to pour in 22 points, two rebounds, and three steals. He finished 7-of-19 from the floor and 5-of-9 from behind the three-point arc despite the NCAA moving back the three point line a foot this year.

Ricky, what are your thoughts on the 3pt line being pushed back a foot this year?

“I don’t think it changes things that much,” UMass guard Ricky Harris said. “If I’m open, I still have the confidence. It doesn’t change the shot selection.

“It wasn’t like our toes were always on the line when we shot them last year,” said Harris, who scored 22 points and went 5-of-9 from 3-point range.

For the game, the Minutemen shot 46% (31-67) and 44% (12-27) from three-point range. Rebounds were even at 41-41, a number coming on the offensive end (18 for UMass and 19 for Arkansas-Monticello).

After surviving a first-half scare, the Minutemen came out strong out of the locker room to seal the victory in the second. Arkansas-Monticello wouldn’t go away, pulling back within 11 at 67-56. Freshman David Gibbs responded with a three-pointer, the first collegiate points of his career, to make it 70-56.

Gaffney’s alley-oop from freshman Tyrell Lynch was icing on the cake, making it 83-64 with three minutes remaining in the second half. The Minutemen would go on to open up two 21-point leads, their largest leads of the game, at 88-67 and 90-69.

UMass controlled play early in the first half, taking an 11-point advantage at 14-3 after senior Luke Bonner’s three-pointer at the 16:06 mark. Arkansas-Monticello hung tough, eventually taking a 33-31 advantage, but the Minutemen answered with a 13-0 run (and 15-4 to end the half), for the 47-38 halftime lead.

The Minutemen now look ahead to a date with either Southern Illinois or California (Pa.) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. The winner of the Southern Illinois region faces the winner of the Duke region in the 2K Sports Classic Semifinals held next Thursday, Nov. 20, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Sunday, November 2, 2008 by WH | A10collegehoops Contributor

I am not an expert on the coaching of basketball and make no such claims. But here is one layman’s assessment of the 14 league coaches and generally the order in which I would hire them – with one change. (If I were hiring a coach, I would put Mooney and Everhart ahead of Baron.)

Sean Miller, Xavier Musketeers

Miller has improved dramatically after some shaky moments in his first two seasons. He is not the A-10’s best game-day coach, but he’s not far off. And now he’s recruiting at a higher level than anyone else. Is No. 1 too high? It’s hard to argue with Xavier’s success under Miller (70.5% winning percentage).

Phil Martelli, St. Joseph’s

Martelli does more with less than any of his A-10 counterparts. His teams are mentally tough and fundamentally sound and seem to peak every year come A-10 tournament time. The challenge for Martelli is to do more with more – the Hawks are often short of quality depth. Perhaps a renovated FieldHouse will allow Martelli to recruit more good players.

Fran Dunphy Temple Owls

Perhaps no other coach in the league except Martelli could have turned Temple around as fast as Dunphy. The Owls are much more efficient offensively compared to the late Chaney years and now the defense is coming around. Dunphy has a great eye for talent and excels at developing players.

Rick Majerus, St. Louis Billikens

Majerus gets a high ranking based on past performance, not on results of his first season in the A-10. The Billikens were competitive despite a thin roster, but it remains to be seen whether Majerus still has the coaching magic. A very good sign is the incoming recruiting class, one of the best in the league on paper.

Karl Hobbs, George Washington Colonials

Hobbs gets high marks for three straight NCAA appearances before last season’s meltdown. Clearly the bad publicity about GW’s admissions policy a few years ago constrained Hobbs’ recruiting – the loss of Jeremy Wise still stings – and the talent level has dropped off.

Yet Hobbs still does a good job of getting long, lean kids and molding them into A-10 caliber players. GW rebounded down the stretch last season and was playing very good ball in the last month (just ask Xavier and UMass) using a 5-8 walk-on as point guard. That’s coaching. Hobbs also kicked three talented players off the team, including Mo Rice, for being disruptive. That’s showing the players he’s still the boss and won’t let things get out of hand.

Brian Gregory, Dayton Flyers

The Flyers would have earned their second NCAA under Gregory if Chris Wright did not get hurt. Gregory has steadily upgraded the talent level and his teams are fundamentally sound. The Flyers play solid defense and crash the boards. The offense has not been especially creative, but higher talent should alleviate that problem. Gregory has had particular difficulty recruiting good point guards.

Bobby Lutz. Charlotte 49ers

Lutz turned the program around last season by reintroducing defense and effort to the players’ vocabulary. Charlotte had been shaky fundamentally since joining the A-10 and the offense was undisciplined. Big improvements occurred in almost every phase last year. Lutz, a good recruiter, also upgraded the talent base. When he’s motivated, Lutz can match wits with any coach in the league.

John Giannini, LaSalle Explorers

Giannini has already shown he can win in the A-10 with just a handful of good players. Now he’s showing he can recruit lots of quality players to LaSalle. Last year, he admitted to a big mistake – no easy thing for a coach – by scrapping a patterned offense after it failed early in the season. LaSalle began to play well once the coach revved up the offense. Knock on wood, but it looks like the Explorers might make a breakthrough in the next few years.

Jim Baron, Rhode Island Rams

Baron gets this ranking based on past achievement, but last year’s late-season collapse has opened him up to deserved criticism – not for the first time, either. Reaching 20 wins was a big accomplishment, but ceding an all-but-guaranteed NCAA bid was a big disaster.

Like Giannini, Baron changed his offense a few years ago when his old ways weren’t working. He gets credit for that. Problem is, the new-look Rams have been mediocre defensively, an area in which Baron’s teams once excelled, and shot selection has been iffy. Add a few demerits. Baron has had a good career at some difficult places to win, but not too many people in Kingston are in his corner these days.

Chris Mooney, Richmond Spiders

If Richmond builds on last year’s success even without the services of injured center Dan Geriot, Mooney would move up the list. He’s quickly restored Richmond to competitiveness with excellent recruiting and coaching. Like Fran Dunphy, he seems to have a great eye for not-so-obvious talent and his players get better under his coaching. There’s no reason to believe the Spiders won’t continue to improve.

Ron Everhart, Duquesne Dukes

Master rebuilder delivered a winning season at Duquesne for the first time since 1994, but his second season wasn’t entirely successful. Everhart substituted players too liberally and he mishandled the point position. It was a good year that could have been better. Now the Dukes are starting over again with almost an entirely new roster. Fortunately Everhart seems to be a demon of a recruiter. The team is very young, but there’s a lot of talent.

Dereck Whittenburg, Fordham Rams

Whit did a good job of stabilizing a shaky program and making it respectable, but he failed in the ultimate task of producing a winner. Last year’s senior-laden team was a huge disappointment. Much of the problem stems from the coach’s inability to recruit a good point guard as well as quality depth – problems exacerbated by the school’s poor facilities. Whit didn’t help matters with a pouty performance on the bench. Body language does matter, Dereck.

Whittenburg is never going to outcoach anyone, so he better get better players and get the Rams back to playing hard every game.

Mark Schmidt, St. Bonaventure Bonnies

Schmidt’s coaching ability looks somewhat better after his old school, Robert Morris, surged to 26 wins. It says Schmidt recruited talented players and did some good coaching. On the other hand, one wonders if a veteran RMU team would have won as many games if Schmidt were coach. Whatever the case, the Bonnies actually overachieved in Schmidt’s first year even though the roster was one of the least talented in A-10 history. And now Schmidt appears to have done a fantastic job of upgrading the talent base in just one year. Only time will tell if the players are any good, though. If they are, then we’ll get a better idea of Schmidt’s coaching ability.

Derek Kellogg, Massachusetts Minutemen

Incomplete. Rookie Minutemen boss is viewed as a great recruiter and he’s learned under one of the best college coaches in the nation. He was given a good roster to start. Let’s see what he makes of it.

Location: Amherst, Mass.

Enrollment: 25,876

Founded: 1863

President: Jack M. Wilson

Athletic Director: John McCutcheon

Athletic Web Sites: umassathletics.com, umasshoops.com, masslive.com

Nickname: Minutemen

Colors: Maroon and White

Arena: Mullins Center

Capacity: 9,493

Average Attendance:  5,968

Head Coach: Derek Kellogg

Overall Record: First Season

2007-2008 Record: 25-11 (10-6) NIT Finals

Record at UMass: First Season

Assistants: Adam Ginsburg, Antwon Jackson, Vance Walberg

ROSTER

2 David Gibbs FR PG 6-4 185 East Hartford, CT/Master’s (CT) School
4 Anthony Gurley SO WG 6-3 185 Boston/Wake Forest
*5 Ricky Harris JR WG 6-2 175 Baltimore/Winchendon School (MA)
11 Gary Correia SO PG 6-1 180 Providence/Mt. Hermon School (MA)
13 Travon Wilcher R-FR PF 6-7 210 Springfield, MA/Lee (ME) Academy
*14 Chris Lowe SR G 6-0 160 Mount Vernon, NY
24 Tony Gaffney R-SR F 6-8 208 Berkley, MA/Mt. Hermon (MA)/BU
25 Tyrell Lynch R-FR PF 6-9 230 Niagara Falls, NY/Laurinburg (NC) Institute
31 Luke Bonner R-SR C 7-1 245 Concord, NH/West Virginia
33 Matt Glass SO G 6-7 190 Underhill Center, VT/Mt. Hermon (MA)
50 Matt Hill SO F 6-7 210 Middletown, CT/Tilton School (NH)

*Returning starters (2)

OVERVIEW

Massachusetts didn’t get invited to the NCAA tournament last year, but it almost got the next best thing: An NIT title. The Minutemen went all the way to the final game in New York before falling to Ohio State.

The season wasn’t supposed to end on such a positive note. Two of the best frontcourt players in the league, including Player of the Year Stephane Lasme, had exhausted their eligibility in Amherst the previous spring. UMass was picked to finish in the bottom half of the A-10 by the league’s coaches and beat writers.

The Minutemen face similar circumstances once again. The team lost its three top frontcourt players, including A-10 Player of the Year Gary Forbes. What’s more, former coach Travis Ford fled to Oklahoma State and the new headmaster, Derek Kellogg, has never coached a Division 1 team.

Of course, Kellogg has been plenty busy the past few years. The former UMass guard under John Calipari in the mid-1990s has been assisting his old coach at Memphis. He’s as responsible as anyone for recruiting the players that put the Tigers in the NCAA title game last spring

Kellogg learned a thing or two, including an innovative offense that spreads the floor for penetration and 3-point shooting. Fortunately for the players, it’s not radically different from Ford’s full-throttle attack.

Yet the team won’t focus mostly on offense, as the prior staff did. Kellogg says he’ll put much greater emphasis on defense. “Defense wins championships,” he said.

Kellogg’s transition to head coach will be made easier by the veteran tandem of Chris Lowe and Ricky Harris, the best starting backcourt in the A-10. Joining them to form a very potent perimeter trio is talented Wake Forest transfer Anthony Gurley.

Kellogg’s most pressing task is to find a few players to solidify UMass in the paint. Luckily for him, Ford didn’t leave the well dry. Fifth-year seniors Tony Gaffney and Luke Bonner are A-10-caliber bigmen and several talented youngsters suit up, including former Auburn signee Tyrell Lynch.

The Minutemen guards are good enough to keep UMass in the top half of the league. Making a run at the league title will depend on how quickly a newly constructed frontcourt begins to assert itself, especially on the boards.

DEPARTED PLAYERS

Gary Forbes – Transfer from Virginia capped off a terrific two-year stay by winning the league’s Player of the Year award. Forbes was the team’s best rebounder and a surprisingly good passer, but it was his scoring that mattered most (19.4 ppg, 2nd in the A-10). The 6-7 Forbes presented matchup problems for every opponent. Quick and strong, he could post up smaller defenders, take bigger ones off the dribble or drain the trey. He wasn’t a great shooter, but he could bury teams when he got hot. At times Forbes made poor decisions or took ill-advised shots, and he was not the clear cut choice for MVP. Yet there’s no doubt his performance propelled the Minutemen to another 20-win season.

Etienne Brower – The transfer from Boston University was supposed to be a key contributor two years ago, but an unusually severe ankle sprain hobbled him the entire season. Fully healthy as a senior, Brower (12.7 ppg) showed why Ford had such high expectations. Except for a temporary midseason slump, Brower was one of the most devastating 3-point shooters (43% 3PG) in the league. He hit at least three treys in 15 games, often at key moments. Brower was also a good rebounder (6.9 rpg) and defender (48 blocks, 28 steals) who usually made smart decisions.

Dante Milligan – The former Pittsburgh recruit finally made the transition from wing player in high school to post player in college, though it did take him five years. By season’s end, Milligan had become a major factor with his inside scoring (9 ppg, 64% FG) and shotblocking (69). His production in the paint could be sorely missed.

Max Groebe – German-born shooter transferred to Cornell. Groebe (2.1 ppg, 36% 3PG) was part of the regular rotation early on, but he barely got off the bench in league play. He was not as athletic as other UMass wing players and was a subpar defender. The arrival of Gurley hastened his departure.

Papa Lo – Sophomore shotblocker from Senegal transferred to a lower division 1 program. Lo swatted 25 shots in just 89 minutes, an incredible rate of one block per 3.6 minutes (the league’s leading shotblocker, Shawn James, swatted one shot every 6 minutes.) Yet Lo was a nonexistent offensive threat (0.3 ppg, 3-7 FG) who knew little about the finer points of the game. Evidently Kellogg did not see Lo as a good fit for his system.

Trey Lang – The 6-8 freshman was arguably the highest rated recruit in last year’s class, but the son of former NBA center Andrew Lang struggled to pick up Ford’s system and adapt to college ball (5 games, 9 minutes).

Sedale Jones (3-6 FGs). Recruited 6-4 walk-on was given valuable minutes in a handful of games because of his hard work in practice, but he fell victim to a scholarship numbers game after the regime change.

RETURNING PLAYERS

Chris Lowe (11.8 ppg, 6.3 apg, 43.3% FG, 57 steals). The first recruit by Ford when he took over UMass, Lowe has become the engine of the Minutemen’s high-octane attack. He pushes the ball up the court as fast as any guard in the nation and excels at knifing through defenses. From time to time Lowe gets stuck among the trees and turns the ball over (99), but he shows great decision-making (214 assists) at such a breakneck pace. Lowe knows where his teammates like to score and he gets them plenty of open shots.

What’s made Lowe more effective is an improved jumper (34.4% 3PG). He won’t scare opponents but he can make them pay for leaving him alone. During the off-season he spent countless hours to further improve his shot and says he’ll surprise opponents again. At his best, though, Lowe is a clutch shotmaker who deploys a variety of runners and floaters to score in the lane. He also creates offense with his defense. He has quick hands and pressures the ball as well as any guard in the league. As a senior, Lowe was voted to the A-10’s preseason First Team. He’ll also be a candidate for conference player-of-the-year honors.

“He’s capable of being one of the best point guards in not only the Atlantic 10, but the entire country,” Kellogg said.

Ricky Harris (18.2 ppg, 43 FG%, 63 assists). Undersized but explosive wing guard blossomed as a sophomore and was named the A-10’s Most Improved Player. Harris finished 6th in scoring and he’s the second-highest returning scorer in the league behind Temple’s Dionte Christmas. In the Minutemen’s NIT run, Harris bounced back from a late January-early February slump to average a team-leading 20.4 points a game.

A big beneficiary of an uptempo system, Harris scores in a variety of ways. He spots up for corner three’s (37.4% 3PG) on the fastbreak before defenses find him. If he’s guarded tightly near the arc, Harris uses an ultra-quick first step to shoot into the paint for short jumpers or hopstep layups. Although just 6-1, Harris is a tremendous finisher in the lane. He also gets lots of easy points off steals (56). Altogether, Harris reached the 20-point mark in 18 games and notched a career-high 30 in a loss at St. Joseph’s.

His biggest weakness is defense. Harris sometimes loses concentration, especially when his offense sputters. Bigger guards can also give him trouble when they back him down. With a little more focus, though, Harris could be a very good defender. He has quick hands and feet, a strong build, and great anticipation.

Tony Gaffney (3.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 59 blocks, 39 steals). Lean 6-8 forward is one of the best defenders in the league and can guard almost any position. In a regular-season win over Charlotte, for instance, Gaffney harassed Leemire Goldwire into a poor shooting game. His length also bothers bigmen down low, though he’s not built to withstand a constant pounding against bulkier forwards.

Offense is another matter. Gaffney’s jumper looks decent enough but he didn’t hit many outside shots (2-14 3PG). Most of his baskets were of the garbage variety. Gaffney insists he’s a better scorer than he’s shown and Kellogg says he’ll have the greenlight to shoot more. He seems to possess enough skill to become a semi-threat down low. He’s quick around the basket and finishes pretty well (52% FG on 2-point shots). The bet here is he’ll step up his game with more playing time, just like Brower and Milligan before him. It’ll help that the guards will create good shots for Gaffney in the dribble-drive offense.

Luke Bonner (3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg). Quirky fifth-year senior has not lived up to expectations, but he’s still a 7-footer with skills in a league that lacks dominating bigmen. Problem is, Bonner too often plays like he’s 6-feet tall. He’s developed a Mikan-style running hook but rarely seeks to score with his back to the basket. He’s not strong with the ball, gets stripped too easily and is pushed around inside by smaller opponents. It’s no wonder he’s prefers to step out and shoot 3-pointers (21-59, 35.6% 3PG).

For all his shortcomings, Bonner’s age and experience should come in handy on a younger team. He sometimes provides an offensive spark, tries hard on defense (25 blocks) and likes to draws charges. Kellogg has challenged the 245-pound Bonner to be more physical and dominate the glass along with Gaffney. The Minutemen’s postseason prospects would be greatly enhanced if he finally played to his potential, but it remains to be seen if he makes the necessary adjustments. If he fails to improve, the onus is on touted redshirt frosh Tyrell Lynch to fill the gap in the Minutemen’s middle.

Gary Correia (1.2 ppg, 42 assists, 17 turnovers). Promising 6-1 sophomore is talented enough to start for all but four or five A-10 teams. Correia takes very good care of the ball and is a solid passer. He’s quick like Lowe and a good defender, though not as slick with the ball and less effective at dribble penetration. His biggest asset is outside shooting. Although he only hit 26% of his 3-point attempts, Correia has excellent form and deep range. A great shooter in high school, his accuracy should rise as he matures and grows more comfortable at the point. He was more of a combo guard before he entered college and he’s still learning the finer details of the position.

Matt Glass (1.8 ppg, 37.5% 3PG). The 6-7 swingman from Vermont was one of just two freshmen to see regular minutes (Correia was the other). His primary asset is long-range gunnery. All but one of his 19 baskets were 3-pointers. In his best performance, Glass scored 14 points (4-6 treys) vs. St. Bonaventure.

Glass plays a bit like former St. Joseph’s star Pat Carroll. He has a smooth-looking shot and quick release and likes to utilize screens. Glass isn’t entirely dimensional. He’s an alert passer and hard worker with sound fundamentals. If he gets stronger and does a better job on the boards, Glass could be a good player. He is a better athlete than he looks and is smarter than most players his age. He’ll never end up on the All-Defensive team or posterize an opponent, but shooters like him are all too rare in the A-10.

Matt Hill (5 games, 8 minutes). Sophomore forward barely played as freshman as he continued to recover from an Achilles injury that cost him his final year of high school. In limited minutes, the 6-8 Hill showed good athleticism and a nice touch, but he’s still a big unknown. He was seen as a versatile player in high school who could score down low and on the perimeter.

NEWCOMERS

Tyrell Lynch – Former Auburn recruit, who grew up in Niagara, N.Y., did not qualify to play and enrolled at UMass last fall. With the graduation of Dante Milligan, Lynch fills a big role on a smallish Minutemen squad. At 6-9 and 235 pounds, he would be one of the biggest post players in the league. Long and athletic, Lynch is a good shotblocker and rebounder with an above-average offensive game. He can play with his back to the basket, pop 15-foot faceup jumpers and has even been known to drop a trey. “Quite honestly, we need him,” Kellogg told the Springfield Republican. “We need him to rebound, be a defensive presence and score some baskets, too.”

Yet for all his talent bigmen who sit out a year usually take awhile to reclaim their games. It won’t be any different for Lynch. He was not in the best shape when practice started and he needs to lose some weight.

Travon Wilcher – Massachusetts native sat out his first season to concentrate on academics and flesh out a thin frame. Ford said the 6-7 Wilcher was one of the most athletic players he’s ever signed. He’s a bigtime leaper who likes to dunk and block shots and is a gazelle in the open floor. Because Wilcher is unpolished offensively, he’s best suited to play power forward, but he lacks the muscle to battle bigger players full time. He’s listed generously at 210 pounds but could spend a summer in a meatpacking plant.

Anthony Gurley – Boston guard transferred from Wake Forest after the death of coach Skip Prosser to be closer to home. Gurley ((No. 38 PrepStars, 2006) can put up points in a hurry. He supplements 3-point range with a nice midrange jumper and also attacks the basket. As a freshman in the ACC, he averaged 6.4 points on 39% shooting, including a career high 24 vs. Georgia Tech. The 6-3 Gurley might be as talented as any perimeter player in the A-10. Few guards can match his combination of size, strength and athleticism. What he needs to show is more consistency on his jumper (32% 3PG) and good decision making (38 turnovers to 15 assists). Both were spotty as a freshman. Since he’s expected to start in a three-guard offense, Gurley will also have to help out on the boards and learn to defend bigger players.

David Gibbs – Combo guard with point capabilities (No. 138, Rivals) is fast in the open floor, shoots well from outside and uses his size and leaping ability to finish around the basket. Ford wriggled a verbal from Gibbs as a junior, and although his stock rose after a strong performance two summers ago, he stuck to his commitment, even after the coaching change. Gibbs played at the same high school as former Minuteman star Marcus Camby. He was also an AAU teammate of St. Joe’s recruit Chris Prescott.

“He’s a type of kid you can build this program around,” Kellogg told the Hampshire Gazette.

SCOUTING REPORT

The backcourt is the obvious strength of the team. Lowe makes the offense go and he’ll find a way to get some easy buckets for the bigmen. Harris and Gurley will supply the outside firepower. And all three will put pressure on opponents with dribble penetration. For a change of pace, Kellogg can go bigger with Glass at small forward without losing any outside shooting.

It will take time, however, for everyone to adapt to new roles in a new offense, especially the bigmen. Their development is crucial.

Of particular concern is rebounding (-1.5 margin), which was a weakness last year for UMass, especially before A-10 play. Kellogg has put heavy emphasis on boardwork in practice. “We’ve done more rebounding drills than a 7th-grade middle school team,” he said.

Gaffney could be one of the best rebounders in the league. Lynch also has the tools to be a glass cleaner. In a three-guard offense, the wing players also have to hit the boards hard.

How to get points in the paint is not as obvious. Bonner likes to hang around the 3-point line and Gaffney is not a fulltime answer. That leaves newcomer Lynch as perhaps the best option. The bigmen don’t have to score much, but they do have to finish when they get the chance.

They should get plenty of chances, too, under the new-fangled “dribble-drive-motion” offense. Put simply, the wing players constantly look to drive, dishing to bigmen for short-range shots or kicking the ball out to teammates for open treys. “Everything about this offense is about getting to the rack and hitting open threes,” Lowe said.

Yet by most accounts, this seemingly simple offense is not easy to master. For a first-time coach, even one very familiar for the system, the odds of his players struggling initially has to be considered high. If the Minutemen struggle early – UMass has a difficult noncon slate – it could prove costly later on.

All the talk of offense, meanwhile, cannot distract players from their defensive resonsibilities. On those nights when the outside shots are not falling and the inside game is missing, the Minutemen will have to defend better to have a chance to win.

“We’ve got to be able to lock people up,” Lowe said.

PREDICTION

The team might be on track for another 20-win season and potentially a third straight postseason tournament. Any A-10 program with such talented guards – in a league renowned for guard play – has to be considered one of the favorites. The UMass backcourt is arguably the league’s deepest and most talented in five years.

“We’re going to surprise a lot of people, just like last year ,” Lowe said.

Yet no one at UMass wants to settle for the NIT. The Minutemen veterans are now used to winning and the school is eager to get back to the NCAA for the first time since 1998. To get there, the players have to get with Kellogg’s offense quickly, the big guys simply have to get with it, and the defense cannot rest.

WH’s

NONCON PREDICTION: 9-5 (8-5 for RPI purposes)

W – vs. Arkansas-Monticello (2K Sports Classic)
W – at Southern Illinois (2K Sports Classic)
L – At Memphis
L – TBA, likely Duke, if UMass beats SIU (2K Sports Classic)
W – JACKSONVILLE STATE
L – At Green Bay-Wisconsin
W – At Toledo
W – BOSTON COLLEGE
W – HOLY CROSS
L – At Kansas
W – HOFSTRA
W – IUPUI
L – At Houston
W – VANDERBILT

UMass has a tough noncon sked, especially for a new coach with a new system. I could see as many as 9 Division 1 wins or as few as 5.

Arkansas-Monticello is a D2 school. Assuming a victory, UMass gets a very young SIU team. The game is in Carbondale, but SIU is even less settled in the frontcourt than UMass and it backcourt is not as good. This is a game a more veteran Minutemen team really should win.

Memphis has a very good frontcourt and is loaded with talent. An upset is not inconceivable but probably unlikely. If UMass beats SIU, the Minutemen would likely play Duke in the third round of the 2K Classic. I call it a loss. Duke’s defense carries the day.

Green Bay Wisconsin has all five starters back and it’s a physical team. I could see the Minutemen falling on the road, just like at IUPUI last year. Yet I don’t see UMass losing to W-GB and Toledo back to back. Both are winnable games against teams with less overall talent.

BC figures to be tough, but UMass is playing at home and the Eagles are young. Holy Cross loses 6-11 monster Tim Clifford and is not as talented as in recent years. UMass could lose either one, though.

A young Kansas team is supertalented and always tough at home. Hofstra is well coached and IUPUI is a solid team, but both lost the equivalent of college superstars (Antonio Agudio at Hofstra and George Hill at IUPUI).

Winning in Houston isn’t easy, although the Minutemen are capable with a superior backcourt. Vandy could be a big win at home. The students are on break and a big crowd is needed. The Commodores have become a very respectable program under Stallings. I expect a split.