May 18, 2006 - Minutemen lose recruit

Luis Colon will not be playing men's basketball at the University of Massachusetts, according to the web site of his AAU team, the Miami Tropics.

The highly recruited 6-foot-10, 260-pound center and power forward will attend Kansas State. Colon also turned down Duquesne, and a late bid from the University of Miami. He attends Krop High in Miami, and was considered the nation's best senior big man still available, according to many recruiting sources.

The decision is a disappointment for UMass, but not considered devastating. The Minutemen believe they are well-stocked in the low post, but Colon was such an unusually good prospect that coach Travis Ford was willing to use the one remaining open scholarship to add him.

In all likelihood, that scholarship will now go unfilled for the coming year.

"I finally decided," Colon was quoted as saying. "They were all great. UMass and Duquesne made me feel so wanted that it was hard to say no."

He did say no, however, to not only those two schools but Connecticut, Pittsburgh and St. John's, who tried to lure him to the Big East.

Colon, who averaged 14.8 points and 4.5 blocked shots as a senior, said UMass was probably his runner-up choice because of the large Puerto Rican community in the region. Kansas State coach Bob Huggins and his assistant, Frank Martin, ultimately won the recruiting battle.

Colon visited UMass as well as Kansas State and Duquesne.

May 11, 2006 - Pair verbally agree to UMass

With the 2007-08 season still 18 months away, the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team expects backcourt help from two recruits who have already made verbal commitments.

Marcus Matthews, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Bishop Loughlin High School of Brooklyn, N.Y., and 5-10 point guard Joey Rodriguez of Lake Howell High of Winter Park, Fla., will be high school seniors next fall.

Verbal commitments are not binding, and coaches cannot comment on recruits until they are signed. The next signing period is next fall, but Rodriguez and Matthews

That positions UMass to fill the spots vacated by guard James Life and guard/forward Brandon Thomas, who will leave after next season.

"It's nice to decide before my senior year," said Rodriguez, whose school is in a suburb of Orlando. "We've lost in the Florida (high school) final four the last three years. Now I can concentrate on trying to win it."

"Joey has the skills and the toughness," said Matt Ramker, president of the Florida Rams, Rodriguez' AAU team.

"If he were 6-3 or 6-4, every high major college in the country would be knocking on his door," Ramker said. "He doesn't have the pro size they covet, but he has very, very few deficiencies.

"I think I have to work most on my defense, because it's more physical in college," Rodriguez said. "I weigh 164 now, and I'd like to get up to 180 by senior year."

To do it, Rodriguez has been working with weights twice a week.

"I've already gained 10 pounds in two weeks, so 180 is pretty possible," he said.

 say they've decided.

May 9, 2006 - UMass took a step back in order to move forward

"I said that a couple of times this year. We did it because of the (three) transfers" who had to sit out this season, but will play for UMass next year, Ford said. "Even if you don't do that in the first year, you change things so drastically, you have to take a step back in order to take a step forward."

Ford's first year at UMass resulted in a 13-15 record and a first-round loss in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Minutemen were 10-2 at home, however, and averaged 4,904 fans per game at the Mullins Center.

"Our record was pretty relevant to who we were and what our schedule was and all the things that go on in a first year," Ford said.

Ford came here just over a year ago after leading Eastern Kentucky to an NCAA basketball tournament berth. He described the last 14 months as a "whirlwind."

"It's gone by so quickly because I've stayed so busy," he said. "From the time I made the decision to (come) here, to getting on the road and promoting the program, I spent less time on basketball in the preseason and I've vowed never to do that again."

Ford admitted that his getting on the road was very important because he had to establish some energy for the UMass program.

"I was a little behind basketball-wise for myself, preparing for when practice started," Ford continued. "I'm looking forward to spending more time in this offseason on basketball issues and the basketball team."

For the record, UMass started out pretty well, going 9-5 in its first 14 games. That included a 60-34 home win over Temple that was shown on ESPN. From that point, things went downhill.

UMass won only one of its next six games, and won only five games from Jan. 21 until the end of the season. The only road wins came at St. Bonaventure and Duquesne, two of the worst teams in the A-10.

Add to that the mid-season losses of guards Artie Bowers and Maurice Maxwell, and the Minutemen weren't ready for a big season.

"We were who we were," said Ford. "Not only did we have just eight guys, we had one point guard. We had one shooter on the basketball team. We just didn't have enough weapons," he said

And weapons are what Ford is hoping to unveil this fall. The three transfers will be eligible and UMass has also brought in two freshmen in Ricky Harris and Tiki Mayben.

"I think we're going to have a balance of good seniors, plus some good underclassmen. You never want a whole team of seniors because then you're rebuilding the year after," said Ford. "Seniors are good, they usually provide great leadership and they usually understand this is their last go-round."

But Ford remains upbeat about the future of the Minutemen. UMass just signed Harris, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Winchendon School. Harris averaged 17 points per game and shot 43 percent from three-point range.

"Ricky brings a new and different dimension to our basketball team," said Ford. "He is a great shooter who can create his own shot."

That last phrase, "create his own shot," is something Ford said he wants more of next year, and with incoming junior Gary Forbes, he might just get it.

"He's going to be a guy you can basically give the ball to and say 'go score.' That's something we didn't have this year," said Ford. "We didn't have what we like to call the 'X-factor,' when a play doesn't work and you have a go-to guy who can create his own shot."

Forbes is a 6-foot-7 forward who transferred from the University of Virginia. He joins 7-footer Luke Bonner and 6-7 forward Etienne Brower as transfers who worked with the team all year and will be in uniform this fall. Bonner came to UMass from West Virginia and Brower arrives from Boston University.

Add to the mix Mayben of Troy, N.Y., and the Minutemen have a pretty solid roster of players.

"When I took over and I took as many transfers as I did and sat four guys, I knew it was probably going to hurt us in the first year," said Ford. "We sacrificed a little bit for the benefit of the program and the future of the program."

The future of which starts now.

May 4, 2006 - State honors Granby coach

Add another twist to Mike Gill's story, but this time make it a positive turn.

The Massachusetts  Basketball Coaches Association has named Gill as its Western Massachusetts Coach of the Year in Division III high school girls basketball for the 2005-06 season.

"I am really appreciative of this, because it's an award based on a vote of my fellow coaches," Gill said.

Gill coached Granby for the last three seasons, this year leading the Rams (19-4) to the sectional final.

Gill was suspended indefinitely after he made physical contact with a player on his team during a sectional semifinal win in March.

Superintendent Patricia A. Stevens made the decision to not rehire Gill, who has reapplied for the position.

Gill will be honored at a Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association banquet in November.

April 6, 2006 - Has it been a decade?

Believe it or not, a decade has passed since the University of Kentucky returned to national prominence in college basketball.

Ten years ago, the Wildcats put the finishing touches on a successful climb back to the top from the ashes of scandal-ridden shame to win the school's sixth national championship. It took just seven years to overcome a recruiting scandal, which nearly destroyed the program.

“It seems like it's been two or three years back,” former Kentucky sports information director Brooks Downing said. “It has just flown by.”

Former team member Jeff Sheppard agreed and shook his head in disbelief when he realized how much time had elapsed in between the team's successful accomplishment.

“I can't believe it,” he said. “I heard that it had been 10 years the other day and it really caught me off-guard. I really didn't realize it had been that long. It shocked me.”

Earlier this week, the squad, which went 34-2, was voted one of the top four national championship teams of all-time by a poll of national voters on ESPN Classic. By the time the bracket was all filled out, the team was mentioned in the same breath as Indiana's undefeated unit in 1976 and North Carolina's 1982 squad, which featured future NBA superstar Michael Jordan and James Worthy.

Rightfully so, the team was deep, talented, well-coached and deserved a place among the best championship teams in the history of college basketball.

“It may have been one of the most talented basketball teams of all-time,” Downing said. “If you look at the team photo 10 years later, some of those guys are still drawing a paycheck from the NBA.”

Since then, the landscape of college basketball has changed, as evidenced by this year's crop of Final Four teams.

For the first time since Kentucky's successful run 10 years ago, the Southeastern Conference has two teams in the national semifinals. Mississippi State joined the Wildcats, UMass and Syracuse a decade ago in East Rutherford, N.J. Florida, led by former Kentucky assistant Billy Donovan and Louisiana State are part of this year's field.

Ten years ago, Kentucky defeated Massachusetts in the national semifinals and beat Syracuse in the finals. Today, the Minutemen are coached by a former Wildcat - Travis Ford - who is trying to put the program back on the national stage.

Following the feat a decade ago, Kentucky was national runner-up in 1997 and captured its seventh national title one year later. The Wildcats haven't been back to the Final Four since, but have come close, losing in the regional semifinals three times.

Indeed, time flies.

March 31, 2006 - Xavier ousts UMass

In the end, first-year coach Travis Ford saw his team succumb to host Xavier, 75-66, closing out a season in which the Minutemen finished 13-15.

It is the fourth consecutive year UMass was eliminated on the opening day of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

Turnovers again played a significant role, as the Minutemen committed 20, including 12 in the first half. ''The turnovers today was just one of those things," said Ford. ''We had four of five balls with no one around us that we just dropped. The turnovers have been an issue with this basketball team."

Staking Xavier to a 33-21 halftime lead, and needing a comeback reminiscent of last Saturday's 65-56 win over the Musketeers, UMass ran out of both time and energy. ''I told them at halftime that the tables had turned, where we were the physical and aggressive team five days ago," said Ford.

Juniors James Life and Stephane Lasme breathed life into the UMass attack to open the second half, connecting for 13 of the Minutemen's first 16 points. Life hit a 3-pointer, and then converted a steal at halfcourt into a dunk to bring the Minutemen to within 8 points. However, Xavier regained its composure, building a 14-point lead at 13:45 on a pair of 3-pointers and a layup by Justin Cage.

UMass charged back valiantly, closing to within 5 points with 2:54 remaining, before Xavier junior Justin Doellman's 3-pointer fell as the Minutemen saw their window of opportunity close.

However, Xavier connected on 9 of 14 free throws in the final two minutes to seal UMass's fate.

Life led UMass with 24 points, 16 in the second half. Lasme netted 20 points and hauled down eight rebounds. Xavier placed five players in double figures, paced by Stanley Burrell's 22 points.

While Rashaun Freeman did grab a game-high 10 rebounds, but UMass's leading scorer netted just 7 points. Jeff Viggiano was limited to 6 points, as the senior didn't connect for his first basket, a corner trey, until 7:44 of the second half. ''It's depressing," said Viggiano. ''It's not the way you want to go out. They had more energy than us."

February 27, 2006 - WEAK SECOND HALF OPENS WAY FOR UMASS TO BEAT DAYTON

Massachusetts used a 12-0 run early in the second half to spark a 66-47 win over Dayton on Saturday. Warren Williams led UD with 13 points.

Memphis coach John Calipari, who led the Minutemen to the 1996 Final Four, was a surprise visitor for a ceremony naming "Jack Lehman Court" for the well-liked former coach and broadcaster.

Calipari, who took a private plane to the event, left after halftime to coach his team against Tulsa on Saturday night in Memphis. He missed a dominant second half for Minuteman, who outscored the Flyers 40-18 after the break.

Rashaun Freeman scored 15 of his 19 points and grabbed nine of his 12 rebounds after intermission for UMass (12-13, 7-7 Atlantic 10).

James Life led all scorers with 25 and held Dayton leading scorer Brian Roberts to nine points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Warren Williams was Dayton's only double-digit scorer. He shot 5-7 from the field, including three-for-three from three-point range. Dayton led 29-26 at the break.

UD (13-15, 5-9 A-10) remains on the road Wednesday. The Flyers play at Saint Louis at 8:00 p.m. EST. Dayton will finish the regular season at home next Saturday against Rhode Island. That Senior Day game will tip-off at 12:00 Noon EST.

February 22, 2006 - Withers go Charlotte

"Curtis Withers is one of the best rebounders in the country, let alone the Atlantic 10," University of Massachusetts basketball coach Travis Ford said as the Minutemen (11-12, 6-6 Atlantic 10) return home to face Charlotte (16-9, 9-3), a first-year A-10 member.

The 49ers are led by the 6-foot-8 Withers, a senior who is averaging 15.4 points per game, and whose 11.3 rebounding average ranks fourth in the nation. Withers is kind of like a Charles Oakley type, or Anthony Mason," Ford said. "He can step out and shoot the 3, but his game is overpowering people.

"If Rashaun wants to be considered one of the best players in the Atlantic 10, Curtis is a good start (for comparison)," Ford said.

Freeman snapped a personal recent slump (2-for-13 shooting, 21 rebounds over his previous three games) with 25 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in a 72-64 victory at St. Bonaventure Sunday. He says he knows the task he faces tonight for UMass, which will play its first home game in two weeks.

"Charlotte is new to the league, so I've only seen Withers play against Fordham," said the 6-9 Freeman, a junior whose 9.4 rebounds per game rank 40th in the nation, and second to Withers in the A-10.

"I'd known he was a good scorer and rebounder, but I didn't know until now he could hit the 15-footer," Freeman said. "Myself and (UMass forward) Stephane Lasme will definitely have to strike first, as far as being aggressive goes."

What Freeman doesn't want, he said, is to make too much of the matchup at the expense of the game.

"I've got to keep (Withers) in my mind, and keep a body on him," he said. "But I've also got to focus on my own game."

One UMass player who has rediscovered his game is 6-6 junior Brandon Thomas, who was restored to the starting lineup on the road trip, and averaged 10.3 points in the three games.

"Starting made me feel as if coach Ford had confidence in me," said Thomas, who started the season's first 13 games, then came off the bench for seven.

In midseason, he filled in at point guard, but struggled mightily.

"Playing the point was a tough transition, but I think it will help me, and our team, in the long run," Thomas said. "Other teams are pressuring us, and we need guys who can handle the ball."

Charlotte sits in second place in the A-10, and its 8-3 overall road record is bettered only by league leader George Washington's 8-1 mark away from home.

UMass is 8-1 at the Mullins Center, where it hasn't played since a 65-44 loss to La Salle Feb. 8.