Coverage from:
The Daily Hampshire Gazette - 4/7, Kentucky possibility, Louisville scheduled
The Springfield Republican - 4/27, Kentucky possibility, Louisville scheduled
The Daily Hampshire Gazette - 6/14, Kentucky dates close
The Daily Hampshire Gazette - 7/6, Dartmouth opener, Pittsburgh 3 games in 3 days
The Lexington Herald-Leader - 7/9, Kentucky & Louisville mentioned again
UMass Athletics - 7/21, non-conf nearly complete
The Springfield Republican - 7/22
The Daily Hampshire Gazette - 7/22
The Daily Hampshire Gazette - 8/5
UMass Athletics - 8/28, schedule completed

niversity of Massachusetts coach Travis Ford already has his college coach on the schedule and he could be adding his college.

The Minutemen are exploring the possibility of a home-and-home series with Kentucky, Ford's alma mater, beginning next season. The Wildcats would likely host UMass during the 2006-07 season, with Kentucky coming to Massachusetts in 2007-08 for a game possibly at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Current Wildcat coach Tubby Smith was an assistant coach at Kentucky when Ford was a player there. The two have remained friends and talk regularly.

If the Kentucky series doesn't work out, the Minutemen are looking into possibly playing Syracuse.

If the Kentucky game happens, it would mark two games in the Bluegrass State for UMass, who are scheduled to play at Louisville as well. The Cardinals are coached by UMass grad Rick Pitino, who was the head coach at Kentucky during Ford's playing career.

HAPPY FOR DONOVAN - Another member of Pitino's mid-1990s Kentucky staff, Billy Donovan, led Florida to the NCAA championship Monday night.

''It was nice because I did pick them, in an unbiased way, before the tournament started,'' Ford said. ''You could tell they really enjoyed playing and that their kids were having fun. It was nice to see Bill enjoying it as well.''

Ford planned to show his team film of the Gators as inspiration for next season.

''It's no coincidence that they won. Were they talented? Absolutely,'' Ford said. ''Were there other teams 10 times more talented like Connecticut and others? But if you don't play with fire, passion and emotion, you can throw it out the door.''

UMass hopes to schedule a series with the Gators for the 2007-08 season.

VIGGIANO HEADED OVERSEAS - Graduating senior Jeff Viggiano is in the process of interviewing agents, hoping to head overseas to finish his basketball career professionally.

QUOTABLE - While getting set to pose for a picture, Rashaun Freeman nearly dropped one of the three awards he received at Thursday night's end-of-the season banquet at the Campus Center.

''Almost another turnover,'' Ford said needling Freeman for his troubles giving the ball away this season.

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. For more UMass coverage including a frequently updated UMass sports blog, go to www.dailyhampshiregazette.com/umsports.

EN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULING - The last game of the men's basketball schedule always seems to be the most difficult to finalize and this year is no different as UMass is still trying to find a home-and-home game to complete its 2006-07 slate.

UMass has explored several options, but either open dates or finances have not matched up.

The Minutemen will open the season at home Nov. 11 against Dartmouth. No time has been officially set, but the athletic department hopes fans will attend the basketball game after going to the noon football game against Maine at McGuirk Stadium.

The four-team event in November hosted by Pittsburgh doesn't have an official name yet. It will likely take on the name of a sponsoring corporation.

UMass, Northeastern and Oakland also will play in the event which is not a true tournament and will not have a champion. Each team will play the other three once on Nov. 17, 18 and 19.

HOOP NAMES AND NUMBERS - Walk-on Drew Rossi of Springfield, who would have been a senior this year, has left the Minuteman basketball team. Former Boston University reserve Tony Gaffney and incoming freshman Chris Donald will join Nana Ampim and Matt Pennie as walk-ons this season.

NCAA rules prohibit UMass from listing Gaffney and Donald on the roster until they have enrolled in classes in the fall.

Gaffney, a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 4.5 points in 17.0 minutes in 17 games last year, follows Etienne Brower from BU to Amherst. Gaffney will not be able to play this season under NCAA rules.

Junior swingman Gary Forbes has switched his jersey number from No. 45 last season to No. 3. A lifelong Michael Jordan fan, Forbes had always worn No. 23 before going to UMass.

Because Lawrence Carrier already had that number Forbes opted for 45, the number Jordan wore briefly after coming out of retirement.

Sitting out last season under NCAA transfer rules, the former Virginia Cavalier only wore 45 on his practice gear.

But like his idol, Forbes decided he didn't like the number and will wear No. 3 when he makes his UMass debut.

Brower, who will be asked to fill Jeff Viggiano's multi-positional role, will also fill his jersey as he switched from No. 21 to 22.

Freshman Tiki Mayben will wear No. 10 this season.

ravis Ford returns

Barring a last-minute surprise, former UK guard Travis Ford will return to Rupp Arena this coming season. His UMass team is scheduled to play at UK on Dec. 22.

UK then will play UMass again in the 2007-08 season. That rematch will be in Boston.

UMass is also playing at Louisville in the Billy Minardi Classic. However, there's no return game expected.

UMass is expected to be among the better teams in the Atlantic-10 Conference. The Minutemen return four starters from a 14-15 team that played competitively most nights. UMass also adds four transfers who sat out last season.

MHERST, Mass. - With the excitement of the 2006-07 men's basketball season mounting, the University of Massachusetts has released its preliminary non-conference schedule. Under second-year Head Coach Travis Ford, UMass will play one of the most challenging out-of-conferences slates in recent memory. The Minutemen will take on 18 teams that participated in postseason play over the last three years including nine playoff teams from a season ago. Also, nine teams on the schedule have been ranked in the Top 25 at some point over the last three years including six that have been ranked in the Top 5 since 2004. Those teams which UMass will play in 2006-07 include: Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Saint Joseph's and George Washington.

"We have put together one of the toughest non-conference schedules, in fact it is the most difficult one I have played against as a coach," said Ford, who is in his 10th year overall as a head coach. "We have assembled a schedule with these opponents to prepare us for our Atlantic 10 conference schedule where we will have many challenging road games as well."

For ticket information, please call 1-866-UMASS-TIX.

UMass opens its 2006-07 season with a visit from regional rival Dartmouth on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Mullins Center. That game will tip-off at 5 p.m. following UMass' football game against Maine held at McGuirk Stadium.

The Minutemen will then travel to the University of Pittsburgh for a three-day tournament from Nov. 17-19. The Minutemen will face Oakland on the 17th, Northeastern on the 18th and the host Panthers on the final day. Pittsburgh was ranked in the Top 10 most of last season and finished ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll.

"The tournament at Pittsburgh will be a great experience for our team," said Ford. "To play three games in three days will be a task for them. Hopefully our summer training and trip to the Bahamas will have served us well in preparation for playing this type of event. Taking on Pittsburgh is a great game for us, as they have been one the nation's top teams over the last few years."

UMass returns home to host St. Francis of New York on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. That game will be followed by the return trip to Savannah State on Nov. 28.

The Minutemen host in-state rival Boston College on Dec. 2. The tip-time for the game against Eagles, who finished last season ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll, has not been set. UMass takes on another school from the Commonwealth just four days later as the Minutemen will play at Boston University on Dec. 6. The game will mark UMass' inaugural game at the new Agganis Arena.

On Dec. 9, UMass will play Central Connecticut State at the Mohegan Sun Arena at 7 p.m. It marks the fourth time in six years the teams hook up in Uncasville, Conn.

UMass then hits the road for its two biggest non-conference games, both of which have personal meaning for Coach Ford as UMass plays at Lousiville and Kentucky. The Minutemen will take on Louisville, coached by UMass alum and Ford's college coach Rick Pitino, on Dec. 13 at Freedom Hall in the Annual Billy Minardi Classic. The event which originated in 2002, honors the memory of Billy Minardi, the brother-in-law and friend of Pitino who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. On Dec. 22, UMass returns to the Bluegrass State to take on Kentucky, Ford's alma mater at Rupp Arena.

"Of course I'm excited to have two games in the state of Kentucky," said Ford, who graduated from Kentucky in 1994. "But more important is the fact that I want our players to see what it's like to play in the type of atmosphere that comes at Freedom Hall and with 25,000 screaming fans at Rupp. It will serve our players well in preparing for the conference season to play in two of the most energetic and enthusiastic environments. Additionally, it is truly an honor to play in the Billy Minardi Classic with Coach Pitino. Knowing how close the two were, it will be very special to coach against my mentor."

UMass returns home to face Yale on Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. The Minutemen will take Miami from the ACC on Jan. 2 in their final non-conference game of the season prior to the start of the A-10 campaign at Mullins Center.

Television arrangements are still being finalized. It is expected that the Minutemen will have several national-television appearances on the ESPN Networks. Additionally, the Atlantic 10 has signed a new conference agreement with CSTV which will provide increased exposure as UMass will be telecast several times on that network.

UMass still has to schedule one more non-conference game, but that will be released at a later date. All dates are subject to change as well as the listed game times.

The Atlantic 10 portion of the schedule with dates will be released later this summer. UMass will take on the following conference teams at the Mullins Center: Duquesne, George Washington, La Salle, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis and Temple. On the road, UMass will play at Charlotte, Dayton, Fordham, La Salle, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's, Temple and Xavier.

The 2007 Atlantic 10 Basketball Championships will be held at the Boardwalk Arena in Atlantic City for the first time in history, beginning on March 7 and running through March 10.

he University of Massachusetts men's basketball team still has one game to add to its 2006-07 nonconference schedule, but the school released the rest of its out-of-league slate Friday with no surprises.

The schedule features five national caliber games. UMass is at Louisville (Dec. 13), Kentucky (Dec. 22) and plays Pittsburgh in a three-game, still-to-be-named event at the University of Pittsburgh. The Minutemen play the Panthers on Nov. 19 in the final day of the three day event that also includes Northeastern (No. 18) and Oakland (Nov. 17).

The two games in Kentucky have particular importance to Minuteman coach Travis Ford, who played for Kentucky under Rick Pitino, who is now coaching at Louisville. The Louisville game is the annual Billy Minardi Classic named after Pitino's brother in law, who was killed in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.

'I'm excited to have two games in the state of Kentucky,' said Ford in a statement released by UMass. 'But more important is the fact that I want our players to see what it's like to play in the type of atmosphere that comes at Freedom Hall (Louisville) and with 25,000 screaming fans at Rupp (Arena, Kentucky). It will serve our players well in preparing for the conference season to play in two of the most energetic and enthusiastic environments. Additionally, it is truly an honor to play in the Billy Minardi Classic with Coach Pitino. Knowing how close the two were, it will be very special to coach against my mentor.'

UMass hosts two Atlantic Coast Conference teams. The annual game with Boston College is Dec. 2 at the Mullins Center, while Miami completes a two-game contract with the Minutemen on Jan. 2.

UMass will spend a lot of time away from the Mullins Center with at least eight games on the road or at neutral sites. There could be a ninth road game as well depending on the game still to be added.

After opening the season at home against Dartmouth on Nov. 11, UMass heads to Pittsburgh for the three games there.

St. Francis of New York visits UMass on Nov. 22, before the Minutemen travel to Georgia to face Savannah State Nov. 28.

After BC, UMass has four straight away from the Mullins Center with two in New England - Boston University (Dec. 6) and Central Connecticut at Mohegan Sun Arena (Dec. 9). - followed by the two games in Kentucky.

Yale will play at the Mullins Center on Dec. 28.

The Minutemen have explored schools in four time zones for the final game. Indiana State and Southern Methodist are the latest possibilities, but no announcement with any school is imminent. The game will likely be in November.

Historically the Atlantic 10 is among the last conferences to release its league schedule so it will likely be at least another month until the dates are announced, but the Minutemen know who they are playing and where.

They'll play home and road games with Temple, Rhode Island and La Salle. They host Duquesne, George Washington, Richmond, Saint Bonaventure and Saint Louis and travel to Charlotte, Dayton, Fordham, Saint Joseph's and Xavier.

RECRUITING - The verbal commitment from Springfield big man Travon Wilcher earlier this week, left the Minutemen coaching staff with potentially three scholarships available to offer. They appear to be looking at quite a few players:

- UMass is in the mix for Brandon McGee, a 6-foot-7 forward from Crane Technical in Chicago. A member of the Illinois Warriors AAU program, McGee has had a big summer and is among the best rebounders among rising seniors. He's gotten considerable interest from Big East, Big Ten, ACC, and Conference USA schools.

- Mike Venezia, a 6-2 standout combo guard from Westfield, N.J. is on UMass' radar as well as several Big East and A-10 schools.

- Wilcher isn't the only recruit with local connections on UMass' radar. Twin big men Terrell and Jerrell Williams are Paterson, N.J. natives, who both attend Northfield Mount Hermon. Jerrell is 6-8, while Terrell is listed as an inch shorter. Both are looking at UMass, Rhode Island, Providence, Seton Hall and Utah.

- Their 6-1 teammate Gary Correia has listed the Minutemen as well as some Ivy League schools.

- Jamine 'Greedy' Peterson, a 6-5 wing from Brooklyn, has listed UMass, Iowa State, Memphis and most of the upper-level New York and New Jersey schools.

- Fellow NYC star Nathaniel Lester, a 6-4 swingman from Brooklyn with a reputation as a strong shooter, told Scout.com earlier this month that he's looking at UMass, St. John's, Hofstra, Xavier and Fordham.

- UMass has recruited Florida hard during Ford's tenure and Lake Wales 6-3 shooting guard Dominique Jones is the latest Sunshine Stater to draw the staff's interest. He's gotten looks from ACC, SEC and Big East schools as well.

- Fellow Floridian Larry Sanders, a 6-9 shot blocker from Port St. Lucie has listed UMass, Florida Atlantic, St. Bonaventure and Southern Illinois.

- Damian Saunders already took an unofficial visit to UMass. The 6-8 forward from Crosby, Conn. is prepping at Notre Dame of Fitchburg this season.

- Fellow Connecticut resident Kareem Brown, a 6-foot combo guard from New Haven has listed UMass among several A-10 schools.

- Mark Lyons, a 6-foot shooting guard, who plays for the Albany City Rocks, the same AAU program that produced current Minutemen Rashaun Freeman and Tiki Mayben is looking at UMass as well as a handful of Big East, ACC and Atlantic 10 schools.

- D'Mario Caeser, a 6-foot point guard from Buffalo who is at the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina, has listed UMass as well.

- Chris Prescott, a 6-2 guard from Hartford, will only be a junior in the fall, but he's already listing the Minutemen among a collection of big time programs.

- Kojo Mensah, the former Siena star who is transferring, has mentioned UMass as one of the schools he'd like to go to, but it seems unlikely to be a match. He seems likely to end up at Duquesne.

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. For more UMass coverage including a frequently updated UMass sports blog, go to www.dailyhampshiregazette.com/umsports.

he team that the University of Massachusetts faces in its final nonconference game won't be familiar to most Minuteman fans, but it is to Minuteman coach Travis Ford.

UMass filled its final slot in the 2006-07 schedule with Jacksonville (Ala.) State, one of Ford's old Ohio Valley Conference rivals when he coached Eastern Kentucky.

UMass will play the Gamecocks Nov. 25, combining the trip with the Nov. 28 game at Savannah State.

After going 7-22 in 2004-05, the Gamecocks were one of the nation's most improved teams last season at 16-13 and finished fourth (12-8) in the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished with a ratings percentage index rank of 181, according to Collegerpi.com.

Jacksonville State is led by 6-foot-5 forward Courtney Bradley, who averaged 15.3 points per game last year as a junior.

The Atlantic 10 schedule won't be released until later in August or early September.

MHERST, Mass. - After a perfect 5-0 record on its preseason training trip in the Bahamas, the complete 2006-07 regular-season schedule for the UMass men's basketball season has been released. Under second-year Head Coach Travis Ford, UMass will play one of the most challenging slates in recent memory. The Minutemen will take on 18 teams that participated in postseason play over the last three years including nine playoff teams from a season ago. Also, nine teams on the schedule have been ranked in the Top 25 at some point over the last three years including six that have been ranked in the Top 5 since 2004. Those teams which UMass will play in 2006-07 include: Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Saint Joseph's and George Washington.

"The schedule for the 2006-07 season is the most challenging I have faced as a coach," said Ford, who is in his 10th year overall as a head coach. "In addition to the tough non-conference games against the likes of Kentucky, Louisville, Boston College and Pittsburgh, our conference schedule in the A-10 presents great competition including some top match-ups at the Mullins Center against George Washington, Temple and Saint Louis."

For ticket information, please call 1-866-UMASS-TIX. The games and times are subject to change due to the CSTV television schedule which is yet to be finalized. In addition to the five games televised, UMass will have more as part of the league package.

UMass' league schedule opens on Jan. 6 as the Minutemen travel to LaSalle. The Minutemen return home for two of their biggest conference games as they host George Washington on Jan. 10 and Temple on Jan. 13. Both games are set for 7 p.m. starts. Three of the next four games are on the road, as the Minutemen head to Xavier for a nationally-televised game on ESPN2 on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. After a Jan. 21 home game against Duquesne at 2 p.m., UMass heads to Rhode Island on Jan. 24 and Charlotte on Jan. 28.

February opens with two home games as Richmond comes to the Mullins Center on Feb. 3 for a Noon start, due to a night hockey game against UMass Lowell. On Feb. 8, the Minutemen will host age-old rival Rhode Island at 8 p.m., in a game that will be broadcast nationally on CSTV.

UMass hits the road for its next three games: at Temple on Feb. 11, at Fordham on Feb. 15 and at Dayton on Feb. 18. The Fordham game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 at 9 p.m., from Rose Hill Gym.

After three on the road, UMass plays three at home with visits from St. Bonaventure on Feb. 21, Saint Louis on Feb. 24 and La Salle on Feb. 28. The regular-season closes with a road game at Saint Joseph's on March 3.

The 2007 Atlantic 10 Basketball Championships will be held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City for the first time in history, beginning on March 7 and running through March 10.

UMass will open the season with an exhibition against the University of Bridgeport on Nov. 4 at the Mullins Center followed by the regular-season opener against Dartmouth at 5 p.m., on Nov. 11. That game will serve as the second-half of a doubleheader with the football game against Maine, which starts at Noon, at McGuirk Stadium. The Minutemen will then travel to the University of Pittsburgh for a three-day tournament, the Colonial Classic from Nov. 17-19. In a change from original schedules, the Minutemen will face Oakland on the 17th, the host Panthers on the 18th and Northeastern on the final day. Pittsburgh was ranked in the Top 10 most of last season and finished ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll.

UMass returns home to host St. Francis of New York on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. That game will be followed by a trip to the south where UMass will play at Jacksonville State on Nov. 25 and the return trip to Savannah State on Nov. 28.

The Minutemen host in-state rival Boston College on Dec. 2 at 2 p.m., in a game that will be televised nationally on CSTV. The Eagles finished last season ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll. UMass takes on another school from the Commonwealth just four days later as the Minutemen will play at Boston University on Dec. 6. The game will mark UMass' inaugural game at the new Agganis Arena. On Dec. 9, UMass will play Central Connecticut State at the Mohegan Sun Arena at 7 p.m. It marks the fourth time in six years the teams hook up in Uncasville, Conn.

UMass then hits the road for its two biggest non-conference games, both of which have personal meaning for Coach Ford as UMass plays at Louisville and Kentucky. The Minutemen will take on Louisville, coached by UMass alum and Ford's college coach Rick Pitino, on Dec. 13 at Freedom Hall in the Annual Billy Minardi Classic. The event which originated in 2002, honors the memory of Billy Minardi, the brother-in-law and friend of Pitino who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. On Dec. 22, UMass returns to the Bluegrass State to take on Kentucky, Ford's alma mater at Rupp Arena.

Both the Louisville and Kentucky games will be aired in Kentucky with the hope that they will be broadcast back to the New England area.

UMass returns home to face Yale on Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. The Minutemen will take Miami from the ACC on Jan. 2 in their final non-conference game of the season prior to the start of the A-10 campaign at Mullins Center.

Again, all game dates and times are subject to change.