MHERST -- This isn’t the way Anthony Gurley imagined the past two years would play out.

Gurley starred at Newton North, leading the Tigers to state titles in his junior and senior seasons. He graduated in 2006 as one of the top local prospects in recent memory.

When Gurley accepted a scholarship to ACC power Wake Forest, a successful college career seemed assured. But the Roxbury native never felt at home in Winston-Salem, N.C.

After a tumultuous freshman year at Wake, Gurley decided to move closer to home, transferring to UMass. He sat out the 2007-08 season under NCAA transfer rules, and now the sophomore is ready to get his career back in motion.

No place like home

The all-time leading scorer at Newton North, the 6-foot-3 Gurley was rated as one of the top shooting guards in the country as a senior. Gurley was on the radar of schools in all of the power conferences, eventually deciding Wake Forest was the right fit for him.

Almost immediately, he knew he made a mistake.

“I really wasn’t happy on the court or off,” Gurley said. “It’s not like that feeling went away because the season went away.”

Despite feeling homesick, Gurley showed promise as a freshman during the 2006-07 season. He appeared in all 31 games for the Demon Deacons, averaging 6.4 points off the bench.

When the season was finished, Gurley had reservations about staying at Wake, but his initial decision was to stick it out and return for his sophomore year. During the summer, however, things turned for the worse.

His coach, Skip Prosser, died unexpectedly in July 2007, suffering a heart attack while jogging on campus.

“It was a very, very tough time for everybody throughout the Wake Forest family,” Gurley said. “It was just a horrible thing that happened. I even took the loss very hard. It was just something that nobody was expecting. He was a great guy (and) a great coach.”

Gurley returned to campus for the first week of the fall semester, but he knew he belonged closer to home. He began looking at the local Division 1 schools, and only one stood out.

UMass had recruited Gurley, and he considered taking his game to Amherst after high school. A year later, with Travis Ford leading the Minutemen back to the top tier of the Atlantic 10, Gurley had a second chance. The easy decision was welcomed after such a turbulent year.

“That point and time in my life was so hectic,” Gurley said. “I was already thinking about transferring, then I decided to come back to school, and then my coach passes away.

“I just wanted to get back closer to home and get out of there. I just really wasn’t happy in that situation. Once I finally made my decision, it felt like there was a lot of weight lifted.”

Fitting in nicely

At UMass, Gurley was faced with a different challenge. Transfer rules dictated he could practice with the team but had to sit on the end of the bench in street clothes during games.

Aside from being sidelined on game days, last year was a positive one for Gurley. He felt comfortable on campus and knew the key pieces would be returning from a team that lost in the NIT final. He also figured to be a good fit in Ford’s up-tempo, 3-point shooting oriented offense.

Gurley never got that opportunity, as Ford left Amherst to take the reins at Oklahoma State in April. It could have been another setback for Gurley, but it turned into a positive when UMass tabbed Memphis assistant Derek Kellogg as Ford’s successor.

Gurley’s relationship with Kellogg dates to when he was an eighth-grader attending camp at Memphis.

“It was definitely a relief to know that he was going to be coming here,” Gurley said. “He has a great background and a great reputation. He coached a national championship-caliber team so I was pretty comfortable when they said he was going to be the coach.”

He’s the ‘man’

Now that he finally has found some stability, Gurley can get back to what he does best: releasing his picture-perfect jump shot and getting to the hoop.

“I’m expecting him to be a man - to come in and do all the man stuff,” Kellogg said of Gurley, who had 14 points and six rebounds in UMass’ 90-71 win over Arkansas-Monticello in last night’s season opener in Carbondale, Ill.

“I’m expecting him to score the tough basket, to guard the other team’s best player and to rebound from the guard spot. Physically and mentally, he can do those things.”

Gurley believes he is up to the challenge.

“My college basketball experience has been pretty crazy so far,” Gurley said. “I’ve had three coaches in three years so it hasn’t been the greatest experience so far, but I still have three years left to play. . . . I went through a lot, but in the end I feel it made me a better person. If I can get through something like that, then I feel like I can get through anything.”