ox, a 6-foot-4 guard from Bridgeport, will transfer from the University of Connecticut to the UMass. Cox informed new UMass coach Steve Lappas of his decision Monday afternoon. He picked the Minutemen over Rhode Island and had also considered George Washington before Tom Penders, a Stratford native, resigned as coach on Friday.
"I committed to UMass today," Cox said. "It’s a good situation for me. The staff told me that I would have the chance to play a lot at both guard positions and at small forward."
Cox will have to sit out next year, but he will be able to practice with the Minutemen. He will be eligible to play in the 2002-03 season and will be considered a junior.
"I’ll work on my game next year and concentrate on continuing to do well academically," Cox said.
Lappas, the former coach at Villanova, recruited Cox when he was a standout at Kolbe Cathedral High in Bridgeport. Cox committed to UConn prior to his senior season in August 1998 and went on to earn Register Player of the Year honors while leading Kolbe to the Class M state title.
Cox played in 30 games as a freshman in 1999-00, averaging 1.2 points. He started the first four games of the 2000-01 season but saw his playing dwindle throughout the season. Cox was suspended twice in February and missed the Huskies’ final six games.
The first suspension happened when Cox missed a team meeting the night before the Feb. 6 with Providence. Cox then missed the last six games after being arrested for marijuana possession on Feb. 22.
arcus Cox, a 6-foot-4 guard from Bridgeport, Conn., will transfer from the University of Connecticut to Massachusetts, the New Haven Register reported yesterday.
Cox informed UMass coach Steve Lappas of his decision Monday afternoon.
 Marcus Cox |
"I committed to UMass (Monday)," Cox said. "It's a good situation for me.
"The staff told me that I would have the chance to play a lot at both guard positions and at small forward."
Cox cannot play in the 2001-02 season, but is allowed to practice. Cox will be considered a junior in 2002-03, and eligible to play.
As coach at Villanova, Lappas recruited Cox, a standout at Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport. But Cox committed to UConn in August 1998.
As a freshman in 1999-2000, Cox played in 30 games, and averaged 1.2 points. He started four games in 2000-01, but his playing time decreased as the season progressed.
Cox was suspended twice in February, first for missing a team meeting prior to the Feb. 6 game against Providence.
Cox was also suspended — and missed the team's final six games — after being arrested for marijuana possession Feb. 22.
ox Headed To UMass
Marcus Cox is comfortable with his decision to go to UMass even though the Minutemen and the Huskies share an intense rivalry.
"That didn't weigh into my decision,'' Cox said. "I know there's a rivalry there, but UMass was the best situation for me. I'm still close to home and the coaches were telling me things I wanted to hear. I'll be playing about 25-30 minutes a game and probably starting, so it's a good situation.''
New UMass coach Steve Lappas recruited Cox, the former state player of the year out of Kolbe-Cathedral-Bridgeport, when he was at Villanova.
"As soon as I heard he got the job, I was interested in them,'' Cox said.
Cox averaged 1.8 points and 7.9 minutes in his two seasons at UConn.
MHERST, Mass. -- University of Massachusetts Head Men's Basketball Coach Steve Lappas announced today that Marcus Cox, a 6-4, 190-pound guard from the University of Connecticut, has signed an institutional letter of intent to transfer into the Minuteman program for the 2001-02 season.
"We are very happy that Marcus will be joining our program next year," Lappas said. "He will bring strong play at both the two and one guard positions, and I believe his experience from playing at UConn and in the Big East will help us when he becomes eligible in 2002-03."
Cox, who spent the past two seasons at UConn, will sit out the 2001-02 campaign and have two years of eligibility left at Massachusetts beginning with the 2002-03 season. As a sophomore, Cox appeared in 23 games for the Huskies, and drew four starts. He averaged 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 35.9 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from three-point range and 62.5 percent from the free throw line. Cox, who posted career-highs of 10 points and seven rebounds in UConn's season-opening victory over Quinnipiac, had 31 assists and 14 steals on the year.
As a freshman, Cox appeared in 30 games off the bench and averaged 1.2 points, 1.1 assists and 0.9 rebounds in 5.5 minutes of work per game. He had a career-best seven assists against Coppin State, and had six against Providence College.
A Top 50 recruit who prepped at Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport, Conn., Cox earned Connecticut High School Player of the Year honors as a senior and was a fourth-team Parade Magazine All-American. He averaged 18.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists as a senior when he led Kolbe to a 26-0 record and the Class M title. Cox, a two-time first-team all-state pick, ended his career with 1,285 points, 841 rebounds and 587 assists.
ixteen days after combination guard Marcus Cox announced he was transferring to the University of Massachusetts from rival Connecticut, it became official.
Cox officially signed a letter of intent to join the Minutemen for the 2001-02 season, according to a statement released by the school. He will have to sit out one year due to NCAA transfer rules, but has two years of eligibility remaining.
Cox joins point guard Kyle Wilson and swingman Brennan Martin in new coach Steve Lappas' first recruiting class. Gabriel Lee gave UMass a verbal commitment last month, but his paper work has not been made official.
"(Marcus) will bring strong play at both the two- and the one-guard positions, and I believe his experience playing at UConn and in the Big East will help us when he becomes eligible," said Lappas in the statement.
Cox left Connecticut, a school with a log jam in the backcourt. He averaged only 5.5 minutes, 1.2 points and 1.1 assists per game. He explored the possibility of transferring to UMass when Bruiser Flint was still the coach, and continued that pursuit when scholarships became available under Lappas. He also considered Rhode Island and Iona.
Cox was a top 50-to 75 recruit coming out of Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport, and was the 1998-99 Connecticut High School Player of the Year.
With both Cox and Lee sitting out next season, the Minutemen now have had at least one player sit out for either transfer or academic regulations in each of the last seven seasons.