The Daily Hampshire Gazette - preview
The Springfield Republican - preview
UMass Athletics
The Daily Hampshire Gazette
Harlem Globetrotters
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian
The Springfield Republican
The Springfield Republican - notebook
UMass Athletics
The Daily Hampshire Gazette
Harlem Globetrotters
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian
The Springfield Republican
The Springfield Republican - notebook
MHERST - Fans can usually count on a few things in exhibition basketball games.
The opponent will be a rag-tag operation with bunch of former college stars hoping to land a deal with the CBA or some overseas league. Passing is minimal as players try to earn attention for themselves and defense appears optional.
There will be a few recognizable names to hoop junkies, but most teams' rosters will be forgotten soon after the final buzzer sounds.
Their jerseys won't have names on the back and their rosters will change from game to game.
UMass' exhibition opener will be nothing like that.
The Minutemen will take on the Harlem Globetrotters at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Springfield Civic Center.
This won't be the ''Clown Princes of Basketball'' Globetrotters that take on the Washington Generals in basketball/entertainment events. Since 2000, the Globetrotters have fielded a team playing legitimate basketball. The squad plays a preseason college schedule before taking on teams overseas for the rest of the year.
This is not Team Fokus, Marathon Oil, Statmaster.com or any of the other by-the-seat-of-their-pants barnstorming teams that regular dot the college preseason schedules around the nation.
Unlike the above teams, the Globetrotters are well-organized and well-coached and they actually play defense. This is a squad that manhandled national title contender Michigan State, 97-83, Nov. 2.
The Globetrotters' roster features a handful of former NBA players including Cedric Ceballos and Darrick Martin and familiar Atlantic 10 faces Smush Parker of Fordham and ex-Temple behemoth Ron Rollerson.
Not every player plays every night, but the core is likely to be similar.
UMass coach Steve Lappas is looking forward to facing a difficult opponent.
''That's why we did it. We did want to play somebody good,'' he said. ''We didn't know they were this good. Obviously it's going to be a great test for us. I'm hoping to come out saying our new guys are good. Our old guys are improved. That's more important than the score.''
One of Lappas' focal points during the preseason was to become a better rebounding team. This Globetrotter team will present quite a test.
''We've made rebounding our top priority for the season. This is going to be a test of what we've done in the first two weeks,'' Lappas said. ''We've done a lot of boxing out and rebounding drills. Now we're going to find out for real what it is.
''If we can just hang with these guys off the glass, you've gotta think you're not going to play many teams that are much physically stronger than these guys.''
Lappas said he hadn't decided who would start Sunday.
''It doesn't matter who is going to start in this game,'' he said. ''It has nothing to do with who's going to start in real games.''
NOTES: There is a Family Fun Pack promotion for the game. For $50, fans can get four tickets, four sodas and four hot dogs for $50.
After playing a regular season game in Springfield each of the last three years, this is UMass' only appearance at the Civic Center.
The building is currently being renovated which trimmed the Civic Center's capacity to 5,200.
Matt Vautour can be reached at [email protected].
PRINGFIELD, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team played its first exhibition game this afternoon at the Springfield Civic Center, as they took on the Harlem Globetrotters. Massachusetts kept it close for most of the game, but eventually fell 77-68.
Senior guard Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.) led the way for UMass, scoring 16 points on 5-6 shooting, including four buckets from three-point range. Sophomore forward Rashaun Freeman (Schenectady, N.Y.) poured in 14 points and added five assists in his Minuteman debut. Freshman guard Art Bowers (Wilmington, Del.) was also in double-digits, scoring 12 points, going 5-11 from the field. Junior center Gabe Lee (Camilla, Ga.) chipped in eight points, while his seven rebounds tied a game-high.
Darrick Martin was the leading scorer for the Globetrotters, tallying 19 points on 7-14 shooting, and led the team in assists as well, dishing out five helpers. Cedric Ceballos was the other doube-digit scorer for Harlem, posting an 11-point effort.
UMass will play its second exhibition game on Thursday, Nov. 13, as they take on the Playaz at the Mullins Center. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
PRINGFIELD - It was just one game. It didn't count and it was a loss. But University of Massachusetts men's basketball fans leaving the Springfield Civic Center Sunday afternoon following a 77-68 loss to the Harlem Globetrotters had to feel optimistic about the Minutemen.
Entering the game, the Globetrotters were 4-0, including a 97-82 win last week over Michigan State, a team some people believe could make the Final Four. The legendary touring team hadn't scored fewer than 95 points and hadn't been outrebounded by anybody.
Even though the Globetrotters were playing their second game in as many days, UMass held them to 77 points and outrebounded them 34 to 27.
''Our biggest goal coming in was to play this team even on the glass,'' UMass coach Steve Lappas said. ''For us to outrebound them and to have more offensive rebounds, I would never have guessed this in a thousand years. You saw kids out there playing hard and playing aggressive. We have a long way to go, but as a team we played as a group and we played with a purpose.
''I told these guys 'you played (against) men. We don't have to beat men. We have to beat college guys.'''
Senior captain Anthony Anderson echoed his coach's statements.
''We still have things to work on,'' Anderson said. ''We played well. We came in with two goals: Play them even on the glass and hold them under 50 percent shooting. That's what we focused on. We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish coming into this game.''
Globetrotter owner Mannie Jackson praised the Minutemen.
''We had our hands full,'' Jackson said. ''If they had a tad more poise that comes with maturity, they would have taken that game. I could smell a loss today. They played very well against us. We got outrebounded for the first time this year.''
UMass led for much of the first half and trailed by double digits only once in the whole game. The Minutemen cut the deficit to one at 64-63 with four minutes and 45 seconds left, but Cedric Ceballos hit a 3-pointer to end the spurt and give the victors some breathing room.
UMass will complete its exhibition slate Thursday when it hosts the Playaz Club at 7 p.m. before opening the season Nov. 18 at home against St. Francis in the Preseason NIT.
Anderson led the Minutemen with 16 points (four-for-five from 3-point range) and didn't miss a shot until the game's final minute.
A pair of ex-NBA journeymen led the Globetrotters as Darrick Martin had 19 points, while Ceballos scored 11.
Lappas was pleased at the play of his newcomers and with good reason.
Sophomore rookie Rashaun Freeman added 14 points, four rebounds and a game-high five assists. He showed some solid post moves and decent range on his jumper.
Freshman Artie Bowers added 12 and made both 3-pointers he attempted. Chris Chadwick added seven points and three assists.
''I think I played pretty good,'' said Chadwick, who transferred to UMass from Cecil (Md.) Community College. ''I think I did all right for the first time out. I feel like I can step right in and help the team.''
Even Stephane Lasme, who struggled with fouls (four) and turnovers (five) had five rebounds in nine minutes. Maurice Maxwell added four points.
The Minuteman ran more than they have in recent years. Anderson said it's a sign of things to come.
''We're going to run way more,'' Anderson said. ''That's what we want to do, run in transition. We have the team to do it this year.''
Everyone seemed to agree it was a confidence-building game.
''We told the younger guys if you can play like that against NBA guys, think what you can do against college players,'' Anderson said.
''Just because we did this doesn't mean we're good, but you certainly see the potential. Potential is OK when it gets realized,'' Lappas said. ''There's no doubt on my mind that this program is on the right track ... We have the right kids in place to bring this program to where we want to bring it.''
Matt Vautour can be reached at [email protected].
PRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Harlem Globetrotters, in the midst of playing five games over a seven day period, defeated the University of Massachusetts 77-68 on Sunday afternoon at the Springfield Civic Center. Now 5-0 on the 2003 Fall College Tour, the Globetrotters face Syracuse University, the defending NCAA Division I National Champions, on Tuesday at the Carrier Dome on ESPN2 (8:00 p.m., ET).
�Our players responded well considering we played 16 hours ago,� said Globetrotter Owner and Chairman Mannie Jackson. �We�re pleased to be 5-0 headed into Tuesday�s matchup against the defending national champs. For a young team, UMass did a nice job defensively, considering the fact that we entered today�s game averaging over 100 points per game.�
Holding a 38-37 edge at halftime, the Globetrotters opened the second half with an 8-0 run to increase their lead 45-37. A three-pointer by point guard Darrick Martin gave the Globetrotters a nine point advantage, 58-49. Massachusetts closed the gap 64-63 in the final five minutes, but would never take the lead. The Globetrotters shot over 50-percent for the fifth consecutive game, hitting 32-of-64 shots from the floor (.500-percent) and were perfect from the free throw (nine-of-nine). Martin led the winners with 19 points and forward Cedric Ceballos added 11 points. Anthony Anderson led the Minutemen with 16 points.
The Globetrotters have three games remaining on the 2003 Fall College Tour, including Tuesday�s game at Syracuse University (Nov. 11), followed by a game at IPFW (Nov. 13) and at the University of Texas-El Paso on Nov. 15th.
The 2003 Fall College Tour began on Oct. 27th with the Globetrotters posting a 95-67 win over the University of North Dakota, followed by a 97-82 victory over Michigan State University on Sunday, Nov. 2nd. The Globetrotters won their third consecutive game on Tuesday (Nov. 4) with a 108-75 win over Siena College in Albany, N.Y., and their four straight on Saturday (Nov. 8) over Williams College, 104-79, the defending NCAA Division III national champions.
Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, the Globetrotters will begin their 2003-2004 North American exhibition tour in December with games in more than 200 cities through April of 2004.
rior to facing off with arguably the most storied team in basketball, the Harlem Globetrotters, Massachusetts men's basketball coach Steve Lappas told his young team that he wanted two things from them.
With a team that was outsized and less experienced at all five positions, the third-year Minuteman coach knew a victory would be hard to come by against a team fresh off a 97-83 win over No. 3 Michigan State. He told his players they needed to avoid being out-rebounded, and hold the 'Trotters to less than 40 percent from the field if they wanted to avoid "running for an hour."
Mission half accomplished.
Sophomore center Gabe Lee tied a game-high with seven rebounds as UMass won the battle of the glass 34-27, but the Globetrotters shot 50 percent from the field to slip past Massachusetts 77-68 at the Springfield Civic Center.
Playing in their first collegiate games, freshmen Art Bowers and Rashaun Freeman contributed 12 and 14 points, respectively, with the latter also dishing out five assists.
Junior captain Anthony Anderson led the Minutemen with 16 points, while former UCLA point guard Darrick Martin led all scorers with 19 points for the Trotters. Former Phoenix Sun Cedric Ceballos was the only other Globetrotter in double figures, as the former NBA all-star poured in 11 points.
The Globetrotters opened up a nine-point advantage when guard Keiron Shine scored to make the score 64-55 at the 6:21 mark of the second half.
The Minutemen, however, chipped away at the lead large in part to their transition game. After narrowing the margin to 64-59 with a pair of lay-ups, Bowers hit Freeman with a no-look pass on the fast break for an uncontested dunk. Fellow freshman Maurice Maxwell returned the favor, finding Bowers on the run for a layup that made the score 64-63 with 4:46 remaining.
UMass was unable to even it up, though, as Ceballos answered with a three-pointer to make the score 67-63, and Martin netted 10 of his points down the stretch as the Globetrotters built their lead to as high as 11 before eventually salting the game away.
The Maroon and White came out gunning from the start. After Martin opened the game with a 3-pointer, UMass wheeled off nine straight points and built their lead to as high as seven. The Minutemen held the lead exclusively following the Martin trey until a Ceballos layup gave the Trotters a 14-13 edge with 10:45 remaining in the first half.
The teams traded buckets and the lead for the next three minutes until a pair of Chris Chadwick layups sandwiched around five straight points from Bowers gave UMass a five-point advantage at 27-22 with just under six minutes remaining.
The Globetrotters then went on a 6-0 run, utilizing a William Pippen layup and a pair of free throws from Charles Wells and Ceballos to retake the lead at 28-27.
The teams proceeded to score just one bucket apiece for the final 4:07 of the first half, and a Chadwick three-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer, making the score 30-29 'Trotters at the end of the first half.
The Maroon and White never saw the lead in the second frame, as a pair of Juaquin Hawkins layups and a Martin 3-pointer made the score 45-37 before Chadwick got UMass on the board with a three of his own.
| Harlem Globetrotters | 77 |
| Massachusetts Minutemen | 68 |
| exhibition at the Springfield Civic Center | |
Official Basketball Box Score
Harlem Globetrotters vs Massachusetts
11/09/03 2:00 p.m. at Springfield (Mass.) Civic Center
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VISITORS: Harlem Globetrotters
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
01 HAWKINS,Juaquin..... f 4-7 0-3 0-0 1 0 1 1 8 2 2 0 0 20
30 TATE,Jermaine....... f 2-2 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 2 4 1 1 0 1 24
55 ROLLERSON,Ron....... c 3-8 0-0 0-0 2 5 7 2 6 0 1 3 0 23
15 MARTIN,Darrick...... g 7-14 3-6 2-2 0 0 0 1 19 5 3 0 0 27
24 WELLS,Charles....... g 3-6 0-1 3-3 1 2 3 1 9 1 1 0 0 18
11 SHINE,Keiron........ 3-7 0-2 0-0 1 1 2 0 6 1 0 0 1 14
16 SIMS,Lazarus........ 3-7 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 2 6 3 1 0 2 20
23 CEBALLOS,Cedric..... 3-5 1-3 4-4 0 6 6 1 11 3 1 0 1 24
31 EDGERSON,Eugene..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
33 SANDERS,Alex........ 2-3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 0 1 11
36 PIPPEN,William...... 1-3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4
42 JEFFERSON,Alvin..... 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 9
TEAM................ 1 1 2
Totals.............. 32-64 4-17 9-9 9 18 27 12 77 17 10 3 6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-32 46.9% 2nd Half: 17-32 53.1% Game: 50.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-9 11.1% 2nd Half: 3-8 37.5% Game: 23.5% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 7-7 100 % 2nd Half: 2-2 100 % Game: 100 % 0
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HOME TEAM: Massachusetts
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
01 FREEMAN,Rashaun..... f 7-12 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 0 14 5 2 0 1 29
22 VIGGIANO,Jeff....... f 1-4 0-3 1-2 1 2 3 1 3 4 5 0 2 26
02 LEE,Gabe............ c 3-5 0-0 2-2 3 4 7 0 8 1 1 3 0 32
12 ANDERSON,Anthony.... g 5-6 4-5 2-4 1 0 1 3 16 1 2 0 0 32
34 BOWERS,Art.......... g 5-11 2-2 0-0 0 2 2 0 12 0 2 0 0 21
00 MARTIN,Brennan...... 0-2 0-0 3-3 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 9
05 LASME,Stephane...... 0-1 0-0 1-2 2 3 5 4 1 0 5 0 0 9
11 MAXWELL,Maurice..... 2-7 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 3 4 1 2 0 0 15
13 CHADWICK,Chris...... 3-6 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 2 7 3 1 0 0 17
21 KOUYATE,Alassane.... 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6
50 COX,Marcus.......... 0-1 0-0 0-0 2 3 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 4
TEAM................ 3 3
Totals.............. 26-55 7-12 9-13 11 23 34 15 68 15 22 3 3 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-29 41.4% 2nd Half: 14-26 53.8% Game: 47.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 5-8 62.5% 2nd Half: 2-4 50.0% Game: 58.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 8-11 72.7% 2nd Half: 1-2 50.0% Game: 69.2% 4
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Officials: John Cahill, Jim Burr, Mike Kitts
Technical fouls: Harlem Globetrotters-None. Massachusetts-None.
Attendance: 1688
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Harlem Globetrotters.......... 38 39 - 77
Massachusetts................. 37 31 - 68