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Box score


Playaz final tuneup for Minutemen
By Matt Vautour, The Daily Hampshire Gazette Staff Writer, 11/13/2003

AMHERST - One game after playing a Harlem Globetrotters team stocked with recognizable names, the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team will return to a more normal exhibition opponent in Playaz which does not have many known players.

The Minutemen will have their final tune-up for the regular season at 7 tonight at the Mullins Center when they take on the Playaz Basketball Club.

UMass will open its 2003-04 season at 7 p.m. Tuesday against St. Francis in the Preseason NIT at Mullins.

Tonight's game will mark the Mullins Center debuts of a handful of Minutemen. Highly-touted rookies Artie Bowers, Maurice Maxwell, Rashaun Freeman and Stephane Lasme as well as walk-ons Adham Osman and Will Collins will be in action for the first time on their home floor.

The one name on the Playaz roster that will jump off the page to western Massachusetts hoop junkies is Desi Jackson. The former Central High School star was an athletic leaper on a star-studded team - also including Travis Best and Edgar and Giddel Padilla - that went undefeated en route to the 1991 state championship. Jackson spent some time at Morgan State.

UMass coach Lappas said the focus of tonight's exhibition game is similar to last Sunday.

''Rebounding and defense,'' Lappas said. ''I know we're going to score more than we've scored. We scored 68 points and we didn't really know how to execute our offense yet. If we rebound and play defense, that's going to create a lot of things for us.''

COX ON LEAVE - Lappas said yesterday that senior guard Marcus Cox is taking a temporary leave from the team to assess his future. Cox is battling knee tendinitis that is causing him considerable discomfort.

''He doesn't know what he wants to do. He wants to take a step back and evaluate where he is with his health,'' Lappas said. ''Practice for him is a real strain. Every day he practices, his knees swells up to twice what it was. He's not sure he wants to go through what he's going through with that knee.''

Cox, who averaged 4.8 points per game last year, would not be able to redshirt because he used his extra year when he sat out after transferring to UMass from Connecticut.

Lappas said he would allow Cox to remain with the team even if he couldn't contribute on the court.

''I said 'If you just want to dress for games and not practice, that's fine.' He obviously wouldn't play much, but he could still be a part,'' Lappas said. ''He might want to get into coaching or something like that down the road.''

RECRUITS SIGN - The signed national letters of intent for both UMass recruits arrived in a timely fashion Wednesday as Jeff Salovski and Olivier Lamoureux are both officially Minutemen.

Salovski, who goes by the nickname Big Deli, is a 6-foot-11, 325-pound center from Bristol, Conn., while Lamoureux is a 6-foot-9 forward from Montreal.

Lappas had high praise for both new players.

''Olivier is a very skilled, tough kid,'' Lappas said. ''He can post up. He can shoot 3s. He's very strong. He's very physical. He's going to add a lot of physicality to our team and that's something we need. He's a good athlete and a good jumper. He's very versatile.''

Lappas said he expects Salovski to surprise some people.

''This kid has tremendous skill. He passes the ball as well as you'll see any big kid pass the ball,'' Lappas said. ''He's very strong. If Deli does what he's been doing lately - he's done a tremendous job of slimming down and working on his speed and quickness_ he has a chance to be a very good player, because he has skill that you don't find.''

Matt Vautour can be reached at [email protected].


Men's Basketball Defeats Playaz, 95-87
Minutemen prepare for season-opener as they host St. Francis in the Preseason NIT.
From UMass Athletics, 11/13/2003

AMHERST, Mass. - Sophomore Rashaun Freeman (Schenectady, N.Y.) notched a double-double with a team-high 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the UMass men's basketball team to a 95-87 victory over the Playaz this evening in preseason action at the Mullins Center.

Freeman, who canned 12 of his 19 points in the first half, grabbed nine rebounds in the second half, and finished the game hitting 8-of-12 from the field. Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.) had 16 points including a trio of three-pointers, while freshman Art Bowers (Wilmington, Del.) and Maurice Maxwell (Philadelphia, Pa.) each had 12 points. Sophomore Jeff Viggiano (Suffield, Conn.) rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points including a pair of three pointers.

Guard Omar Cooper led the Playaz with 31 points, while James Scott added 23.

UMass opens the regular season Tuesday, Nov. 18, as it hosts St. Francis in the Preseason NIT. The game will be played in the Mullins Center with the opening tip slated for 7 p.m.


Playaz 87
Massachusetts Minutemen 95
exhibition
at the Mullins Center

Official Basketball Box Score
Playaz vs Massachusetts
11/13/03  7:00 p.m. at Amherst, MA(Mullins Center)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Playaz
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
33 RODGERS,Rodney...... f  5-8    0-2    0-0    2  2  4   2  10  2  1  1  0  20
51 RODGERS,Sharrod..... f  1-2    0-0    0-0    1  3  4   1   2  0  2  0  0  10
42 BETHEA,Davvon....... c  2-4    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   4  0  0  0  0  15
11 COOPER,Omar......... g 12-29   4-10   3-6    5  3  8   2  31  7  3  0  2  36
32 SCOTT,James......... g 10-17   0-3    3-4    1  1  2   4  23  2  1  0  1  38
02 YELLING,Malcolm.....    2-4    0-1    0-0    0  6  6   4   4  2  0  0  1  22
05 FLOYD,Brendan.......    3-8    0-2    0-0    3  3  6   0   6  0  0  0  1  15
10 BOYKINS,Paul........    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  0  0  0  0   4
15 THORPE,Elijah.......    2-3    2-2    1-2    0  3  3   2   7  3  0  0  0  23
20 JACKSON,Desi........    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  2  2   5   0  1  1  0  0  17
   TEAM................                         2  1  3
   Totals..............   37-77   6-20   7-12  14 24 38  24  87 17  8  1  5 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 18-39 46.2% 2nd Half: 19-38 50.0% Game: 48.1% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-9 22.2% 2nd Half: 4-11 36.4% Game: 30.0% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 0-0 0.0% 2nd Half: 7-12 58.3% Game: 58.3% 3,1

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 8-12 0-0 3-7 5 10 15 4 19 1 2 0 1 23 22 VIGGIANO,Jeff....... f 3-8 2-3 2-3 1 5 6 3 10 4 4 0 0 19 02 LEE,Gabe............ c 2-4 0-0 3-7 0 3 3 1 7 1 2 4 1 26 12 ANDERSON,Anthony.... g 5-7 3-5 3-3 0 2 2 3 16 3 1 0 0 29 34 BOWERS,Art.......... g 3-10 1-3 5-6 0 2 2 3 12 5 1 0 2 26 00 MARTIN,Brennan...... 2-6 1-3 0-0 3 1 4 0 5 1 0 0 1 12 05 LASME,Stephane...... 2-5 0-0 3-4 4 1 5 1 7 0 2 2 1 22 11 MAXWELL,Maurice..... 5-8 0-0 2-2 0 3 3 0 12 5 0 0 0 27 13 CHADWICK,Chris...... 3-5 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 7 4 2 0 0 16 TEAM................ 1 1 2 Totals.............. 33-65 8-16 21-32 14 28 42 16 95 24 14 6 6 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-31 48.4% 2nd Half: 18-34 52.9% Game: 50.8% DEADB 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 5-10 50.0% 2nd Half: 3-6 50.0% Game: 50.0% REBS F Throw % 1st Half: 7-11 63.6% 2nd Half: 14-21 66.7% Game: 65.6% 4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Officials: Glenn Mayborg, Larry Scirotto, Wally Rutecki Technical fouls: Playaz-None. Massachusetts-None. Attendance: 1912 Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total Playaz........................ 38 49 - 87 Massachusetts................. 42 53 - 95


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