t will be three months before Raheim Lamb can sign a National Letter of Intent to play Division I college basketball, but Tuesday the 6-foot-5 forward verbally committed to the University of Massachusetts.

Raheim Lamb Photo by Ben Sherman, UNCBasketball.com

"I made the decision last week when I was at a tournament (AAU) in Florida," said Lamb, who was reached by phone Tuesday night. "I like everything about UMass. They have a nice program, a nice facility, a good coaching staff."

Lamb had considered several other schools, including Connecticut and Miami, but he called UMass the leader in June and when the Minutemen offered him a scholarship, he accepted.

Lamb is currently playing on the summer AAU circuit with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club, the same program that sharpened the talents of current Minutemen Monty Mack (senior), Shannon Crooks (sophomore) and Jonathan DePina (junior). Lamb consulted Mack and Crooks about his decision.

"I talked to Monty and Shannon about the school and the academics, the coaching staff and the social life," Lamb said. "I felt really comfortable after talking to them."

Lamb said he has the required grade point average to reach NCAA minimum freshman eligibility standards, but not the required standardized-test score. He has several more opportunities to take the test and he said he expects to pass.

While Lamb has played some power forward in high school and AAU, he expects to play small forward in college.

"I've been working on my defense and my ball handling to get ready," Lamb said.

Early in his high school days at Boston English, Lamb hoped to attend college far from home, but his extensive travel on the AAU circuit changed his mind.

"At first I wanted to go away," said Lamb, who is a native of the Jamaica Plain section of Boston. "But after all the traveling in the summer, I want to be close to home and have my family be able to see me play."

When the BABC took part in the New England AAU championships in June, BABC coach Leo Papile said he expected collegiate success for Lamb.

"He's a quick jumper," said Papile, who thinks Lamb could play some power forward as well. "He explodes off the block so he can play in there. I'll take a 6-5 Lamb over a 6-7 okay guy and I'll beat you. He's very active and he's a nightmare matchup for a big, slow four (power forward). The lack of size doesn't hurt him."

Lamb's commitment marks the earliest the Minutemen have received a verbal commitment in recent years. He is the first member of a recruiting class that could include as many as four players, since UMass has three scholarships left to offer.

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The in-season trip to France by the 1994-95 Minutemen currently marks the farthest the Minutemen have ever traveled to play basketball. That record will be broken next summer.

According to Athletic Director Bob Marcum, the Minutemen have agreed to take part in an exhibition trip that will feature games in Italy and Greece next summer.

Trips of that nature have become fairly common in college basketball. Several schools have set up summer tours overseas, including UConn, which went to Europe last summer prior to winning the national championship.

he University of Massachusetts men's basketball team is on the verge of signing Raheim Lamb, a 6-foot-7 senior from Boston English High School.

Lamb posted team-leading averages of 18 points and 11 rebounds last year, numbers coach Barry Robinson said were more impressive because Boston English had enough talent to include four double-digit scorers.

"He's very coachable, and he could have scored more," Robinson said of Lamb. "As a sophomore, he averaged 21 points a game."

Lamb said yesterday he planned to meet with UMass coach Bruiser Flint soon, and was reluctant to make an official announcement before doing so. But it was clear he liked UMass.

"I've had a good summer, even though I pulled a groin muscle at a camp last month," said Lamb, who said the injury is virtually healed.

Flint is on vacation, and Robinson said it was premature to declare that Lamb was coming to the Minutemen, though he said Lamb's interest was genuine. Robinson said nothing would happen officially until Flint returns.

Boston Celtics scouting director Leo Papile said even though Lamb's size is small for power forward in college, he could play that position for the Minutemen, much in the manner of former UMass star Lou Roe.

Lamb, who plays summer basketball for the Boston Amateur Basketball Club, was a co-most valuable player at an Amateur Athletic Union basketball tournament held at Mullins Center in June.

UMass loses senior forwards Mike Babul (6-7) and Chris Kirkland (6-6) after next season, and adding Lamb would strengthen a Boston-area recruiting profile that has already brought guards Monty Mack, Jonathan DePina and Shannon Crooks (who transferred after a year at St. John's) to Amherst.

Signing Lamb would bolster a UMass recruiting profile that attracted interest from several talented players last year but came up short on all but JoVann Johnson, a 6-3 junior college guard from Illinois. Micah Brand, a 6-11 center from Milford (Conn.) Academy, was an early signee who enrolls this fall.

MHERST - With Raheim Lamb's letter of intent signed, University of Massachusetts coach Bruiser Flint finally can talk about the future Minuteman forward.

"He's real athletic, gets up and down the floor," Flint said. "He's a kid from the area and it's big that we get those types of kids. You want to get the better players in your state to stay home."

Lamb, a 6-foot-5 Boston English product, projects as a small forward. He signed Wednesday, the first day of the collegiate early-signing period.

Boston English coach Barry Robinson said Lamb and UMass should be a good match.

"He's going to be a wonderful addition to your program," Robinson said. "Bruiser Flint is going to bring out the best in Raheim Lamb. Right now Raheim can play at that level. He's a phenomenal athlete who has a good perimeter game."

Lamb played AAU ball for the Boston Amateur Basketball Club, the same program that produced current Minutemen Monty Mack, Jonathan DePina and Shannon Crooks.

"I like everything about UMass," Lamb said earlier this year. "I talked to Monty and Shannon about the school and the academics, the coaching staff and the social life. I felt really comfortable after talking to them."

Lamb said he has the required grade-point average to reach NCAA minimum freshman eligibility standards, but not the required standardized test score. He has several more chances to take the test and said he expects to pass.

The Minutemen haven't received the paperwork yet for Jameel Pugh, the 6-foot-4 guard who gave UMass a verbal commitment earlier in the week.

In an interview with PacWest Hoops, a recruiting publication, Pugh confirmed the reports of his commitment.

"(UMass) was just a better situation for me," he said. "Academically, they have everything I want. I really liked Saint Louis and coach (Lorenzo) Romar, but UMass was a better fit."

Pugh also cleared up some confusion about his academic situation, saying he has achieved a qualifying SAT score and will be fully qualified.

The Minutemen have two scholarships remaining.

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Free-throw shooting has emerged as a positive aspect of the Minutemen's preseason. UMass made 19 of 27 free throws, including all four in overtime.

"I told the guys in the locker room after the game that last year we played a lot of games like this where it was nip-and-tuck, but the thing we did today is make foul shots," Flint said. "We shoot plenty of them in practice. Guys are really taking pride in going up to the line and knocking them down."

"We shoot 50 before every practice and after practice we stay after and shoot some," said junior center Kitwana Rhymer. "Last year we lost most of the games by four or five, and it all came down to foul shots."

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Wednesday night was not the first time the Converse All-Stars have played the Minutemen tight. Last year, when the squad was called Team Fokus, UMass eked out an 84-82 victory, following up 1997's 79-77 nail-biter.

The Minutemen hammered the sneaker stars, 87-52, in 1996, but lost to Converse, 94-89, in 1995 before making a run to the Final Four.

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While Charlton Clarke was surprisingly absent from the Converse roster, coach Mickey Walker said the former Minuteman has been a pleasant addition to his program.

"He's very affable," Walker said. "The guy who coaches the second team and I argue every day about who gets him because we like to ride in the van with him. He's the star of the postgame spades game in the hotel."

he University of Massachusetts men�s basketball team announced today that Raheim Lamb has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at UMass beginning in the fall of 2000. Lamb is a 6-5, 190 pound forward ranked among the top-150 seniors in the country by most of the recruiting services.

�At first I wanted to leave Massachusetts and see what was out there but after travelling this summer I found that I wanted to stay close to home so that I could be close to my family,� said Lamb. �I can�t wait to get up there because I�m going into a good conference and I like everything about the school. I just can�t wait to get up there.�

�He�s going to be a wonderful addition to the program,� said Boston English head coach Barry Robinson. �Bruiser Flint is going to bring out the best in Raheim Lamb. Right now Raheim can play at that level. He�s a phenomenal athlete who has a good perimeter game. I�m just going to be ecstatic to come up there and watch this kid develop under Bruiser and the coaching staff.�

As a junior last season at Boston English, Lamb averaged 21.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots per game. He is listed as a high honorable mention and All-Metro team selection for the Boston area in Street & Smith and is the 16th ranked small forward by Hoop Showcase.

�Raheim is another big piece for our team�s future success,� UMass head coach Bruiser Flint said. �He�s the best player in the Boston area and we want the best of Massachusetts to stay in the state because we are the State University. We�ve done a good job in the past in keeping the state�s best home grown talent here in Amherst and Raheim is another in that category.�

Lamb is the first student-athlete to sign a letter of intent with the UMass basketball team during the early signing period. The Minutemen have three scholarships left to give.