====== 2002-03 Season ======
The 2002-03 UMass Minutemen men's basketball team represented the University of Massachusetts.  The Head Coach was [[lappas_steve|Steve Lappas]].  The team played its home games primarily in the [[Mullins Center]] in Amherst, Massachusetts, and was a member of the [[atlantic_10|Atlantic 10 Conference]].

The season represented the 94th season of basketball in the school's history.

  * **Final Record:** 11-18
  * **Conference Record:** 6-10((Atlantic 10 Conference record includes a forfeit victory over St. Bonaventure, which is not included in the overall record.)) (Fourth place, East Division)
  * **A-10 Tournament:** 0-1 (Lost in First Round)
  * **Postseason:** None
  * **PS/G:** 61.7 (306th of 327)((Points Scored per Game, per Sports-Reference.com))
  * **PA/G:** 66.5 (90th of 327)((Points Allowed per Game, per Sports-Reference.com))
  * **SRS:** -1.98 (179th of 325)((Simple Rating System, per Sports-Reference.com))
  * **SOS:** 3.52 (95th of 325)((Strength of Schedule, per Sports-Reference.com))

^Record^Overall^A-10^
|All games|11-18|6-10((Does count SBU forfeit))|
|Home|8-7((Does not count SBU forfeit))|4-4((Does count SBU forfeit))|
|Away|2-7|2-6|
|Neutral|1-4|--|
|Overtime|--|--|

Home game attendance average: 3,504((Excludes the exhibition games.  Includes the Lafayette game in Springfield.  Excludes the SBU forfeit.))

^  Previous Season  ^  Next Season  ^
|  [[season_2001-02|2001-02]]  |  [[season_2003-04|2003-04]]  |

===== Synopsis =====
Year 2 of the [[lappas_steve|Steve Lappas]] era.

Lots of roster changes from the previous season:
  * Shannon Crooks, Kit Rhymer, Eric Williams, and Ronell Blizzard all finished their eligibility.
  * Willie Jenkins, Jameel Pugh, and Dwayne Killings all transferred elsewhere.
  * Marcus Cox became eligible after sitting out under the transfer rules.
  * Gabe Lee became eligible after sitting out as a medical redshirt.
  * New recruits from Steve Lappas and staff: Michael Lasme, Jeff Viggiano, and Alassane Kouyate.
  * New walk-on Arthur Onuora.

Stephen Briggs was another recruit who was expected to play, but got himself kicked off the team.

UMass started the season at the Maui Invitational, with two tough games, #19 Indiana and Utah, and the Minutemen dropped both.  They managed a win over the host team, D2's Chaminade.

Returning to the Northeast didn't help much, as UM delivered a humbling 45-point performance against Central CT State, then double-digit losses to BC and UConn, for a 1-5 record.  A narrow home win over Florida International was followed up by another bad loss, a 52-point performance against Lafayette in Springfield.

UM got it together a bit with four straight wins in their next non-conference games, including a nice 12-point win over NC State.  But as the A-10 slate began, we stumbled out of the gate to an 0-5 mark, including three more games where we failed to crack 60 points.  On January 23, we stood at 6-11 / 0-5.

We played .500 ball for a while, and at 11-16, prepared to host St. Bonaventure on March 5.  The day before, Bonnie players decided to shut it down, forfeiting our game.

The regular season ended with a 6-10 conference record.  As the East #4 seed, we drew a home game in the tweaked conference tournament format.  But, we didn't take advantage, lost by 11 to GW, and closed the season at 11-18, our fewest wins since the '80s, and a two-game regression from the previous season.

Our scoring output, which was already low in 2001-02, took another dip south, down to 61.7 ppg, lowest in the league and 306th in the nation (out of 327).

Player capsules:
  * Senior Jackie Rogers was our primary frontcourt weapon.  He led the team with 12.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and shot a hair under 60% from the floor (.599).
  * In the backcourt, Anthony Anderson improved, raising his numbers across the board, and was the only other Minuteman to average in double-figures, with 11.8 ppg.
  * Michael Lasme contributed well for a freshman, and was our third-leading scorer (7.5), also helping Anderson at the point.
  * Micah Brand regressed, losing minutes to newcomer Gabe Lee.  His numbers dropped to 7.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg, a tough way to end his career after being named the A-10's Most Improved Player two seasons prior.
  * Rookie Jeff Viggiano did pretty well, shooting .547 from 2, but took a lot of 3s and only hit .230.  He got 25.4 mpg and tallied 7.0 ppg and 2.9 rpg.
  * Fellow rookie Gabe Lee also showed some promise at center, with 5.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and led the team with 46 blocks.
  * UConn transfer Marcus Cox got more minutes than he did in Storrs, but improved his other numbers only marginally, finishing with 4.8 ppg and 2.5 rpg.
  * Bruiser-recruit Raheim Lamb saw his role diminish, and numbers went with it, down to 3.4 points and 2.7 boards.  He ultimately left the team before the season finished.
  * Brennan Martin got some more minutes in his second season, but productivity only improved marginally.
  * Kyle Wilson only played 16 minutes across four games early in the season, and he transferred out before the Spring semester.
  * Alassane Kouyate and walk-ons Pack Kotaridis and Arthur Onuora combined for five points in limited action.

===== Scoreboard =====
^   Game   ^^^^^   Record   ^^   Notes   ^   Attd.   ^
^   Date   ^   Opponent   ^   Game Results   ^   UM High Scorer   ^   UM High Rebounder   ^   Overall   ^   A10   ^   :::   ^   :::   ^
|   11/7   |   Nike All-Stars   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1107nike_all_stars|W 61-49]]   |   Rogers (14)   |   Rogers (8)   |   --   |   --   |Exhibition|   2678   |
|   11/16   |   Coaches vs. Cancer All-Stars   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1116cvc_all_stars|W 90-60]]   |   Anderson (17)   |   Anderson (6)   |   --   |   --   |Exhibition.  Shannon Crooks 14 pts for All-Stars.|   2436   |
|   11/25   |   vs [[opponent_indiana|Indiana]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1125indiana|L 84-71]]   |   Lamb (17)   |   Lamb (12)   |   0-1   |   --   |Maui Invitational.  IU #19.  Cox 14 pts, Brand 13, Rogers 12.  UM -15 on glass.|   2500   |
|   11/26   |   vs [[opponent_utah|Utah]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1126utah|L 69-53]]   |   Rogers (17)   |   Rogers (6)   |   0-2   |   --   |Maui Invitational.  UM 7 FTAs versus Utah's 27.|   2500   |
|   11/27   |   vs [[opponent_chaminade|Chaminade]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1127chaminade|W 69-55]]   |   Anderson (20)   |   Viggiano (7)   |   1-2   |   --   |Maui Invitational.  Lasme 14 pts.  UM -1 on the glass.|   2500   |
|   12/2   |   vs [[opponent_central_connecticut|Central CT State]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1202central_ct|L 46-45]]   |   Rogers (13)   |   Brand (10)   |   1-3   |   --   |At [[wp>Mohegan Sun Arena]].  UM only takes two FTs, shoots 2-17 from 3.|   2583   |
|   12/7   |   [[opponent_boston_college|Boston College]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1207bc|L 80-62]]   |   Lasme (13)   |   Rogers (8)   |   1-4   |   --   |Commonwealth Classic.  [[wp>Troy Bell]] 21 pts, [[wp>Craig Smith (basketball, born 1983)|Craig Smith]] 12 & 6.  [[skinner_al|Al Skinner's]] 4th straight win over his alma mater.|   6392   |
|   12/10   |   [[opponent_connecticut|UConn]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[game20021210_connecticut|L 59-48]]   |   Anderson (13)   |   Brand (13)   |   1-5   |   --   |U-Game, at [[wp>XL Center|Hartford Civic Center]].  UConn #9.  UM gets a 30-9 lead at the half, then extends to 34-9, then UConn wakes up, 50-14 after that.  First time UM held an opponent below 10 in a half since 1958.((8 points by [[opponent_trinity|Trinity]], 2/8/1958 in Amherst.))  [[wp>Ben Gordon]] 18 pts, [[wp>Emeka Okafor]] 13 boards & 5 blocks.|   14962   |
|   12/14   |   [[opponent_florida_int|Florida Int'l]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1214fl_intl|W 67-62]]   |   Anderson (22)   |   Lee (8)   |   2-5   |   --   |Lee 12 pts.|   3273   |
|   12/21   |   [[opponent_lafayette|Lafayette]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1221lafayette|L 54-52]]   |   Brand (17)   |   Brand (13)   |   2-6   |   --   |At [[Springfield Civic Center]].  Another loss to a low-tier D1.  Rogers 15 pts.|   1738   |
|   12/23   |   [[opponent_rider|Rider]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1223rider|W 76-54]]   |   Rogers & Viggiano (17 each)   |   Rogers (10)   |   3-6   |   --   |Brand 13 & 9, Anderson 12 pts.  New low for a [[Mullins Center]] crowd.|   2317   |
|   12/28   |   [[opponent_marshall|Marshall]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/1228marshall|W 81-58]]   |   Brand (17)   |   Anderson (9)   |   4-6   |   --   |Rogers 15 pts, Lasme & Viggiano 13 each, Anderson 9-9-3.  Former [[opponent_temple|Temple]] player [[wp>Ronald Blackshear]] held to 1-12 shooting.|   3474   |
|   1/2   |   [[opponent_nc_state|NC State]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[game20030102_nc_state|W 68-56]]   |   Anderson (25)   |   Anderson (9)   |   5-6   |   --   |Impressive win over previously 7-1 Wolfpack, from the [[wp>ACC]].  Rogers 17 pts, Viggiano 14.  State: [[wp>Julius Hodge]] 18 pts, [[wp>Josh Powell]] 6.|   3909   |
|   1/5   |   at [[opponent_fordham|Fordham]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0105fordham|L 80-67]]   |   Rogers (20)   |   Lasme (6)   |   5-7   |   0-1   |Setback, giving Fordham just their second win of the season.  Lasme 18 pts. (Fordham finished the A-10 season 1-15.)|   1746   |
|   1/9   |   [[opponent_columbia|Columbia]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0109columbia|W 66-47]]   |   Rogers (18)   |   Lasme (9)   |   6-7   |      |Lasme just misses a triple-double, with 13-9-10.|   3017   |
|   1/11   |   at [[opponent_saint_josephs_pa|Saint Joseph's]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0111st_joes|L 76-47]]   |   Brand (10)   |   Brand & Rogers (4 each)   |   6-8   |   0-2   |UM atrocious with 26 turnovers.  SJU improves to 11-1.  [[wp>Delonte West]] 19 & 4, [[wp>Jameer Nelson]] 12-2-8.|   3200   |
|   1/15   |   [[opponent_rhode_island|Rhode Island]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0115rhody|L 60-53]]   |   Rogers (15)   |   Viggiano (7)   |   6-9   |   0-3   |UM -13 on the glass.  Lamb & Viggiano 10 pts each.  Brand out with ankle injury.|   3125   |
|   1/18   |   [[opponent_xavier|Xavier]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0118xavier|L 86-73]]   |   Rogers (23)   |   Rogers (6)   |   6-10   |   0-4   |Lee 13 pts, Viggiano 10.  UM just 1-15 from 3.  Brand (ankle) limited to 10 minutes.  [[wp>David West (basketball)|David West]] 21 & 11 for X.|   4067   |
|   1/22   |   at [[opponent_la_salle|La Salle]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0122la_salle|L 78-57]]   |   Anderson (13)   |   Rogers (8)   |   6-11   |   0-5   |UM -11 on the glass, 2-12 from 3.  Rogers 12 pts, Cox 11.  [[wp>Gary Neal]] 19 & 5 for Explorers.|   3201   |
|   1/25   |   at [[opponent_george_washington|George Washington]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0125gw|W 75-70]]   |   Lasme (24)   |   Lee (9)   |   7-11   |   1-5   |UM survives -7 rebounding and 23 turnovers.  Lee 15 pts, Viggiano 13, Anderson 10.  Chris Monroe 28 for GW.|   3698   |
|   1/29   |   at [[opponent_dayton|Dayton]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0129dayton|L 83-55]]   |   Lee (12)   |   Lee (9)   |   7-12   |   1-6   |UM -8 on the glass, and makes 7 FTs versus 26 for Flyers.   |   12533   |
|   2/1   |   [[opponent_fordham|Fordham]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0201fordham|W 76-66]]   |   Rogers (18)   |   Cox (11)   |   8-12   |   2-6   |Anderson 15-4-4, Lee 14-8-4 (blk), Cox 12 pts.|   4074   |
|   2/5   |   at [[opponent_tennessee|Tennessee]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0205tennessee|L 71-45]]   |   Brand (14)   |   Anderson & Lee (7 each)   |   8-13   |      |Brand & Cox shoot 9-14 combined, rest of team 9-38 (24%).  UM starters score just 19.|   12834   |
|   2/8   |   [[opponent_temple|Temple]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0208temple|L 61-50]]   |   Anderson (18)   |   Anderson (7)   |   8-14   |   2-7   |Viggiano 16-5-6.  UM relies on the 3 (9-30) but gets destroyed on the glass (-18).  [[wp>Gene Steratore]] one of the refs.   |   4787   |
|   2/12   |   [[opponent_richmond|Richmond]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0212richmond|W 54-53]]   |   Anderson (16)   |   Rogers (11)   |   9-14   |   3-7   |UM gets lucky: 19 turnovers, but Richmond shoots just 27%.  Rogers 11 pts.|   2582   |
|   2/15   |   at [[opponent_st_bonaventure|St. Bonaventure]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0215st_bonnie|W 82-76]]   |   Rogers (26)   |   Rogers (10)   |   10-14   |   4-7   |Things go right as UM shoots 51%, wins glass by 5.  Anderson 19-3-7.  Martin 10 pts.  SBU's Jamil Terrell: 4 fouls, 0 pts, 10 min.((Terrell turned out to be the ineligible player that caused SBU to be sanctioned.))|   6000   |
|   2/23   |   [[opponent_duquesne|Duquesne]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0223duquesne|W 70-55]]   |   Anderson (25)   |   Lee (10)   |   11-14   |   5-7   |UM shoots 58%, Anderson 10-13.  Rogers 18 & 7, Viggiano 14 pts.|   3828   |
|   2/26   |   at [[opponent_temple|Temple]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0226temple|L 88-46]]   |   Viggiano (14)   |   Brand & Rogers (5 each)   |   11-15   |   5-8   |UM humbled in all facets, as the result sets many new negative records.|   4011   |
|   3/2   |   at [[opponent_rhode_island|Rhode Island]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0302rhody|L 65-58]]   |   Brand (18)   |   Brand (7)   |   11-16   |   5-9   |UM's first visit to the new [[wp>Ryan Center]].  Good game for Brand (10-10 FTs), Lasme 15 pts.  Rhody +12 on glass.   |   7747   |
|   3/5   |   [[opponent_st_bonaventure|St. Bonaventure]]   |   @#ddffdd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0305st_bonnie|W 2-0]]   |   N/A   |   N/A   |      |   6-9   |Bonaventure forfeits day before.  Recorded as an A-10 win, but not in the overall season numbers.|   0   |
|   3/8   |   [[opponent_saint_josephs_pa|Saint Joseph's]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0308st_joes|L 52-49]]   |   Anderson (18)   |   Rogers (6)   |   11-17   |   **6-10**   |Both teams struggle shooting.  UM 19 turnovers and 9 missed FTs prove costly to upset bid.  [[wp>Jameer Nelson]] 28 pts, [[wp>Delonte West]] out with stress fracture.   |   3563   |
|   3/10   |   vs [[opponent_george_washington|George Washington]]   |   @#ffdddd:[[https://umasshoops.com/games/2002-03/0310gw|L 85-74]]   |   Anderson (20)   |   Brand (6)   |   **11-18**   | |[[conference_tournaments|A-10 Tourney]], Opening Round, at the [[Mullins Center]].  Seeds: UM East 4, GW West 5.  GW hits 30 FTs to UM's 11.  Last game for Rogers (19 & 5), Brand (8 & 6).|   2420   |

===== Statistics =====
Category leaders highlighted.  Clear leaders in yellow.
^Player^G^GS^MP^MPG^FG^FGA^FG%^2P^2PA^2P%^3P^3PA^3P%^FT^FTA^FT%^PTS^PPG^ORB^DRB^TRB^RPG^AST^STL^BLK^TOV^PF^
|Jackie Rogers|@#FFFFB7:29|@#FFFFB7:28|769|26.5|@#FFFFB7:148|247|@#FFFFB7:.599|@#FFFFB7:148|@#FFFFB7:247|@#FFFFB7:.599|0|0|--|@#FFFFB7:79|@#FFFFB7:107|.738|@#FFFFB7:375|@#FFFFB7:12.9|@#FFFFB7:72|88|@#FFFFB7:160|@#FFFFB7:5.5|27|23|11|71|104|
|Anthony Anderson|@#FFFFB7:29|@#FFFFB7:28|@#FFFFB7:1047|@#FFFFB7:36.1|106|@#FFFFB7:254|.417|32|65|.492|@#FFFFB7:74|@#FFFFB7:189|@#FFFFB7:.392|56|74|@#FFFFB7:.757|342|11.8|12|@#FFFFB7:113|125|4.3|@#FFFFB7:107|@#FFFFB7:38|3|67|67|
|Michael Lasme|28|16|770|27.5|73|226|.323|41|109|.376|32|117|.274|32|51|.627|210|7.5|12|75|87|3.1|74|19|2|67|63|
|Micah Brand|27|15|571|21.1|80|179|.447|72|155|.465|8|24|.333|38|52|.731|206|7.6|36|75|111|4.1|29|19|15|39|48|
|Jeff Viggiano|@#FFFFB7:29|21|738|25.4|67|188|.356|41|75|.547|26|113|.230|42|72|.583|202|7.0|28|57|85|2.9|67|27|21|53|70|
|Gabe Lee|28|13|640|22.9|62|123|.504|62|119|.521|0|4|.000|32|74|.432|156|5.6|49|63|112|4.0|23|12|@#FFFFB7:46|34|40|
|Marcus Cox|28|10|527|18.8|54|127|.425|51|99|.515|3|28|.107|24|47|.511|135|4.8|31|40|71|2.5|41|19|0|62|84|
|Raheim Lamb|24|7|361|15.0|34|80|.425|34|75|.453|0|5|.000|14|21|.667|82|3.4|31|33|64|2.7|17|14|8|28|47|
|Brennan Martin|23|6|279|12.1|21|65|.323|2|7|.286|19|58|.328|9|12|.750|70|3.0|6|24|30|1.3|19|8|1|18|28|
|Kyle Wilson|4|0|16|4.0|2|3|.667|0|0|--|2|3|.667|0|0|--|6|1.5|0|1|1|0.3|2|0|0|4|3|
|Paco Kotaridis|13|0|17|1.3|0|3|.000|0|2|.000|0|1|.000|2|2|1.000|2|0.2|3|1|4|0.3|2|0|0|2|1|
|Alassane Kouyate|14|1|54|3.9|1|6|.167|1|6|.167|0|0|--|0|2|.000|2|0.1|1|8|9|0.6|2|0|0|3|11|
|Arthur Onuora|8|0|11|1.4|0|2|.000|0|0|--|0|2|.000|1|2|.500|1|0.1|0|1|1|0.1|0|0|1|1|1|
|TOTALS|29||5800||648|1503|.431|484|959|.505|164|544|.301|329|516|.638|1789|61.7|313|620|933|32.2|410|179|108|454|567|

No Minuteman ranked within the Atlantic 10's top 10 in scoring or rebounding, or top 5 in assists average.

^ ^G^FG^FGA^FG%^2P^2PA^2P%^3P^3PA^3P%^FT^FTA^FT%^PTS^ORB^DRB^TRB^AST^STL^BLK^TOV^PF|
|Team Avgs|29|22.3|51.8|.431|16.7|33.1|.505|5.7|18.8|.301|11.3|17.8|.638|61.7|10.8|21.4|32.2|14.1|6.2|3.7|15.7|19.6|
|Nat'l Rank| |288th|290th|205th|252nd|295th|77th|228th|123rd|306th|300th|279th|305th|306th|245th|274th|278th|134th|245th|99th|114th|129th|

More stats: [[https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/massachusetts/2003.html|Sports-Reference.com]]

===== A-10 Honors =====
==== Post-Season ====
No Minuteman made any of the post-season teams.

==== Player of the Week ====
[[Anthony Anderson]], week ending 1/4((Per A-10 Media Guide))

==== Rookie of the Week ====
Jeff Viggiano, week ending 12/28((Per A-10 Media Guide))

===== Roster =====
^No.^Name^Ht.^Wt.^Class^Pos.^Hometown / HS / Prep / Transfer^
|12|[[anthony_anderson|Anderson, Anthony]]|5-11|164|Jr.*|G|Lynn, MA / Lynn English|
|40|[[micah_brand|Brand, Micah]]|6-11|262|Sr.|C|Middletown, NY / Milford (CT) Academy|
|50|[[marcus_cox|Cox, Marcus]]|6-4|200|Jr.|G / F|Bridgeport, CT / Kolbe Cathedral / [[opponent_connecticut|Connecticut]]|
|14|[[https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/paco-kotaridis-1.html|Kotaridis, Evangelos "Paco"]]|6-1|186|Jr.|G|Athens, Greece / Athens College|
|21|[[alassane_kouyate|Kouyate, Alassane]]|6-8|196|Fr.|F|Bamako, Mali / Walsh (OH) Jesuit|
|34|[[raheim_lamb|Lamb, Raheim]]|6-6|198|Jr.|F|Boston, MA / Boston English|
|1|[[michael_lasme|Lasme, Michael]]|6-1|183|Fr.|G|Abidjan, Ivory Coast / Burlington (NJ) Life Center Academy|
|4|[[gabe_lee|Lee, Gabe]]|6-9|202|So.|C|Camilla, Ga. / Northfield (MA) Mount Hermon|
|0|[[brennan_martin|Martin, Brennan]]|6-6|185|So.|F|Rancho Santa Margarita, CA / Hargrave (VA) Military Academy|
|20|[[https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/arthur-onuora-1.html|Onuora, Arthur]]|6-5|200|Fr.|F|Baldwin, NY / Long Island Lutheran|
|2|[[jackie_rogers|Rogers, Jackie]]|6-8|217|Sr.|F|Syracuse, NY / Corcoran / [[opponent_west_virginia|West Virginia]]|
|22|[[https://umasshoops.com/people/viggiano_jeff/|Viggiano, Jeff]]|6-6|210|Fr.|F|Suffield, CT / Suffield|
|11|[[kyle_wilson|Wilson, Kyle]]|6-1|177|So.|G|White Rock, BC, Canada / White Rock Christian Academy|

* Eligibility difference
  * Anthony Anderson can regain his fourth year of eligibility (2004-05 season) if he completes academic requirements by the end of the 2003-04 academic year.

[[Stephen Briggs]], who was expected to play this season, ultimately never did, and was dismissed from the program.

Due to the NCAA "5/9 rule" which allow an institution to sign five men's basketball players in one year and nine over a two-year period, UMass could only have 12 players on scholarship this season, and could only use one of the two available scholarships.((https://umasshoops.com/news/2001-02/jenkins_to_transfer03262002.htm#article1))

This year's roster was a mix of some remaining Bruiser players, and new Lappas players:
^Bruiser^Lappas^
|Anderson|Cox|
|Brand|Kotaridis|
|Lamb|Kouyate|
|Lee|M. Lasme|
|Rogers|Martin|
| |Onuora|
| |Viggiano|
| |Wilson|

==== Coaching Staff ====
Head Coach: [[lappas_steve|Steve Lappas]]\\
Assistant Coaches: John Leonard((Father of UMass hockey player [[wp>John Leonard]])), Andrew Theokas, [[wp>Chris Walker (basketball, born 1969)|Christopher Walker]]

{{tag>"2002-03 season"}}