Just Take A Minute: Dec. 29, 2008-Jan. 2, 2009Look back at the week that was.
Jan. 4, 2009
Friday, Jan. 2, 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM UMASS ATHLETICS! Welcome back to Just Take A Minute. Today we take a look at the men's basketball game against Vanderbilt on Saturday at 5 p.m. which is special day as UMass will be holding its annual Leaman Legacy Game and will celebrate the decade of the 1960s. Be sure to be on hand as more than 20 former players from the 1960s will be honored including Joe DiSarcina (pictured). There are also stories on the Boston Blazers indoor lacrosse team (featuring several UMass alums) and some hockey tidbits.
Ron Chimelis has this preview of the UMass-Vanderbilt game in the Springfield Republican.
The Bleacher Report has some New Year's Resolutions including one about Derek Kellogg: Recruit a few studs from the Class of 2010 to compliment your 2009 class so that UMass starts making regular NCAA tournament appearances again. That would certainly re-ignite the border war with Jim Calhoun and UConn.
A pair of UMass men's basketball foes meet on Friday in Ohio as A-10 team Dayton travels to Toledo, where UMass lost earlier this season. check this preview of the game from the Dayton Daily News.
The ECHL, where Jon Quick made his pro debut last season, has a feature on the UMass alum who is earning major playing time with the Los Angeles Kings.
In the world of hockey, check out this story on Bemidji State as the Beavers face power North Dakota. The story cites: North Dakota also lost to Massachusetts 3-2 this season, a team Bemidji State beat 4-2 a week ago.
From New Hampshire, Allen Lessels, has this story on the UNH Wildcats which mentions: After the Maine game, UNH is at Massachusetts on Friday, Jan. 9. UNH and UMass play again the next night in Durham.
UMassAthletics.com Feature To Check Out: With the new year one day away, be sure to plan to see your UMass Athletics teams in action throughout 2009. No better way to start than checking out the January Composite Schedule which shows every athletic event, all in one place!
Don't miss this: On Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m., check out UMass Hoops Insider on CBS3 Springfield and on UMassAthletics.com. Also, buy tickets to the UMass-Vanderbilt game Saturday at 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 31
The last day of 2008 is upon us and what a year it was for UMass Athletics. The end of '08 didn't conclude as we would have hoped as the men's basketball team fell to an 8-2 Houston Cougars squad on Tuesday by an 80-54 final. This edition of Just Take A Minute takes a brief look at some of the highlights of the calendar year along with more success stories from Mass Attack alums in the professional ranks, and a UMass connection from an FBS Bowl Game.
The calendar year brought a number of great moments in UMass Athletics from men's basketball's 22-point second half comeback at Syracuse in the NIT Quarterfinals along with another spectacular NCAA Tournament season for softball. 2008 also brought second-consecutive NCAA Tournament bids for field hockey and men's soccer. Not to mention an appearance by women's lacrosse in the Atlantic 10 Championship Game and much more.
If you happened to check out theahl.com on Tuesday, you would have seen Mass Attack alum Mark Matheson, who was named as the league's third star of the night after three points (1g, 2a) in the Milwaukee Admirals' 6-2 win over San Antonio on Monday.
Jonathan Quick, who was named the NHL's third star of the week last week continued his impressive play in a 2-0 loss to Columbus on Monday. He made 23 saves on 24 shots against the Blue Jackets to improve his season stats to a 1.79 GAA and .937 save percentage.
College football's bowl season brings a UMass connection as Western Michigan defensive line coach Peter McCarty is a UMass alum and 1978 All-Conference player. Despite a 38-14 loss to Rice in the Texas Bowl, the Broncos did finish the evening with three sacks.
What an effort from former Minuteman Marcus Camby, who finished with 24 rebounds (and 15 points) in the L.A. Clippers' 92-90 loss to Sacramento on Tuesday night.
Looking ahead to hockey's Sunday opponent Cornell, check out this recap of the Big Red's Florida Tournament win.
UMassAthletics.com Feature To Check Out: With the new year one day away, be sure to plan to see your UMass Athletics teams in action throughout 2009. No better way to start than checking out the January Composite Schedule which shows every athletic event, all in one place!
Don't miss this: Vanderbilt, Saturday's men's basketball opponent, is in action this afternoon, hosting St. Francis (Pa.). Check out how the Commodores do before their trip to Amherst.
Tuesday, Dec. 30
Tuesday brings the final athletic event for UMass teams in the calendar year of 2008. Ironically, UMass men's basketball takes on the same team it began the 2008 year with -- the Houston Cougars. Tuesday's game will be played at 2 p.m. and will be available on UMass All-Access. You can also listen to the game on 100.9 FM WRNX and 830 WCRN or online. The Minutemen return to Amherst for Saturday's 1960s Night Celebration and the Leaman Legacy Game as UMass hosts Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. JTAM has an initial list of former players who are expected. On Sunday, UMass hockey hosts Cornell, also at 5 p.m., at the Mullins Center.
Looking ahead to Saturday's 1960s celebration, here is the initial list of players who are expected to attend: Jim Babyak, Peter Bernard, Chuck Demers (trainer), Joe DiSarcina, John Dreyer, Tim Edwards, Robert Eichorn, Ray Ellerbrook, Gary Gasperack, Jim Girotti, Paul Gullicksen, John Lisack, Bob Murphy, Richard Perkins, Ed Rubin (manager), Dick Samuelson, Rich Starsiak, Frank Stewart and Billy Tindall.
The Los Angeles Times has a great feature on the future of Jon Quick the UMass All-American, who is battling for more playing time with the Los Angeles Kings. Quick and the Kings lost to Columbus, 2-0 last night. It was his fifth consecutive start.
UMassAthletics.com Feature To Check Out: If you got a new phone for the holidays, set it up for automatic scores and highlights from UMass Athletics via UMass Mobile Alerts.
Don't miss this:Watch or listen to today's men's basketball game at Houston at 2 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 29
Hello UMass Fans! JTAM is back in full force for an action-packed week of UMass Athletics. Congrats to Coach Kellogg and the men's basketball team for their fourth-straight win on Saturday, 64-57 over a very good IUPUI team. Meanwhile, the Mass Attack hockey team came back from its holiday break with a tough 4-2 loss to Bemidji State. Monday features two games, a home women's basketball contest vs. Seton Hall (1 p.m.) and the hockey team vs. Army in the consolation game of the Dartmouth Hockey Tournament (4 p.m.).
The men's basketball team is heading to Houston for a Tuesday afternoon contest. The Cougars were in action Sunday night, dropping a close 71-67 decision to Iowa State.
The Houston Chronicle had a preview of the Cougars' two big games against Iowa State and UMass.
The Berkshire Eagle had a nice article on Wray Gunn, who was the first African American to play on the UMass basketball team. Gunn was recently honored as part of the 100 years of UMass Basketball.
Congratulations to Brandon London, who helped the Miami Dolphins clinch the AFC East on Sunday with a 24-17 win over the New York Jets. He made a key third-down catch for 10 yards which set up an Anthony Fasano touchdown grab.
UMassAthletics.com Feature To Check Out: Check out Saturday's
UMass Hoops Insider.
Don't miss this: Be sure to head to the Mullins Center for a 1 p.m. women's basketball game vs. Seton Hall. Also, check back for any weekly awards, including the UMass Athlete of the Week.
