Oct. 19, 2012

AMHERST, Mass. -- Massachusetts basketball coaches Derek Kellogg and Sharon Dawley will be the featured speakers at Wednesday's UMass Sports Luncheon.

The event costs $11 to attend and free parking will be available behind the Mullins Center.

The luncheons feature a salad-to-dessert buffet and speakers giving you the latest on UMass athletics. There have been a variety of speakers in the past ranging from coaches to athletic directors and there is a chosen Athlete of the Week who is honored and talks about their team's accomplishments and goals as well as their own, giving you the perspective of the student-athlete.

Women's Basketball
UMass women's basketball head coach Sharon Dawley enters her third season at the helm of the Minutewomen for the 2012-13 campaign with eight returnees and seven newcomers.

2011-12 leading scorer and rebounder Jasmine Watson returns for her senior season, joined by senior guard Dee Montgomery and redshirt-junior forward Kiara Bomben as the team captains. Watson averaged 12.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a junior, also leading the team with 48 blocks while hitting 49.0 percent of her field goals.

Men's Basketball
The men's team went 25-11 and advanced to the semfinals of both the Atlantic 10 Championship and the National Invitation Tournament a year ago. The Minutemen finished tied for fifth in the Atlantic 10 after being picked 12th in the preseason polls. Kellogg installed an up-tempo offense to go along with a pressure defense that resulted in a the team breaking the school record for steals, while ranking in the top five nationally in possessions per game.

UMass welcomes back nine returnees and four starters, including senior Terrell Vinson and junior Chaz Williams. Vinson averaged 10.0 points and 5.1 boards a year ago, while Williams, who was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 and NABC All-District, posted 16.9 points, 6.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. Williams also set UMass sophomore records for assists (231) and steals (81).