Higher Post: Judgement Day Upon Us!
...and its official...Massachusetts is all about the MACtion!
Previously on “The Higher Post”…
What I love is that two of my favorite teams are BOTH playing Duke. Nothing like routing all that rooting against one uniform.
WBB: #11 Duke (3 seed) vs. #6 Notre Dame (#2 seed)
This game to will be much of the same. This tourney will be the Revenge Tour for all teams Notre Dame rolled over in the regular season. You don’t get this far without learning from the lessons during the season. It is not easy from here out.
MBB: #2 Duke at North Carolina
Yeah, they may not be able to Capture the Flagg but trust me, it will be different. Just remember 2022 when no one (including me) expected the Tar Heels to turn Coach K’s career toast into a roast. But they did.
Hee hee. Ok, I love being right… but I can’t say that I am most of the time. Especially last week where I was not even close. Dooooboy!
WBB: Duke 61 - Notre Dame 56
I did go into last week’s ‘Against Duke’ games with mixed hopes. I expected Notre Dame to win…the whole Conference Tourney. But, as all good coaches say: “Don’t look ahead. Prepare for today’s opponent.” Same goes for fans. I was afraid of meeting NC State in the tourney final and right fully so. But, it didn’t get that far as Duke handled the Irish the manner it was done to them during the regular season.
And, within that 24 hour period, “Hannahland” was closed for maintenance. As, Jon Rothstein said, “It’s not anarchy, it’s just college basketball.” Congrats to Coach Kara Lawson on the title!
MBB: Duke 82 - North Carolina 69
Now, I won’t lie, I did feel hopeful that the Tar Heels could beat Duke this time, but it was solely on the eye test and history. In 2022, The Blue Devils went to the Dean Dome and assaulted the Argyle like they were UNC-Fontana Dam. I was there for it too; crossing an ‘on-campus Duke/UNC game’ off my bucket list’. Yikes.
So, with the revenge match at Cameron also being Coach K’s last home game - and all the fanfare with that - I did not expect the Tar Heels to return the favor, but they did. It was not a shellacking like the first one, but it counted.
There was precedent. This one was at the Dean Dome. UNC was rolling. It could happen. And, in many times it got close. But, moral victories don’t count for Blue Bloods.
Now, jump ahead to this year’s ACC Tournament semifinals. Carolina still rolling. Cooper Flagg out for the remainder of the tourney on a nasty ankle roll. I don’t wish injury on any player, but take the advantage whenever you can! This should be it! If UNC can pull this off, they pretty much lock in a tourney bid. However, late missed free throws and mental errors in the final seconds led the Tar Heels to a 1pt loss. Now, all they can do is sit and wait to see if their name is called tonight as the brackets are announced. Order up some Time Out to go, boys, because in or out, at least your bellies will be happy.
Meanwhile, in other conference tourneys:
Big East: A YOOGE New York congratulations to Rick Pitino and the St. Giovanni’s Red Sauce for their first Big East Tournament title in 25 years!! Back then, the Big East was: BC, UConn, Georgetown, Providence, St. Johns, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Villanova, Pitt, Miami, Rutgers, West Virginia, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. Wow.
Mountain West: Colorado State beat Boise State to capture the AQ. This could mean that someone’s bubble is popped if the Committee decides to put the Broncos into the field.
First Appearances: Omaha has captured the conference AQ in the Summit League for the Mavericks first trip to the NCAAs!! But, the big story is UC-San Diego who was made the field in their first year being eligible for the D1 tourney. UCSD was D3 until 2000 when they made the upgrade to D2, followed by a 6yr transition to D1 in 2017!
Northeast Conference: St. Francis of PA (16-17, 8-8) has officially become the ‘the team the losing record’ to make the field with an AQ after upsetting league leader Central Connecticut. No bubbles popped here since the NEC is a 1-bid conference, but certainly a bummer for the other Blue Devils.
So, with that, CONGREGATION….. PLEASE STAND UP!
…..because Judgement Day is upon us!!!
Still to be Decided!
So the brackets drop tonight! (MBB: 6p CBS; WBB: 8p ESPN). And, the Committee is still crunch numbers in their evil underground lair NYC conference room, there are some automatic qualifiers still to go today! Here is what is left to be decided (all times EST):
IVY:
Cornell vs. Yale (Noon, ESPN): It comes down to #1 Yale vs. #2 Cornell. The Ivy is 1-bid so no bid stealing here.
SEC:
#8 Tennessee vs. #4 Florida (1p, ESPN): No teams from the Yellowhammer state in this one. And since practically every team from the SEC will be in the field (sorry, South Carolina) this is about bragging rights and who gets a #1 seed.
Atlantic 10:
George Mason at VCU (1p, CBS): Another #1 vs. #2 battle, but currently VCU is projected to be on the outside looking in. If they can pull off the upset, someone’s bubble will pop. Indiana, Boise, Xavier are all feeling what it’s like to go to war with The Rams. Meanwhile, UNC is saying, been there, done that.
American:
UAB vs. #16 Memphis (3p, ESPN): Ah, there is our team from Alabama, causing havoc in the Big Least Tournament. Memphis should have this but only if they do it the Hardaway. If they don’t, one of those above teams will have a hangover on Monday.
B1G:
#18 Wisconsin vs. #22 Michigan (3:30p, CBS): We were just seconds away from an all Michigan final, but Wisconsin was able to knock off conference favorites from Lansing. If the Wolverines can pull this off, its quite and amazing turnaround for Dusty May in his first year in Ann Arbor.
Keeping Resting up with the Hannahs
Two of my favorite players are not only incredibly fun to watch…but are both named Hannah! I dedicate this section to them. We try and keep up with them during a pivotal season!
‘HannahLand’ (or is it ‘Hannlandia"?) is closed for the week so the Hannahs can get a little R&R for next week’s tourney. Both Iowa (Hannah Stuelke) and Notre Dame (Hannah Hidalgo) will make the field, so there is more to come. Rest up Hannahs! Looking forward to tipping off again in a few days.
…the question I have is, will the Basketball Gods put them both in the same bracket for my own private Sophie’s Choice moment? We will know around 8:15p EST tonight (on ESPN)
Conference Realignment Front and Center
We have all seen the conferences shift over the past couple of decades, which is mostly focused on football opportunities. However, we don’t get a front row seat too often to feel the changes in the fanbase.
In a multi-part segment, the CoB is lucky to have guest contributor, Kaily “KG” Godek, currently of A10Talk.com, provide us that rare view as the University of Massachusetts wraps up their 49yr tenure as a founding member of the Atlantic 10 and venture to the MAC next season.
UMass’ Farewell to the A-10 (part 3) - by Kaily “KG” Godek:
Since the founding of the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (presently the Atlantic 10 Conference) in 1976, Massachusetts Men’s Basketball has been a major player in the conference. When the conference was formed, UMass had legendary coach Jack Leaman at the head of the men’s basketball program.
The majority of Leaman’s tenure was before the formation of the ECBL in the Yankee Conference where he had big-name players playing for him and the Minutemen. Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Al Skinner, Rick Pitino, and Bill Tindall were some of the big names that came out of Amherst, Mass. before the formation of the ECBL with Leaman. Even though Leaman’s coaching tenure came to a close after the 1978-1979 season, he stayed actively involved within the athletic department in a variety of different roles, including coaching the women’s basketball team for the 1986-1987 season.
UMass at the start of the conference did not see a whole bunch of success, often going well below 0.500 until a coaching legend stepped in to help bring the team back to where it was in the 1970s under Leaman and made it significantly better. Enter UMass Hall of Fame Coach John Calipari who was taking his first ever position as a head coach at 29 years old.
In Calipari’s tenure as the head coach of the Minutemen, he only had one season below 0.500 in his eight seasons. Coach Cal helped to get UMass onto the national stage with two NIT appearances (1990 and 1991) and five consecutive appearances to the NCAA tournament (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996). In the team’s five straight NCAA appearances, the Minutemen started to become a household name by also sweeping the tournament and regular season titles in the Atlantic 10 and also through the classic press conference moment with former Temple Head Coach John Chaney getting ready to fight Calipari after a game in the Mullins Center.
Calipari produced NBA talented players in Marcus Camby and Lou Roe, and other extremely talented players from his final teams in Amherst. Former UMass Head Coach Derek Kellogg, Dana Dingle, Carmelo Travieso, Edgar Padilla, Tyrone Weeks, Mike Williams, and Donta Bright were just some of the talented players in the final seasons of Calipari’s tenure.
With the talented players that Calipari recruited, he was able to make three Sweet Sixteens, two Elite Eights, and one Final Four in the span of those five years. The run to the 1996 Final Four and all of the wins in the tournament were vacated by the NCAA due to violations of Camby accepting improper gifts from sports agents. While the NCAA stripped it from UMass, the Minutemen still recognize it with banners hung up in the rafters of the Mullins Center and the Men’s Basketball Practice Court.
After the 1995-96 season, Coach Cal went on to coach the New Jersey Nets (currently the Brooklyn Nets), and Camby having been drafted second overall by the Toronto Raptors, the Minutemen had to fill those voids. Bruiser Flint became head coach of the Minutemen, and he attempted to keep the momentum going for the Minutemen and postseason. Flint was successful in getting back to the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and 1998 with Weeks, Travieso, and Padilla all returning and the additions of Lari Ketner, Monty Mack, and Mike Babul. After those last two appearances, making the NCAA Tournament felt like it was going to be tough without players like Camby and Roe.
Flint resigned after the 2000-01 season with the pressure of keeping the program at the level that Calipari once had. Steve Lappas became the head coach of the Minutemen, and that was what felt like could have been the start of a dark turn for the UMass fans out there. Lappas did not have his four-year contract renewed by the time he was let go which resulted in the Minutemen hiring a new head coach.
Travis Ford came crashing into the scene in Amherst and started to rebuild what UMass fans saw back in the 1990s with Calipari. Ford took advantage of the talent that was left for him in Rashaun Freeman and Stephane Lasme while bringing in fresh talent from Chris Lowe. While they finished below 0.500, that was just the starting point for Ford and his staff.
Entering into the 2006-07 season, Ford had Lasme, Lowe, and Freeman all return and had Gary Forbes available after he sat out due to transferring a year prior and Ricky Harris. Ford led the team to their first regular season title since 1996 and brought the team to the second round of the NIT.
Ford continued to have the momentum go in the right direction in his third season with Forbes, Lowe, and Harris all returning. The Minutemen finished in third place and received another bid into the NIT for the second straight year, making it to the finals at Madison Square Garden. Shortly after the season ended, Ford was offered to be the next head coach at Oklahoma State thus abruptly ending his tenure with UMass.
The Minutemen brought back a familiar face to the program in former player Derek Kellogg. After Kellogg graduated, he spent time as an assistant coach at George Mason, Youngstown State, and Memphis, where Calipari was the head coach at the time. Kellogg inherited Harris, Lowe, Tony Gaffney, and Anthony Gurley to help start building his program.
While Kellogg’s first few seasons were below 0.500, he was working hard at revamping the Minutemen. He would go on to bring in Sampson Carter, Sean Carter, Freddie Riley, Terrell Vinson, Raphiael Putney, Jesse Morgan, and Javorn Farrell. This group of players with Gurley gave Kellogg his first season at or above 0.500 showing a positive trend in the program in 2011.
Kellogg continued to have success by bringing in Chaz Williams, Maxie Esho, and Cady Lalanne for the 2011-12 season. UMass would go on to finish 5th in the conference with Williams becoming a star for the team after having sat out the year prior. The Minutemen would go ahead and earn Kellogg’s first postseason appearance by making it to the NIT semifinals.
Kellogg kept bringing in talented players each offseason to match the team he had. Trey Davis and Tyler Bergantino were the latest freshmen that were brought in. While they did not make a significant impact in their first season with the Minutemen, they would become contributors in one way or another in their time with UMass.
A Williams-led team with Kellogg coaching brought them back to the NIT where they would get eliminated at home by Stony Brook in the first round. The Minutemen picked up where they left off for the 2013-14 season, and went on to win ten-straight games to start the season out. Williams, Lalanne, and Sampson Carter were the leading scorers of the squad, and they helped get the team in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the 1998-99 season. Looking even farther down the bench you had players contributing in the scoring column all the way through. UMass finished the season at 24-9 and 10-6 in a super competitive Atlantic 10 Conference.
The 2013-14 season in the Atlantic 10 had one of the most stacked leagues out there. With how strong the conference was during that season UMass found themselves heading to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998, with five other teams in the conference. The Minutemen would make an early first-round exit to Tennessee, ending the careers of Williams, Putney, and Sampson Carter in their time with UMass.
After the NCAA appearance in 2014, the Minutemen have not made it back to a postseason tournament. Kellogg was let go after the 2016-17 season after the final two seasons of his time at UMass ended below 0.500. The Minutemen were then set to hire Pat Kelsey as the replacement, but moments before his introductory press conference, Kelsey backed out of the position and decided to return to Winthrop where he was coaching at that time.
UMass then went on to hire Matt McCall as Kellogg’s replacement. McCall had Luwane Pipkins, CJ Anderson, and Rashaan Holloway from Kellogg whom he paired with Carl Pierre. Pipkins, Anderson, and Pierre became a powerful trio in the backcourt that helped McCall get some scoring.
By McCall’s third season, he brought in TJ Weeks (son of Tyrone Weeks), Tre Mitchell, and Sean East as a part of a stacked freshman class. Pierre, Mitchell, and East were dominant in attempting to get the program back where it was with Mitchell earning himself A-10 Rookie of the Year honors. Weeks Jr., Pierre, and Mitchell became leaders for UMass during the 2020-21 season with the addition of Noah Fernandes. The bubble COVID-19 season was McCall’s lone season above 0.500 (8-7) with how few games were played due to having to quarantine with outbreaks and close contacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mitchell and Pierre both transferred out after that season, and McCall’s team fell flat and he saw himself fired before the end of the 2021-22 season. Outside of the 2020-21 season, McCall did not have a season above 0.500 with UMass.
Bringing in Frank Martin to try and correct the ship in Amherst was the next step for the Minutemen. Martin recruited Matt Cross and Rahsool Diggins out of the portal and recruited RJ Luis (yes, the same RJ Luis who just won Big East Player of the Year with St. John’s) and Keon Thompson as freshmen to help build the program.
Martin retained Fernandes and Weeks Jr. to help as starting blocks for his first season as the head coach of the Minutemen. UMass would end up finishing at the bottom of the conference in his first season, but things would turn around for the Minutemen.
Cross, Diggins, and Thompson worked hard to get better in the offseason, and Coach Martin brought in Josh Cohen from St. Francis (PA) and Daniel Hankins-Sanford from South Carolina from the portal to help the team grow. Martin also brought in eight freshmen to replenish the depth. Jaylen Curry, Jayden Ndjigue, and Robert Davis Jr. were some of the big talents that got the squad going.
Cross and Cohen became a double-threat in the post on offense, Diggins improved significantly from his first season at UMass, Thompson grew into playing the point guard role and helped the team in scoring, and Ndjigue provided the young spark and was utilized in every category there was on the court to help the team.
These five talented players with the strong bench that Coach Martin built up led UMass to their first 20-win season since 2013-14, and first top-4 finish since 2007-08. The Minutemen had great momentum heading into the tournament with a double-bye, but just did not get off to a good start and lost in the quarterfinals to A-10 Tournament runners-up VCU.
The 2023-24 team had four players receive all-conference awards. Cross and Cohen were named to the first team, Curry was named to the rookie team, and Diggins was named Co-Most Improved Player of the Year.
The transfer portal took great talent from UMass as Davis Jr., Cohen, Thompson, and Cross all entered the portal with some other teammates following behind them. Martin then had to go and build the roster from the freshmen he had coming in and the players who stayed.
Early on in the offseason, the team had given glimmers of hope of remaining towards the top of the conference. After watching for a good portion of the non-conference, those standards were lowered by longtime fans.
By the time conference play hit UMass hit their stride and Diggins got hot with having multiple 30+ point games including setting the program record for most points scored in a single game (46 points at Fordham [3OT] on January 15). Curry, Hankins-Sanford, and Daniel Rivera all were big contributors to getting back on track.
Injuries and the stomach bug then became a factor for the Minutemen in mid to late February which led to an 11th-place finish in the final season with the Atlantic 10. UMass would go on to lose in the first round to La Salle to end their tenure in the Atlantic 10.
While the men’s basketball team had such great success in the 1990s and again in 2012-14, the Atlantic 10 has shifted greatly since both of those eras. Moving to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) is going to be a step down for the program, but it might be what is needed to get UMass back to where it was even if it is in a weaker men’s basketball conference. MACtion is here for the Minutemen of Massachusetts and come November they better be ready to embrace this big change for the better.
Five Touches: Passing around the hoops world
Happy
St. Patty’sJohnnie’s Day! When asked how he plans on celebrating St. John’s Big East Tournament championship, Coach Rick Pitino answered, “I’m gonna drink a quart of Jamesons!” To paraphrase the old adage - you can take the guy out of the state school, but you can’t take the state school out of him.And how did St. John do it? Defense. Enjoy this masterclass on how to keep your opponent from getting into your paint.
RED PANDA IS REAL: Everyone’s favorite halftime performer, the legendary Red Panda plays herself in the Netflix series “Running Point” and its taken the internet by storm for all the people who didn’t realize she is real. Thanks to Togethxr for confirming that for those who don’t already believe.
I cried with laughter! I LOVE Bill Rafferty - and - I love March. Someone compiled 3+ minutes of the best of Bill’s famous ‘ONIONS!’ calls. I got about 20secs in before I lost it in laughter. Enjoy.
I cried with delight: 22 years ago, 13yo Natalie Gilbert was invited to sing the National Anthem at a Portland Trail Blazers game. She started well, but got tripped as she forgot the words midway through. Then Portland coach Maurice Cheeks, always the coach, joined her on court to sing her through it, while also getting the crowd involved. The sweet moment went viral for the touching moment it was. This week, with the NY Knicks in town, and Cheeks as an assistant on the Knicks staff, the Portland Trail Blazers invited Gilbert back to sing again. Now 35, she killed it with Cheeks looking on from the other bench. They were able to reunite before the game. It’s hard not to have tears in your eyes when you watch.
Final Seconds
Ok, folks! May your brackets land with love and fun for the festivities start next week!
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Also, feel free to join the conversation - just keep it upbeat!
Always live One Shining Moment at a time. Never be boring.