By Ron Chimelis
The Republican
November 17, 2009
AMHERST – Casual fans might have been surprised at Cornell’s men’s basketball victory at Alabama last Saturday, but Derek Kellogg was not.
“They are a borderline Top 25 team,” said the University of Massachusetts coach, whose team plays its home opener against Cornell Wednesday night at the Mullins Center.
“They have three all-conference players, the rookie of the year, and they were in the NCAA tournament the last two years,” Kellogg said.
“Beating Alabama might have been an eye-opener for people who don’t really follow basketball. But right now, they’re the better team.”
Better than Alabama, or UMass?
“We haven’t played them yet,” Kellogg said after pausing to consider the question.
Cornell’s 71-67 win at Alabama was the Big Red’s first win over an SEC team in 37 years. Senior Ryan Wittman, a sharpshooting senior and the son of former NBA player and coach Randy Wittman, led the two-time Ivy League champions with 23 points.
Max Groebe, who played guard for UMass in 2007-08 before transferring, played one minute off the bench for Cornell.
That game came one day after UMass had also opened in the South, with less favorable results.
The 84-67 loss at Central Florida exposed a team that was impatient on offense and flawed on defense. Central Florida shot 55 percent.
Kellogg was not satisfied, but he was also not shocked.
“I think we will be a work in progress. We’re taking baby steps,” he said.
“As a whole, our freshmen did a decent job. Nobody stood out.”
What stood out in the box score were 38 shots from 3-point range, a school record.
The Minutemen made 12. In the first half, they were 7 of 25.
“I don’t mind us taking 3’s. If there are 38 good ones, take 38,” Kellogg said.
The problem was, there weren’t. All too often, UMass took the first 3-pointer rather than running its offense.
“We tired ourselves out. You can’t play 30 seconds on defense, come down and play eight seconds on offense and take the first shot,” Kellogg said.
Five freshmen are on this team. Four played Friday, for a total of 64 minutes, and Terrell Vinson and Sampson Carter were in the starting lineup.
Vinson had seven rebounds. Guard Freddie Riley shot 4 for 9 on 3-pointers, up from his 1-for-9 game against Dowling in the preseason.
On a team that needs someone other than veterans Ricky Harris and Anthony Gurley to score, Riley’s shooting figures to come in handy.
But Kellogg is looking for more rebounding and defense from Riley, and from most of his other players as well.
“I don’t think any coach is satisfied at this time of year. I want us to play in games the way we practice, but at times, guys can play differently when the lights go on,” he said.
The Cornell game and Saturday’s home game against Arkansas-Fort Smith constitute the first two rounds of the Legends Classic.
No matter what the results, UMass will advance in the tournament to play Rutgers and either Florida or Michigan State over the Thanksgiving weekend in Atlantic City, N.J.
Kellogg says UMass cannot think that far down the road.
“People talk about us having good home matchups. This is one of them,” he said.
“Maybe Cornell doesn’t have the name, but they are really, really good.”
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