Adios, New York

Next stop, Memphis.

The UMass basketball team lost to Southern Illinois last night, meaning the Minutemen won’t be heading to Madison Square Garden to play Duke. There was good and bad in this game, but I’m glad the team – specifically Chris Lowe – got this performance out of the way.

Lowe knows he wasn’t exactly on the top of his game.

“A lot of teams are going to pick me up full-court. Tonight, I didn’t provide any leadership,” Lowe said.

“I didn’t do what (a preseason) all-league player should do, and 10 turnovers, that’s unheard of. But everybody has a bad game, and I’ll bounce back.”

Lowe had 10 turnovers and zero assists in what will probably go down as his absolute worst game in a UMass uniform.

Next the Minutemen have to travel to Tennessee to take on Calipari’s Tigers on Nov. 17. Having some time off will probably help mend some of the mental – and physical – wounds the Minutemen acquired in Carbondale … a place UMass can’t win for some reason.

Now we have to wait on the status of Luke Bonner, who went down with an apparent knee injury. Bonner isn’t exactly the focal point of the offense (or defense, for that matter), but we need all our big men healthy. We don’t have enough depth as it is.

–

Travis Ford has the No. 9 ranked recruiting class at OSU.

‘No doubt’

The Daily Collegian strikes again, and I love it.

The student paper had a staff editorial telling students to get off their asses and actually support their alma mater.

…it seems like the entire student body couldn’t care less about UMass sporting events.

Where’s the school pride? We see thousands of freshmen every day decked out in their UMass gear that they bought at the U-Store, but gosh forbid they actually take their hooded UMass sweaters to an actual sporting event.

You know all that money you’re spending on tuition? Part of that goes to the athletic department. Your hard-earned money is in-part paying for many of our student-athletes to come to UMass for free. OK, maybe you should resent the athletes then.

While I worked for the paper me and my colleague Mike Marzelli both wrote pieces telling the fans to get out there and support the basketball team. Was that objective, down-the-middle journalism? No. Was it something we stapled to our respective resumes. Hell no. If we could go back in time, would we write them again?

Yes – “no doubt.”

Perhaps it’s cheesy, but here’s what a 21-year-old version of myself thought.

On Dec. 9, the Minutemen reaped the benefits of this passion. UMass played UConn in front of a rowdy 9,037 people at the Mullins Center and fed of their energy to pull off one of the largest upsets in college basketball this season.

The center of the court was flooded, and for the first time in years, it looked like UMass was truly a basketball school.

Yet, only a few weeks later, the Mullins Center was silent. The hangover from the UConn win slowly started to subside, and winter session took a large bite out of the student section. The crowds began to mirror those of the past few years, when this team was trying to rebuild.

After I wrote this, I got a little bit of grief from my peers. I was told that I was being a “homer,” that I was showing my biases, and that I should essentially be embarrassed of myself for being so subjective.

I didn’t care then, and I don’t care now.

College is a time to experiment – in more ways than one – and figure yourself out a bit. It’s a time to make mistakes, learn from them and move on. While I wrote for my college paper, I was a fan of my college’s teams. I tried to be objective, but I wanted to have some fun.

These days I’m an editor, and I edit stories for AP style, objectiveness and libel. I lecture freelancers and make sure the paper gets out without a hitch. Directly to my left is a UMass hockey puck, and as I swivel in my chair ever so slightly, I see pictures of McGuirk Alumni Stadium, friends from UMass, and me and Marzelli on George Washington’s center court.

I am one of a few diehards for UMass athletics, and I’m totally fine with that. The funny thing is, I wouldn’t have loved it so much if I never worked for the Collegian. I was allowed to see the inside: the athletes, the facilities, the coaches, etc. – and I liked what I saw.

On Dec. 9 2004, I was an active student journalist covering UMass’ upset of UConn. For the entire game, I sat next to Mike, and sweat and shook for my school. When the clock hit 00:00, I became a student, and, with my pen behind my ear, I charged the court and gave Jeff Viggiano the most subjective hug of my life.

After I left the court, I became a journalist again.

But I sat in the press conference with a fan’s smile.

–

The Associated Press had the breakdown of Travis Ford’s contract with Oklahoma State.

Rich bastard.

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CAUTION: The following is a message board rumor, proceed with extreme care.

On the UAB message board, someone mentioned a new conference involving:

Memphis, Houston, UAB, Creighton, Xavier, Southern Illinois, UMass, VCU, George Mason, And Temple.

Obviously this is kind of crazy, but I figured I might as well mention it. AGAIN THIS IS A MESSAGE BOARD RUMOR…

… don’t hate me.

You talkin’ to us?

Travis Ford made a comment about the fans at Oklahoma State and how they rank up against other schools.

One has to wonder about whether he was talking about UMass.

It has really been impressive to me how much people love this university when I went and spoke at those places, because that’s not true everywhere. It’s really not. There are a lot of places where they may like basketball only if they are winning and things like that or maybe there are fans who are just fans because they are sports fans. … It has been really neat for me to learn about that true love from the people who are there and are with the university one way or another.

He did not specifically say UMass here, but what other schools could he be talking about? I know it’s not Kentucky, and I find it hard to believe that he would reference Eastern Kentucky in this capacity.

This seems like a shot at UMass and its fans. The reason being – the sentiment is mostly true.

UMass fans don’t come out when the basketball team is playing .500 ball, they don’t come out when a below-average Atlantic 10 team comes to town. UMass fans come when games are on television, when the opponent is recognizable, and, most of all, UMass fans come when it’s convenient.

Of course this is not all UMass fans. There are those that live for the Maroon and White. There are those that go to every game, have StatTracker on when they are unable to, and they root for every team on campus simply because those teams represent their university and – in some capacity – themselves.

Those are the true UMass fans, and maybe there are just too few of us out there these days.

Then again, maybe Ford wasn’t talking about us. Maybe he was just talking out of his ass to appeal to his new fans, to make it seem like they are the best fans in the world.

That’s what he said to us – and we all know how honest he can be.

–

The Day had a couple of stories pertaining to UMass recruits today.

Sara Plourde will play softball for UMass next year.

Anthony Schiavone chose to play football for Temple over UMass, Buffalo, UConn, Delaware and Boston College.

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Two UMass baseball players helped win the Tri-County League title in Holyoke.

“Yeah, I’ve been pretty successful,” he said, “mainly because I’ve been blessed with good players. Like this season, we had Ryan Franczek (of Chicopee and UMass), who won the MVP, and Aaron Smith (of Holyoke and UMass), who won the Wes Carr, which is our league’s version of the Cy Young.”

–

ESPN had an Atlantic 10 basketball preview yesterday.

Wakka, wakka, wakka

So, apparently UMass got torched by a comedian back in the day.

Nick Di Paolo, a stand-up comedian originally from Massachusetts, played for Maine and said his favorite college football memory was torching UMass – and Grady Fuller.

“My first starting job was as a running back against UMass on Homecoming, and we did a double-reverse. I went 65 yards, outran a kid, Grady Fuller, who ran a sub-4.4 40 (yard dash), and I outran him. … I went around this kid like he was standing still. The coaches kept rewinding it, because this kid was an All-American and (stuff). So I had the reverse for the touchdown—I had two touchdowns that day and I had 85 yards on the ground and 65 in receptions for 150. And we won 42-16 or something like that.”

Fuller played for UMass from 1980-83, and held the record for most career interceptions (18) until Shannon James came along and broke it in 2005.

–

James Madison thinks it’s chances are pretty good against UMass and Appalachian State next year, since both games are at home.

Landers said that playing UMass and Appalachian State at home gives the Dukes an advantage and makes the back-to-back games somewhat less fearsome.

“You look at our schedule, yeah we’ve got some tough contests, but they’re going to be at home for the most part,” Landers said. “We’re going to be at the friendly confines of Bridgeforth.”

–

Gary Parrish conducted a Q&A, and the issue of Travis Ford’s “next step” came up. I think he gave a pretty solid assesment:

“Obviously, Kentucky would be his dream job, and you could make the argument that if he and Gillispie switched places they might both be more comfortable. As for moving up the ladder, if he wins at OSU and the fans ( T. Boone Pickens included ) fall in love with him, the school will make it difficult to leave because nobody will outbid Pickens. Put another way, I think Kentucky might be the only ’step up’ for Travis because if he fails nobody else will want him, and if he succeeds nobody else will be able to pay what Oklahoma State will be willing to pay. So he’s in a good spot. I wish I had his salary.”Amen to that.

A-10 perfection

The UMass softball team has been invincible in the Atlantic 10 this year.

St. Bonaventure almost found a chink in the armor, but once again the Maroon and White prevailed and further exhibited how it is the best team in the conference.

From the Collegian:

With two outs and UMass trailing, 1-0, Normandin hit a double to left field, scoring two runs and giving UMass its first lead of the game. Normandin went 2-for-3 in Game 2 after going 3-for-3 in Game 1. Sophomore pitcher Bailey Sanders finished off the Bonnies in order in the bottom of the seventh to complete the comeback in Game 2. It was the first time all season that UMass trailed against an A-10 opponent.

That makes it 26 in a row for the Minutewomen, who now head south to Charlotte for the A-10 tournament. St. Bonaventure is second in the conference with a 11-7 record, which pales in comparison the UMass’ 20-0 mark.

Pretty impressive.

–

The Herald-Leader had a little tid-bit about Travis Ford:

Ex-UK player Travis Ford hit the ground running as the new Oklahoma State coach. Less than a week on the job, he slapped an indefinite suspension on senior-to-be Terrel Harris for violating team rules.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State’s deep-pocketed booster, T. Boone Pickens, saluted Ford as a historically good hire.

“It will go down in history that Burns Hargis and Travis Ford will be the two best hires we’ve made in the last 50 years,” Pickens said in reference to the new school president and basketball coach

We’ll see about that T. Boone … especially if Ok. State finds success. That Kentucky job would and will be hard to turn down if Ford has the opportunity.

–

There was a little spring write-up on the UNH football team in the Nashua Telegraph:

Quarterback. New starter Toman isn’t a complete unknown. He was instrumental in last year’s 35-30 win over eventual Division I-AA runner-up Delaware, hitting on 5-of-9 passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns in 2-1/2 quarters.

He was efficient in piloting a 49-21 win over Iona a week later.

“It’s huge,” he said of last year’s taste. “To be able to play at this level and get acquainted with the speed and what really goes on and what it takes to run an offense, that really helps. It’s a learning process more than anything else.”

He may be good, but I’m doubting he’s the second coming of Santos. It’s going to be nice to not have to deal with that kid again.

Busy newsroom

A few things from the Collegian today – the youngins must have been busy in the basement last night.

Breyone Evans, UMass’ fullback, has been picked up as a free agent by the Carolina Panthers.

From the Collegian:

Former UMass fullback Breyone Evans became the first of an expected group of Minuteman alums to sign pro contracts with the NFL. Evans, 22, signed with the Carolina Panthers on Monday. Carolina signed nine other rookie free agents – to go along with nine draft picks – and Evans will compete with them for a roster spot. The Panthers now have seven running backs and two fullbacks on their roster.

There was also a nice article on Ryan Franczek, a UMass baseball player from Chicopee.

“I think he’s starting to swing like we know he can,” UMass coach Mike Stone said after last Wednesday’s lost to Sacred Heart, in which Franczek had four hits. “He’s just got to keep his front shoulder down and keep his head on the ball. He’ll be fine; he’s got a good swing. It’s just a matter of discipline to stay on the ball.”

Although coaches sometimes move players down in the lineup when they’re struggling, Stone elected to keep Franczek in the No. 2 spot, a move that appears to be paying dividends.

I remember writing about this kid when he was a freshman. He had a walk-off hit against UConn, and he was calm and collected after the game.

He has a good swing and – during my season covering the team – he seemed to have some patience at the place. Hopefully he stays in the No. 2 spot and can break out of his mini-slump.

–

NewsOK.com had an article about Travis Ford’s potential coaching staff at OK State:

Steve Middleton, an assistant to Ford at Massachusetts and Eastern Kentucky, has been on the road recruiting for OSU the last two weekends. Ford and Middleton have been in and out of Stillwater. The evaluation period ends Wednesday.

Middleton played at Southern Illinois, graduating in 1989, and specializes in coaching big men.

Cosby (no) Show

Aaron Cosby, a Travis Ford recruit for 2010, has reopened the recruiting process.

The Courier-Journal had the story:

…since Ford left for Oklahoma State last week, George Cosby – the player’s father – said the family has been talking and his son is going to look around.

“We’ve talked a lot about it,” the elder Cosby said. “He’s going to re-open things. (Ford) was a major, major reason that Aaron wanted to go to UMass.”

George Cosby said there have been a few other schools in recent contact, including Minnesota, South Carolina and Mississippi State. He said his son and Ford were likely going to talk this summer about the future at Oklahoma State.

“He might visit Oklahoma State,” the father said. “We’re just going to have to wait and see. A lot of things go into that, so we have to talk to coach Ford.”

Many expected this sort of thing to happen once Ford left town.

Matt Denison, who served as the public relations conduit for Cosby when the story broke, is good friends with Travis Ford and his father. He sent the press release to myself, and I would imagine other UMass-specific media outlets.

Cosby’s decision to come to UMass was not for the university, it was for Ford.

Via an e-mail from Denison to me on October 26, 2007:

Travis, family and coaching staff are close to me. I do a lot of basketball-related things for his father, Eddie. Let me know what you’d like and I’m sure we can get it done. We need to stay in touch and I’ll keep you updated so we can spread the positive word about Travis and UMass.

Anyway, I have put in a request to speak with Aaron, but we’ll see what happens. Hopefully we can get a little extra insight on what’s happening in this recruiting process.

Way back machine

One last thing on Travis Ford… here is the column I wrote after he was hired.

I sure feel like a horse’s ass now.

From the Collegian (3/28/05):

On March 5, the Massachusetts men’s basketball team played its final regular season game and its last game at the William D. Mullins Center until next season. As I walked around the court, towards the Green Room, where the press conference is held, I stopped and looked at the sea of maroon one last time.

It was one last glance at the vast silence which encompasses this arena. One last time to see empty maroon seats and hear the solemn banter of apathetic fans looking for more than a two point nail-biting victory over a lesser opponent.

A mere 20 days later the university decided that not only would this be a last time for me, a graduating senior, to see this depressing scene, but it would be the last time the Minutemen ended a season with less energy than it started with.

Enter Travis Ford.

On Friday afternoon, the University of Massachusetts introduced Ford as its new head basketball coach. Cheerleaders lined the walkway to the podium and in the middle of dozens of side-conversations throughout the stands, the familiar UMass fight song broke through, turning the heads of those in attendance to the man who will be changing the face for their program.

Forty seconds they stood. Shouts and cheers from a spirited audience filled with students and alumni rang through as Ford stood at the podium. He looked around with a straight face and tried to cut in, but the crowd wasn’t having it. They stood and Ford let them cheer, this was exactly what he was looking for.

When the crowd finally sat, bringing into view a large sign in the back row which said, “Welcome to UMass Travis Ford,” Ford began talking about what he wants for this program. He mentioned that it was, in essence, a time for change.

The entire time he spoke, the Curry Hicks Cage sat in silence, occasionally cheering when he would hit a nerve. He mentioned how UMass was going to be, “the hottest ticket in town,” a phrase which resonated with the alumni and represented something that most of the students had never truly seen… a sense of school pride.

Most of the team lined the first row of the Cage, just behind the two sections of chairs set aside for the press. None of the players had been introduced to their new coach, or his subsequent staff, and sat in the same position as everyone else, listening and analyzing this southern man that appeared to be saying all the right things.

He told the crowd that they needed to come to games and that they had to be, “a part of the team.” He spoke of how his doors were always open and how this was the community’s team. For the first time in years the men’s basketball team at UMass took on the image of something bigger than a maroon and white team lost in the Berkshires.

After telling the crowd what they needed to do, Ford directed attention to the men in black warm-ups sitting in those front row seats. Each hunched over figure had his eyes transfixed on the coach as he mentioned what their responsibility was. He told them that they were about to learn what it meant to truly work hard.

Each player had a straight, objective face after the initial comments, but Ford switched gears and had a few of his future pupils smiling. He said it was going to be fun, that as hard as they worked, they were going to have more fun than any other team they came across.

This comment appeared to hit everyone there than afternoon. Amidst the very heart of March Madness, the University of Massachusetts was absent, yet very much alive. Players and fans alike have been missing this fun the past few years and Coach Ford was adamant and confident that it was coming back sooner than later.

A new era of UMass basketball has arrived in the form of a hardworking southern man from Madisonville, Ky.

Perhaps it is truly time for this community to have some fun.

Bob McGovern is a Collegian Columnist

Travi$ Fraud

“UMass basketball is bigger than any one individual and it will continue to be.”

- UMass Athletic Director John McCutcheon -

–

I’ve said what I’m going to say about Travis Ford’s lies, and honestly I’m done – for now.

The worst part about all of this is the fact that Ford wouldn’t even show up at his goodbye press conference. He didn’t even show his face. All he did was leave this quote:

“I have greatly enjoyed my three years here at UMass. It was a very difficult decision to leave UMass, one which my family and I struggled with mightily. I wish nothing but the best for the staff and players at UMass. They have been and will always be family to me. I feel the team at UMass has a great nucleus in place and I wish them the best in the future.”

Stuff it Ford.

Anyway, the folks at UMassAthletics.com posted a link to his press conference in Stillwater – here’s the link.

Here is one more interesting quote from McCutcheon:

Travis made me aware of it that they had contacted him late Monday afternoon. I never spoke with anyone directly at Oklahoma State or associated with Oklahoma State.

–

UPDATE:

Great stuff from the Collegian today:

“One thing I’ve learned through the years is that you commit more to a university than to a coach, because there are these constant changes every year,” (Bonner) said. “We really enjoy being students at UMass; and even though coach is gone, we’re very happy to be on campus here.”

Gaffney felt the same way and said that this team is tough enough to handle anything.

“Midway through the season we got wristbands that say ‘17 strong’ on them. And it stands for the 17 players that are on the roster,” he said. “We stick together no matter what.”

It’s all over: Ford to OK State

The Springfield Republican is reporting that Travis Ford has officially left UMass for Oklahoma State.

From the Republican and Ron Chimelis:

UMass assistant athletic director Jason Yellin said today that Ford, who rejected an offer from Providence last week, has accepted the offer from Stillwater, OK. He was to meet with his players sometime Wednesday.

Reports had circulated during the day that Ford was wavering, but Yellin said at 5:35 p.m. that Ford’s departure was official.

Ford reportedly met with Oklahoma State officials this week, after Bill Self, a Cowboys’ alumnus, had turned down the job.

I might have to sleep on this because right now I’m starting to feel the anger again. At the end of the day, Travis Ford lied to us, and he lied to his team.

He lied to the players that promised him four years.

Ford made a promise too, but every promise has a price tag, apparently.

There is no doubt that Ford kicked some life into this team and this school, but the past few weeks have diminished that – and then some. He is bringing that excitement to the Big 12, and there is no way I can sit here and say that I’m rooting for him.

Hopefully this will serve as a lesson to UMass fans … well, another lesson that is. The University of Massachusetts is not a destination for young college coaches, but it can sure be a worthwhile (and profitable) stop.

I guess Travis will meet with the team at some point, and tell them his story. I’m sure he’ll tell them it’s not them, it’s him – I’m sure he’ll talk to them like a boyfriend hastily breaking up with a girl that’s not ready to call it quits. He’ll smile his big, southern smile and tell them that everything is fine.

It worked on us, why wouldn’t it work on them?

Travis Ford gave me and other UMass fans half-memories.

He got us to the NIT twice and made this year a memorable ride, but he did so with an eye toward the dollar-filled future. He gave us a run-and-gun team, but he left us with a team built to play his style and his style alone. He gave us a reason to be excited and proud to be UMass fans, but he left us in the dust as we watched Oklahoma tumbleweeds float softly in the distance.

He gave us a reason to believe he was staying, but he lied – because that’s what liars do.

–

The Oklahoman is reporting the UMass press conference:

The UMass media relations department confirmed that a gathering is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central time where the athletic director and players will discuss the future of the program.