Kellogg hopes to get UMass playing his way after final exams

BOSTON – Final exams may have arrived at just the right time for UMass. The Minutemen are off for 10 days before their next game, and there is plenty to work on in between finishing the semester if Tuesday night’s 72-66 win at Northeastern is any indication. Most of it falls under the umbrella of playing the way head coach Derek Kellogg wants this team to play, and Tuesday night’s game may be a microcosm of that.

In each of their first three wins, UMass needed a buzzer-beater or a late shot to win it. In other words, they had not comfortably beat an opponent yet, or even won a game by a few more points that they sealed with free throws until Tuesday. And on Tuesday, they needed a late run after the final media timeout to take the game over, highlighted by a play that Kellogg would like to see a little more of.

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How I voted for All-District 1 and All-America in 2012

In addition to covering the CAA Tournament last weekend, I had to submit my ballot for the U.S. Basketball Writers Association postseason awards by midnight Sunday night. This consists of All-District and All-America teams, and Player of the Year and Coach of the Year for both and a National Freshman of the Year. Every member votes for ten players on the two teams, and let’s just say that this year was a little tougher. It was also tougher for a couple of the awards, although the national Coach of the Year tends to never be easy.

As I am based in metropolitan Boston, my district is District 1, which consists of the six New England states. With that established, here is a look at how I voted and what went into it, just like I did last week with the CAA postseason awards. The All-District teams and award winners were announced by the USBWA on Tuesday, and All-America will be announced next Monday. The national award winners will be honored at the Final Four.

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For UMass, having a point guard is making a difference

For much of his tenure at his alma mater, Derek Kellogg has lacked a true point guard. The UMass mentor has largely had to go with players who were natural shooting guards, such as David Gibbs, Ricky Harris and Gary Correia, and they did the best they could. And for the talent the team has had, one wonders if having a true point guard might have made a big difference during two seasons where they went 27-35. Right now, we are finding out that it just might, because at last the Minutemen have a true point guard.

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