UMass hoop team looks ahead at Hall of Fame clinic
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SPRINGFIELD - As he watched freshman teammate Maxie Esho playfully guarding a player half his size Wednesday at the UMass Day Clinic at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, University of Massachusetts senior guard Anthony Gurley shook his head and smiled.
"Time flies. It feels like yesterday I was a freshman," said Gurley, who began his career at Wake Forest before transferring to UMass. "It went very fast. I remember the first day of school entering Wake. I tell these guys, cherish the time while you have it. Before long, you'll be a senior."
Gurley is one of three seniors on the team, along with Hashim "Big City" Bailey and Gary Correia, but he's clearly the one with the most expectations.
When UMass coach Derek Kellogg introduced him to the crowd at the beginning of the clinic, he made clear the extent of Gurley's importance.
"As Anthony Gurley goes this year, that's how the team will go," Kellogg said.
The Court of Dreams on the ground floor of the Hall made for an interesting place for Gurley to discuss his place in the basketball world.
Looking down from the ring of honor two floors above him were the illuminated immortal faces of the game's enshrinees.
Scampering around him were kids, mostly elementary and middle school age, taking part in the clinic, dribbling passing and shooting.
Gurley was smack in the middle of the admiration food chain below the players he looked up to and above the kids, who at least for the afternoon, were looking up to him.
"I like coming down and working with the kids. It's a fun thing showing our community that we're around and we're involved," Gurley said. "Hopefully, they'll come out and support us during the season."
He expects the Minutemen will give them a better product to watch.
"Everybody looks great. We've been on a strict schedule working out in the weight room. You can see everybody's body start maturing and people becoming better basketball players," Gurley said. "We've worked hard this summer. Hopefully, it'll pay off when game times come. We thought we could have had more success last year. We were all disappointed in our final record. We're hungry to come back. We're ready to work and take this program to where it needs to be. This is the year, this program is going to take off."
HALL OF FAME EVENTS - The UMass men's clinic and the one held by the women's team right before it were part of a number of enshrinement-week events at the Hall of Fame culminating with the Induction Ceremony Friday night at Symphony Hall.
Events continue with a Dennis Rodman autograph session today at 1:30 p.m.
Fans can purchase tickets to Friday's 10 a.m. press conference or attend a free pep rally with members of the 2010 enshrinement class at noon on the steps of City Hall.
The induction ceremony is Friday at 7 p.m. at Springfield Symphony Hall.
Tickets to the press conference and enshrinement can be purchased at 413-231-5550.
Kellogg was glad his team was included.
"I like to get out and meet people so they can meet and interact with my team," Kellogg said. "Because of our involvement with the Hall of Fame and the guys that are being inducted, our guys are more familiar with the players."
ESHO ADAPTING - Esho, UMass' freshman big man, said he's starting to feel comfortable as a college student.
"It's been good. School has been going well. It's been a big learning process this summer. I'm enjoying it a lot," Esho said. "The guys are making me feel really comfortable with everything. Everybody is really helpful. I've been working hard in the weight room. I feel stronger. I'm jumping higher. I'm more explosive."
Esho was impressed with the Hall of Fame.
"It's good. This was my first time here," he said. "There's a lot of nice things in here."
Esho is the only Minuteman true freshman on campus already as Daryl Traynham is completing a summer class.
SCHEDULE NOTES - UMass has signed to play in the Cancun Governor's Cup during the 2011-12 season. The eight-team December event is run in partnership with ESPN.
Davidson still owes UMass a game to complete the schools' home-and-home series that started last year in North Carolina. The two teams had planned to play in Amherst this season, but couldn't find mutually workable dates. Both sides agreed to play at the Mullins Center during the 2011-12 season.
The Minutemen have added Boston University to their schedule this year. The teams will play an afternoon game at the Mullins Center on New Year's Eve.
Contracts still need to be signed to make it official but UMass and Boston College have agreed to move their Dec. 4 game to the TD Garden.
MISCELLANEOUS - While Gurley was excited to be on the court where the 2010 hall of fame inductees would be Friday, he was as enthusiastic about the Celtics signing future hall-of-famer Shaquille O'Neal.
"I like it. I'm very excited," said Gurley, a Boston native and lifelong Celtics fan. "We have a solid front court with a lot of veteran guys. We're going to be fine this year. We're going to make another run at it. There's a lot of talk about Miami, but the Celtics are going to show everybody this year."
Kellogg said Bailey has continued to drop weight over the off season.
"He's at about 281. We'd like him to be 265-270 and he's really making a conscious effort," Kellogg said.
Javorn Farrell, who had hip surgery in the spring has begun basketball activity and barring a setback is expected to be at full strength at the start of practice in October.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.
