AMHERST — As regulars at University of Massachusetts women’s basketball games, Gabe Reif and his daughter, Cassie Reif Matoney, are among those who have become well acquainted with the players on a team that this weekend aims to win back-to-back Atlantic 10 Conference tournament titles.

“We’ll be in Aldi and see players shopping, and they’ll freak out,” Reif said of the reaction that Cassie and her friends have if they happen to be at the Hadley grocery store at the same time.

On Friday, joined by fellow Minutewomen enthusiasts David Mazor and Mazor’s grandson, Jonah Spitzer, Reif and his daughter watched the first UMass tournament game at Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware, hoping to see the team get closer to earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division 1 Women’s March Madness field. The team won, advancing to the tournament’s semifinals scheduled for Saturday morning. The finals are at noon on Sunday.

“This is our first time traveling for a UMass game,” Reif said as he prepared for the five-hour drive accompanied by Cassie, Mazor and Jonah Thursday evening. “They just love it too. We are all huge fans.”

Cassie, 11, and a fifth grader at Wildwood School, said she plans to get loud during the games. “I think we’re going to do a lot of cheering,” Cassie said. “We’ll bring signs and wave them and try to cheer them on as best we can.”

Being at the final game of the season for UMass, or at least the last one before the team possibly plays in the national tournament, was important, she said.

“I think the games are a really nice experience. It’s fun to cheer on the team and watch the games,” Cassie said.

While the women have become prominent due to their success on the court, that wasn’t always the case. When Reif started going with his daughter, it was about ensuring Cassie would appreciate women’s sports, as well as finding another way for them to bond.

“We’re long-term fans. It’s been a great thing to do and a lot of fun,” Reif said.

When Cassie was 3, during the 2014-2015 season, Reif brought her to her first game. As a values-based parent, he wanted to instill in her a respect for women athletes.

“It was a fun time, she was 3 and we were going to every home game we could,” Reif said. They could also sit at courtside, being right on top of the action.

Reif grew up in Amherst during the heyday of the men’s basketball program, when, as a teenager, he took in games at the Mullins Center as John Calipari was head coach and players like Marcus Camby led the team to national prominence. He also went to a couple of women’s games then, though that team struggled at the time.

“The last couple of years they’ve been really good,” Reif said.

Cassie’s love for the team also came in part from being a ball kid, a UMass program that allowed children from kindergarten and up to join the players on the court, passing out the balls during warm ups, giving them high fives and standing on the court prior to the game. Cassie did this as a first, second and third grader.

“Overall, it was really fun being a ball kid,” Cassie said.

While also an avid gymnast, Cassie has taken on her father’s love for disc golf. She has competed in tournaments and when she was 8 won her division at a U.S. junior disc golf tournament in Vermont.

When at the basketball games with Jonah, 10, also a Wildwood student, they always try to get on the video screen, and they also express themselves with hand gestures and vocals when a UMass player successfully makes a foul shot. They also razz the opponents.

“Cassie and Jonah like booing when the other team is shooting free throws,” Reif said.

Reif is also impressed with how Cassie watches the games, pointing to the time when she noticed former player Maggie Mulligan wasn’t wearing her customary jersey.

“I realized she is observant,” Reif said.

Cassie said she appreciates Sam Breen, who has earned back-to-back recognition as the Atlantic 10 player of the year.

“I think Sam Breen is my favorite player,” Cassie said. “She’s the top player overall, and she’s really nice.”

Jonah, too, said the players are welcoming. “I like seeing the players play, and they’re all super friendly,” Jonah said, adding that he has been to games on poster day and field trip day, and even saw one of the players at a WNBA game in Connecticut.

Reif said he and is daughter have built their father-daughter relationship through athletics. “She’s a diehard sports fan,” Reif said.

While at the games this weekend, they aren’t going to take things too seriously or get too high or low.

Should the Minutewomen lose before advancing in the tournament, he scouted out disc golf courses to play.

“We hope they win, but won’t get too down if they don’t,” Reif said. “You can make anything fun.”

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.]]>