Sports/UMass
UMass TE Adam Breneman’s invitation to work at The Opening symbolizes how far he’s come
By MATT VAUTOUR
Adam Breneman could see himself in the kids he was speaking to. A younger, more naive version of himself.Just over a week ago, UMass’ rising senior tight end spent four days working as a counselor at The Opening, in Beaverton, Oregon, at Nike’s...
UMass men’s basketball team eager for new players to arrive
By MATT VAUTOURThe next time the UMass men’s basketball team takes the floor together, there will be as many new faces as familiar ones.After former coach Derek Kellogg was fired and new coach Matt McCall replaced him in March, the program has been...
Chris Baldwin has a chance to emerge an impact player for UMass basketball program
By MATT VAUTOUR
Chris Baldwin was probably in line for more playing time in 2017-18 anyway.He finished his freshman year strong and likely would have played a larger role as a sophomore even if UMass hadn’t changed coaching staffs. But after former coach Derek...
New UMass basketball assistants work fast to rebuild roster
By MATT VAUTOUR
AMHERST — There wasn’t much time to settle in initially.Rasheen Davis and Peter Gash were hired as Matt McCall’s first UMass assistant men’s basketball coaches and very quickly had to hit the road recruiting to fill the holes left by the seven players...
If money is right, Kentucky’s Calipari fine with abolishing one-and-done rule
By JERRY TIPTON
With the growing likelihood that the foundational piece of Kentucky’s program will be removed from college basketball, Kentucky Coach John Calipari said the sport should proceed cautiously in a future without one-and-done players. Speaking on...
Incoming UMass D Mario Ferraro drafted by San Jose in second round of NHL draft
By MATT VAUTOUR
Mario Ferraro didn’t have to wait long Saturday morning to hear his name called at the NHL Draft.The incoming UMass freshman defenseman was selected 49th overall by the San Jose Sharks, just over midway through the second round.He was picked well...
Colorado Avalanche select incoming UMass D Cale Makar No. 4 in NHL draft
By MATT VAUTOUR
Cale Makar’s season-long rise from relatively unknown recruit to elite prospect peaked Friday in Chicago. The Colorado Avalanche selected the UMass commit with the No. 4 pick in the NHL Draft.No UMass player had ever been taken in the first round...
UMass hockey could be well-represented at NHL draft
By MATT VAUTOUR
The biggest advertisement for Greg Carvel’s hockey program will be running for free this weekend.UMass hockey will likely be mentioned prominently when Cale Makar, an almost certain top-10 pick, is selected in the NHL Draft, which runs Friday and...
UMass coaches Greg Cannella, Tory Verdi have contracts extended
By MATT VAUTOUR
UMass extended the contracts of one of its longest and one of its shortest tenured head coaches Thursday.The athletic department announced that men’s lacrosse coach Greg Cannella, who has been at UMass for 23 years, and women’s basketball coach Tory...
Super Mario? Incoming UMass D Mario Ferraro, a likely NHL draft choice
By MATT VAUTOUR
In almost every other year of the UMass hockey program’s existence, defenseman Mario Ferraro would have been the big name incoming freshman, the headline recruit that everybody eagerly awaited seeing.Instead, a hefty portion of fan attention has gone...
UMass football lands first commit from class of 2018, quarterback Jaret Pallotta
By MATT VAUTOUR
Jaret Pallotta wanted to make his college choice early and UMass felt like a fit right away.The 6-foot-5, 200-pound quarterback from Canton, Ohio, visited Amherst last month on his way to the spring game at Dartmouth, where his brother Jake is the...
UMass hires alum Matt Reynolds as next baseball coach
By MATT VAUTOUR
The idea of becoming the head coach at UMass where he’d been a player and an assistant coach would have appealed to Matt Reynolds anytime the job opened. But Reynolds said longtime coach Mike Stone’s retirement came at the perfect point in his...
Matt Vautour: Now a coach, Emma Mendoker is loving softball again
By MATT VAUTOUR
There was a time that needing a break from softball would have been unfathomable for Emma Mendoker.But the former Amherst Regional star and current Williams College pitching coach needed to step away last year. She gave up her remaining eligibility at...
After 30 years leading UMass baseball, Mike Stone is ready to walk away
By MATT VAUTOUR
AMHERST — There is no hint of finality from Mike Stone. The start of Wednesday’s practice looked a lot like the thousands of others he’s run at Earl Lorden Field.The Minuteman coach hung the day’s workout plan near the third-base dugout’s two good...
UMass basketball gets a commitment from Aussie guard Kieran Hayward, an LSU transfer
By MATT VAUTOUR
The newest member of the UMass men’s basketball program might have the distinction of being the player who traveled the furthest to play for the Minutemen.Kieran Hayward, a 6-foot-4 guard from Sydney, Australia, played one season at LSU before...
Rutgers wing Jonathan Laurent transfers to UMass basketball
By MATT VAUTOUR
The UMass men’s basketball team added another transfer to its ranks over the weekend, and another could be on the way.Rutgers wing Jonathan Laurent announced on Twitter on Saturday, after visiting Amherst last week, that he’ll be a Minuteman. He’ll...
UMass controls Colorado, advance in NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament
By MATT VAUTOUR
On Wednesday, UMass women’s lacrosse coach Angela McMahon said the key to beating Colorado in the first game of the NCAA Tournament was controlling possession.Even she couldn’t have dreamed how well her team would heed those instructions after...
UMass women’s tennis team facing long odds in NCAA Tournament
By MATT VAUTOUR
If the UMass women’s tennis team extends its season beyond Saturday, the story will no longer be about Judy Dixon’s magical farewell run.The Minutewomen, who face Florida, Saturday at 1 p.m., will try to pull off a potentially epic upset that would...
Vautour: Two decades later, Marcus Camby proud to be getting his UMass degree
By MATT VAUTOUR
Marcus Camby didn’t tell anyone. Not his mother, his sisters or his daughters. Not even his wife.For the last two years, the 43-year-old former Minuteman basketball star has been quietly taking classes online to complete his UMass degree. On Friday,...
UMass ready for Colorado rematch in NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament
By MATT VAUTOUR
AMHERST — When UMass lost to Colorado 11-7 on Feb. 17 in Florida, coach Angela McMahon said her team was far from fully formed.That was the second game of the season and while the Minutewomen had talented players, they had yet to entirely discover how...
