For 49 seasons, the Massachusetts men’s basketball team helped make hoops the heartbeat of the Atlantic 10. With the end of the Minutemen’s time in this storied conference coinciding with the close of the 2024-25 season, it’s only fitting to reminisce on a passionate era of basketball in Amherst.
UMass had its golden age of basketball throughout the 1990s as a dominant force in the A-10, as it won five straight conference tournaments and made seven straight NCAA tournament appearances. It had the most successful season in program history in 1995-96.
The Minutemen’s dominance in the 1995-96 season was unprecedented, posting a program-best 35-2 record with an 86-76 loss to George Washington being the only blemish in the regular season.
Led by the 1995-96 AP Player of the Year Marcus Camby and head coach John Calipari, UMass dominated the Eastern regional bracket as the No. 1 seed. The Minutemen blew out Georgetown 86-62 to make the first and only Final Four appearance in A-10 history.
With a chance to go to the National Championship, UMass faced the winners of the Midwest region, Kentucky. The Minutemen faced the Wildcats to open the season, beating them 92-82, but Kentucky had grown as a team since the first game of the season. The Wildcats bested UMass in an 81-74 victory and won the National Championship over Syracuse two days later.
Controversy surrounded the Minutemen that offseason as Camby was accused of receiving improper gifts from sports agents, leading the NCAA to strip the Minutemen of their Final Four appearance.
The star center declared for the 1996 NBA draft that summer and was selected second overall by the Toronto Raptors. Camby played 17 seasons in the NBA, winning the 2006-07 defensive player of the year award and finishing thirteenth all-time in blocks (2,331).
Camby wasn’t the only crucial piece UMass lost to the NBA that season, as Calipari also left Amherst to be the head coach of the New Jersey Nets. He ended his career for the Minutemen with the second-most wins in program history (193) and was inducted to the UMass Hall of Fame in 2004.
After the departure of these cornerstones, the Minutemen’s success trailed off in the late 90s. Brusier Flint took over as head coach and guided UMass to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearance, that ended in first round exits.
The Minutemen’s success in the national tournament was hard-earned following a long stretch of growth within the program after entering the A-10. After legendary coach Jack Leaman retired in 1979, it took a decade of toiling for UMass to find a hope of rising in the conference standings.
This hope came in the form of youth as 29-year-old Calipari took the coaching helm for the Minutemen in the 1988-89 season, pairing with a talented freshman guard duo in Jim McCoy and Anton Brown.
These brilliant basketball minds coalesced over the next four seasons, as the stars aligned in the 1991-92 campaign with UMass making its first NCAA tournament appearance in 30 years. The Minutemen notched their first tournament game win in program history, beating Fordham 85-58 in the first round.
This was a triumphant end to the careers of McCoy and Brown as they brought UMass to the national stage. McCoy became the all-time program leader in points (2,374), feeding off of Brown who was the main facilitator for the Minutemen on their road to success.
Lou Roe made a significant impact as a freshman on the boards, averaging 6.4 rebounds per game in this program-defining season. That skill stayed true throughout his career as he became UMass’ all-time leader in total rebounds (1,070).
After the illustrious 90s, the Minutemen’s dwindling success on a national level collapsed into a 15-year drought, not reaching March Madness again until 2014. Derek Kellogg was in his sixth season as UMass’ head coach, conducting a roster headlined by elite passer Chaz Williams and double-double machine Cady Lalanne.
This group of Minutemen fought their way to a 24-9 record that season, earning a spot in the NCAA tournament despite losing in the second round of the A-10 tournament. In its first-round matchup, No. 6 UMass fell to No. 11 Tennessee by a score of 86-67. The Minutemen have not made it back to the NCAA tournament since this loss.
Throughout the program’s time in the A-10, UMass fans grew an enormous appreciation for the rivalries within the conference. During their heyday in the 90s, the Minutemen always found themselves locked in battles with Temple.
UMass faced the Owls in four straight A-10 championships from 1992-1996. The Minutemen won all four of these matchups, defeating some of the strongest Temple teams in history.
As national success faded for UMass, its conference rivalries didn’t. The Minutemen had their share of intense battles with St. Joseph’s, George Washington, St. Bonaventure and Duquesne, but these matchups pale in comparison to their history with Rhode Island.
The Minutemen faced the Rams 96 times as an A-10 opponent including seven matchups in the conference tournament. In conference play, the Minutemen hold a 56-33 regular season record over Rhode Island and a 5-2 record against it in the A-10 tournament.
Though these historic feuds may fade as UMass leaves the beloved A-10, their memory will live on in the hearts of the fans who were lucky enough to witness them. The A-10 pushed Minutemen basketball to improve, and fans will forever remember that.
As UMass moves on to the Mid-American Conference next season, the program will start with a clean slate, embracing the opportunity to make new rivalries and more history.
Tym Brown can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @tym_brown1.
