UMass Dartmouth men's basketball team
has set higher goals for the 2000-2001 season

(Dartmouth, MA)-- With four of his starting five returning from last year's 18-10 squad, UMass Dartmouth men�s basketball Brian Baptiste is looking for some improvement in his team this season

Most college basketball teams would be happy with an 11-3 Little East Conference record, an 11th Little East Conference regular season title in the last 13 years and a season which finished with an ECAC New England Division III semi-final appearance. But Baptiste and his Corsairs were not satisfied with last seasons final results.

"I think a lot of our guys felt they did not achieve what their goals were last season," said Baptiste, who is entering his 17th season with a 338-119 won-loss record. "Several players found it upsetting not to go to the NCAA Tournament and they feel they have something to prove this season."

After winning the LEC regular season title last year, UMass Dartmouth was eliminated from the Little East Conference Tournament by Eastern Connecticut State in the semi-final round. The Corsairs rebounded in the ECAC Tournament, however, posting a 79-71 quarterfinal round win against Clark University before a season ending 68-66 semi-final loss to Colby College.
This season, the Corsairs will depend heavily on a group of experienced returning veterans this season, while also mixing some new faces into the mix.

Scoring should not be a major issue for the Corsairs with three of UMass Dartmouth's four top scorers back for another season. Senior guard and co-captain Marques Houtman (New Bedford, MA) was an LEC First Team All Star and earned Honorable Mention on the ECAC New England Division III All Star team last season. The 6-3 Houtman was fifth in the LEC scoring race and led the Corsairs by averaging 17.9 points, while also leading the team in steals (71), three-pointers (69) plus 3.5 rebounds per game. His 2.5 steals were third best in the LEC.

"Marques has incredible athletic ability," said Baptiste, who will be joined by long-time assistant coach Len Desautels and first-year coach Michael Watson. "We�re trying to make an adjustment with Marques to go to the basket strong and finish more often. This will get him to the foul line more and open up his outside game. People won�t know how to guard him."

With Houtman patrolling the backcourt, senior center and co-captain Nick Cecilio (Hyannis, MA) is looking forward to his best season ever. An LEC Second Team All-Star and a former LEC Rookie of the Year, the 6-8 Cecilio was eighth in LEC scoring with 14.1 points per game and third in rebounding with 8.5 rebounds per game. Cecilio also led the Corsairs in free throws (97), rebounds (237) and was second in scoring.


"Nick come back in the best shape of his life and is playing better than ever," said Baptiste. "He has matured physically and has a lot of potential to have an inside presence, something we need to have to be successful."

Joining Cecilio up front will be another returning starter from last year will be 6-7 junior forward Ryan Cassidy (Framingham, MA). In his first year with the Corsairs after transferring from Keene State, Cassidy made an immediate impact. He finished third among LEC three-point shooters, making 41-108 for 38.9% on the season and averaged 9.39 points and 4.1 rebounds per game plus 17 blocked shots.

"We're making an adjustment with Ryan this year, asking him to an inside scorer for us, considering his size (6-7)," said Baptiste. "He is a legitimate three-point shooter but by being closer to the basket he can help us with his rebounding."

Baptiste is looking forward to a full season from 5-10 sophomore point guard Tim Gaspar (Dartmouth, MA). After missing 6 weeks with a foot injury last season, Gaspar returned to the lineup in the second half and picked up where he left off when he started the year. Gaspar played in only 14 games as a freshman, but despite the injury he still had enough assists (114) in to lead the Corsairs, while scoring 5.5 points per game with 4.3 rebounds.

"Last year we fell apart for the two weeks after he was hurt," said Baptiste. "We made an adjustment after a while, but we really missed him. He has a great skill to find people and get them the ball."

As he has always done in year's past, Baptiste plans to make full use of his bench again this season. One of the first players off the bench if he doesn't win a starting job will be senior forward and co-captain Frank Barrows (Dartmouth, MA). Even at 6-2, Barrows is a strong inside player with a knack for always being around the ball. Also coming off the bench will be 6-4 senior forward John Madden (Carver, MA) (4.7 pts, 3.5 reb), 6-4 sophomore forward Ryan Suprenant (Madison, CT) (1.2 pts, 1.2 reb) and 6-9 sophomore center Sean Walsh (E. Sandwich, MA) (1.7 pts, 1 reb). Coming off the bench in the backcourt will be 6-2 junior guard Brian Austin (Winchendon, MA)(3.7 pts, 2 reb) and 6-2 sophomore guard Chris Tamburello (Methuen, MA), who returns to the team after taking last season off.

The Corsairs will also have a couple of newcomers to the program seeing some playing time. Freshman 5-9 guard Lirne DePina (Brockton, MA), a Boston Globe First-Team selection, 5-11 freshman point guard Tim Meehan (Shelton, CT), 6-0 freshman guard Michael Young (Dorchester, MA) and 6-2 junior guard Ivan Britto (New Bedford, MA) could all have an impact this season. DePina is a small quick guard with great moves, while Meehan is a true point guard who can back up Gaspar. In Young, Baptiste has an outstanding athlete who can shoot, play both backcourt positions and play great defense. Britto played two years at Mt. Ida Community College and is a scorer who can shoot the three or take the ball to the basket and create offense.

As he prepares for the new season, Baptiste said there are a couple of things he will be looking for from his team. Baptiste thinks his team can play better defense, be more selective with its shots and improve on its free throw shooting.

"I don�t think we were a tough, physical, intense team last year," said Baptiste. "We were lacking in that area. I challenged our team at the beginning of the season to be a great defensive team. We also need to improve on our horrendous free-throw shooting and show more discipline on offense."

The Corsairs will open the season by defending their Hampton Inn Basketball Classic Championship on the weekend of November 17-18. After non-conference games at Bridgewater State and at home with Salve Regina University, the Corsairs will open defense of their LEC regular season title by travelling to Western Connecticut State on Dec. 2.