by Jim Mullins
Assistant Director
Sports Information

UMass Dartmouth bids farewell to seniors but underclassmen set the stage for next year

(Dartmouth, MA) -- The 1998-99 UMass Dartmouth men's basketball season ended with a changing of the guard - shooting guard that is, along with one forward and two guards as the Corsairs bid farewell to a group of four seniors. Coach Brian Baptiste's Corsairs finished with a 14-11 record overall and a fourth-place 6-8 mark in the Little East Conference (LEC).

Leading the departing seniors was captain Jason Antonio (Mattapoisett, MA), who concluded his four-year career, along with forward Tony Moreira (Pawtucket, RI), forward Mike Jordan (Jersey City, NJ) and guard Tim Nelson (Reading, MA).

The 1998-99 season also saw the development of a group of sophomores, who the Corsairs will counting on in the future. Players like LEC Second Team All-Star sophomore center Nick Cecilio (Centerville, MA), guard Marques Houtman (New Bedford, MA), guard Frank Barrows (Dartmouth, MA) and Jay Norton (Billerica, MA) all enjoyed increased amounts of playing opportunities throughout the season and form the nucleus for next year's team.

The only player UMass Dartmouth won't be able to replace right away, however, is Antonio. A two-time All-LEC First Team All-Star and the Corsairs' leading scorer this season, Antonio picked up a pair of post-season honors during his final year. He played in the annual New England Basketball Coaches Association Senior All-Star game as a member of the Division III All-Star team and was also named to Columbus Multimedia's Division III Men's Basketball 1999 All-Northeast Regional Second Team. Among his other honors, Antonio captured the Captains Shootout Tournament MVP Award as UMass Dartmouth defeated Allentown College and the host team from Christopher Newport University.

A four-year player for the Corsairs, who broke into the starting lineup as a freshman, Antonio finished his career with 1,493 points to place 13th on the UMass Dartmouth all-time scoring list. Antonio moved ahead of John Freeman from Bradford Durfee College of Technology with 1,453 points in 14th place and behind Jerry Moxley from SMTI, who is 12th overall with 1,527 career points.

During his senior season, Antonio led the Corsairs in scoring by averaging 16.8 points per game, sixth best in the LEC. Antonio was also the top three-point shooter in the LEC last season, connecting on 63 of 150 three-pointers for 42%. He was among the LEC leaders in steals (tied for 5th, 2.2/game), free throws (2nd, 81.3%) and assists (12th, 2.5/game).

A year removed from his LEC Rookie of the Year honors, Cecilio had another strong season for UMass Dartmouth, averaging 14.84 points per game (8th in the LEC) and a team-leading 6.88 rebounds per game, (9th in the LEC). Cecilio demonstrated great touch around the basket, leading the LEC in field goal percentage by connecting on 56.9% of his shots. He was also tied for second in steals (2.5 per game) and sixth in the LEC in free throw percentage (77.5%).

Moreira wrapped up his fourth season with the Corsairs, finishing fourth in team scoring with 10.96 points per game and second in rebounding with 5.35 per game. Moreira shot 53.1 per cent from the floor and had 10 blocked shots to go with 41 steals.

Jordan finished his second and final season with UMass Dartmouth, averaging 11 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Jordan was the Corsairs' second best three-point shooter behind Antonio, connection on 43 of 122, along with 58 assists and 29 steals.

Norton and Houtman split time at the point guard position throughout the season. Norton finished the season fifth in the LEC and tops for the Corsairs in assists with 3.4 per game, plus two steals per game and 6.6 points per game.

Houtman, a transfer student from Stonehill, joined the squad at the holiday break and made an immediate impact at the Captains Shootout Tournament in Virginia. Houtman scored 19 points in a 76-70 win over Allentown College and added 12 in a 76-72 championship game win over Christopher Newport University. Houtman finished with 8.8 points and 2.24 rebounds per game plus 32 assists and 21 steals.

The Corsairs' future looks bright heading into next season after having some of their newcomers on display throughout last season. Among the players Corsair fans will see more of in the future are Barrows (3.4 pts, 1.7 reb), first-year forward Matt Carrier (Acushnet, MA) (3.7 pts, 3.2 reb) and first-year forward Carl Stephens (Lynn, MA) (1.6 pts, 1.9 reb).