UMass Dartmouth Corsairs capture 11th Little East Conference regular seasonchampionship in 13 years

(Dartmouth, MA) -The 1999-2000 men's basketball team at UMass Dartmouth finished with an 18-10 overall record which included a first-place finish with an 11-3 mark in the Little East Conference. UMass Dartmouth wrapped up its season with an appearance in the Division III ECAC New England Tournament.

Coach Brian Baptiste's team captured its 11th LEC regular season championship in the 13-year history of the conference, earning the top seed in the LEC championship. The Corsairs advanced to the semi-finals with a 90-73 win over Rhode Island College before Eastern Connecticut State University ended UMass Dartmouth�s hopes of an NCAA Tournament appearance. ECSU eliminated the Corsairs from the LEC Tournament with a 68-53 win in the LEC semi-finals.

The loss to ECSU didn't end UMass Dartmouth�s season however, as the Corsairs earned a spot in the ECAC New England Division III Tournament. UMass Dartmouth knocked off Clark University, 79-71, in a quarterfinal round game and before being eliminated from the tournament following a 68-66 loss at Colby College.

With only one senior on the Corsairs' roster for the 1999-2000 season, UMass Dartmouth had several strong performances from players who could play a major role next year.

Junior guard Marques Houtman (New Bedford, MA) was the Corsairs' top performer throughout the season, earning Little East Conference First-Team honors in addition to an Honorable Mention on the ECAC New England Division III team. Houtman was also an LEC Tournament All-Star and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Hampton Inn Classic hosted by UMass Dartmouth at the beginning of the season.

Houtman provided the Corsairs with a scoring touch, leading UMass Dartmouth with 17.93 points per game (5th in the LEC). He also posted team highs in steals (71), minutes (870.5) and three-pointers (69), while also adding 3.5 rebound per game. Houtman's 2.5 steals per game was third best in the LEC.

Right behind Houtman in scoring and among the LEC leaders in several other categories was junior center Nick Cecilio (Centerville, MA). An LEC Second Team All-Star and a former LEC Rookie of the Year, 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.

Cecilio earned LEC Player of the Week honors Feb. 7 after averaging 22.7 points and 9.7 rebounds while leading his team to victories over Brandeis and Keene State College. Cecilio had 32 points on 13-15 shooting plus 12 rebounds in the 99-96 LEC win against Keene State to earn distinction from the LEC.

UMass Dartmouth had its second LEC Rookie of the Year in the last three years in first-year forward Brian Cagle (Norwich, CT), who averaged 10.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his first season with the Corsairs. A Hampton Inn Classic All-Tournament selection, Cagle led the LEC in field goal percentage, connecting on 105 of 201 shots for 55.2%. Cagle earned LEC Rookie of the Year honors by averaging 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in a pair of early season Corsair wins over Bridgewater State and Western Connecticut State of the LEC.

Cagle finished his rookie season ninth in LEC rebounding and was among Corsair team leaders in points (3rd), rebounds (2nd), assists (3rd, 49) and steals (2nd, 41). His 21 blocked shots were tops for the Corsairs.

Another newcomer to the program made a significant contribution, especially from beyond the three-point line. A transfer student from Keene State College, sophomore forward Ryan Cassidy (Framingham, MA) finished third among LEC three-point shooters, making 41-108 for 38.9% on the season. Cassidy averaged 9.39 points and 4.1 rebounds per game plus 17 blocked shots.

First-year guard Tim Gaspar (Dartmouth, MA) had his rookie season interrupted by a foot injury but he demonstrated great skills at the point guard position while healthy. Gaspar played in only 14 games despite the injury. Gaspar still had enough assists (114) in limited playing time to lead the Corsairs in that category, while scoring 5.5 points per game with 4.3 rebounds.

As he has done in the past, Baptiste made full use of his bench during the season and had several strong efforts in relief of the starting five. Among the players who were part of the regular playing rotation were sophomore guard Brian Austin (Winchendon, MA) (3.7 pts, 2 reb), Frank Barrows (Dartmouth, MA) (4.5 pts, 2.4 reb), junior forward John Madden (Carver, MA) (4.7 pts, 3.5 reb), and junior guard Jay Norton (Billerica, MA) (4.5 pts, 94 assists, 34 steals).

The 1999-2000 season produced a tournament championship to open the new season. Hosting the first Hampton Inn Classic, the Corsairs knocked off Fitchburg State, 73-45, and Roger Williams University, 82-72, to capture the inaugural tournament. Houtman was tournament MVP and Cagle an All-Tournament selection.

Several months after the conclusion of the regular season, UMass Dartmouth�s basketball team traveled to Amadora, Portugal where the Corsairs participated in the 10th annual Amadora International Basketball Tournament 2000. Guests of the Portuguese Basketball Federation and the City of Amadora, the Corsairs finished with a 5-2 record in a variety of tournament and exhibition games while overseas.