Derek Kellogg, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, attended Cathedral High School in Springfield and played Division I college basketball for his hometown team, the UMass Minutemen. He was a point guard at UMass from 1991 to 1995 under John Calipari, who is arguably one of the greatest college basketball coaches ever. Kellogg played on four (4) Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament championship teams, and advanced to the NCAA tournament every year during his playing career including a run to the Elite Eight in 1995. Kellogg was the floor general and leader of his UMass teams. He was not always the most athletic player on his team, but the smartest and most fundamentally sound player. He was viewed by many as a local hometown savior and hero who helped UMass rise to prominence and into the national limelight. Later, he went onto become a coaching prodigy and apprentice to Coach Calipari where he was an assistant coach at Memphis from 2000 to 2008. In 2008, the central Massachusetts native got hired by his alma mater to become the head coach of the their men’s basketball team. Coach Kellogg, who was once the local hometown hero, was expected to resurrect and revive a program that had not made the NCAA Tournament in a decade prior to his arrival as head coach.
Fast forward to the present, Coach Kellogg is now coaching in his 9th season at his alma mater and has made three (3) postseason appearances in that span making the NIT twice (2011-12 and 2012-13) and the NCAA Tournament once (2013-14). His teams have not finished higher than 6th in the Atlantic 10 Conference during his head coaching career at UMass. These are the facts. So what should the expectations be for the fan base and for the UMass men’s basketball team?
Let’s get one real acknowledgement and understanding out of the way – the UMass men’s basketball program will not reach the same height as it once did under Coach Calipari any time soon. From 1988 to 1996, Calipari led the Minutemen to five (5) consecutive Atlantic 10 titles and NCAA Tournament appearances, including periods where the program was ranked first in the polls nationally. He led UMass to its first and only Final Four appearance in program history in 1996. He finished with a 193-71 record overall and a 91-41 record in Atlantic 10 conference games when he left UMass in 1996 to go to the NBA and coach the New Jersey Nets.
Kellogg is no Calipari and will never be mentioned in the same coaching breath as him. However, it should be time to start holding Coach Kellogg accountable for his team’s consistently underperforming in Atlantic 10 conference play, continuously coming out of games looking sluggish and constantly having anemic looking half-court offensive sets. Let’s set the record straight once and for all – Derek Kellogg should squarely be on the hot seat contrary to many college basketball writer’s beliefs.
According to ESPN, UMass finished with the 27th best recruiting class in 2016 for the class of 2020. This was the best recruiting class in UMass history. Coming into the 2016-17 season, UMass had no seniors, five (5) juniors, two (2) sophomores, and six (6) freshmen. This was a young, inexperienced team with no prior postseason experience, but filled with a ton of promising talent and potential while still having a slew of quality players remaining on their roster like Donte Clark, Seth Berger, and Rashaan Holloway to name a few. Given the infusion of many new freshmen players (6 to be exact) and a Canisius transfer in Zach Lewis, the expectations for the team were not exceedingly high, but the hope was that they could finish in the middle of the pack of the A-10 while being able to grow and develop as a team throughout the season. UMass is now 13-14 overall, 3-11 in the A-10 and in the bottom depths of the conference tied for dead last. The team has lost 8 out of their last 10 games and has not shown any signs of improvement. On Derek Kellogg’s job status, UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford has stated that he’s not making any decisions about coach Derek Kellogg’s future until after the season.
From my standpoint as a college basketball junkie, it would certainly be premature and unreasonable to come out and make any type of decision on Derek Kellogg’s job status at this point in time. No college coach should be fired in season like the way Mark Gottfried was at NC State, but that’s a topic and whole other discussion that should be held entirely. Let’s be fair to Derek though and keep in mind that he has led UMass to the NCAA tournament before, he has shown to be a great ambassador and representative of the program and the community, he has recruited a top 30 recruiting class, and his teams have been able to stay out of any controversial issues on and off the court. There are many pros, but also many cons in deciding whether or not Derek Kellogg should be retained for another season.
Derek Kellogg is the highest paid employee in the state of Massachusetts making over $1 million annually that include bonuses and other incentives. He has two (2) years remaining on his contract and it is unknown if the school has the financial ability to buyout Derek Kellogg’s contract if it were to choose to do so. Meanwhile, many fans have taken their frustration out and resorted to social media to let their feelings be heard. The hashtags of #firedk and #firekellogg have started to trend on twitter and there seems to be no stoppage in sight. Many fans are upset about the lack of player development and focus on the court as well as the lack of overall fan interest, which seems to be at its lowest point seen in over a decade according to attendance records. UMass basketball is off to its worst conference start since the 1988 season. It is also worth noting that UMass has lost by an average of 7.5 points in their 14 losses this season despite the fact of having a recent noticeable 30 point loss to a very poor 10-17 Duquesne team.
Nevertheless, Kellogg led UMass teams have always seemed to play hard for him and never give up until the final whistle of a game is blown. Coach Kellogg has many outstanding qualities to him not only as a coach, but as a person too. From someone who has met him multiple times, he is a very personable, easy going, likeable guy who always seems to get a laugh or smile out of everyone he interacts with. He easy very easy to relate and connect with. However, when making decisions for your athletic department and program, one needs to separate knowing someone on a personal level and how well they are at doing their job. Athletic Director Ryan Bamford will have a difficult decision to make at season’s end on whether to retain or fire Coach Kellogg.
Although I’d be quite surprised if any head coaching changes were made after this season. I firmly believe that Bamford has a lot of trust and hope in Derek Kellogg as the head coach of this UMass men’s basketball program and I believe he will allow him one more year to coach this promising, inexperienced team. Mainly due to the mere fact that he was able to secure a top 30 recruiting class in the country this past year. Right now, I think it’s safe to assume that he’ll be back for at least one more year, but that is not guaranteed given the team’s recent performance. If that were to be the case and if I was AD Bamford, I would make it explicitly clear to Coach Kellogg that many changes would need to be made if he wanted to return next season.
First, I would make it clear that some shakeups would need to be made to his coaching staff. I would ensure that they hire a highly regarded, reputable X’s and O’s assistant coach. Kellogg is an above average recruiter, but a very poor X’s and O’s head coach. His in-bounds plays and half-court offensive sets are lifeless, lackluster, and recurrently the same. There seems to be no nuance or variance added to his playbook or schemes. A new assistant coach would be able to bring a different perspective and voice to the team. The hope being that the new assistant coach would be able to create new offensive plays utilizing players strengths and being able to design a new offensive scheme entirely. This team desperately needs some revitalization and alteration to its offense and change must be made as they generally appear to have no direction or any type of idea of what to do when they are in the half-court. It starts with the coaching staff and someone who can bring a new set of offensive tactics and schemes to the program is the first step in reinvigorating the program.
Next, I would tell Kellogg that he can’t play 11-12 players per game next season. Given that Chaz Williams is no longer the point guard and that this team is no longer implementing full-court pressure on a consistent basis, there is no need to be subbing players in and out every minute or two. UMass doesn’t appear to have the continuity or chemistry on the court, which is why they have lost so many close, tight games of late. When you play more than 10 players per game, it is hard for any player to get any type of rhythm or comfort while they are out on the court. Many are probably worried that if they make one mistake, that they may come off the court the next whistle or substitution. This doubt or fear is never a good subconscious thought for players to have in their heads while they’re playing and trying to make all the right plays. If you limit your rotation to 8 to 10 players, then this group or rotation would be able to learn, grow and develop together while not being afraid to make any mistakes. This enables trust, chemistry, and camaraderie with one another as opposed to frequently playing with many different players throughout the duration of a game. You learn to understand how certain players play, think and behave on the court. Playing more than 10 players throughout a game and creating excessive substitutions causes many disturbances in the flow of a game, confusion, and lack of defined roles. Having a limitation on players playing and having an actual set rotation is a major change that ought to be made heading into next season.
Last, if I were AD Ryan Bamford, I would quietly inquire about other coaches who could potentially be a fit in Amherst for the UMass men’s basketball program. There is nothing wrong with doing your due diligence to see if someone would be more qualified to coach this team than Derek Kellogg. There are always many adequate coaches who take their teams to the NCAA Tournament from smaller conferences as well as many bright, young assistant coaches from big power 5 conference schools. If AD Bamford finds someone who he thinks would be able to get more out of this team than Coach Kellogg then I fully expect him to make a coaching move, but who could that person be reasonably? I’m just not quite sure there is a definitive answer to someone like that who bleeds UMass maroon, has ties to the area and genuinely wants the best for this program and it’s fans. A coaching change is never easy especially given the fact that Kellogg has been around the university for the greater half of the past three decades. Still, I would do my due diligence and research (definitely not hire a search firm), and see what coaching options are out there. UMass is a very attractable job with history, outstanding facilities, and a supportive administration overall.
It is not easy to recruit players to western Massachusetts. It is not easy to make the NCAA Tournament. It is not easy to consistently succeed in any Division I sport. By now, UMass fans know what they’re getting in a head coach with Derek Kellogg. You take the good, bad, and the ugly. Yes, he has many areas to improve in as a coach and he’s no John Calipari, but there has been signs of hope in the past that should not be overshadowed or overlooked by the true disappointment this season has turned out to be. With some changes and fixes to Kellogg’s coaching philosophy and the coaching staff, UMass could be in store for a very promising season next season. If the coaching staff can continue to develop and grow the young freshmen for the rest of this season and in the offseason, there could be some significant strides that they make during the 2017-18 season.
AD Ryan Bamford will be criticized whether he decides to retain or fire Kellogg, but regardless of what decision he ultimately makes, UMass fans should expect consistency and hold their men’s basketball team to a high standard. They expect to be in the top half of the league every year. They expect to be competitive in every game. They expect to see improvement throughout every season. Derek Kellogg should be held accountable by the administration, by the media, and by fans on social media. He should justly be on the hot seat with merit and he should be fighting for his job every single game throughout the rest of this season. He needs to show a sense of urgency and desperation, and hopefully that same type of fight can reflect off onto his team for the remainder of the season as well as in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament in Pittsburgh next month. Ryan Bamford is a very bright, high character athletic director and I firmly believe he’ll make the best decision for the future of the men’s basketball program regardless if it’s with Kellogg or not. He seems to be making all the right decisions for all UMass sports and I would wholeheartedly put my trust into him.
In retrospect, this season has certainly been a wash. However, you can expect to see some minor changes made this offseason and you can expect to see Derek Kellogg at the helm again next season. I would be shocked if any significant changes were to be made. Nonetheless, the 2017-18 season will be an interesting one and hopefully you’ll be around to stick for the ride with this young, talented team. The future of the program is bright and any common UMass fan can see that. Trust your athletic director and trust your administration to make the right decision. The UMass men’s basketball program is in good shape that has just suffered a minor setback, but is ready for a major comeback and turn around. YA GOTTA BELIEVE UMASS FANS!
Arizona State University. You can say that this college tends to be in the news a lot. Well, this news that just came out is pretty crazy. We’re not even going to explain any further as we will let the video below explain. Guys, don’t send pics to girls, or this will happen!
Everyone loves raves, I mean – there’s something enchanting about loud beats, drugs and girls wearing high socks and underwear. Some of us, however, love raves more than the average festival goer. Meet Jax – he is the MVP of EDM and dedicates his lifestyle to traveling the world and attending different raves. On one of his travels to Belgium, he had a bad trip at Tomorrowland and for 9 hours he was stuck in a video game of his own fantasy land. He endlessly ran through different festivals as he jumped over obstacles and had to beat the clock to stay hydrated. When Jax finally woke up he was confused as fuck – was he real or still a video game character? He told his friends about his trip and they thought it was hilarious and wanted to recreate the game in real life. So, he developed Rave Run. It’s an infinite runner that takes you through mainstream festivals like Coachella, Ultra and EDC. He even created a bonus level that’s a spin-off of his wild trip. Travel through the stage sets, but watch out for the smoke jets, stereo speakers, and mushrooms that pop up in your way. Send your highest score to [email protected] and we’ll give one lucky ass winner 2018 VIP tickets to EDC to party with Jax.
Nervous about making new friends after moving back to college this fall? What if there was a way to start meeting fellow students right now before the semester starts? Spotselfie is the app that allows you to do just that!
Simply create an account, select your college, and use your device to scan the area around you. By harnessing the power of Augmented Reality, users are instantly surrounded by selfies posted by others from your college, like stars in the night sky. Tap on a selfie to connect, make new friends, and build relationships all before you set foot on campus in the fall. There is no limit to the number of selfies you can post. Be creative. The more… the better!
You can also tell people more about yourself by answering a set of 16 fun questions, ranging from your personality to activities to emotional baggage (if you have any, which you don’t, wink-wink). Create your own unique color code to share and compare with friends. You can even search people based on a percentage match to your color code.
With more and more people meeting online these days, this app seems like a no brainer. Why wait to get on campus to meet people when you have all summer to do it? Bring your campus to you this summer with the Spotselfie app. Spotselfie is available at both the App Store and Google Play. So many new people are waiting to meet you. What are you waiting for? Pull out your cell phone and download SpotSelfie!
