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By KYLE GRABOWSKI

Michael Hixon waggled his feet sitting on a LeFrak Gymnasium locker room bench.The Amherst College men’s basketball team sat around the toddler, feet on the floor, heads down. Some covered their faces with towels.“Dad, what’s the matter?” Michael...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

AMHERST — The Commonwealth invoked John Calipari when the news came out Friday morning.UMass’ alumni team will no longer face The Rhody Way, a group of Rhode Island alums, in the first round of The Basketball Tournament after Rhody withdrew “due to...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

AMHERST – Freddie Riley never got to utilize the Champions Center while he was at UMass. The school broke ground on the basketball program’s dedicated practice facility the year he graduated in 2013 and completed it in 2015.“Not jealous. I mean,...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

DEVENS — Sequels rarely measure up.The West softball team faced Southeast twice on the final day of Bay State Games competition Thursday. Their first matchup concluded pool play, and both teams had already secured a rematch in the afternoon gold medal...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

The fastest woman over 200 meters in the world comes from Florence, Massachusetts.Gabby Thomas blitzed a stacked field at the USA Track & Field National championships, breaking the tape in 21.60 seconds at Hayward Field in Oregon on Sunday. That mark...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

The transfer portal forced a dramatic turnover of the UMass hockey team’s roster for the third season in a row. Nine players that could have returned to the program left, which altered the makeup of the Minutemen’s incoming class. Greg Carvel and his...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

Multiple members of the UMass program were selected for the third NHL Draft in a row during Day 2 of the 2023 edition in Nashville.Incoming UMass freshman goalkeeper Michael Hrabal became the program’s highest draft pick since Cale Makar when the...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

Stars and stripes suit Ryan Leonard, apparently.The Washington Capitals, with their red white and blue color scheme, selected the Amherst native with the eighth overall pick in Wednesday’s NHL Draft at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Leonard...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

Michael Hrabal stands comfortably taller than any other big time goalie prospect in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.The 6-foot, 6.2-inch UMass commit that will join the Minutemen this fall as the centerpiece and linchpin of a large and talented recruiting...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

AMHERST — John Leonard calls his youngest son Ryan “goal-oriented.”As much as Amherst’s Ryan Leonard excels at putting the hockey puck in the net, his father is referring to aspirations and desired achievements.“He keeps a lot of the goals to himself,...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

The shifting seas of the UMass men’s basketball roster may finally be calm.After big man Wildens Leveque entered the transfer portal late in the process in mid June, the Minutemen filled the roster spot by adding freshman Tarique Foster on...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

Somehow, Sam Breen will play basketball next season somewhere other than UMass.The two-time reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year signed a professional deal with Finland’s Vimpelin Veto Koripallo, the team announced on Instagram on Monday. Breen, a...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

A longtime rivalry will welcome the UMass men’s basketball team’s alumni squad when it makes its debut in The Basketball Tournament.The Commonwealth, a team composed of players panning the program’s past decade, will face The Rhody Way, a Rhode Island...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

The transfer portal snatched up one more Minuteman.Big man Wildens Leveque will leave the UMass men’s basketball program after just one season and enter the portal as a graduate transfer, the Brockton native confirmed on Twitter. He played three...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

The Hixon household better have room for two hall of famers.Longtime UMass diving coach Mandy Hixon will be a part of the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023, the school announced Monday. Her husband Dave Hixon, the Amherst College men’s...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

NORTHAMPTON — Four Rivers opened the floodgates to win its third consecutive girls ultimate state championship.After allowing the game’s opening goal to Northampton, the Otters ripped off 10 in a row and cemented a 15-2 win on Sunday at the Oxbow...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

Once Ellis Merriweather steps on the Green Bay Packers practice field, it won’t matter that he wasn’t drafted.It won’t matter that he went to junior college or UMass. Or that the team hadn’t contacted him much during the draft process.He’ll have a...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

GRANBY — Olivia Vassar hurled herself across the corner of the end zone and clasped the disc in her hands as her knees slid across the damp turf.She exemplified the declaration the Four Rivers girls ultimate team made at halftime of Sunday’s Amherst...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

AMHERST – The offense faced a third and one with three minutes left holding a two-point lead. A first down could all but seal the game.UMass handed the ball off to transfer running back Jalen John, and he plowed ahead for the conversion.Had it not...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

AMHERST – Steve Casula examined every aspect of the UMass football team’s offense in the offseason.The Minutemen finished last in the country scoring just 12.5 points per game and were third from the bottom gaining just 265.8 yards per contest. They...

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

Another former Minuteman is headed to the Power 5.Former UMass men’s basketball forward Tafara Gapare announced his commitment to Georgia Tech on Tuesday. The former four-star recruit originally pledged to DePaul as a member of the Class of 2023...