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MONTICELLO – The University of Arkansas at Monticello men’s basketball team continues its 2008-09 exhibition season tomorrow against the University of Massachusetts in the 2008 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
 
UAM, which finished fourth in the Gulf South Conference West Division a year ago, faces off against the UMass Minutemen, one of the more historic men’s basketball teams in the nation.
 
UMass, which finished 25-11 overall and lost in the NIT Championship game, is entering its 100th season of basketball and its first season under head coach Derek Kellogg.
 
Kellogg’s last gig was as assistant coach to Memphis head coach John Calipari, helping lead the team to the NCAA National Championship game. Kellogg is no stranger to UMass, as the new head coach earned four letters as a Minutemen from 1992-95.
 
The Minutemen have been picked to finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference and are led by preseason all-conference selections Chris Lowe and Ricky Harris. Lowe was selected to the first team after averaging 11.8 points per game during the 2007-08 season. Harris was selected to the second team after leading the Minutemen in scoring at close to 19 points per game a year ago. Harris was also named the A-10 most improved player.
 
The Weevils are coming into the contest with only one exhibition game under its belt, a 119-70 win over Shorter College.
 
Leading the Weevils are returning starters Deron Brown (5-10, 180, Sr.1L, Paris, Ky.), Raymond Wright (6-9, 225, Sr.-1L, New York, N.Y.) and D’Angelo Dean (6-3, 210, So.1L, Cincinatti, Ohio).
 
Brown led the team in minutes played and assists a year ago, while Dean was named the 2007-08 GSC West Freshman of the Year after averaging just over 10 points last season. Wright represents UAM as a GSC preseason all-conference selection after leading the team in scoring and rebounding in 2007-08.
 
UAM will either play Southern Illinois or California (Pa.) in the next round of the season opening tournament.
 
Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. central from the campus of Southern Illinois University.
 
The game can be heard courtesy of the UMass athletic department at http://umassathletics.cstv.com by clicking on the “watch and listen on-line” link.
 
For more information about the tournament, visit www.coachesvscancer.com.