UMass Lowell programs take big step forward
Now in Year 8 at Division 1 level, River Hawks knocking at NCAA tournament door
Eight years ago, when the UMass Lowell men and women’s basketball programs moved up to Division 1, the concept of one day playing deep into March and getting that first magical taste of competing in the NCAA Tournament seemed like nothing more than a distant vision.
It hasn’t been an easy ride for the River Hawks.
There was the NCAA-mandated fouryear transition period from D-2 to D-1 that started in 2013-14 season, during which UML was not eligible for the postseason, including the America East Conference tournament.
Losing seasons piled on top of each other, as the new kids on the major college hoops block tried to prove they belonged.
There were also the recruiting hardships of trying to sell players on coming to an upstart program like Lowell, despite the fact that they would have limited (if any) opportunity to play in the postseason.
But now, that all seems like a distant memory. The UMass Lowell programs have established their identities and the good times have arrived.
Both the UMass Lowell men and women will play this weekend in the America East tournament semifinals, just two wins away from an automatic berth into what would be their first-ever appearances in the NCAA Tournament — The Big Dance.
Head coach Pat Duquette and his sixthseeded UML men will travel to top-seeded UMBC for a Saturday matchup (2 p.m.). Head coach Tom Garrick and his thirdseeded UML women will visit No. 2 Stony Brook on Sunday (3 p.m.).
UMass Lowell is the only America East school still alive in both the me and women’s basketball tourneys.
“It’s awesome. This is the best time of year,” said Duquette, who grew quite familiar with March Madness during his days as an assistant at Boston College and Northeastern. “Think about all the things that (the players) have endured, and they’ve been on campus since Sept. 1, and they haven’t seen their families — they didn’t go home for the holidays. This is why they’ve done it, this is what they dream about.
“Not that we’re where we want to be. We want to keep winning, but we’re on that path. It’s a path we’ve never been and it’s a path our players have never been.”
The River Hawks have come a long way. And they’ve taken this giant step forward in the most difficult of seasons, as the COVID-19 pandemic caused shutdowns, cancellations and prevented students and fans from attending games.
That whole no-fans thing has been the only bummer about it all. It’s a shame that the UMass Lowell student body hasn’t been able to fill the gyms this year, get rowdy and cheer on their River Hawks as they embark on making history.
But you can bet they’re watching from afar. There was palpable excitement on social media on Sunday after the UML men defeated host New Hampshire in an AE quarterfinal and the UML women rolled past NJIT in an AE quarterfinal.
“You wish students were on campus because this is the type of thing that can really unite and bring students together, and create excitement for a university. So that part is too bad,” said Duquette, who has led UML for the last eight seasons. “I’m not surprised the women won, too. Tommy Garrick has done an unbelievable job in a short time. He does it the right way, he treats the kids great, and he’s really elevated that program. I’m super happy for them. We had a double River Hawk victory.”
For the UMass Lowell men (10-11 overall), it was truly a special weekend. They rallied from a 16point deficit and defeated No. 7 Stony Brook on Saturday for their first-ever postseason win at the D-1 level. They had been 0-3 in the America East tournament going into that contest.
The River Hawks showed the resiliency and maturity of a team that firmly understood the moment, and came back to
that same court in Durham, N.H., and beat host UNH less than 24 hours later.
For the UMass Lowell women, this season has picked up from the momentum that formed in the 2019-20 campaign, when they hosted a quarterfinal and got their first-ever Division 1 postseason win before losing to Maine in a semifinal.
After Sunday’s 72-52 win over NJIT, the River Hawks are 12-8 overall and thinking confidently going into the semifinal against Stony Brook. UML split a pair of regular season meetings against the Seawolves.
“( The NCAA Tournament) should be, subconsciously, in every basketball player’s mind,” said Garrick, now in his third year leading the program. “I don’t care where you are and what you’re doing, if you’re not playing to be the best, then you probably shouldn’t be playing.”
It’s that mentality that has helped Garrick turn his squad into an upper-echelon America East team after years as a conference basement dweller.
Win or lose this weekend, UMass Lowell basketball has turned a corner.
The future looks bright.