Kellogg takes over UMass 'dream job'

Getting UMass back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998 is an immediate goal of coach Derek Kellogg. (Jerrey Roberts/Associated Press)

AMHERST - When he first hit the floor at Curry Hicks Cage in 1991, Derek Kellogg was a little-regarded freshman from Springfield, playing for a University of Massachusetts team that hadn't been to the NCAA Tournament in three decades.

Sixteen and a half years later, Kellogg returned to the Cage last night as head coach of the Minutemen, hoping to return the program to the glory days he helped to launch.

"This is my dream job," said the 34-year-old Kellogg at a pep rally/press conference that introduced him as the program's 21st head coach. "We want to create a love affair with the student body, with the faculty, with people in the community."

The words echoed those offered by John Calipari almost 20 years ago to the day. On April 25, 1988, the Minutemen introduced Calipari, a former Pittsburgh assistant, as head coach of a program that had been mired in 10 straight losing seasons. Rather preposterously, Calipari promised to "create a love affair" with the fan base.

Then he proceeded to do it. In Calipari's fourth season, he brought in Kellogg from nearby Springfield, where a local radio personality opined that the UMass coach should be fired for wasting a scholarship on such a marginal player. Kellogg, after all, was offered only one other Division 1 full ride, and that at Fairfield.

Kellogg wound up being an incredibly steady point guard for the exacting Calipari. In all four of his seasons (three as a starter, two as a captain), UMass made it to the NCAA Tournament. UMass teams were 111-24 over his four years.

In time, Kellogg would rejoin Calipari, becoming his assistant for the past eight seasons at Memphis. There he earned a reputation as an outstanding recruiter, helping to piece together the team that made it to the NCAA championship game this year, before falling to Kansas in overtime.

Kellogg had high praise for Calipari, someone he described as "not only my college coach, [but] a friend, father figure, mentor, and now a colleague."

Not wanting to steal any of Kellogg's thunder, Calipari did not attend the festivities, but he expressed delight in the UMass hire. "The bottom line is that Derek is a winner and knows how to build a winning program," said Calipari. "He was a winner during his playing days at UMass. He was a winner as an assistant at all his collegiate stops. I'm confident he will do the same at UMass as the head coach."

Kellogg replaces Travis Ford, who coached the Minutemen for three years, before leaving to take the Oklahoma State position last week. Ford upgraded the program, taking the Minutemen to the National Invitation Tournament the last two seasons. This year, they made it to the title game before falling to Ohio State and finishing the season 25-11.

UMass has not been back to the NCAA Tournament since 1998. Kellogg set a return engagement as an immediate goal. "We're going to be the hardest-working, most fun, most passionate, most energetic team in the country," he pledged.

The returning UMass players, who had seemed stunned by Ford's abrupt departure, reacted with a cautious excitement at the turn of events.

"We've all been lost," said shooting guard Ricky Harris. "We've been staying together as a team, but we didn't have that older leader to turn to. Now that Coach Kellogg is here, we all feel safe."

Point guard Chris Lowe, who had grown very close to Ford, said he was impressed by Kellogg's pedigree as a former UMass point guard who had coached the likes of Dajuan Wagner and Derrick Rose at Memphis. "He's coached a bunch of pros," said Lowe. "I'm looking forward to playing for him."

Athletic director John McCutcheon said Kellogg's deal is for six years, though exact terms have not yet been finalized.

The coming days promise to be busy for Kellogg. He has yet to name a staff, though he is rumored to be considering Vance Walberg, former head coach at Pepperdine, who designed the "dribble-drive-motion" offense Memphis employed with great success this season.

Kellogg also has his work cut out on the home front. His wife, Nicole, also a UMass grad, is two weeks from her due date with the couple's first child, a son named Max.

"The sonogram shows that he can really shoot free throws," said Kellogg. "He's got a 40-inch vertical, and long range from three."