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Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

UMass Lowell sophomore guard Kyle Caiola was named the Northeast-10 Conference's Player of the Week, while rookie Romeo Diaz earned Freshman of the Week honors on Monday.

Caiola tied a personal-best 26 points in Sunday's season-opener against Mercy, which the River Hawks won 110-72 at home. He had a double-double after dishing 11 assists on the afternoon, as well. Caiola went 10 for 11 from the floor, including a perfect 3 for 3 from behind the arc. He swiped four steals on the day, while committing zero turnovers. Caiola also grabbed three rebounds and went 3 for 4 from the free throw line in the game.

Diaz, making his collegiate debut, started the contest for the River Hawks and also tallied a double-double on the afternoon, with 21 points and 10 boards. He went 9 for 10 from the floor, had a pair of steals and assists.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

For the first couple weeks of preseason, Romeo Diaz's performance didn't quite match the reputation he'd built up at Methuen High School. It begged the question: Wherefore art though Romeo?

Apparently, he was right there all along. He scored 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds in his first game in a UMass Lowell uniform.

"I didn't think it was going to be like this," Diaz said of his expectations for his first college game. "But it was just the flow of the game. Everyone was just working hard, and the game just came to me. I didn't do nothing special."

Well, the freshman made the most of his playing time as he replaced Max Kerman in the starting lineup for the River Hawks season opener. Kerman must sit out the first three games for disciplinary reasons.

"It's an opportunity," Diaz said. "He (coach Greg Herenda) said because Max is out (and) Ali is out its an opportunity for anyone to step up. I felt like it was my chance to step up."

Diaz didn't find out he'd be in the starting lineup until during the morning shoot around. He'd shown enough progress, particularly in the last three days to get the nod from Herenda.

"I'm not surprised that he played well," Herenda said. "The numbers that he got were fantastic. I hope we get them all the time. I'm not sure we're going to get 9-for-10 and 21 and 10, but he's got a chance to very good. He's a local young man that really plays hard, listens, and he deserves what he gets."

Diaz explained his recent surge as a matter of comfort, saying, "The first couple weeks of practice I hadn't been playing good. I just had to get comfortable. I started feeling comfortable in the past week and a half. I'm just letting my game come to me."

Defense still a work in progress: The River Hawks defense made not just strides but leaps and bounds from the first half to the second against Mercy.

Mavericks guard Hassan Powell repeatedly broke down defenders and was able to hit pull-up jump shots or get fouled and land on the free throw line (6-of-8). He scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half.

Mercy, a team which didn't shoot above 30 percent in two preseason games against Division 1 schools, shot 54 percent from the field in the first half. UML held opponents to 40.6 percent last season.

"I think for the opening game, the only thing I wasn't happy with was how they scored in the first half on individual one-on-one moves," UML head coach Greg Herenda said. "They beat us off the dribble and they made tough shots. But you have to give credit to Mercy. Mercy came in here and they were a much better team than they were last year."

The Mavericks were held to 32 percent shooting from the field in the second half.

Twin Towers look will wait: The River Hawks will have to wait to unveil their frontcourt combination of 6-foot-9 Ali Kanaan and 6-foot-7 Kingsley Onyechi. Kanaan sat out the opener after feeling a tweak in his shoulder during the week.

The senior center is expected to participate in practice soon, and he may be available for the Northeast-10 Conference opener against St. Michael's on Wednesday.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

With the UMass Lowell men's basketball team set to take on UConn this Sunday, Northeast-10 Conference member Le Moyne went into the Carrier Dome and defeated Syracuse, 82-79, in an exhibition game on Tuesday night.

Reigning NE-10 Player of the Year Laurence Ekperigin scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Christopher Johnson made six 3-pointers and led the Dolphins with 22 points.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics officially announced a multi-year contract extension for point guard Rajon Rondo tonight. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rondo, a 6'1" guard, is second in the NBA in assists per game (11.8) through four games this season. The former Kentucky Wildcat is also leading the NBA in steals (10). Rondo was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team last season.

Last spring, Rondo became the second Celtic to post three triple-doubles in a postseason joining Larry Bird when he posted three during the 1985-86 postseason. During the 2009 postseason, Rondo averaged 16.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.8 assists in 41.2 minutes per game.

"I would like to thank the Celtics ownership, Danny Ainge, Doc Rivers, my teammates and the Celtics organization for all of their support over the years," Rondo said in a statement released by the team. "I would also like to thank my family, friends and fans. I'm ready to do everything I can to bring banner 18 to Boston."

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

As one wise knucklehead warned in today's edition of The Sun, there was nothing to worry about in the Rajon Rondo situation.

Yahoo! Sports basketball writer Marc Spears reports this morning that the Boston Celtics and the point guard's agent have reached an agreement on a contract extension. Spears has the deal as a five-year extension which guarantees Rondo at least $55 million.

The deadline for reaching a contract extension is today. If an extension is not finalized before the end of the day, Rondo becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The UMass Lowell men's and women's basketball teams, in conjunction with Student Activities & Leadership and the Department of Athletics, will host the Second Annual River Hawk Hoop Fest in Costello Gym on Wednesday, Nov. 4 beginning at 7 p.m.

Fans can enjoy free pizza, t-shirts to the first 100 students and prizes throughout the evening. Special prizes will be awarded for best dressed school spirit costume, throw for dough contest, $10,000 shootout and a free textbook giveaway. Other prizes include cash, restaurant gift cards, Celtics tickets and gear.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics announced today that forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis underwent successful surgery to reduce and fix a right thumb fracture.

The surgery was performed by Celtics Team Physician, Dr. Brian McKeon and was assisted by Dr. Hervey Kimball and Dr. Drew Terrono at New England Baptist Hospital.

Davis is expected to miss the next six weeks.

"I would first like to apologize to my fans, teammates, coaches and the entire Celtics organization," Davis said in a statement released by the Celtics. "I am extremely disappointed that this incident occurred and that it will prevent me from starting the season with the rest of my teammates. My teammates and the entire Celtics organization are extremely important to me and I will do my best to expedite the healing process and be back on the court as soon as possible."

Celtics managing partner Wyc Grousbeck was asked about Davis during an interview on 98.5 FM "The Sports Hub" this afternoon.

Grousbeck stressed that he had not spoken with Davis directly at the time of the interview.

The Boston Herald reported today that the injury took place as Davis defended himself in an altercation Sunday night with a former teammate who'd flown up from Louisiana.

"What I've heard second hand is that it was an altercation with somebody he knew and probably not the best of judgment on anybody's part is my guess," Grousbeck said.

He also said a suspension was "most likely" coming after take the time to sit with him and his agent.

"I think we're going to ask him to chip in," Grousbeck said. "He's going to miss a bunch of games, and we're going to ask him to help defray some of the costs, I think."

The Celtics signed Davis to a contract extension this off-season after Davis tested the free agent market as a restricted free agent. Grousbeck did seem disappointed with the results, regardless of how the injury happened.

"You're not supposed to do that stuff when you're a pro," Grousbeck said. "It's damaging the team unfortunately."

While conveying disappointment in Davis' actions, Grousbeck said the organization did not have questions about Davis' maturity prior to signing him to a contract extension this off-season.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtis begin the 2009-10 season tonight in Cleveland against the LeBron James and the new-look Cavaliers with Shaquille O'Neal as Cleveland's biggest off-season acquisition.

Here is a quick look at how the national news organizations predict things will shake out at the end of the season.

- The Sporting News: TSN has the Celtics losing in the Eastern Conference finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics age apparently is the deciding factor as "a younger, more athletic Cavs team figures to be too much for Boston."

- ESPN: ESPN.com's group of NBA experts average ranking int the Eastern Conference for the Celtics is 2.1 just behind Cleveland. The Cavaliers are the favorites with an average ranking of 1.7.

- Sports Illustrated: SI predicts banner number 18 for The Green. NBA Writer Ian Thomsen gives the Celtics the second seed in the East behind Cleveland, but he has the Celtics beating the Cavs in the East finals and then beating the Lakers for the title.

- FOX Sports: Foxsports.com doesn't pick a particular winner in the East, instead previewing the Lakers match-ups with the Cavaliers, Celtics and Magic.However, NBA columnist Charley Rosen gives the Lakers the edge in a Celtics-Lakers match-up largely because of the Ron Artest addition. It should be noted that Rosen is a very close friend of Lakers coach Phil Jackson. The two have coached together before, and they've co-authored the book "More Than A Game."

- USA Today: The paper's tag team of Chris Colston and Jeff Zillgitt were split on the decision. Colston picked the Celtics to win the East and the NBA title with Celtics head coach Doc Rivers taking Coach of the Year honors. Meanwhile, Zillgitt gives the East crown and the NBA Championship to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The UMass Lowell men's basketball team received a verbal commitment from New Jersey guard Chris Thompson this week.

Thompson, who attends Life Center Academy in Burlington, New Jersey, is listed as 6-foot-2 and somewhere around 160 to 170 pounds. According to MaxPreps.com, he averaged 11.3 points per game as a junior playing alongside a several NCAA Division 1 scholarship caliber players.

Life Center also played a highly competitive schedule which featured games against nationally recognized programs such as Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and National Christian Academy (Washington, D.C.) as well as New Jersey powerhouses St. Patrick's, St. Anthony's and St. Benedict's.

Thompson and his family were on campus last week and attended the River Hawks practice at Tsongas Arena last Friday prior to the Celtics open practice session.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

The Boston Celtics made their first move to trim their roster by requesting waivers on forward Mike Sweetney yesterday.

The 6-foot-8 270-pound Sweetney signed with the Celtics on September 28 as a free agent. The former Georgetown Hoya appeared in five games for the Celtics during the 2009 preseason and averaged 3.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.4 minutes per game.

Sweetney hasn't appeared in a regular season NBA game since 2006-07 with the Chicago Bulls. The New York Knicks selected Sweetney ninth overall in the 2003 NBA Draft.

In three seasons at Georgetown University he had a distinguished career, ranking seventh in Hoyas all-time list in scoring (1,750 points), fifth in rebounding (887) and sixth in blocks (180).

The Celtics now have 15 players on their roster.

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Jim Calhoun doesn't have a reputation for sugarcoating his observations.

The UConn men's basketball coach told reporters during the Big East Media Day that freshman big man Alex Oriakhi "has to be" an impact freshman for the Huskies this season.

The video is streamed on the Hartford Courant's website.

Oriakhi, a McDonald's All-American and New Hampshire's Gatorade Player of the Year last year, is a Lowell resident. The 6-foot-9 forward/center graduated from the Tilton School this past spring after helping lead the basketball team to a Prep National title and a 29-2 record.

UConn has to replace center Hasheem Thabeet, the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft, and power forward Jeff Adrien.

Thabeet won back-to-back Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors as well as back-to-back NABC National Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was also the Big East Co-Player of the Year in 2008-09.

Adrien ranked second on the team in both points per game (13.6) and rebounds per game (9.9).

Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

Point guard Stephon Marbury, who signed with the Boston Celtics in the middle of last season, told the New York Post he'll be taking this basketball season off.

He played 24 games for the Celtics and saw action in 14 playoff games. The Celtics offered the veteran minimum to Marbury this off-season, but the former New York Knicks guard declined to re-sign.

"I'm resting, doing what Michael Jordan did, enjoy life, do things I haven't done in 16 years, keep building my empire," Marbury told The Post. "I wasn't going to Boston for that money. It was a prudent business decision to take off this year."