SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today a
matchup of the University of Massachusetts and University of Mississippi men’s basketball
teams for its 2015 Holiday Showcase to be held at the MassMutual Center in Springfield,
Massachusetts on Saturday, December 5.
“Now in its fifth year, the Holiday Showcase has become a favorite with the basketball fans
of Springfield,” said John L. Doleva, President & CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “We
sincerely value our partnership with the University of Massachusetts, which allows this event
to return to the MassMutual Center here in Springfield year after year. We are looking
forward to another exciting contest this December!”
UMass is coming off a 17-15 season – its fourth-consecutive winning campaign – and has
participated in postseason play in three of the last four years. The Minutemen are expected
to return seven letter winners and two starters from a year ago. Springfield native and
UMass alum Derek Kellogg is entering his eighth season in Amherst and has won 126
games, including 87 over the past four years.
"We always enjoy playing in Springfield. The crowds are good and bring energy every time
we are there,” said Derek Kellogg, Head Coach of the University of Massachusetts. “Ole Miss
is a strong program that competes on a national level and has been to the NCAA
Tournament twice in the last three years. We are looking forward to having a high RPI team
of their caliber on the schedule next season."
Ole Miss returns three starters off last year’s squad that won 21 games and won an NCAA
Tournament game for the second time in three years. Senior guard Stefan Moody returns
after leading the SEC in scoring in league games at 18.6 ppg en route to first team allconference
honors, while junior Sebastian Saiz averaged more than 8 points and nearly 6
boards a game for the Rebels last season in SEC action. Head coach Andy Kennedy, Ole
Miss’ all-time winningest coach, is one of 10 active head coaches in the NCAA who has
coached at least ten seasons without a losing record.
"We are excited to play UMass in the Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase. This is a
great opportunity for our team to experience the Basketball Hall of Fame, while playing an
outstanding team with a rich basketball tradition,” said Andy Kennedy, Head Coach of
University of Mississippi.
The Holiday Showcase will once again be part of the University of Massachusetts season
ticket package and will mark the eighth consecutive season that UMass has played at least
one contest at the MassMutual Center. Game time, ticket information and television details
will be released at later date.
In conjunction with the Holiday Showcase, the Basketball Hall of Fame will also be hosting
the sixth annual Springfield Rotary “Service Above Self” Luncheon on Friday, December 4th
on the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams. Other community-based
events are tentatively planned.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every
level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global
stage.
For more information:
Visit us on the web: www.hoophall.com
… on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BBHOF
… on Twitter: @hoophall
… or call 1-877-4-HOOPLA