Kellogg named UMass coach

Apr 23, 2008 - 11:14 PM AMHERST, Massachusetts (Ticker) -- Derek Kellogg returned to his alma mater on Wednesday when he was named men's basketball coach at Massachusetts.

Kellogg, 34, who played under current Memphis coach John Calipari at Massachusetts from 1991-95, was officially introduced during a news conference at the school.

He replaces Travis Ford, who took the Oklahoma State job last week. Kellogg had spent the past eight years as an assistant at Memphis.

"We couldn't be more excited to have Derek Kellogg return to UMass as our head basketball coach," Massachusetts director of athletics John McCutcheon said. "His proven track record as one of the country's top recruiters, the coaching experience he has gained and his deep passion and love of UMass make him a perfect fit for this position."

While at Memphis, Kellogg was the chief recruiter for Calipari, helping bring in the players that helped the Tigers reach the national championship game this season.

Memphis (38-2) posted an NCAA record for wins in a season and became only the second team in NCAA history to surpass 30 wins in three straight seasons.

"Derek played a huge role in the success we've had here, especially the last three years," Calipari said. "Derek was a part of a program that went to two Elite Eights and an NCAA championship game."

Prior to working at Memphis, Kellogg spent time as an assistant at George Mason and Youngstown State.

"The bottom line is that Derek is a winner and knows how to build a winning program," Calipari added. "He was a winner during his playing days at UMass. He was a winner as an assistant at all his college stops."

During Kellogg's playing career, the Minutemen captured four straight Atlantic 10 Conference regular season and tournament titles.

He takes over a team that lost to Ohio State in the championship game of this season's National Invitation Tournament.