Derek Kellogg - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

Kellogg began his coaching career at George Mason University where he was an assistant for two seasons (1997–99). He then moved to Youngstown State for the 1999–2000 season. From 2000 to 2008, Kellogg was assistant coach of the men's basketball team at the University of Memphis, under Calipari.

In Kellogg's first year as head coach, the UMass Minutemen finished with a 12–18 record. Though disappointing, the season featured wins over three teams that would reach the NCAA Tournament: Kansas, Dayton and Temple. UMass also nearly upset Xavier, who also made the NCAA Tournament.

The 2009–10 season for UMass finished with a 12–20 record. Kellogg's squad, with many first-year players for UMass, had notable wins against Memphis and Rhode Island in the regular season's finale, which arguably knocked the Rams off the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Minutemen also broke an eight game losing streak in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, with a first round win over Charlotte. Six of the Minutemen's opponents would go on to the NCAA Tournament, though UMass went 0–7 in games against those teams.

In the 2010-2011 season Kellogg's Minutemen improved to a 15-15 record with a 7-9 regular season conference record in the Atlantic 10. The team started the season 7-0, but faltered down the stretch ending the season 2-8 in their last 10 games. They did have notable wins in the regular season over RPI top 100 teams Rhode Island twice and Dayton. They earned a home Atlantic 10 tournament game at the Mullins Center for the first time since 2003, but this time lost 78-50 to Dayton. After this loss and a previous loss to Fordham, there was talk that Kellogg should be fired after three seasons. However on March 9, 2011, UMass athletic director John McCutcheon announced that Kellogg would be back for the 2011-2012 season.

In the 2011-12 season, Kellogg's Minutemen won 20 regular season games, then two more by reaching the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. They defeated the #1-seed Temple in the quarterfinals, but lost to the eventual tournament champion St. Bonaventure. The Minutemen went 15-1 in home games, with the only loss to La Salle by a 72-71 score. The team was selected to participate in the NIT, the school's first postseason appearance since reaching the 2008 NIT Final. With victories at Mississippi State, Seton Hall and Drexel, Kellogg's squad became only the fourth team in NIT history to reach the semifinals by winning three straight road games. By defeating Drexel he notched a win against head coach Bruiser Flint, who as a UMass assistant recruited Kellogg to play for the Minutemen. The Minutemen then lost to Stanford in the NIT Semi-Finals, finishing the season at 25-12.

Under Kellogg the 2012-13 Minutemen once again enjoyed a 20 win season and for the second straight season reached the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. They would reach the semifinals by avenging regular season losses to George Washington and Temple before losing to VCU. Also, for the second straight year the Minutemen were invited to play in the NIT. Although seeded second in their region they would be upset at home by Stony Brook, finishing the season with a 21-12 record.