Chris Lowe signs with UMass

When Travis Ford took the job at Massachusetts, he got on the phone and went after one of the top point guards in the Northeast. That call turned into a commitment from Chris Lowe, a 6-foot, 155-pount guard from Mt. Vernon (N.Y.) High School. The floor general signed a National Letter of Intent with the Atlantic 10 program on Wednesday and made his decision official.

Lowe was the target of several programs late in the recruiting process but UMass's efforts when Ford took over for Steve Lappas helped make the decision easier.

"When he called me, it just made me realize that that was a school where I could get along with everyone there," Lowe said.

After taking an official visit last weekend, Lowe said he knew right away that he was supposed to be the point guard for the new coach.

"They don't have a point guard at all right now and there is a good chance that I could come in and start right away. I knew that was the place for me on Monday when I got home.

Lowe said the opportunity to play for Ford, who played for Rick Pitino at Kentucky was an opportunity he welcomes.

"That's a good pedigree to go under. With him playing for coach Pitino, he knows what it takes to make it to the pros and he's taken a lot of good players there," Lowe said. "I'm looking forward to playing under him just for that."

Lowe picked UMAss over interest from Fordham, Maryland, Virginia Tech and UTEP.