LOWELL, MA (Aug. 6, 2008) – Marcus Johnson and Kyle Caiola, both former conference players of the year at their respective high schools, are among five incoming players to the UMass Lowell men’s basketball program, announced UML’s first-year Head Coach Greg Herenda.

Johnson, a 6-foot-1 guard from South Bend, IN, and Caiola, a 5-10 guard from Parma, OH, will join John Corbacio, a 6-8 forward from Stoney Creek, ONT; Kyle Mayers, a 6-5 forward also from Stoney Creek, ONT; and Sean Romsek, a 6-2 guard from Fowlerville, MI.

"I am very happy how this year's recruiting class has evolved for our program,” said Herenda. “I think we have five young players that are all very good students, they are great kids and they really love to play basketball. I am hopeful that this class will help us in many areas. They will immediately add to our overall skill level and athleticism. I cannot wait for them to get on campus in September and join our returning players."

UMass Lowell returns six veterans this season – five of whom started or received valuable minutes – from the 2007-08 squad which posted a 12-17 overall record and an 8-14 clip in the Northeast-10 Conference (11th place).

The River Hawks advanced to the NE-10 Tournament following a one-year absence where they stunned No. 5 Merrimack (70-69) in North Andover, MA, before falling to Assumption (69-54) in the quarterfinal.

Johnson was a three-year starter at St. Joseph’s H.S. where he was named the Northeast Indiana Conference Player of the Year as a senior and to the NIC All-Conference First Team.

Johnson also amassed more than 1,000 points and was named the team’s offensive player of the year as a senior.

Caiola comes to Lowell following a stellar career at Normandy H.S. where he was a rare four-time Northeast Ohio Conference all-star, as well as the NOC Player of the Year as a senior. He graduated as NHS’s all-time leading scorer with 1,624 points and helped the Invaders to a school-record 17 victories.

Corbacio and Mayers both enjoyed honor-filled careers in Hamilton, ONT. A standout at Bishop Ryan Secondary School, Corbacio was named to the City of Hamilton All-Star Team and was voted the Celtics’ player of the year.

Additionally, Corbacio has been a part of Canada’s national team pool, having earned a tryout with the junior men’s national team. He was also a member of Canada’s National Basketball Team Training Program from 2004-07.

Mayers was a four-year starter at Cathedral H.S. where he was a two-time Hamilton Lower Catholic League (HLCL) all-star. He led the Gaels to the City of Hamilton Championship in 2006 and 2007.

Last year, Mayers attended South Kent Prep where he was ranked among the top 20 players in the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC).

Romsek was a three-time All-Capital Area Activities Conference (CAAC) Gold Division standout who led Fowlerville H.S. to a pair of district championships. Along the way, he was named the 2006-07 Livingston County Player of the Year and three-time all-county standout and was twice named to the MHSAA All-State Honorable Mention team.

Romsek, who graduated as the Gladiators all-time leading scorer with 1,430 points, posted senior year averages of 17.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game while connecting on 44 attempts from 3-point range.

UMass Lowell opens the season hosting the UML Tip-Off Tournament with Merrimack, St. Thomas Aquinas and Mercy College on Nov. 15-16.