Colwell, a 6-foot-5 swingman, chose UMass-Lowell, which went deep in the NCAA Division II national tournament, over Farleigh Dickinson (N.J.), among other schools.

"It was a good choice for him," said Barrie coach Darnell Myers, who coached Colwell the past two years. "They were the ones who really pursued him. They came down 2-3 times to see him play [and] he liked the way the coach ran practice."

Colwell finished his senior campaign with averages of 20 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three blocks. His final season at Barrie was cut short, however, as he was only allowed to participate in the squad's non-conference games. Colwell was in his fifth year of high-school competition. Potomac Valley Athletic Conference officials made that decision prior to the start of the season.

Two seasons ago, Colwell, who played three different positions at Barrie, helped the Mustangs capture their first PVAC regular-season and tournament titles by averaging 19 points and 14 rebounds. The team compiled a 29-7 record that season and Colwell along with teammates Frank Mason and Bobby Sharafeddin earned second-team All-Gazette honors.

Colwell, who also played at the Newport School, will join a UMass-Lowell team that reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II tournament before falling to Bowie State, 72-62, this past winter.

The River Hawks, coached by Ken Barer, compiled a 28-5 overall record and a 20-4 mark in the Northeast-10 Conference. The 28 wins were the most in a season in the program's history.

UMass-Lowell won the N-10 tournament title with a 77-66 over Southern New Hampshire. The team won an NCAA championship in 1988.