UMass
Returnees
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Danny Carbuccia
- 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1 steal
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Dwayne Wimbley Jr.
- 2.3 points, 2.2 rebounds
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Josh Engel
- Redshirt
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Jayden Ndigue
- 6.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals
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Luka Damjanac
- 2.4 points, 2.5 rebounds
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Dimitri Clerc
- 3.2 points, 2.7 rebounds
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Rolli Castineyra
- 0 points, 0 rebounds (4 games / 4.5 minutes)
Newcomers
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Junjie Wang (Senior) ~ San Francisco
- 8.5 points, 3 rebounds
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Jordan Clayton (Senior) ~ Northwestern
- 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists
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Abdullah Ahmed (Junior) ~ BYU
- 1.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks
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Trae Lewis (Sophomore) ~ Independence CC
- 12.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.4 steals
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Cam Hailey (Freshman)
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Noa Zemljic (Freshman)
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Heimir Helgason (Freshman)
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Cheick Sylla (Freshman)
UMass was a bit of a surprise throughout the first three months of the season as they entered the beginning of February with a 15-9 record overall and a 6-6 record within the MAC. Most of their losses at that point had been close and competitive, including losing by six points to Marshall, four points to Charleston, four points to Green Bay, and even a near upset over Miami Ohio on the road where the Minutemen fell by just two points. Things came crashing down as they finished the regular season just 1-6 over their last seven games, with three overtime losses during that stretch.
There was a lot of momentum built last season, and they are looking to keep that rolling. However, they have had a lot of turnover. They lost their top four scorers from last season, but they were able to retain some important rotational players. They also added in Trae Lewis who is an offensive threat, although you never know how someone will transition from JUCO.
Overall, the Minutemen are placing some bets with Jordan Clayton and Abdullah Ahmed. Both players are coming from power conference programs where they saw limited playing time, but both have the potential to take some massive leaps in their careers at this level. Last season, the Minutemen were just 219th in defensive adjusted efficiency, so adding in Ahmed is an immediate boost as someone who was a remarkable shot blocker in his limited time on the court. Don’t forget Junjie Wang either as he turned himself into a valuable player at San Francisco last season with the Dons. He should see an uptick in his numbers as he makes the jump to the MAC.
The MAC is going to be a tough conference again this season, with Miami Ohio, Akron, and Kent State all projecting to be in the top three of the conference. UMass though should be able to finish in the middle of the conference once again. I don’t think they have the firepower to make a push for the top of the league, but if they can keep things rolling, they should be able to get some real momentum going with the basketball program.