CINCINNATI (OH) – Massachusetts Minutemen Preview

Previous Record (Conf)
12-18 (7-9)

Key Non-Conference Games
At Seton Hall (7 Dec), Memphis (19 Dec), at BostonCollege (23 Dec)

Projected Conference Record (Finish)
6-10 (9th)

Conference Home-and-Home Partners
LaSalle, Rhode Island, St Joe’s

Outlook
Head coach Derek Kellogg’s first year at UMass was a roller coaster ride with a loss at home to Jacksonville St and a win at Kansas. This season should be another one of growing pains with the loss of all conference point guard Chris Lowe and Defensive Player of the year Tony Gaffney. The Minutemen are in transition with seven new players suiting up this year including five freshmen.

Kellogg will have a new look in the front court with Oregon St transfer Sean Carter (6-9 225) and Memphis transfer Hashim Bailey (6-10 275). Kellogg will have all-Conference guard Ricky Harris back for his senior year. A prolific shooter, Harris likes to set up the drive after draining a few triples. However he lacks the playmaking ability to carry a team for more than a few possessions and is a defensive liability.

For such an inexperienced team, the non-conference schedule is a bit of a head-scratcher including six road games and a neutral-site game in Boston against Memphis. Kellogg will need to establish roles and expectations quickly to avoid struggling early.

Spotlight On
Sophomore David Gibbs (6-4 185) will assume the point guard duties and is as physically gifted as anyone on the roster. Gibbs was one of the few Minutemen with a positive assist to turnover ratio last season, but was inconsistent shooting the basketball and at times seemed lost on the court. He has all of the physical tools to thrive in Kellogg’s offense and consistent point-guard play would vault UMass into the upper half of the A10.

Best Case Scenario
The Minutemen are able to score in bunches led by Harris and Kellogg re-establishes the defense. The revamped frontline remedies the rebounding deficiency from a year ago. Multiple rookies from a deep and talented freshmen class challenge for a spot on the All-Rookie team. Gibbs blossoms into an all-around playmaking and scoring threat.

Worst Case Scenario
Kellogg never finds five players who can keep their man in front of them on defense. The transfers take a semester to re-acclimate to game speed and the freshmen are wildly inconsistent. The Minutemen are drilled in the non-con and never look comfortable, confident or cohesive the rest of the season.