2020-21 Season

Anything and everything that is UMass Minutemen Basketball.
Post Reply
Roadtrip
Hall of Fame
Posts: 3807
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 1:54 pm
Location: Back in FL
Contact:

2020-21 Season

Post by Roadtrip » Thu Jan 16, 2020 10:07 am

I have seen a few posts that are optimistic about next season. I see little evidence that the team will be any better in 20/21. Neither of the two known recruits appear to be game breakers. As of now the team would be very thin up front. There is the possibility that both Keon and Carl move on. They have given UMass 3 years, and both deserve a chance at post season play should they want that. The McCall learning curve seems to have flattened.
Please feel free to add any omissions, or defend a more positive view.

jrdupe
Junior
Posts: 612
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 8:03 am
Location: Western Mass

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by jrdupe » Thu Jan 16, 2020 10:22 am

^
wow..."little evidence the team will be any better next year". 7 freshman...you know what they say the best thing about freshman are...they become sophomores. Think of Samba last year vs this year...if these freshman make half the progress he did, they will be a good team...if they make the same jump as he did, they could be very good! By all accounts Garcia is really good - can't say I know much about Cairo. No way Carl moves on...Keon most likely will, but I like the way Kolton runs the team anyway so not a huge loss there.

I think the only thing I agree with is they will be a little thin up front...but how is that different than this year? And don't give me Djery.

Floyd
Hall of Fame
Posts: 9559
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 8:50 am
Location: Not where I should be

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by Floyd » Thu Jan 16, 2020 10:32 am

C'mon Roadman, don't give up.
First off, I'd be shocked if Carl left. Local kid, well liked, has a chance to be a top program scorer, and next year could reap rewards of his hard work. Keon, maybe, but I love the kid's attitude and relentless effort.

Along that same line tho, what if they were to LAND a grad transfer in the same situation that could see the potential of this team and potential for meaningful minutes? That could make a difference, no? You grab a glass eater/rim protector to play alongside Tre, and add quality depth to basically have 2 lineups that can run, trap & press, and score, and that depth will win you games. We've seen Carl and TJ just light it up at times from 3, Tre is a stud, and Sean & Kolton have looked good at pg. If Garcia (or Odukale?) are as good as advertised, and you get another grad transfer big, suddenly pieces are falling in line, depth is there, and we look pretty good.
Then its on the staff to make it all come together and we see if your assessment of MM is accurate. Maybe you're right, but I think we're almost there with the talent level to make some serious noise in the league. Then again, maybe I'm delusional 8)
Time to Win

User avatar
MJatUM
Hall of Fame
Posts: 4416
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:46 pm
Location: Attleboro

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by MJatUM » Thu Jan 16, 2020 10:47 am

What's up with the speculation on Carl leaving? Is he on pace to graduate in three years? I can't imagine he would get a waiver to transfer and find it even less likely that he would want to sit out a year. Not to mention all of the other players on the team call him "Mr. UMass." If I were setting betting lines, he would have the longest odds of anyone on the team to transfer.

minutefanjsf
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2792
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2016 9:17 am

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by minutefanjsf » Thu Jan 16, 2020 10:56 am

Carl Pierre:Matt McCAll = Tony Barbee:John Calipari

He isn't going anywhere IMO

69MG
Hall of Fame
Posts: 12096
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:07 pm
Location: Western Mass

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by 69MG » Thu Jan 16, 2020 11:09 am

Carl's teammates call him "Mr. UMass". I would be shocked (and devastated) if he left. I'm all for grabbing a grad transfer who can defend the paint and rebound. At the same time we need to be looking for a recruit who can be developed. Not sure where the slots are to allow this but there is always a way.
Last edited by 69MG on Thu Jan 16, 2020 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
uz2b-len
Hall of Fame
Posts: 11717
Joined: Fri May 27, 2005 6:03 pm
Location: Deerfield, MA

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by uz2b-len » Thu Jan 16, 2020 11:19 am

Mark Schmidt took his mostly freshman team to the A10 finals last year. He is a great coach.
edit: So I just had a look at his career record. He coached at Robert Morris for six years. His best year was his fourth year when they finished 11-7 in conference and finished third. His last year there they were 9-9 in conference and finished fourth. I have no idea why St Bonaventure hired him. In his first seven years in the A10 he managed a winning conference record one time. Then beginning the winning streak. The Bonnies are 64-29 starting with the 2014-15 season. That said, they've been bounced in the first round from the CBI, NIT, NCAA tournaments, and managed a single first round NCAA victory. But he sure looks like a great coach when we're playing them. They run so many offensive moves, according to McCall in the pregame show, it wasn't worth trying to get the team ready for them. It showed. Yeah, Lofton looked great, but boy did he get a lot of open looks. On the other hand, we didn't.

I think the optimists among us can look forward to a Schmidt-like career for McCall. He seems to be willing to learn and change.
"All credit to my teammates, all glory to God."-- Chaz Williams

Floyd
Hall of Fame
Posts: 9559
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 8:50 am
Location: Not where I should be

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by Floyd » Thu Jan 16, 2020 1:02 pm

You've always had a little chubby for Schmidt tho len. He has had success against UMass, or maybe we just haven't been very good. But you're right, he seems to adapt pretty well. He's had some good players up there too
Time to Win

Almontis
Junior
Posts: 724
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2004 1:23 am
Location: Massachusetts

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by Almontis » Thu Jan 16, 2020 2:19 pm

Hard to say.

Sean East has been really up and down this year. Will he find consistency in A10 play? Kolton has only played 10-15 minutes in a handful of games. Again, hard to say how he'll develop.

I'm not sold on the PG position, and I'm hoping we land Femi. We definitely need more toughness, physicality, and competitiveness on our roster. Our frontcourt is thin. Will we land an impact frontcourt player?

We have some pieces, and we're missing some pieces.

Defense and rebounding should improve with recruiting, but the defensive philosophy is unproven. I have faith in Tony B, but he's never coached at the college level.

We need some things to break in our favor for a successful 2020-2021, and I'm cautiously optimistic. I agree with some on Twitter that making the NIT next year is a pretty good litmus test. That said, I don't think McCall will be let go if we're sniffing around the NIT but don't make it.

User avatar
Jackson96
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2981
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:28 pm

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by Jackson96 » Thu Jan 16, 2020 2:45 pm

I would like to think they are better next year and think they will be. I hate the cliché though about the sophomore jump because everyone just throws it out there as if it is definitely going to happen. That said, these kids seem like they work hard so I hope they progress as they should. I hope the Garcia kid is as good as some folks who have watched him play for two minutes think he is. And I hope we land the Femi kid and he is as good as I think he is after watching him play for two minutes. If they are they would really help as two-way players with some size, quickness and athleticism out on the perimeter.

I'm not as obsessed with landing another big as some folks in here are (the game has changed at our level the need for bigs is overstated I think) but we do need some additional help inside for Tre. The problem is, bigs aren't always ready to help out as freshmen.

At any rate, we aren't going to be better unless we get better and more consistent on defense and rebounding the ball.
"I wrote a column and it went national"

78
Hall of Fame
Posts: 8078
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: Near Boston

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by 78 » Thu Jan 16, 2020 3:02 pm

uz2b-len wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2020 11:19 am Mark Schmidt took his mostly freshman team to the A10 finals last year. He is a great coach.
edit: So I just had a look at his career record. He coached at Robert Morris for six years. His best year was his fourth year when they finished 11-7 in conference and finished third. His last year there they were 9-9 in conference and finished fourth. I have no idea why St Bonaventure hired him. In his first seven years in the A10 he managed a winning conference record one time. Then beginning the winning streak. The Bonnies are 64-29 starting with the 2014-15 season. That said, they've been bounced in the first round from the CBI, NIT, NCAA tournaments, and managed a single first round NCAA victory. But he sure looks like a great coach when we're playing them. They run so many offensive moves, according to McCall in the pregame show, it wasn't worth trying to get the team ready for them. It showed. Yeah, Lofton looked great, but boy did he get a lot of open looks. On the other hand, we didn't.

I think the optimists among us can look forward to a Schmidt-like career for McCall. He seems to be willing to learn and change.
Schmidt is by far the best coach in the A10. If McCall can be even half the coach Schmidt is it’s a win for UMass. As for next year, they need to win 17-19 games. I hear the “they are young” cry and can buy into it somewhat, but the Bonnies are the second youngest team in the A10, and look at their success and the way they play.
Bamford has erased McCutcheon

User avatar
uz2b-len
Hall of Fame
Posts: 11717
Joined: Fri May 27, 2005 6:03 pm
Location: Deerfield, MA

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by uz2b-len » Thu Jan 16, 2020 3:46 pm

I think McCall is half the coach Schmidt is. He just needs to get the rest of the way. The point of my posting about Schmidt's career is the he didn't win all that much at Robert Morris or in his first five years at St B. I think he kept working at his craft and getting good players to come to Olean. I think that's a reasonable expectation for McCall.
"All credit to my teammates, all glory to God."-- Chaz Williams

User avatar
Quann
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2489
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 11:17 pm
Location: Hopkinton, MA

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by Quann » Sun Jan 19, 2020 1:49 pm

If we are not at least a top seeded NIT team next season, McCall needs to go. This season is pretty much done at this point. Life of a umass fan, there’s always next year.

TheInsider
Hall of Fame
Posts: 4435
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2003 9:12 am

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by TheInsider » Sun Jan 19, 2020 2:27 pm

What makes you think we will be any better than a 6-8 seed in the A10 next year

User avatar
Quann
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2489
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 11:17 pm
Location: Hopkinton, MA

Re: 2020-21 Season

Post by Quann » Sun Jan 19, 2020 4:32 pm

^^^^
Absolutely nothin’ which is why he may be canned after next season.

Post Reply