2020-21 Season

[Floyd]

I read a couple things a while ago that he was very aggressive and really played tough D. I thought I also read that TB said he was very active and physically strong and not afraid to mix it up on the boards. Sounds like he likes to get after it. Love that attitude

[uz2b-len]

^ It wasn't just Mashburn. Take a look at the Brewster roster, check the guards and see where they committed. It's not a surprise that JG had to fight for playing time.
https://resources.finalsite.net/images/ ... 020427.pdf

The other thing is that in the 8-9 minutes he got to play in each of the Brewster games I saw, he didn't on anything. Literally. He brought the ball up court, passed, and never touched it again in the possession. He rarely went anywhere near a rebound. He had one steal. It just wasn't very impressive. We'll see. Believe me, I'm hoping he turns out to be great.

[uz2b-len]

I read a couple things a while ago that he was very aggressive and really played tough D. I thought I also read that TB said he was very active and physically strong and not afraid to mix it up on the boards. Sounds like he likes to get after it. Love that attitude

Yeah those things sound good, but he may be death valley on offense.

[TheInsider]

^ It wasn't just Mashburn. Take a look at the Brewster roster, check the guards and see where they committed. It's not a surprise that JG had to fight for playing time.
https://resources.finalsite.net/images/ ... 020427.pdf

The other thing is that in the 8-9 minutes he got to play in each of the Brewster games I saw, he didn't on anything. Literally. He brought the ball up court, passed, and never touched it again in the possession. He rarely went anywhere near a rebound. He had one steal. It just wasn't very impressive. We'll see. Believe me, I'm hoping he turns out to be great.

Were those games earlier in the season?? He had some really good games late and in the playoffs still coming off the bench.

[69MG]

If we're looking for a couple of games, here's an opportunity. Tough competition, but a possible resume builder if we can win 1.

Jon Rothstein
@JonRothstein
Sources: St. John's will not participate in the 2020 Preseason NIT in Orlando. Rest of field currently includes Arizona, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech.

[NilesGold]

So this would be our starting lineup, I presume: Fernandes, Pierre, Weeks. Mitchell, and Walker.

My feeling is that you can't take Santos out of the starting lineup, he's just too valuable.

[69MG]

Good news!!!

Fight Massachusetts
@FightMA247
57m
Certainly a move that makes sense for UMass, and it turns out it will be their 2nd season in a row with an MTE at Mohegan
The MTE will give UMass 2-3 more OOC games to add to what will be a Northeast-centric non-conference schedule this season
Quote Tweet

Jon Rothstein
@JonRothstein
· 59m
Source: UMass will participate in an early season MTE at Mohegan Sun. Dates and matchups are TBD. Minutemen were initially in the Jamaica Classic.

[Juice Stand]

I went to the Mohegan event last year and it was fantastic. I wonder if they'll allow any fans, and since it's a casino how they plan on keeping the student athletes and team staff distanced and safe. Does anyone know if Mohegan Sun is currently open for business and what restrictions are in place?

[mdogt12]

Mohegan Sun is open with restrictions.
https://moheganplayingitsafe.com/

[Berkman]

Talked to my son in Vegas tonight and he said that FOX WOOD casino is taking over/buying, I think he said Hard Rock, in Vegas. He did not have much more info on the deal

[Floyd]

So this would be our starting lineup, I presume: Fernandes, Pierre, Weeks. Mitchell, and Walker.

My feeling is that you can't take Santos out of the starting lineup, he's just too valuable.

Yeah, I agree. He just does all those little things you need and does them all pretty well. Very unselfish player. I'm a big Preston fan

[69MG]

^ I think we all love Preston and he needs to get minutes. The question then becomes, "who do you replace with him in the starting 5?"

[NilesGold]

^ Probably the guy he played ahead of last season - Walker. Pierre & Weeks are also options, but I'd bring Walker off the bench.

Weeks, Pierre, and Santos are excellent complements to Mitchell, they're very good to have on the floor even if they don't have the ball in their hands. Walker isn't bad at all, but he's not quite as good of a complement to Mitchell... he can however be a pretty good option if you need to put the ball in someone's hands other than Mitchell... so coming off the bench is a good spot for him.

[uz2b-len]

You're completely right. I forgot that Santos had worked his way into the starting line-up. Literally, in his case, worked.

[uz2b-len]

It occurred to me this morning that this year and possibly next will be the pinnacle of Matt McCall's coaching career. I don't mean at UMass but his entire coaching career. That's a pretty presumptuous thing to say about a young guy so early in his career, but I don't see where he's shown much in any aspect of his job. He's gonna have a very competitive team this year because of talent that he didn't really recruit. Obviously, Tre Mitchell is the main component, and we know how he got here. Acquiring a super-talent by hiring his mom's partner is something you can pull off once, maybe twice, in a whole career. If the team is really successful this year, as I expect they will be, it will also be because TJ weeks continues his dynamic play we saw last fall. TJ is another rare find for McCall, a legacy guy who has a lot of lifetime connections to family in Springfield. Take away those two guys and you have a roster that would be fighting to avoid a bottom-four finish in the a10. My favorite player from the current recruiting class, Ronnie DeGray, really wants to be in Colorado. If he takes off in his first year or two here, he could very well transfer out there.

As far as other aspects of coaching, even with Tre, UMass ranked 10th in offense in the a10 last year. Even more concerning, 13th in defense. There's no excuse for finishing that low in defense. Also, 12th in offensive rebounding, 9th in defensive. These things are a matter of knowing what to do and doing it. They are all about coaching. How about player development? Didn't happen for Samba Diallo. And Carl Pierre, what the heck happened with his 3pt shooting? Tre Wood? Sy Chatman? I used to be afraid that McCall would be successful and leave. Now, it seems inevitable to me. He'd be a fool not to leave when Tre leaves, if he can get even a small step up. It won't be a big loss to us when he does. However, I'm still gonna enjoy these next two years with Tre and TJ.