2025-26 Season

[dsmithma]

Balance is gonna be the key. Need at least 3 guys ( at 3 different positions) to be capable of carrying the team any given night. Last year it was Rahsool as the 1 who had to carry the load. This year it would be nice to see DHS, Banks, & Wimbley all step up so we have production consistently from 3 positions. The overall talent looks to be better this year

Really like the concept of needing three guys from three different position groups stepping up throughout the season. Obviously, DHS is one of the three at the 4 position and I agreee that Banks will be the second at the 2 position. I think Wimbley could be the third at the 3 position but I don't like putting that much pressure on a freshman right out of high school. I think Bettiol could step up and be the third at the 5 position (Frank mentioned on a Just Being Frank he sees Bettiol at the 5 spot).

- Last season he had 23 double digit scoring games
- Started in 31 of 32 games and four year starter at the D1 level
- Last season had 16 points at Baylor and 16 at New Mexico State in back to back games

[JoleonLescottsHair]

That's not what I was trying to say there. I have no problem leaving the A10, but I get why many are not pleased with it. The mention of buzz is merely about excitement for the upcoming basketball season, not related to any conference affiliation. Not questioning anybody's passion for the program and its history.

I appreciate the clarification.
Go UMass.

[Floyd]

Balance is gonna be the key. Need at least 3 guys ( at 3 different positions) to be capable of carrying the team any given night. Last year it was Rahsool as the 1 who had to carry the load. This year it would be nice to see DHS, Banks, & Wimbley all step up so we have production consistently from 3 positions. The overall talent looks to be better this year

Really like the concept of needing three guys from three different position groups stepping up throughout the season. Obviously, DHS is one of the three at the 4 position and I agreee that Banks will be the second at the 2 position. I think Wimbley could be the third at the 3 position but I don't like putting that much pressure on a freshman right out of high school. I think Bettiol could step up and be the third at the 5 position (Frank mentioned on a Just Being Frank he sees Bettiol at the 5 spot).

- Last season he had 23 double digit scoring games
- Started in 31 of 32 games and four year starter at the D1 level
- Last season had 16 points at Baylor and 16 at New Mexico State in back to back games

That works. Just dont want to see our better scorers playing the same position. I think the door is wide open for Wimbley tho. I could see Jayden and him sharing minutes there but the opportunity is there. A consistent deep threat opens up the inside game & visa versa, & the midrange helps both. Looks like there's the potential to have a balanced offensive attack & looks like we have some good depth at pg as well. I guess my point is I think this team is better served with a more balanced score sheet than 1 big dog who carries us every night. Be nice to have a surprise season of 20+ wins and a team that plays & wins together

[LS71]

Two big questions for me are:

How soon does this group of kids come together as a team?

How does UMass do in the MAC?

[minutefanjsf]

Two big questions for me are:

How soon does this group of kids come together as a team?

How does UMass do in the MAC?

It seems these kids are much more “together” already than last year. Don’t know how that will translate to togetherness on the court. Hoping there is a little less selfish play, for sure.

[Juice Stand]

I have no idea how to gauge how cohesive or together they are yet. It's easy to be pals in the summer when you're working out and the weather is fine. How will they be during the grind of the season when they're dealing with classes, tough losses, and the weather is absolutely awful? No clue.

[69MG]

A couple of thoughts. On "Just Being Frank", I think he talked about not being able to run the offense through the center spot last year and that Bettiol looks like he can handle that job. I had Clerc penciled in as the starting center. Let's see if Bettiol keeps that job when the season starts.

Also, Frank talks about spreading the floor to open up the inside so that the guys who are penetrators (Jayden, etc.) can do what they do best. In order to do that I think he needs at least two 3-point shooters on the floor at all times. I won't expect that from the 5 or the 4, even though DHS can shoot a little. So I don't think you can have Carbuccia on the floor at the same time as Jayden.

If Carbuccia is in at PG, the 2 and 3 have to be able to shoot. From what we've been told, Parker, Banks, Brown, Osman and Placide can all shoot. Perhaps Wimbley can as well. This year it seems that Frank has options. The trick is who do you play at the 3 when Danny is at point? From a size perspective, Wimbley and Osman are the tallest but if we're big enough at the 4 and 5, he could play any of the guards at the 3.

I'm looking forward to this year because I feel that roster construction is much improved and Frank has options at almost every position. Of course, we won't know squat until we see them on the court.

[minutefanjsf]

I have no idea how to gauge how cohesive or together they are yet. It's easy to be pals in the summer when you're working out and the weather is fine. How will they be during the grind of the season when they're dealing with classes, tough losses, and the weather is absolutely awful? No clue.

Yes. Agree. I am comparing last summer to this summer. During the season when things went south the chemistry was radioactive. Hopefully, this groups will handle bumps much better.

[eldonabe]

Interesting article in The Athletic today about what realignment might look like if college basketball drove the bus instead of football. They have us in an A10 that would look like this:

Boston College, Duquesne, Fordham, George Mason, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's, St. Bonaventure, Temple

No fucking way BC would stand for that.

[MikeUMA]

Interesting article in The Athletic today about what realignment might look like if college basketball drove the bus instead of football. They have us in an A10 that would look like this:

Boston College, Duquesne, Fordham, George Mason, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's, St. Bonaventure, Temple

No fucking way BC would stand for that.

BC was a weird geographical outlier in the ACC for several years, until Syracuse joined in 2013.

They've been a hot mess since they fired Al Skinner (2010). Since then they've had 1 winning conference season, and that was in 2010-11 with Skinner's players.

They haven't made an NCAA Tournament since 2009.

They have no leg to stand on if they'd say they're too good for that new conference idea.

But that new conference idea is overthinking it anyway. If the premise is college basketball driving the bus, then BC belongs back in the Big East.

[inthescoop]

^I can’t believe that Earl Grant is still the head coach

[TruBluMaroon]

Eastern 8 baby!

For the young;

Eastern 8 ( began. 1976-77)


Duquesne
George Washington
Penn State
Pitt
Rutgers
Villanova
West Virginia
UM

TruBlu, wasn't St. Bona in there as well? Earl Belcher was pretty good. That league had some good players

Nope.
St. Bona was 1979 and URI was 1980.
UM didn’t play St Bona in 79-80, but played them
2x in 80-81.
Belcher ‘81 played 2 years in the Eastern 8.

[MikeUMA]

St. Bona was 1979 and URI was 1980.

Trivia Tuesday (or early Wednesday morning)...
Both St. Bonaventure and URI replaced teams that left the league. Who were they? And for extra credit, where did they go?

[eldonabe]

Interesting article in The Athletic today about what realignment might look like if college basketball drove the bus instead of football. They have us in an A10 that would look like this:

Boston College, Duquesne, Fordham, George Mason, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's, St. Bonaventure, Temple

No fucking way BC would stand for that.

BC was a weird geographical outlier in the ACC for several years, until Syracuse joined in 2013.

They've been a hot mess since they fired Al Skinner (2010). Since then they've had 1 winning conference season, and that was in 2010-11 with Skinner's players.

They haven't made an NCAA Tournament since 2009.

They have no leg to stand on if they'd say they're too good for that new conference idea.

But that new conference idea is overthinking it anyway. If the premise is college basketball driving the bus, then BC belongs back in the Big East.

I agree with you Mike, but BC is way too uptight and superior in their own mind to "reduce" themselves to that level.

[Floyd]

For the young;

Eastern 8 ( began. 1976-77)


Duquesne
George Washington
Penn State
Pitt
Rutgers
Villanova
West Virginia
UM

TruBlu, wasn't St. Bona in there as well? Earl Belcher was pretty good. That league had some good players

Nope.
St. Bona was 1979 and URI was 1980.
UM didn’t play St Bona in 79-80, but played them
2x in 80-81.
Belcher ‘81 played 2 years in the Eastern 8.

I was a freshman back then in '80. Got to see the glory years of UMass Hoops