2025-26 Season

[NilesGold]

I'm curious what people's thoughts are regarding next season, specifically what kind of changes you'd make to the team if you were in a GM type role. Let's assume Frank and staff isn't changing.

Let's make some assumptions so we're all on the same page:
You have $200,000 in NIL to spend on players.
Danny Carbuccia has to be on the roster and you have to pay him $20,000
Bilal Osman has to be on the roster but he's $0

Everyone else is optional and here's what it would take to keep them.

Diggins - $75,000
Curry - $40,000
DHS - $20,000
Rivera - $20,000
Ndjigue - $10,000
You can retain anyone else currently on the team at no cost in NIL

[NilesGold]

If we could get a different coaching staff I would, but that's off the table. You probably aren't going to get Frank to play a style too much different from what he's always done, so keeping that in mind, he's what I'd do...

Keep:
Ndjigue
Doumbia
Worthy
Shahid
Carbuccia
Osman

Ndjigue starts at the 3 and you go out and get 7 new guys. Prioritize defensive ability and rebounding. Prioritize finding a 4 man who can rebound AND shoot the 3 and two playmaking guards who can shoot the 3. Try and find a decent big man, I don't care if he's undersized as long as he can defend and rebound... someone who can score on post-ups would be great but I'm not holding my breath. Those 4 spots are where you're going to spend virtually all of your NIL money.

The last three spots get another guard and 4-man (backups) and then the final spot get the best player you can at any position.

[DanaDingle3]

Isn't the school providing $1 mil in rev share for next season?

[Floyd]

I think you really undervalue DHS. I like him at PF with a good center next to him, and a SF ala Matt Cross

[TheInsider]

Martin has objectively underachieved in his 3 years here.. yes people will point to last year but look at the roster and number of all A10 guys we had including 2 first teamers.. with that many, should have won the league. Instead we backed up to a 4th place regular season finish and got blown out in the first tourney game.

[stevemaz]

form a team where 6 of the 9 guys who play can hit 30% from 3. dont worry about anything else..

[inthescoop]

Keep:
Ndjigue
Doumbia
Worthy
Shahid
Carbuccia
Osman

This sounds like a last place team in the MAC. Where's the offense?

Let's face it, if we go out and get 7 new guys we’re going to be complaining about the same things next season as we did this season.. the usual "this team is all over the place, they don't mesh well, yadda yadda".

We're talking about getting power forwards who can shoot 3's, first we need guards who can shoot 3's. We had ZERO 3's against VCU. What we need to do is target players that know their role. Every player knows his role and contributes to the team in a way that others don't. We need to connect the puzzle pieces and not just go out and recruit "talent".

Hypothetically, lets say all our guys stayed under Frank.. in a dream world, our starting lineup this season would have been:
PG - Jaylen Curry or Keon Thompson
SG - Rahsool Diggins
SF - RJ Luis
PF - Matt Cross
C - Josh Cohen

[eldonabe]

I'm curious what people's thoughts are regarding next season, specifically what kind of changes you'd make to the team if you were in a GM type role. Let's assume Frank and staff isn't changing.

Let's make some assumptions so we're all on the same page:
You have $200,000 in NIL to spend on players.
Danny Carbuccia has to be on the roster and you have to pay him $20,000
Bilal Osman has to be on the roster but he's $0

Everyone else is optional and here's what it would take to keep them.

Diggins - $75,000
Curry - $40,000
DHS - $20,000
Rivera - $20,000
Ndjigue - $10,000
You can retain anyone else currently on the team at no cost in NIL

Where are you getting those amount of money from? Are Just making them up?



I don't even want to guess who is staying or going at this point. There is so much upheaval in the sport overall, never mind this team, and the conference move - everyone is on the table for moving around.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

This seems like a stupid exercise, but at least we've already for a 25-26 season thread going!

[NilesGold]

This seems like a stupid exercise

And? 99% of what we do on here is a stupid exercise

[NilesGold]

Where are you getting those amount of money from? Are Just making them up?

Just making them up. The actual $ isn't that important as long as the ratios between the players are in the right ballpark. I.e. taking into account that Diggins (if he can even play) would probably cost several multiples of what Ndjigue or Rivera would cost should factor into decisions.

By the same token I made up the $200,000 total NIL. I'm not actually expecting anyone to identify actual players and what they would cost in the portal. Just curious where people's heads are at big picture.

[eldonabe]

If Umass is going to succeed in any meaningful way in hoops, they cannot and should not be concerned with what other MAC teams are paying and pay full attention to what the top 7-8 conferences are doling out.

This is now an arms race and if Umass wants to make tournaments and stay relevant it is gonna cost them. They have nothing to offer in terms of overall competition and exposure as they play in a one bid league. Winning the conference and getting blasted in the first round (or play in round) is not going to retain players. Nice feel good story for a nano-second - then all those players move up for double the money and 3 times the national exposure.

Umass has a very long and rich history of avoiding significant cash outlay for almost everything. The only good corner is one you can cut. You might as well light 200K on fire if that is all you think needs to be spent to get a decent team in return.



There seems to be a huge disconnect right now to what people think needs to be done and what actually needs to be done in order for Umass to have even a shred of relevancy in Hoops.

Current Conference NET Ratings are actually pretty good for the "dying" A-10 at #7. Umass is already not good in this spot. the MAC is coasting in at #23 - that's right #23 out of 31 D1 Hoop conferences. The best team in the MAC today is Akron . Their NET ranking is #92 and that includes a 13-0 conference record and NOT A SINGLE WIN over a sub-100 NET ranked team this year. They would not be invited to the Tourney if not for the Auto bid.



My point is that outspending the rest of the MAC means NOTHING in the big picture.
Ripping off a 24 win season MEANS NOTHING in the MAC.
Attracting players good enough to win the MAC means NOTHING.


I don't think most of you realize just how far backwards the Basketball program is moving 4 months from now. Umass could go out and win 24 (or more) games next year and NOBODY will notice outside of the 413 area code (and most within the 413 will not care either). They will get their name called on Selection Sunday - play someone like Syracuse on play in Tuesday and get their asses handed to them. But yay - they made it!


The next 3 years will absolutely make or break Umass athletics as far as FBS/D1 sport goes --- And it all hinges on the Football program which has been a fucking disaster for 20+ years. The margin of error for Umass to overcome what they are about to do and become relevant is Zero and even then, they will need a Hail Mary stroke of luck to go with it. And you are hoping/wishing/praying for all of that to happen on a ship being captained by a 10 year (and counting) do-nothing Athletic Director.

[rt63]

I guess it’s time to become a hockey fan. UMass hoops just adds to shitshow that the world’s become.

[Plano Minuteman]

This seems like a stupid exercise, but at least we've already for a 25-26 season thread going!

I always thought paddleboarding was a stupid exercise. It's gotta be the least efficient way possible to manuever in water.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

This seems like a stupid exercise, but at least we've already for a 25-26 season thread going!

I always thought paddleboarding was a stupid exercise. It's gotta be the least efficient way possible to manuever in water.

LOL