Atlantic 10 Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19
7. UMass Minutemen
2017-18 season record: 13-20 (5-13)
It was rebuilding year for the Minutemen in Matt McCall’s first season as the head coach of the program, finishing next to last in the standings. That won’t be the case next season thanks to a variety of transfers that’ll be eligible to play.
Two who are guaranteed to start right away is the 6’4 Curtis Cobb (12 ppg scorer at Fairfield) and 6’6 forward Jonathan Laurent, who averaged 8.1 ppg and 5.1 rpg as a freshman at Rutgers. With guards Kieran Hayward and Keon Clergeot all looking for increased playing time, UMass may have the most backcourt depth in all of the A-10.
That’s because of the two returning leading scorers for the Minutemen, Luwane Pipkins (21.2 ppg) and Carl Pierce (12.4 ppg). Having the second-leading scorer and the top three-point shooter in the A-10 coming back is a huge lift, with the rising junior on the shortlist as well for the conference’s Player of the Year Award in 2019.
Related Story. In-depth look at Luwane Pipkins. light
One area of concern is on the frontline after the unexpected transfer of forward Malik Hines. Outside of rising senior Rashaan Holloway (who missed the second half of the season due to academic issues), the size is thin overall for the Minutemen. That could allow them to use smaller lineups to create mismatches but that could benefit the other side as well.
All in all, expect a big win increase for UMass this upcoming season. They have the potential to finish in the top-3, as long as their defensive and rebounding issues get solved. For now, finishing in the middle of the road will be a great job for the second-year McCall.