2. The Culture is Exponentially Better Than Last Season
Talent wasn’t an issue for the Minutemen in what was a truly disappointing 2018-2019 season. Luwane Pipkins, Rashaan Holloway, and Jonathan Laurent were all formidable A10 talents, but it was clear from the beginning of the season that there was absolutely no sense of culture or connectedness on the floor or in the locker room. Non-conferences losses to Howard and Holy Cross foreshadowed UMass’ 4-14 record in A10 play, and after their conference tournament loss to GW in the play-in game, fans were relieved that such a painful season was finally over.
This season, with seven new faces on the court and three new assistant coaches on the staff, all of that negative energy seems to have been expunged. Between the benches’ over-the-top reactions to big plays, the constant communication on the floor, and the noticeable absence of poor body language, the difference in culture and attitude is astounding. It’s clear that they are playing for one another and are bought-in, to the last man, to the goals and identity of the program. That level of buy-in has manifested itself in different players stepping up for big performances in every game.
Last season, if Pierre and/or Pipkins were cold, the Minutemen were most likely going to get blown out of the water. Of course, this new culture will truly be tested once the team goes on a losing streak, which may be sooner rather than later with a rough stretch of the schedule coming up, but one gets the sense that they’ll be more than willing to put in the effort needed to bounce back.
3. This Team Can Really Shoot It
It was well known coming into the season what Carl Pierre could do from beyond the arc, but it isn’t just him that’s been filling it up from the outside through the first five games. Freshman TJ Weeks just went 6-6 from deep against Rider, and while that’s obviously not going to be a routine occurrence, the fact that he was 11-21 coming into that game tells you that he’s a legitimate sniper. Keon Clergeot, Sean East, and Tre Mitchell are all shooting above 35% from range as well (it should be noted that East is also 1-1 on attempts from beyond 75 feet).
Right now, UMass is shooting an absurd 42.9% from three, good for first in the A10 and top 20 nation-wide. It’s clear that this team can shoot the lights out, but they’re also disciplined in their shot selection and know-how to find the hot hand. They aren’t going to shoot as they did against Rider every time out – they’d be ranked if they could – but it’s also tough to imagine them having nights where they can’t put the ball in the ocean. The consistency that we’ve seen so far is an extremely positive sign, especially with such a young team.