AMHERST – Isaac Kante and Derek Kellogg weren’t supposed to be a package deal.
UMass basketball coach Frank Martin saw Kante’s name in the transfer portal leaving LIU after the school fired Kellogg. He fretted over how to call a longtime friend that just got fired and ask about one of his former players.
“He gave me — which is who he is — the truth on Isaac. That conversation led me to realize he wanted to come back, too,” Martin said. “I don’t think I’ve ever done a package deal as a coach, but anytime you can get a package deal where you got a successful Division 1 head basketball coach and a 6-foot-7, 260-pound raging bull at the rim, I’m in on that package deal.”
It surprised Kante, who spent time at Hofstra and LIU, to hear from UMass. Once he realized Kellogg was headed back to Amherst as well, it became simple.
“It was a no brainer. It was an easy transition for me because wherever he was gonna go, I was gonna go to be honest. He was the reason why I went to LIU in the first place,” Kante said. “I trust DK with me and my career. He’s a great coach and a great person off the court. I’m very comfortable with him, he’s like a father to me.”
Martin needed to make sure Kante would fit what they needed, though. He had an honest conversation detailing their center situation with South Carolina transfer Wildens Leveque in place. Kante told him he just wanted to go somewhere he could work and help the team win, which is all Martin needed to hear.
“I love big guys. I love guys that play with a presence in the paint, and I thought we were going to have a lot of inexperience,” Martin said.
Kante played two seasons at Hofstra before making it to LIU. He assimilated comfortably with the new-look Minutemen.
“This is like my fourth rodeo,” Kante said.
Rather than feeling threatened by Leveque, they’ve formed a big man bond that can punish the opposition in the paint. Kante led the Minutemen in scoring during their exhibition game against AIC.
“It’s easy, we kind of have this big man connection. He’s really fun to play with. He seals guys really great. So it’s easy for me to get assists for him and stuff like that,” Kante said.
THE GANG’S ALL HERE – Martin said UMass’ practice Thursday “felt like the first practice” because the whole team was there and healthy. T.J. Weeks Jr. and Ryan Marcus returned from injury, and freshman Tafara Gapare was available after arriving from New Zealand early in the week.
“Kinda didn’t feel like a three on three tournament,” Martin said. “It actually felt like the basketball team that we envisioned.”
Gapare made immediate impacts despite being unfamiliar with everything UMass was doing. The staff put him on the scout team to help simulate season-opening opponent Central Connecticut State’s zone (7:30 p.m. Monday), and he somehow stole the ball and raced up the court, dunking with his “head on the rim,” Martin said.
“He don’t know what we’re doing,” Martin said. “I was like, ‘whoa, wow.’ You know, I haven’t seen that one since this year started. That’s the kind of impact he made immediately being on the court.”
The Minutemen are integrating Gapare slowly, feeding him concepts that play to his strengths. But there are some things Martin and his staff can’t teach, like when Gapare flew from nowhere to block a shot with his elbow near the rim.
“He’s an instinctive shot blocker, which is something our team needs,” Martin said. “He’s going to bring that along with a skill set of passing and shooting. I’m a big believer in old fashioned throw it in the post basketball. When you can put a 6-10 guy at the top of the key to convert that high-low pass to your other big guy that can also shoot him dribble, it puts a lot of pressure on defenses.”
Gapare is a personality fit as well as a basketball one. His teammates were grateful to have him and to have everyone there, finally.
“We’re really meshing great. Chemistry has been great,” Kante said. “Everything is coming together since everyone is here now.”
COUNTRY ROADS – UMass will face West Virginia in a home-and-home series over the next two years, Martin confirmed Friday. The Mountaineers will come to the MassMutual Center in Springfield in 2023, and UMass will travel to Morgantown, W. Va., in 2024.
Martin is a former assistant and longtime friend of West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year. It’s also a rekindling of a former Atlantic 10 rivalry.
The teams met 41 previous times – not since 2007 – and West Virginia holds a 28-13 advantage in the all-time series.
“Hugs is like a big brother to me. He and I are as close as two guys can get and have to compete against each other,” Martin said. “You connect it with the fact that he just got inducted into the Hall of Fame, I thought it’d be a great opportunity to get him next year to play a game in Springfield, which is meaningful for us. It continues to connect with the great moments in this program’s history in playing those kinds of games in Springfield and eventually in Boston and maybe even in Worcester one day. That’s what used to happen around here. And I’m so thankful that we’re gonna have that opportunity.”
It’s part of a concerted effort to beef up UMass’ schedule. Martin has made many connections working in Power 5 conferences for the past 15 years and plans to leverage them to put UMass on bigger stages. Of course, the Minutemen have to play well enough and become a program worthy of playing on those stages.
“There’s a lot of respect for how my teams play from guys in those leagues. Now we have to elevate our program to where playing us is meaningful for most schools. Right now playing a power five school doesn’t represent a lot to them,” Martin said. “It represents a lot to us, and we’ve got to elevate our program where it’s beneficial for both schools. If not, you’re just asking for favors and in this business, you’re OK with doing favors for people but not when it comes to jeopardizing your job status.”
COLLECTIVE ACTION – A group of UMass Basketball supporters launched the school’s first NIL collective designed to support basketball athletes this week. The Massachusetts Collective is a donor-driven group that will create income opportunities for UMass basketball (both men’s and women’s) players.
It will be comprised of fans, businesses, donors both large and small.
“A strong NIL collective is essential to the future success of any college basketball program,” director Patrick MacWilliams said in a release. “Having a strong tradition, facilities, coaching staffs are irrelevant if you don’t have the best student athletes. Creating income opportunities through NIL is the future, and we must capitalize on that opportunity.”
Learn more at UMasscollective.com. Informational and educational events are scheduled.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.