The UMass basketball team is set to wrap up its four-game homestand to begin the year with games against Le Moyne and Central Connecticut State this week at the Mullins Center.
After a loss in the season opener Nov. 3 against Marshall, the Minutemen defeated Albany in their most recent contest, showing flashes of a team that could find success in the first year as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
One of the biggest differences from game one to game two was the team’s defense. UMass held the Great Danes to just 62 points after surrendering 78 in the opener.
“Defensively, we’re playing really hard right now,” Minutemen head coach Frank Martin said. “We’re making some mistakes, but that’s to be understood. You can overcome mistakes when the commitment and the effort is there, and they’re definitely giving us that.”
On the offensive side, UMass is still working to find its identity. With a large crop of new players joining the team this year, the players are still learning not only how to thrive in Martin’s system, but also with each other.
This early in the season, the Minutemen haven’t seen a large number of different opposing defensive schemes, preventing them from truly feeling 100% comfortable.
“If someone defends like we defend in practice, we tend to play with really good pace and tempo, and we know what we’re trying to get, but that’s the beauty of the game,” Martin said. “Everybody has different strategies, different ideas, different techniques… everyone’s unique. Very few teams play identical to somebody else.”
With the offense still coming into its own, a big outlier will be the health of Marcus Banks Jr. moving forward. The UMBC transfer scored 18 points on 14 attempts in the opener, but was dealing with an injury during the Albany game and saw a major down-tick in production.
Martin noted that Banks Jr. has had a full week of practice this week, with a “really good” practice on Wednesday. The next step is finding a way to keep the senior involved offensively.
“He and I are going through it for the first time,” Martin said. “He played really hard, [but] he didn’t play really well the other day, but that comes from not practicing. [Wednesday], he practiced well. I anticipate he’ll play a lot better [Thursday].”
Another big focus for Martin over the start of the season to this point has been working with the rest of his guards off the bench to gain trust in them.
Danny Carbuccia has been a solid spark so far, serving as the Minutemen’s sixth man to begin the year. The freshman played 19 and 17 minutes in the first two games of the year, totaling four points, eight assists and one rebound.
Donovan Brown saw 10 minutes of playing time against Albany after not seeing the court against Marshall. Isaiah Placide has had a small role to begin the season, but did see action in both contests.
“They can play fast and aggressive, and they’re going to make mistakes, just like the starters make mistakes,” Martin said. “They’re going to make mistakes, and I’ve got to find the piece to grow with them, especially now, early in the season, so they can be better for us as the season goes on.”
Martin has been adamant that he’s optimistic about this year’s team for UMass. With two important games coming up, the Minutemen will be looking to prove him right with a pair of wins.
UMass takes on Le Moyne on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. and Central Connecticut State on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m.
“There’s no pouting, there’s no moping right now,” Martin said. “There’s no ‘man, [coach didn’t] play me’. Ain’t none of that going on right now. These guys have been phenomenal, and that’s why I tell you guys, I can’t wait to get to practice every day because of that.”
