AMHERST — College basketball is slowly appearing on the horizon, as the UMass basketball team got some work in during an hour-long summer practice at the Champions Center on Monday afternoon.
The focus of the practice was introductory defensive principles. The Minutemen return seven players from last year’s team. Five freshman and three transfers fill out the rest of the roster.
“Our talent is really good,” UMass coach Frank Martin said. “I am really excited. It’s a team that’s built to my personality. We are going to have depth…I don’t know if this is going to be the best team I’ve had, but this is the most complete team to my personality.”
Point guard Danny Carbuccia’s return at the point guard position represents an excellent stabilizer for some new faces on the roster. Carbuccia made the MAC All-Freshman team last year for the Minutemen. He led the team with 207 assists and 33 steals. Jayden Ndjigue is one of the top returners from last year’s team. Ndjigue wants to help the team beyond statistics.
“Improvement across all areas,” Ndjigue said. “More so leadership as well. Making sure we operate as a cohesive unit. That we are all on the same page at all times on the floor.”
Jordan Clayton transferred from Northwestern with a college degree and two years of eligibility left for his collegiate career. Clayton went to Bradford Christian Academy in Haverhill before attending Northwestern.
“Jordan (Clayton) was my recruit,” Martin said. “I recruited Jordan. That wasn’t an assistant recruiting him. That wasn’t me sending a text once a week. Jordan is a special kid. Jordan is a winner. Jordan is an unbelievable teammate. He’s a ferocious competitor.”
After graduating in three years from Northwestern, Clayton wanted to use his remaining eligibility to return home. Clayton is originally from Medford.
“I just really missed home,” Clayton said. “I wanted to be home and close to family. It just so happens that these guys recruited me out of high school. I have a lot of friends here so when I visited it made a lot of sense.”
Clayton played in a lot of big games in the Big Ten Conference. During his career at Northwestern, Clayton played in 69 games with 20 starts. He shot 41% from beyond the arc during his career.
“I think I bring a lot of experience,” Clayton said. “My freshman year team went to March Madness. Just witnessing all of that, I feel like I can bring an older presence and the things that I’ve seen, I can bring my experience. “
Ndjigue and Clayton have known each other for a long time as both players are from Massachusetts. The presence of someone familiar could unlock more of his offensive game this season.
“Jayden (Ndjigue) having a confidant in the locker room is going to elevate his confidence and his aggression,” Martin said. “Jayden is not going to go from averaging six points a game to averaging 24 points a game, but you are going to see him play with more confidence and certainty on offense.”
Clayton also played with Rollie Castineyra, who is from Marblehead.
“It’s great to be around them,” Clayton said. “It’s like time never passed. Two really great friends…hopefully that is something that can be a positive for us.”
Ndjigue is well-aware of the skillset Clayton brings to the Minutemen.
“Toughness, high-level shooting,” Ndjigue said. “High-level intangibles. A lot of winning qualities. The type of qualities it takes to win hard basketball games.”
The freshman class includes Frank Martin’s son, Christian Martin. The 6-foot-4-inch guard joined the Minutemen from Wilbraham and Monson Academy.
