AMHERST – If offseason practices are indication of future success, UMass men’s basketball should be in line for a successful season in year five under head coach Frank Martin. During his opening press conference ahead of the 2026-27 season on Monday, Oct. 5, Martin recognized the improvement the group made over the summer..
“At this time of the year, this is by far the most talented team since I’ve been at UMass,” Martin said.
That’s a high mark for a team that lost its top four scorers from the previous season. But what gives Martin his confidence is a core of seven returning players, two of whom were starters, and an experienced three-man transfer class.
During the summer, he called the team “the most complete team to my personality.”
Three-year starter Jayden Ndjigue has been a staple for the Minutemen, starting 89 out of 95 games in his career. Last season, he made a career high 50.7% of his shots, though only 23% of his threes.
According to Martin, the senior is among several players who have improved their shot over the summer.
“I think everyone that was here last year will shoot it better than they did a year ago,” Martin said. “(Jayden) has come at peace that missing is not a bad thing. Missing is a bad thing when you don’t practice. When you practice everyday, missing is not a bad thing, and we’re a pretty good rebounding team.”
UMass is coming off its first season in the MAC. Though the team went just 7-11 in the conference (17-16 overall), it did make national headlines when it upset then-undefeated Miami (Ohio) in the first round of the conference tournament.
Sophomore Danny Carbuccia returns as a starter as well after a solid end to his freshman year that earned him on the MAC All-Freshman team. Carbuccia scored in double-figures in five of the team’s last eight games. His 207 assists nearly tripled the next highest player on UMass.
While the Minutemen will have to make up for the scoring left behind from Leonardo Bettiol and Marcus Banks Jr., the team has plenty of size at its disposal. Six players stand 6-foot-9 or taller.
Senior Dimitri Clerc stands as the biggest among the group, measured at 6-foot-10 and listed at 255 pounds. Though he played 8.7 minutes per game as a junior, he efficiently averaged 2.7 rebounds a contest.
Junjie “Barry” Wang, a transfer from San Francisco, is listed just one inch shorter and five pounds lighter than Clerc. His height and ability to shoot, he shot 34% from three last season, will create possible mismatches on the offensive end.
“Barry’s a special offensive talent,” Martin said. “With his size and skill, he’s pretty good offensively. He can really score and pass.”
BYU-transfer Abdullah Ahmed and freshman Cheik Sylla will also compete for time at the power forward and center positions. Junior Luka Damjanac broke his foot at the end of the summer and expects to be out another two-to-three weeks, according to Martin.
Though not all the bigs will get the same amount of playing time, Martin likes what he sees in practice. Whoever is on the court come game time will be already tested for the battles underneath the rim.
“I love the physicality. Our willingness to play through physicality is not a joke,” Martin said. “Those guys make each other compete. They make each other make real plays.”
The transfer that will have everyone’s eyes will be West Medford native Jordan Clayton. After three seasons in Northwestern, he returns to a coach who felt “crushed” not to get the guard out of high school three years ago.
“I fit him and he me,” Martin said. “He comes from a very demanding home where he is challenged every single day. He played for an AAU coach and high school coach, the same person, who was as demanding of a high school and AAU coach as there is out there right now.”
Though he didn’t put up flashy numbers, Clayton shot 41% from three last year. By the end of the season, he was receiving big minutes off the bench and staying in during crunch time. He scored a season-high 20 points against Maryland by hitting six shots from deep.
Clayton’s presence reunites him with Ndjigue, his AAU teammate for Mass Rivals. The two toured UMass together during their first official visit while in high school. Martin believes bringing the two together not only will pay off on the court, but also in the locker room. The Minutemen have begun to see the duo develop into their unique leadership roles.
“ Jayden helps from giving you his mind and giving you his encouragement,” Martin said. “Jordan leads however you need him to lead. I don’t need to tell him. He handles that.”
With UMass entering its second year in the MAC, the league expanded its conference schedule from 18 to 22 games.
As for the non-conference schedule, this season will be the fourth installment of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. UMass heads to Troy in early November then has a second game with a to-be-determined Sun Belt team in February.
The Minutemen have a pair of ACC games scheduled locally. On Nov. 6, UMass takes on Boston College at the TD Garden. Martin said it will be his first time coaching at the arena. A month later, UMass takes a short drive to Springfield to play Wake Forest at the MassMutual Arena. Both games are under the Basketball Hall of Fame umbrella.
Sandwiched in the non-conference games is a trio of New England matchups against UMass Lowell, Maine, and Bryant. The Minutemen also host former Atlantic-10 foe Loyola Chicago.
UMass takes the floor for the first time on Sunday in an exhibition game against Rhode Island.
