The roster shake-up for the UMass men’s basketball team continued this week.
Samba Diallo became the most recent player to announce his intent to transfer, as the sophomore forward from Senegal confirmed Monday on Twitter that he would be entering the transfer portal immediately.
“Yes, it is something that I would not have imagined a few months ago because I had two great years at UMass,” Diallo wrote. “Now I’m preparing for a new challenge.”
Diallo averaged 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in 27.1 minutes per game last season, appearing in 31 contests. He scored a season-high 19 points against St. Joseph’s on Jan. 29. He has two years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-7 forward played his high school ball at Pope John XXIII (N.J.).
Diallo’s announcement comes following a busy offseason flurry of activity for the Minutemen. Freshman guard Sean East II also announced his intent to transfer via Twitter last week, saying “UMass, it’s been real, but with that being said, I will be entering the transfer portal.”
East II, who played his high school ball at New Albany H.S. in Indiana, averaged 9.3 points and 4.9 assists in 31 games during his only season at UMass. He drew 20 starts for the Minutemen, and told recruiting service Stock Risers that he has been contacted by the likes of Colorado State, Arkansas, Creighton and BYU.
The pair joined C.J. Jackson and Keon Clergeot as players who have announced their intention to leave the program since the end of the season.
With open scholarships for next season, the dominoes have been falling the other way as well.
Wichita State freshman guard Noah Fernandes had announced last week that he had agreed to join the Minutemen as a transfer. Fernandes, from Mattapoisett, played for current UMass assistant coach Tony Bergeron at Woodstock Academy.
On Wednesday, American University graduate transfer Mark Gasperini announced that he would use his final year of eligibility at UMass. The 6-foot-10, 245-pound big man from Brookline averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds at American this past season, and should help bolster the interior for the Minutemen.
UMass-Rutgers hoop date tentatively set
UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford confirmed on Twitter that as of now, the UMass-Rutgers basketball game at the Mullins Center next season is set for Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020.
The Scarlet Knights, which hosted the Minutemen this past season, are a likely top 25 team entering the 2020-21 campaign.
The Nov. 28 date is also, as of now, the regular season finale for the UMass football team. The Minutemen would travel to play Liberty University that afternoon.
Bailin at Trinity
Trinity College first year Kai Bailin was among four members of the Trinity College men’s indoor track & field team that were named to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) New England All-Region Team thanks to their outstanding performances across the indoor season.
The top five individuals in each event from each region earned All-Region distinction. Trinity, led by head coach John Michael Mason (2nd season), finished 11th in New England at the Division III Regional Championships this winter.
Bailin, from Shutesbury, received All-Region honors thanks to his Trinity-record time of 49.04 seconds in the 400-meter dash that landed him in 20th place against competition from all divisions in the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University.
The Amherst Regional alum also won the 200-meter run and placed second in the 60-meters in the Triangle Classic at Springfield and was added a runner-up finish in the 400 meters at the Tufts Cupid Challenge this winter.