Minutemen Look For Similar Results With New Coach
AMHERST, Mass. – While one obvious thing has changed at UMass, a couple of things don’t look any different.
After Travis Ford departed for the head coaching job at Oklahoma State, the school hired Derek Kellogg to run the program. Kellogg grew up in nearby Springfield and was among the big winners at the school in the 1990s, when the Minutemen became a national power under John Calipari.
If the team’s exhibition win over Division II Dowling is any indication, this team will be similar offensively to last season’s team. The offense will be high-octane and led by a stable of guards, a group led by senior Chris Lowe. A few years ago, Lowe had some struggles early on, but he’s consistently improved and should be the Atlantic 10’s best point guard. He runs the floor like he’s shot out of a cannon and is tough to stop when penetrating.
But for Kellogg, a guard himself in his playing days, something decidedly non-physical about Lowe will be most important.
“He’s capable of being one of the top point guards not only in the Atlantic 10, but maybe in the country,” said the first-year head coach. “That’s pressuring the ball for 40 minutes, that’s pushing it every time. I’m looking to him to be our senior leader, to come in here every day, push the other guys, and then on the court let the other guys follow you.”
Lowe has plenty of help, starting with junior Ricky Harris and sophomore Anthony Gurley. Harris made a big jump offensively last season and could contend for the conference scoring title, while Gurley is now eligible after sitting out last season as a transfer from Wake Forest and should start immediately. Gurley is athletic and can score and shoot, and Kellogg has similarly high expectations for what he will bring to the team.
“What I’m looking for out of him is to be the man on our team. I mean, physically a man,” said Kellogg. “He has to get rebounds, be our best defender, and put up 17 points a night.”
The fourth guard looks to be freshman David Gibbs, an athletic guard with a lot of potential from nearby Connecticut. Gibbs can play both guard spots and is well-suited to a high-octane offense like this, and it showed in the exhibition against Dowling as he looked more comfortable than your typical college freshman in his first game. Kellogg says he’s not physically ready to play as well as he could, but loves how he can impact the game.
Sophomore Gary Correia, an excellent shooter, will get minutes as well and will have to run the show for a few minutes at a time. With the slashers they have, Correia is sure to get some open looks, as is Matt Glass, a 6’7″ sophomore shooter who will get some minutes.
Where the concern for this team lies is up front, as Kellogg is quick to admit the team is thin in that area. The most likely starters will be two seniors, Tony Gaffney and Luke Bonner. Gaffney was reborn last year as an energy guy off the bench and will anchor the inside defensively. Bonner likes to play on the perimeter offensively and doesn’t give them a huge presence inside at either end, which means the Minutemen will need contributions from players like redshirt freshmen Tyrell Lynch and Travon Welcher and sophomore Matt Hill.
While offense won’t be much of a concern, defense might be one. The Minutemen were out-rebounded by Dowling and allowed 87 points, and the players can see that there’s work to be done. Because of defensive struggles, Dowling cut a double-digit deficit to one possession in each half.
“I think we’ve still got to learn to trust one another at the defensive end,” said Gaffney, who emphasized that this is a long season and the team is learning.
The players and coach all agreed that allowing Dowling to come back twice is concerning.
“When you get up 13 or 15 at a couple of different occasions, that’s when you’re supposed to put teams away and go up by 20 and 25,” said Kellogg. “The only way you do that is by locking down and clamping down on the defensive end of the floor, and then come down and make some more plays and baskets.”
UMass has become a player in the stronger Atlantic 10 once again. The Minutemen still have the personnel to earn a bye in the conference tournament, but the conference as a whole looks to be tougher this season even though there probably won’t be a team at the top as strong as Xavier was last season. With several teams, it’s just as easy to see that team finishing near the top as it is to see them finishing in the middle of the pack.
UMass is one of those teams, with its loaded backcourt but thin frontcourt and a defense that was inconsistent last year. That means things like health and intangibles will go a long way towards deciding who finishes where, and there are a few clear keys to that for the Minutemen.
“I think it’s really on me, Tony and Luke (Bonner),” said Lowe. “We’re seniors, we don’t want to go out on a losing team, we’ve got to bring better leadership.”
The coach has changed, but the new leader is a face of the program going back to his playing days. If the Minutemen do a few things right this season, their finish in the standings might not change.
