It’s no secret that the Massachusetts men’s basketball team is a close-knit group.
On the video screen in the Mullins Center before games, various UMass mainstays such as Chaz Williams and Sampson Carter recite the meaning of the acronym “P.A.I.N.:” “Pressure,” “agitate,” “interrupt” and “neutralize” are all buzzwords that form the slogan after which the team models itself.
Various players often refer to this year’s team as a “brotherhood.” Aside from Derrick Gordon, all of the members of the starting lineup have played together within the same system for the better part of three seasons. The Minutemen are a focused, united group who are set on making a national impact this year.
Three games into 2013, and fans of UMass basketball are seeing the closeness on display.
Whether it be the smacking of the court on defense—an act Williams typically starts, which delights the crowd—or a verbal pick-me-up from a player like Cady Lalanne, the core group of Minutemen have remained on the same page en route to a 3-0 record.
Now, with their first road trip out of state borders to play in the upcoming Charleston Classic, the Minutemen have a chance to grow into an even tighter unit and acclimate some of the younger players into UMass basketball culture.
“We’re gonna depend on a lot of guys that’s not used to playing,” Williams said before Monday’s practice. “The starting five can’t play 40 minutes all three nights. Some of the young guys are gonna have to step up and be ready to play, and I think they’re looking forward to it.”
The Charleston Classic offers the first real example of typical tournament play that the Minutemen will face, an opportunity that will arise again in March for the Atlantic 10 Tournament. UMass is slated to face Nebraska on Thursday, and they may also play No. 19 New Mexico depending on tournament results.
“(The tournament) gets the young guys a taste of what conference play is like, what tournament ball is like,” Williams said. “It’s just like conference formation, so we just gotta go out there ready to play three games in four nights.”
The opportunity could be the first for freshmen, such as Demetrius Dyson and Seth Berger, to solidify their roles off the bench. A season ago, then-freshmen Trey Davis and Tyler Bergantino eventually became important players off the bench for UMass coach Derek Kellogg as well.
In his sixth season, Kellogg has built a program consisting of young, talented players who have easily assimilated into the culture. When talking about current recruits C.J. Anderson and Rashaan Holloway, Kellogg mentioned how his current group of “good kids” created a strong basketball culture.
“The kids that have come and visited actually feel like we have a good group of guys,” he said. “And I think that’s been kind of special for me as a head coach—to be able to bring in the type of kids we like to have here, and also have them play well.”
With the season still in its infancy, the upcoming trip to Charleston, S.C. offers the Minutemen an early chance to become closer as a group while making an impact on the national level outside the friendly confines of Amherst.
“We know it’s us 14 playing. We’re gonna go out there with our backs against the wall and try to prove the world something,” Williams said before taking a second to ponder. “Maybe not really prove the world anything, just play our basketball and show the world we’re a force to be reckoned with.”
Mark Chiarelli can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.
