Massachusetts men’s basketball coach Derek Kellogg still isn’t sure what combination of players he wants to use in his lineup this season – so much so, he’s written and re-written potential lineup combinations in recent days.
It’s even keeping him awake at nights.
“I’m kind of losing a little bit of sleep right now trying to figure things out,” Kellogg said after practice Tuesday.
The Minutemen have four players – Trey Davis, Derrick Gordon, Maxie Esho and Cady Lalanne – who played significant minutes last season and will do so again this year. Junior transfer Jabarie Hinds is also expected to make major contributions this season, but it’s unclear whether that is in a starting role or a role off the bench.
Kellogg, who said he’ll scrimmage in practice more in the upcoming weeks to better evaluate his team, will see his team in live action for the first time this season on Thursday when UMass hosts American International in an exhibition game.
It’s an important step in measuring evaluating individual performances as well as the cohesiveness of certain units. Kellogg is also still searching for a fifth starter to join Davis, Gordon, Esho and Lalanne.
Against AIC, sophomore forward Seth Berger will receive the first crack at securing the spot.
The 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward played only 40 total minutes last season as a freshman. He battled injuries and played behind senior starters Raphiael Putney and Sampson Carter. This year, he’s in the mix for a significant role and already senses the opportunity at stake.
“I feel like it’s a little more competitive (this year),” Berger said. “Just because you actually are playing for minutes. Last year, once the season started, you knew who was playing … I feel like this year it’s a lot more competitive because there’s a chance you’re going to be on the floor.”
Berger almost didn’t have that chance this year, either.
He injured his right wrist on the first official day of practice when a teammate accidentally cut out his legs on a dunk attempt, which forced him to land on his wrist. Berger, who injured the same wrist last season, feared a similar injury, but X-Ray results were negative.
The injury restricted his ability to follow through on his jump shot. Combined with nagging injuries to both of his shins, Berger operated at less than 100 percent through the beginning of the 2014 season, something which he said was “absolutely” frustrating.
“I know I had something to prove,” Berger said. “I had nothing to fall back on from last year. It was pretty frustrating knowing that my injuries did set me back a little bit.”
But Berger’s steadily worked his way back into shape and said Tuesday that he’s now feeling the best he has all season.
“It actually hit me about two weeks ago,” Berger said. “My shins started to feel better, my wrist started to feel a lot better and I was coming out here and I was starting to hit shots again.”
The clean bill of health renewed Berger’s ability on the court again. Berger noted that Kellogg told him the Minutemen need Berger to stretch the floor as a jump shooter. Specifically, whoever can efficiently shoot 3-pointers will play a significant role this season.
Kellogg said that only Tyler Bergantino and Zach Coleman were ruled out as potential starters. The Minutemen are a young team with more depth across the board, which naturally creates more questions as the season draws nearer.
The competition, and lack of separation, is something Kellogg is using a motivational tool.
“Right now, we have 11 guys practicing, and I’ll probably play 10,” Kellogg said. “So don’t be that one guy.”
Mark Chiarelli can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.
