UMass basketball guards Jabarie Hinds and Donte Clark are two important pieces to Derek Kellogg’s puzzle

Take a quick glance at the Massachusetts men’s basketball team, and chances are there are a few unfamiliar faces on the court.

The Minutemen usher in a new wave of talent and must replace former stalwarts Chaz Williams, Raphiael Putney and Sampson Carter. It’s a group that UMass coach Derek Kellogg touts as fundamental in getting the program back to the NCAA Tournament and replacing a significant area of production from last year’s team.

But the Minutemen are already focused on taking an even larger stride than last year, and it starts with added production from the group as a whole.

“I think we’ll have more of a group mentality this year,” Kellogg said. “People won’t look at UMass and say, ‘Oh, that’s Chaz’s team with a lot of other guys.’ No, this year is going to be UMass basketball and we’re going to come at you with a lot of different players.”

Two of the newest additions to the group are point guard Jabarie Hinds and forward Donte Clark. Both players were around the team last year – Hinds sat out as a transfer and Clark attended UMass as a non-qualifier – but couldn’t play.

Hinds, who transferred from West Virginia, practiced with the team last year but could not play due to NCAA transfer rules. Now, he’s competing for minutes in a crowded backcourt which includes juniors Derrick Gordon and Trey Davis along with Clark, sophomore Demetrius Dyson and freshman C.J. Anderson.

According to Kellogg, Hinds is still adjusting from a starkly different style of play in West Virginia. As a member of the Minutemen, he’ll be asked to play a more up-tempo, aggressive style.

“I still don’t know how fast he’ll get it and how long it will take,” Kellogg said. “But I do know he’s going to be a big part of what we do this year and he’s physically ready to play at Division I, high-level basketball.”

The 5-foot-11, 185 pound junior guard averaged 7.4 points per game in 22.8 minutes per game at West Virginia. Kellogg said that Hinds’ extensive experience is something he likes out of a transfer.
“He played against Texas and schools of that nature,” Kellogg said. “So I think he understands what it takes to win at that level.”

Part of the intrigue for Kellogg is manipulating his lineup to fit UMass’ strengths. Both Hinds and Davis are scoring point guards that can play disruptive on-ball defense.

“I would say I kind of groomed Trey to be the next point guard when Chaz left, so technically it’s kind of Trey’s team from that perspective,” Kellogg said.

“But I think (Davis) realizes having another guy with him who can handle and can play is good for the team…so I’m actually just mentally trying to think ‘How do I play both of those guys?’”
Kellogg said that he’s also excited to add Clark into the mix, as well.

Clark originally committed to Virginia Tech as a member of its recruiting class, but was not admitted to the school. A former three-star recruit, Clark enrolled at UMass and sat out last season.
“It feels good to be back,” Clark said after Monday’s practice. “I haven’t played in a minute so it feels good to be out there.”

Kellogg said Clark’s still knocking rust off and adjusting to the speed of play at UMass. But he’s already seeing signs of improvement.

“What I like is, thus far, his energy has been a little better than I thought it might be,” Kellogg said. “His attention to detail’s pretty good and he’s very talented. And I think if he can put all that stuff together down the line, he has a chance to be very good player out there.”

Kellogg pin-pointed Clark as a “slasher” capable of getting to the rim and scoring at a high level. He noted that Clark’s jumper continues to improve, as well. Clark, who said he was “impatient” last year as he waited for his chance to play, concurred.

“I bring a lot of buckets,” Clark said. “I think I’m a pretty good teammate, I like to play hard, play with my team. I like to win so we should be getting a lot of wins this year.”

Kellogg’s challenge now becomes working a collective group of skill sets together. He also has Anderson, redshirt freshman Zach Coleman and returnees Dyson and Seth Berger waiting in the wings.
But he’s already seeing the group come together.

“They have a pretty good rapport,” Kellogg said. “We haven’t played a game yet and had much adversity…so it’s an easier time. I do feel like they feel like more of a team and collectively we’ll have to be better than we’ve been in the past, which is a pretty good thing.”