The Frank Martin era officially began Monday night as the Massachusetts men’s basketball team took on Central Connecticut State at the Mullins Center.
The Minutemen (1-0) won the game, but that’s not why 4,963 fans — the most since Obi Toppin’s Dayton in 2020 — came to watch. People came to watch because of Martin’s well-known resume: a 2017 Final Four appearance with South Carolina, an Elite Eight finish with Kansas State and a 289-201 overall coaching record in the Power-5.
“I came here with South Carolina in [December of 2019],” Martin said. “There might have been 1,500 people in the stands that game. There was no noise, no presence. So our guys, they were nervous [Monday], rightfully so. We need our fans man. That was awesome… I could feel the energy in the building, that’s fun.”
What isn’t as well known is what UMass is getting in Martin as he’s coaching on the floor, and what he does to get those results. Granted, it’s game one. There’s a lot more to unfold over this season and the next few, but here’s what he’s showed so far.
The physically demanding, defensive-oriented style Martin advertised appeared in the second half against the Blue Devils (0-1), starting with bigs Isaac Kante and Wildens Leveque. They bullied any CCSU players choosing to attack the paint and already look like a tandem that most Atlantic 10 teams won’t have the muscle to match.
But it was noticeable everywhere, Noah Fernandes, T.J. Weeks and Dyondre Dominguez all look stronger than last season. Freshman Keon Thompson constantly utilizes his stalky frame and Brandon Martin quietly adds to the Minutemen’s physical identity with sound defense and rebounding.
Strength is a massive factor in Martin’s approach, and he let his players know that when he was hired in March.
“I said we need the weight room,” Martin recalled of what he told the players upon his arrival. “There’s some commitments we got to make to off the court stuff that has to completely change.”
Dominguez gained 23 pounds since Martin’s arrival, and looks noticeably better than he did last season, finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds. Martin also acknowledged the junior’s willingness to allow himself to get exhausted on the floor. Players earn Martin’s trust by playing until they’re tired, rather than playing to stay in the game.
“[Martin has] pushed me really hard, every day to be honest,” Dominguez said after the Minutemen’s exhibition game against American International. “Yelling, all that, it helps me a lot. His coaching is just different, it’s a different style. Every day he pushes me [to] crash rebounds all the time. Play hard, run, do not stop until you’re completely tired, dead on the court. And once you’re tired, you get out, come right back in.”
“He’s pushing me in every aspect to be better on the court.”
For as physical as Kante is at 6-feet 7-inches, 260-pounds, he mentioned after the game how he’s been told he looks to be in the best shape of his life. He credits that to sports performance coach Tony Regueira and director of player personnel Doug Edwards in helping him, both of whom were hired by Martin.
Martin’s coaching style was felt early and often. Any missed assignment or bad decision from his team, he let them hear it immediately.
“If you mess up something, [Martin is] going to let you know right there,” Weeks said. “He’s not necessarily going to be mad at you about it, he doesn’t hold a grudge like that. But if you fix what you’re doing he’ll let you play, but you got to get the details right.”
Martin admitted he was “a little too revved up” Monday for the first game of players brand new to his system. But in that moment, Martin’s true coaching style was showcased.
“You feel [Martin’s] energy and you feed off of that,” Kante said. “He’s not going to let you get away with little stuff. The details matter, everything matters with him.”
Joey Aliberti can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @JosephAliberti1.
