The transfer portal can be tough to navigate for mid-major basketball programs, but the Massachusetts men’s basketball team is hoping it’s found a diamond in the rough with Daniel Rivera. The junior Bryant transfer recorded nine double-doubles last season and had his first with the Minutemen (3-5) on Sunday against NJIT. With 16 points and 11 rebounds, Rivera led the team in both stats in the 12-point victory.
“He’s one of our hardest-playing players,” guard Marqui Worthy said. “He’s all over the court, [he’s] going to get rebounds, he’s downhill a lot. For him, that’s his game, that’s what he does. I’m surprised that’s his first one.”
In the first half, Rivera flourished as UMass went with a small-ball lineup for the second game in a row. This lineup provides spacing, which allowed Rivera to control the paint in all facets.
“I’m trying to figure out how to best utilize him so he can be an efficient offensive player,” head coach Frank Martin said. “I think we’re in a better space as to the things we’re trying to do that’s going to continue to utilize his strengths.”
For his first basket of the game, Rivera pulled down an offensive rebound and went up strong through contact for a tough second-chance basket. This was part of the team-leading four offensive boards that Rivera reeled in throughout the game.
Along with the gritty work on the glass, the forward ran the floor well in transition. Pushing the pace as a big man with Rivera’s flashy finishing skills led to easy buckets against the Highlanders (1-8). He showed off his bounce on a fast break with Rahsool Diggins, throwing down a punctual back-scratching slam on an alley-oop pass from the senior guard.
That pairing connected a second time for a dunk later in the first half as Rivera continued to dominate the paint. His gameplan changed dramatically in the second half once Daniel Hankins-Sanford was declared out with a right-hand injury.
Without Hankins-Sanford, the structure of the small-ball lineup fell apart, forcing Frank Martin to play prototypical centers like Malek Abdelgowad and Shahid Muhammad. With these traditional big men in, the paint was congested, leaving Rivera to find his own way of getting to the basket. Instead of being fed in the post midway through the second half, Rivera attacked with a strong drive and drew a foul to go along with his tough finish.
He then made a statement block on the other end of the floor against Malachi Arrington, NJIT’s tallest player. This swat got a rise out of the Minutemen bench as Arrington bent backward with the ball hurling out of bounds. In addition to the block, Rivera co-led the team in steals with two.
The junior forward spent a lot of time at the wing in the second half with Hankins-Sanford and Akil Watson out, tying his season-high in minutes with 36. Martin’s trust in him has seemingly grown since his 12-point, eight-rebound performance at Harvard last Wednesday.
In a much-needed win in Cambridge, Rivera hit each of his first six shots in the paint, grabbed eight boards and supplied a pair of blocks. Despite the efficient offensive output, the defensive play was the most impactful piece of Rivera’s game that day.
With UMass matching the Crimson’s particularly small lineup, it was up to Rivera to patrol the paint and he did so fiercely. He played the same strong defense against the Highlanders, leading by example on both ends for the Minutemen’s second straight win.
Rivera and UMass will have to get used to the Mullins Center, as the team is set to play in Amherst for the next four games on its schedule. This homestand will continue against the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m., which is available to watch on ESPN+.
Tym Brown can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @tym_brown1.
