UMass Hits The Road To Battle Fairfield On Saturday

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 2	Massachusetts (1-0) at Fairfield (0-1)
Date \| Time	Saturday, November 9, 2019 \| 1:00 p.m.
Location	Bridgeport, Conn. \| Webster Bank Arena
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WHMP 101.5 & 107.5 FM \| 1240 & 1400 AM \| Tune-In App
Live Statistics	Live Stats
Game Notes	Massachusetts Notes \| Fairfield Notes \| 2019-20 Prospectus
Twitter	@UMassAthletics \| @UMassBasketball
Instagram	UMass Basketball
Facebook	UMass Basketball
UMass Home Tickets	Get Your 2019-20 Tickets Now!

AMHERST, Mass. -- Coming off a 15-point victory against UMass Lowell on opening night, the UMass men's basketball team will look to move to 2-0 on the young season when the Minutemen travel to Fairfield on Saturday.

The series with Fairfield
Massachusetts and Fairfield will be meeting for the seventh time in program history on Saturday, with the series tied, 3-3. Saturday marks the first time since the 1975-76 season that the two teams will meet on the hardwood in a series that dates back to 1963-64.

Youth movement
It's a new look roster for the Minutemen in 2019-20 with nine newcomers, including seven freshmen. The seven rookies are the most for UMass since the 2007-08 season.

Six freshmen (John Buggs III, Sean East II, Kolton Mitchell, Tre Mitchell, Preston Santos, T.J. Weeks) all made their collegiate debuts on Tuesday, with East II and Tre Mitchell in the starting lineup. The rookies combined for 51 of the team's 79 total points and 16 of UMass' 33 total rebounds against UMass Lowell.

Veteran leadership
In addition, UMass' four upperclassmen (Carl Pierre, Keon Clergeot, Djery Baptiste, Davonte Higginbottom) are tied with Central Connecticut, Lipscomb and Long Beach State for the third fewest juniors and seniors on an NCAA roster. Utah (two) and Florida (three) are the only schools in the country with fewer upperclassmen than the Minutemen.

Pierre finished last season ranked third in the A-10 in three-point percentage (38.1%).

Like father, like son
Freshman T.J. Weeks is no stranger to UMass Basketball. The Warwick. R.I. native is the son of former UMass great Tyrone Weeks Sr.

Weeks Sr. scored over 1,000 points for UMass from 1994-98 and played in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, averaging 8.1 points per game and 22.4 minutes per game in 125 career contests.

Weeks dazzles in UMass debut
T.J. Weeks' 23-point performance against UMass Lowell on Tuesday marked the most for a Minuteman in his collegiate debut in more than 20 seasons, and the most for any UMass player in a season opener since Trey Davis poured in 28 against Siena to kick off the 2014-15 season. Since 1999, only eight players have scored at least 23 points in the season opener.

Familiar faces
A trio of UMass freshmen (Tre Mitchell, Preston Santos, TJ Weeks), all played together in prep school at Woodstock Academy. In 2018-19, they led the team to a 38-2 record with a No. 2 national ranking for a team coached by new assistant coach Tony Bergeron.

On the bench
Head coach Matt McCall announced a staff reorganization during the offseason, including the hiring of assistant coaches Tony Bergeron and Tyson Wheeler.

"We have been very fortunate to add people like Tony Bergeron and Tyson Wheeler to our staff," said McCall. "They have tremendous basketball backgrounds and have been successful at every point in their careers. Both bring a passion for UMass that will help build and develop a new culture for our program."

In addition, Lucious Jordan was promoted to assistant coach.

"Lucious knows basketball and has a great ability to relate to and develop players," said McCall. "As a standout guard in his playing days, he can provide a wealth of knowledge throughout the course of their careers while also being a recruiter who understands all aspects of the process."

Former Dartmouth head coach Paul Cormier also joined the staff as the special assistant to the head coach/chief of staff, a non-coaching position

Organizationally, Brian Grossman takes over Jordan's former role as director of basketball operations, while Jacob Kurtz moves into the role of director of scouting/video.

Challenging the champs
This year's UMass non-conference slate features several challenges, including a matchup with defending national champion Virginia on Nov. 23 at Mohegan Sun Arena. It will mark the seventh time in team history that the Minutemen have played the defending NCAA champions, and first time since 2008 when UMass knocked off Kansas on the road, 61-60.

UMass is 5-1 all-time against the defending national champions.

The road ahead
The Minutemen return to the Mullins Center for three straight games, beginning with defending CAA champion Northeastern on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on NESNplus and ESPN+.

Scoreboard

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Djery Baptiste

John Buggs III

Keon Clergeot

Sean East II

Kolton Mitchell

Tre Mitchell

Carl Pierre

Preston Santos

T.J. Weeks Jr.

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics