Massachusetts Hosts UAlbany In Season Opener

University of Massachusetts Field Hockey Notes & Information
Matchup	Massachusetts vs. UAlbany
Date \| Time	Nov. 7 \| 7 p.m. ET
Location	Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center)
Twitter	@UMassMBB
Instagram	@umassbasketball
Facebook	UMass Men's Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. - Massachusetts opens the 2023-24 campaign as it hosts UAlbany on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Mullins Center. The broadcast can be found live on NESN with streaming available on ESPN+. Links and live updates are available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on Twitter.

This week for the Minutewomen

The Matchup

Tuesday's matchup marks the fifth meeting between UMass and UAlbany, the Minutemen hold a 2-2 record all-time against the Greyhounds.
The Minutemen defeated UAlbany last season in Amherst, claiming an 87-73 victory on Monday, Dec. 5 at the Mullins Center.
Prior to last season's meeting the Minutemen had not faced UAlbany since the 2003-04 season.
Tuesday is a homecoming for UAlbany head coach and Amherst alumni Dwayne Killings. Killings spent two seasons with the Minutemen, playing from 1999 to 2001.

Year Two Under Coach Martin

Massachusetts basketball enters its second season under head coach Frank Martin in 2023-24.
Massachusetts comes fresh off a 2022-23 campaign that saw Coach Martin lead the Minutemen to their best record under a first-year head coach since 1996 and capture the Myrtle Beach Invitational title.
Martin's team also recorded the largest true road win over an A-10 opponent by a UMass squad since February of 1996 with a 69-45 win at Rhode Island.
Martin holds a 303-217 (.582) collegiate coaching mark, picking up 171 of his wins in 10 seasons at South Carolina while recording 117 wins in five seasons at Kansas State.
Head coach Frank Martin picked up his 300th collegiate coaching win on Jan. 25, 2023 with a 85-76 win over Richmond.
Prior to his time in Amherst Martin led the Gamecocks to a new program record for wins in a single season and coaches the team to its best NCAA Tournament run in program history, a trip to the Final Four in 2016-17. The 15-year head coach also led Kansas State to a 29-8 record and an Elite Eight appearance during the 2009-10 season.

New MEN in Mullins

UMass features a new look roster which includes five returners and nine newcomers (two transfers).
The Minutemen welcome a talented seven-man freshman class which spans players from six states and South Sudan and is comprised of Jaylen Curry, Robert Davis Jr., Marqui Worthy, Jayden Ndjigue, Tarique Foster, Mathok Majok and Rollie Castineyra.
The class features three 3-star recruits, including Jaylen Curry, one of the highest-rated recruits in the Atlantic 10 for the class of 2023.
UMass also brings in two transfers in Daniel Hankins-Sanford and Josh Cohen who will play immediate roles in the Minuteman frontcourt.
Cohen was one of the most productive post players in the nation a season ago, scoring a career-high 40 points twice against Lehigh and Hawaii on his way to earning NEC Player of The Year honors.
Hankins-Sanford comes to Massachusetts after playing 22 games for South Carolina a year ago. The Charlotte, North Carolina native features natural rebounding instincts and elite athleticism at the power forward position.

Familiar Faces

Massachusetts returns three key pieces in Matt Cross, Keon Thompson and Rahsool Diggins from last season.
Senior Matt Cross was selected as a 2023-24 preseason All-Atlantic 10 Third Team selection after a productive first year in Amherst.
Cross ranked as one of just seven players in the conference to average over 12.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg. a season ago.
Cross is joined by St. Joe's Cameron Brown and Dayton's Daron Holmes as the only three players to achieve this feat who return to the Atlantic 10 in 2023-24.
Sophomore point guard Keon Thompson steps into an elevated role this season after starting nine of the last 10 games for the Minutemen in 2022-23.
Thompson averaged 8.88 points per game and 4.0 assists per game in those nine starts. The guard was one of just three individual players in the A-10 last season to record 12 or more assists in a game with 12 against Davidson on Feb. 4, 2023.
Junior Rahsool Diggins steps into a bigger role in 2023-24 after making 26 appearances and 10 starts for the Minutement a season ago.
Diggins averaged 4.7 points and 2.4 assists per game, scoring a career-high 15 points on 3-of-6 from 3-point range at Saint Joseph's on Jan. 21, 2023.

On The Bench

Head coach Frank Martin boasts a talented staff full of experienced assistants featuring three former head coaches, two former McDonald's All-Americans and a former NBA lottery pick.
Associate Head Coach Allen Edwards was the head coach of the Wyoming Cowboys from 2016-20. Edwards' teams recorded 60 wins over four seasons, including back-to-back 20-win seasons
Assistant Coach Brett Nelson comes to Amherst after spending the last four seasons as the head coach at Holy Cross. Nelson, a former McDonald's All-American, is a 2004 graduate of Florida, a three-year starter for the Gators and helped his team to four NCAA Tournaments and to the 2000 national championship game.
Assistant Coach Brian Steele enters his second second UMass after spending time on head coach Frank Martin's staff at South Carolina. Steele was a three-year letter winner at South Carolina as a student-athlete and served as a student assistant during the 2015-16 season in addition to the 2016-17 Final Four campaign.
Director of Player Development Anthony Evans spent five seasons as the head coach at FIU following six years as the head coach at Norfolk State. At FIU, Evans' teams ranked in the top-10 percent nationally from 2015-17 in the NCAA Academic Progress Report and coached multiple Conference USA all-league and all-defensive players.
Director of Player Personnel Doug Edwards ed the Seminoles to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1990-93. The Miami, Fla. Native scored 1,604 points in his career and is the only player at FSU to score 500 or more points in three consecutive seasons. Edwards earned All-SEC Second-Team honors as a senior before being drafted with the 15th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1993 NBA Draft.
Head Coach Frank Martin coached now associate head coach Allen Edwards and director of player personnel Doug Edwards at Miami Senior High School.

Up Next

UMass hosts Quinnipiac on Monday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center, continuing its five-game home stretch to begin the regular season. The broadcast can be found live on NESN with streaming available on ESPN+. Links and live updates are available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on Twitter.

Scoreboard

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Players Mentioned

Rollie Castineyra

Josh Cohen

Matt Cross

Jaylen Curry

Robert Davis Jr.

Rahsool Diggins

Tarique Foster

Daniel Hankins-Sanford

Mathok Majok

Jayden Ndjigue

Keon Thompson

Marqui Worthy