University of Massachusets Athletics

MBB24 - Transfer Signing

Massachusetts Sign Trio Of Transfers As Part Of 2024 Recruiting Class

May 10, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Just Being Frank Podcast
AMHERST, MASS. -- University of Massachusetts basketball officially signed three transfers in Akil Watson (Arizona State), Daniel Rivera (Bryant) and Malek Abdelgowad (Murray State), Head Coach Frank Martin announced Friday. 
 
A 6-foot-9 forward, Akil Watson joins the Minutemen after playing in 18 games for the Sun Devils a season ago. The Middletown, New York native starred for Roselle Catholic High School, the No. 1 team in the nation according to the 2022-23 Max Preps Preseason Rankings. A consensus four-star prospect out of high school, he averaged 11.9 points and 6.4 rebounds while adding 20 steals and 17 blocks for the no. 1 high school team in New Jersey. Watson comes out of the New York Lightning AAU system, playing for UMass legend Dana Dingle.
  
A San Juan, Puerto Rico native Daniel Rivera joins the Massachusetts program after starting 32 games for the Bulldogs last season. A 6-foot-6 forward Rivera averaged 13.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 2023-24. A versatile defensive player, Rivera averaged 2.2 blocks per game, ranking third in Bulldog program history with 73 in a single season. Rivera scored a career-high 29 points and 12 rebounds against UMass Lowell, one of nine double-doubles last season for the forward. Prior to his time in Rhode Island, Rivera redshirted a season at Saint Louis in addition to making a stop at Odessa College (Texas) for his freshman campaign. Rivera was tabbed a three-start transfer recruit by 247sports.com prior to his commitment. 
 
A Cairo, Egypt native Malek Abdelgowad joins the Minutemen after playing 19 games with the Racers a season ago. The 6-foot-10 big man averaged 11.2 minutes while shooting 51 percent from the field. Before his time in Kentucky, Abdelgowad began his collegiate career at South Plains College where he averaged 7.2 points with 6.5 rebounds over two seasons. Holding experience at the international level, Abdelgowad played played for the Egyptian National Team U18 team in 2020 where he saw action in five games and scored 6.6 points per game with 8.4 rebounds. 
 
The transfer trio of Watson, Rivera and Abdelgowad join freshman Nate Guerengomba, Lewis Walker, and Luka Damjanac as part of the Massachusetts 2024 recruiting class. The class includes five players ranked as at least a three-star recruit, according to 247sports.com.  
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