BC’s Donald Hand Jr. looks to step up, UMass enters the MAC, and other men’s college basketball story lines to watch
“I dreamed about this moment,” Hand said. “I envisioned it.”
Coach Earl Grant said Hand is “wired to score.” The next step is staying aggressive while also making his teammates better.
On a roster that should have more offensive firepower than last year’s group, Hand’s playmaking ability could help BC find more consistency and fluidity.
“Use his magnetic force to get our big guys some shots at the rim, his teammates some open threes,” Grant said. “I would like to see him round his game out and be a complete player.”
The 6-foot-5-inch guard predicted at ACC Media Day that the Eagles — who open the season Monday at Florida Atlantic — will finish top five in the conference this season.
“We fear nobody,” Hand said when asked about that claim. “I believe in all my guys.”
Along with Hand, guard Fred Payne and forward Jayden Hastings return as key contributors. Boden Kapke (6-11 forward/center from Butler), Chase Forte (6-4 guard from South Dakota), Aidan Shaw (6-9 forward from Missouri), and Jason Asemota (6-8 forward from Baylor, Lynn native) are key transfers.
The Eagles are used to entering the season as underdogs. It’s a role they embrace.
“They voted us last, and I just don’t believe that,” Forte said. “I don’t think we’re last in the ACC.”
UMass shooting for the stars
Frank Martin’s Kansas State Elite Eight team in 2010 and Final Four team at South Carolina in 2017 both led the NCAA Tournament in scoring.
He believes this UMass team might be the best shooting team he’s ever had.
“I don’t mean to jinx them,” Martin said, “but we’ve done it enough in the preseason.”
A season ago, the Minutemen finished 354th among 355 teams nationwide in 3-point percentage (28.1) and 18th in rebounding (39.7). This year, the identity of the group has shifted.
UMBC transfer Marcus Banks Jr. has 247 career 3-pointers and shot 41.8 percent from distance last season. Leonardo Bettiol averaged 13.1 points per game for Abilene Christian. Veterans Daniel Hankins-Sanford and Ayer native Jayden Ndjigue should make another leap.
After a dizzying offseason — in which he had to retool nearly his entire roster and lean into the ever-expanding Division 2 and junior college talent pool — Martin is encouraged by his team’s passing and playmaking. As the Minutemen debut in a wide-open Mid-American Conference, Martin is cautiously optimistic.
“This team’s been fun to be around right now, the way they go about their business,” Martin said.
Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said it’s rare for one person to be the most valuable, most important, and most versatile player on a roster, but senior Chandler Piggé checks each of those boxes.
“He’s as good of a leader as we’ve ever had here,” Amaker said. “I’m very, very proud of his development as a player. He’s our heart and soul. We follow his lead, as players and as coaches.”
Piggé (13.1 ppg) will join returning junior Thomas Batties II (11 ppg) and returning sophomores Robert Hinton (14.6 ppg, unanimous Ivy rookie of the year), Marlborough’s Austin Hunt, and Tey Barbour in a core eager to help the Crimson ascend.
“We have to go from potential to production now,” Amaker said.
The night before Merrimack’s first scrimmage, coach Joe Gallo lost sleep as he tried to figure out how to find playing time for 10 guys.
Unaccustomed to going that deep into his bench, he searched for tips on rotations via ChatGPT.
“That was a starting point,” Gallo said. “It got my brain going a little bit. That’s all I needed.”
The Warriors are hoping to play fast, turn defense into offense, and create organized chaos on both ends this season. Tye Dorset, Malik Edmead, Southborough’s Todd Brogna, Ernest Shelton, Aliou Cisse, Andrés Marrero, Malden Catholic’s KC Ugwuakazi, Kevair Kennedy, Dylan Veillette, and Jaylen Stinson should all play roles.
“I might talk to you Dec. 1 and tell you we’re walking the ball up every time. But right now, I’d like to get out and capitalize on some of our stops,” Gallo said.
UMass Lowell has even more new faces and will start fresh with a completely different group.
“We lost everything,” said coach Pat Duquette. “We don’t return a single point, rebound, assist — nothing. It’s unlike any experience I’ve ever had in my 30 years of coaching.”
In a scrimmage against Northeastern, Xavier Spencer, Jared Frey, Isaiah Walter, Austin Green, and Shawn Simmons II started, and Dracut native Darrel Yepdo brought energy off the bench.
The roster has changed, but the standard hasn’t.
“I want to break through,” Duquette said. “I want to bring UMass Lowell to an NCAA Tournament.”
Quincy native Mike Loughnane, the son of former Northeastern player Bill Loughnane, transferred to NU after averaging 5.1 points for Davidson last season … Berkley native Joe Nugent, who ranked 14th in the NCAA in 3-point percentage (42.9), is back for Holy Cross … Boston University coach Joe Jones has 234 wins and is 14 away from setting a program record. His son, Jay, is a freshman at Penn, and his daughter, Sydney, is an assistant at Stonehill … Former Holy Cross guard Will Batchelder, a Newburyport native, now plays for Stonehill.
Trevor Hass can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @TrevorHass.
