Some impressions from UMass’ first day of summer workouts. It’s worth noting I was largely focused on the newcomers just because it was my first time seeing them in a college setting:
Rashaan Holloway looks slimmer. He appears to have stuck with his conditioning plan. I think he could have a big year.
Donte Clark appeared more vocal than I’ve seen him in a practice. Now an upper classmen, he seems like he’s looking to lead.
Luwane Pipkins looked terrific. He looked like he’d spent a lot of his time off in the weight room, but you’d never guess he hadn’t played in a year. I’m guessing he’ll get a lot of minutes. He made several tough-angle jumpers.
People assume because of his height (5-foot-10) Pipkins will definitely play point guard because most people below 6-feet do. And he might, but he can be a two on offense. (More on him tomorrow).
With DeJon Jarreau and C.J. Anderson both bigger point guards, Pipkins wouldn’t have to guard a 6-foot-4-to 6-foot-6 wing if he’s playing off the ball.
The excitement around DeJon Jarreau seems warranted. He was listed as a combo guard by the recruiting sites, but prefers point guard and lists himself as a point guard in his Twitter bio. He looked good handling the ball and running the team.
I’ll be curious if at some point he’ll go by Deeky Jarreau on a UMass roster. That’s what everyone calls him.
There’s a likable surliness to Chris Baldwin’s game. He defended hard, and dunked hard. He looks more physically mature than most incoming big men.
He was willingly grinding defensively against Holloway, who is slimmer, but still physically imposing. I’m guessing opponents won’t like him much, but the fans will appreciate him.
Right after I thought to myself that I hadn’t seen Ty Flowers make a 3-pointer, he hit a long one and then sank another one. He looks like he’s still growing into his 6-foot-8 frame, but his shooting could get him on the floor early.
Brison Gresham caught former Minuteman Maxie Esho’s eye right away, which seemed fitting because his game looks a lot like Esho’s at first glance. Esho and Chaz Williams were both watching practice.
I’ve seen Unique McLean play before so I wasn’t watching him as much. I’m curious to see how Kellogg uses him as he doesn’t necessarily have a pure position, but his athleticism makes him intriguing.
I’m curious too if Kellogg puts Zach Lewis into the sixth man role. Kellogg likes having a guy who can come off the bench and provide scoring. Lewis, who made some contested 3-pointers, seems like a natural fit.
Malik Hines, Zach Coleman and C.J. Anderson, who were all injured late last season looked healthy and competitive.
I’m fascinated at how Kellogg creates lineups and divides minutes. There are opportunities to play big, to play small and fast or slow. He’ll have this roster for the next two seasons.
He’s expecting to play up tempo a lot and could really throw waves of players at opponents.
None of the new guys have had their eligibility cleared yet. I think more and more this is going to be an annual process as the NCAA takes longer looks at individual players.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage