AMHERST – Frank Martin’s phone rang as he walked off the 16th tee at Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston this summer. The UMass men’s basketball coach didn’t recognize the international number but had been recruiting a highly touted, lanky kid from New Zealand and answered. It was Tafara Gapare’s father on the other line calling from an office to inform Martin that his son had made a decision. He wanted to come to UMass.

That was in early August, about a month after Gapare de-committed from DePaul. The four-star, top-50 forward had pledged to the Blue Demons in early June. The phone call with his father marked the end of one whirlwind period and the beginning of another for both Gapare and the Minutemen. 

A former assistant first told Martin about Gapare, then he received a phone call asking if he was interested.

“We were late in the game,” Martin said. “I guess I must have made an impression.”

Another phone call asked if Martin would have a scholarship available should Gapare reopen his recruitment. He wanted to talk to Martin again.

After the recruitment officially re-opened, Martin re-engaged.

“I don't do that backdoor recruiting. I don't want that done to me,” Martin said. “So I don't do that to anybody.”

Gapare chose UMass because of Martin and his track record at Kansas State and South Carolina. Originally one of the top 50 recruits in the Class of 2023 from the South Kent School in Connecticut, Gapare reclassified to join the Minutemen this fall.

“He said he would put me in situations where there was a mismatch, and he’s doing so the best he can,” Gapare said.

Most of the Minutemen were already on campus and had worked out together all summer by the time Gapare committed. He couldn’t join his new teammates or program immediately because of visa issues. Gapare tried to stay in shape and hone his game while still at home but struggled to find open gyms or coaches with time. His visa was approved just before Halloween, and Gapare flew to Amherst almost immediately after.

“It was a bit hard coming in off the whole visa situation, next day I was on the plane coming here, had no idea what was going on,” Gapare said. “Getting acclimated as fast as I could.”

He’d made many solo trips to the United States to play in AAU tournaments, so it wasn’t a culture shock.

“To be honest with you, I can’t tell the difference. I've been traveling so much, I'm so used to moving environments,” Gapare said. 

Gapare shocked his teammates with his talent more than the environment rattled him. 

“When he first came, I was amazed. He's a pro straight off the bat, like off his first practice. His jumping ability, his ability to put the ball on the floor at that size, his shooting ability, he has all the intangibles of being a pro,” UMass grad transfer forward Isaac Kante said. “That was my first impression. I'm still impressed of him, his abilities and the things he does.”

He didn’t act like a draft pick in a pit stop. Gapare showed patience and bought in to Martin’s process and expectations immediately.

“He's been great. He's unbelievable. He's an unbelievable young man. You kind of meet people recruiting. But then sometimes when you live together, you find out they're a little different than what you thought they were recruiting them,” Martin said. “He's a little different, and he's a better human being than he let me in on recruiting. All about the team, all about winning, great spirit. He wants to be a part of success. He's not trying to get attention.”

Despite not meeting his teammates in person before, Gapare assimilated quickly. He’s calm, outgoing, fun and loves to dance.

“He fit right in as soon as he came,” Kante said. “Like he's always been there.”

Gapare debuted in UMass’ season-opening win over Central Connecticut and has appeared in 12 games, averaging 10.8 minutes per game. He’s scored 4.2 points per game and is third on the team in blocks and fifth in steals.

“He wants to get better as a player, very humble, very intelligent. I'm really excited to continue to try and help him,” Martin said. “We need him to help us now. He's been here for a while. He's shown flashes, he’s going to learn how to do that more consistently.”

Gapare has a plan to make that happen. He knows he needs to remain diligent in the weight room and is focused on setting his teammates up and grabbing more rebounds.

“I am a visual learner, so I see what other people do,” Gapare said. “I try to do the same thing.”

Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.]]>