UMass Men’s Basketball Summer Practice: Assembling the Next Contender

By Kevin McCaskill Jr.

8/13/26 * 12:00 PM

The Minutemen are in early preparation for the 2026-27 season, their 2nd season as full members of the Mid-American Conference. Last season, the Minutemen finished 17-16 overall, with a 7-11 record in the MAC. This season, the pieces are starting to come together for the Minutemen.

On Monday, 8/3, I attended a summer practice session. I got an early preview of the new roster. HC Frank Martin added players from high school and players who have college and/or international experience. The coaching staff split the team into two groups, with one group on each half of the court, and went through defensive drills. Coach Martin would frequently stop the drills to point out mistakes but also highlight positive things. Practice ended with a half-court ‘scrimmage’ designed to emphasize a concept the coaching staff was working on.

The returning players are:

Jayden Ndjigue

Luka Damjanac

Danny Carbuccia

Dwayne Wimbley Jr.

Dimitri Clerc

Rollie Castineyra

Josh Engel

(FPM File Photo: Jayden Ndjigue drives to the basket against George Washington @ The Mullins Center)

There are eight new additions to the roster:

Abdullah Ahmed

Jordan Clayton

Cam Hailey

Christian Martin

Junjie Wang

Noa Zemjlic

Heimir Helgason

Cheick Sylla

Clerc, Ahmed, Wang, Sylla and Damjanac form a very formidable frontcourt. They have the height and athleticism to be competitive, especially in the MAC. Last season, the lack of depth and size in the frontcourt hurt the Minutemen. They have also gained versatility with the new additions. Wang and Ahmed have some perimeter skills. They can handle the ball effectively and get into the paint.

Two of the newcomers have professional experience. Ahmed played for the Westchester Knicks in the G League. Noa Zemjlic played for KK Cedevita Junior, a Croatian professional club.

“It’s part of the international world that we’ve taken into college basketball. Those guys have always played on these professional club teams; they understand how to handle their business when there’s money involved. They’re better prepared for that world, that we’ve introduced with the money part of it. This year we took [Ahmed], [he] played in the G League. He had gone to BYU. So we brought him in; why? They either play for you or you gotta play against them.” - Coach Martin

(FPM File Photo: Coach Martin answers questions from the media at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA)

I asked Coach Martin if there was a line when it came to recruiting players with professional experience. He told us, “If the NCAA clears them, I’ll take ‘em. I’m not taking guys that are ineligible. I’m not gonna recruit guys that are not eligible, here, and then hope they become eligible. I’m not gonna recruit guys that are ineligible and then fight the NCAA…”

One returning player to keep an eye on is Dwayne Wimbley Jr. Coach Martin said, “He’s taken a step forward as a player.” His jump shot looks markedly improved; most of his makes didn’t hit the rim. Wimbley always brought energy, but if he can refine his offensive game, he could become one of UMass’ primary scoring options.

Coach Martin is very high on Jordan Clayton, the transfer guard from Northwestern. Clayton is from West Medford, MA. He graduated from Northwestern in 3 years. Martin said, “Jordan was my recruit; I recruited Jordan. That wasn’t an assistant recruiting and me sending a text once a week. Jordan’s a special kid; Jordan’s a winner…Jordan is a leader, period, end of story.”

Another interesting storyline this season is Coach Martin’s 2nd opportunity to coach one of his sons; this time, his youngest son, Christian. Christian Martin attended Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham, MA [Hampden County]. “We didn’t do him a favor by bringing him here,” Martin told us. From what I saw on last week, Christian Martin is a very good shooter. He is always on balance when he shoots, and he has overall great mechanics on his jump shot. Martin agreed, saying Christian brings shooting to the team.

“My wife and I dealt with home visits…I told my staff…’I’ve been recruiting him for 18 years; I ain’t recruiting him - you guys do it. If you guys believe he can help us, you guys recruit him like you’re recruiting some guy from Georgia’ and they did. When it came down to decision time, he took his visit here and he came home one day and said, ‘That’s what I want to do’.”

(Coach Martin discusses the game with an official before a timeout @ The Mullins Center in Amheret, MA)

Coach Martin ended by sharing a piece of advice he gave to his son, who is also his newest recruit:

“I can help you with a lot of things, I can’t help you with the locker room. You’re gonna have to spread your wings and earn your trust in the locker room. Anything outside the locker room, I’m your Dad; I got your back for anything. In the locker room, you gotta earn your stripes in there.”

UMass Athletics Hall of Famer Chaz Williams was at practice. There has been speculation that Williams could join the Minutemen coaching staff.

Even though this is a new season, this roster appears to be positioned for success. Entering Coach Martin’s fifth year, expectations haven’t changed. UMass is chasing a winning MAC record, a MAC Championship and a return to the NCAA Tournament. The roster may be different, but the standard they are trying to reach remains the same.