MHERST - He still has a long way to go to fulfill the promise and hype that accompanied his arrival at the University of Massachusetts as the crown jewel in Travis Ford's 2007 freshman class, but Trey Lang has taken the first step.

When the Minutemen face Dowling in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. Saturday, Lang will be in uniform for the first time in over a year. He's a walk-on now, but he's a basketball player again.

After barely playing as a freshman, Lang quit the Minutemen after the 2007-08 season, but the 6-foot-7 forward from Marietta, Ga., stayed in Amherst, paying his own way as just a college student.

Lang said his reasons for walking away from the team were a combination of academic and personal. He considered transferring and visited Albany. But it didn't feel right.

"I chose to come to UMass. I love it here. I wasn't trying to leave," Lang said.

So he stayed. He got his academics in order and hung out with his former teammates when they were around. But basketball, except for pickup games when he was home in Georgia, was far from the priority that it always had been in his life.

But Lang missed it.

"I definitely did miss it during the year I took off. I'm happy to be back and part of something again," he said. "I missed that camaraderie a lot."

Basketball was always a part of Lang's life. As the son of former NBA big man Andrew Lang, Andrew Charles "Trey" Lang III grew up on basketball and was heavily recruited as a star out of Wheeler High School in Marietta. Ford gushed when Lang signed with UMass.

"We were after (Lang) for a long time," Ford said at the time. "He's got an incredible reputation, great talent and a great bloodline. His father was a 12-year veteran of the NBA. He's versatile. He can step out and shoot it. He's going to be very good. He fills a very big need for us."

But once Lang arrived, Ford was frustrated with his work ethic and buried him on the bench. He appeared in just four games and played a total of eight minutes, never appearing outside of garbage time.

After Ford left in 2008 to become the coach at Oklahoma State, Lang returned to Amherst planning to play for Kellogg, but changed his mind.

"Last year I was under the impression that he would transfer," Kellogg said. "When he didn't and I would see him around campus I wondered if he would eventually come out for the team."

It was assistant coach Adam Ginsburg that let Lang know he'd be welcomed back.

"Coach Ginsburg and I were always really close, especially when Coach Ford was here," Lang said. "I looked up to him a lot. He's helped me a lot since I've been here. Over the summer I was working out with the team a lot trying to get into better shape.

"Coach Ginsburg said, #We're kind of short on big man. So if you want to play let me know,' Lang added. "He planted the seeds this summer."

Lang said in the back of his mind, he always expected to come back.

"I thought I was going to probably take a year off and get myself back together," he said. "I needed to mature. I had to get myself on the right path. I feel much more prepared to deal with it now. It's definitely good to be back."

Lang, who put on weight during his year off, is trying to get himself back to game shape. He said he'd be happy with any role.

"I feel like there's an opportunity," Lang said. "But this year I just want to learn the system, figure out what I'm doing and get myself in better shape. I'm still not where I need to be.

"I'm trying to prove myself, but it's the next two years when I think I'll really be able to prove myself," he added. "Right now I'm just trying to learn as much as I can, get in as good shape as possible and help out any way I can."

With the Minutemen thin in the frontcourt, Kellogg said he expects Lang to compete for minutes inside with transfers Sean Carter and Hashim Bailey.

"I'm looking at him to give us some quality minutes. He's looked OK. He's not in great shape, but that's a work in progress," Kellogg said. "Our five spot is a bunch of guys who haven't played in two years. He's got a great body at 6-8. He's really athletic and can catch balls down in the post."

Kellogg challenged Lang to put concerns about his work ethic behind him.

"If he can push through adversity as far as when he's tired - push through and keep working, he has a chance to be a really good player," Kellogg said. "He's got to raise his work ethic. He gets to a certain point and he doesn't push through all the time."

Lang said he hopes to shed that reputation

"I understand what it takes. My freshman year I made some immature decisions and everything. I understand a lot more what it takes and what I need to do," said Lang, who is excited to start another chapter in his career Saturday night at the Mullins Center.

"I'm definitely looking forward to it. I missed hearing the crowd. I missed warm-ups and being on the bench. I must missed everything. I'm excited to get back on the court again."

Matt Vautour can be reached at [email protected]. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.