Tafara Gapare

• Player
• Seasons: 2022-23
• Number: 2
• Position: F
• Height: 6' 9“
• Weight: 185
• Hometown: Wellington NZ
• High School: Scots College School, Wellington NZ
• Prep School: South Kent School (CT)
• Transfer From: none
• Transfer To: Georgia Tech
• Birthday: June 19, 2003¹⁾

• A member of Frank Martin's first recruiting class at UMass.
• Committed and signed with UMass on 8/10/2022^2)3)4)5)6)
• Played in 30 of UM's 31 games in the 2022-23 season, injury being the one exception.
• A little raw on the skillset, but showed some flashes of potential, with three games in double-figure scoring.
• Only got 12.4 minutes per game. For a 4-star recruit, that was a regular topic of debate among the fanbase.
• Chose to transfer out at the conclusion of the season.^7)8)9)10)
• Roster page at UMassAthletics.com
• Message board thread

• Snared 6 boards in the games against Dayton (2/22) and vs Richmond (3/7).
• Matched his season high with 24 minutes at Rhode Island (2/18), putting up 11 & 7.
• Averaged 12 minutes over a 6 game span (Duquesne 1/28 thru Loyola 2/14), with 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds.
• Mini-slump in late January, registering no points or boards over three games (at VCU 1/17 thru Richmond 1/25). Averaged 9.3 minutes across those games.
• Tallied 6 & 4 in the win over Rhode Island (1/14).
• Logged a season high 24 minutes, tallying 8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists, and 2 steals in the win over Saint Louis (1/4).
• Article 1/2/23: ‘He’s not trying to get attention’: UMass basketball freshman Tafara Gapare focused on team success (Daily Hampshire Gazette)
• Led the team with 13 points in the win versus Hofstra (12/11).
• Tallied his first double-figure game with 15 points (led the team), plus 5 steals and 2 blocks in the win over Albany (12/5).
• Gained some confidence with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and a steal in 17 minutes of work in the win at Harvard (12/2).
• Played one minute in the season opener vs CCSU (11/7), but left with a thumb injury.¹¹⁾ Did not play in game #2 vs Towson (11/10). Returned to action versus Colorado (11/17). Scored his first points on a three versus Murray State (11/18).
• Also had delays getting his visa.¹²⁾ Arrived on campus in late October, started practicing in early November.¹³⁾
• Received clearance from the NCAA in early October.¹⁴⁾ His reclassification up to the entry class of 2022, and being an international student, may have contributed to the delay.

Career stats from Sports Reference

Career highs from RealGM.com

• Four star recruit per 247 Sports¹⁵⁾ and Rivals¹⁶⁾
• Verbally committed to George Washington and Coach Jamion Christian in May 2020.¹⁷⁾ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, never made an official visit to the campus prior to committing. Ended up de-committing in November 2021.¹⁸⁾
• Committed to DePaul in June 2022, but decommitted just over a month later.¹⁹⁾²⁰⁾
• Also received offers from Maryland, Illinois, Syracuse, UConn, Virginia Tech, Iona, and others²¹⁾²²⁾
• Was expected to be in the recruiting class of 2023, but reclassified up to 2022
• Ranked as the No. 1 player in Connecticut and No. 10 power forward by 247Sports for the Class of 2023
• Top-50 recruit nationally by 247Sports
• Tabbed 81st-nationally and as the No. 18-ranked power forward by Rivals

• Played with Villanova for the 2025-26 season. Followed coach Kevin Willard as he went from Maryland to Villanova in the 2025 off-season.
• Played the 2024-25 season at Maryland.
• Played the 2023-24 season at Georgia Tech.

• Twitter: @Tafara_Gapare5
• Instagram: @tafara.gapare