UMass transfer portal news - 2024

[inthescoop]

Still super early in the transfer process, but Jeff Borzello is starting an early ranking list of top transfers available. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-baske ... -25-season

Josh Cohen currently stands as #6 on the top transfers list.

[UMass1991]

I'm gonna see who comes in before I weep about who leaves. Good luck to them all. I'm pulling for the guys who stick it out and play for UMass, not for the biggest bag. I trust that Frank reloads and we are still very competitive. He did it last year

Floyd, Umass is fucked for the short term. You should start weeping now.

Recruiting A-10 level players to come in for 1 lame duck season before they backslide is a recipe for disaster.

Did I miss the last 10 years? It’s not like they have been a conference power. Umass has been in the bottom half of the A10 for a decade.

[NilesGold]

It's a fair point, but you are thinking in the moment. This season will be little more than a blip if they cannot follow it up with a final push over the top to a post season tournament.

Yes it would be a blip, but you're already throwing in the towel on the next season? I don't see any reason why next season they can't do as well as, or better, than this past season... obviously that hinges on what happens for the reason of this off-season, so maybe let's see how it goes?

[Upstate10]

It's a fair point, but you are thinking in the moment. This season will be little more than a blip if they cannot follow it up with a final push over the top to a post season tournament.

Yes it would be a blip, but you're already throwing in the towel on the next season? I don't see any reason why next season they can't do as well as, or better, than this past season... obviously that hinges on what happens for the reason of this off-season, so maybe let's see how it goes?

You hear anything about Cross?

[LS71]

Josh Coen made all A10 first team…

Yeah…he made all A10, UMass got 20 wins….and a seat in front of the TV for the post season.

At the end of the day/season UMass did no better with him than it did without him.

Interesting comment, by saying UMass did no better this season you are saying that you mostly judge a season on post season play…which is fine as everyone values things differently. I saw UMass this year as doing much better with this group than any team in a long time…besides winning more games they were much more enjoyable to watch. They weren’t flawless but they were engaged and gave great effort. Going forward, and I can’t remember who said it, but for the guys who mostly value post season appearances, the whole season will just be about 4 days in March, nothing up to that point in the season will matter at all.

My comment was in response to Cohen's post on X:

UMass Nation! Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Especially
@coachFMartin, now it’s time for a new chapter on a story that is still being written.

I have entered the transfer portal with one year to play.

This team did indeed win more games and played a better, more enjoyable brand of basketball this season. I'm guessing they did so with the goal of getting to the Dance in mind. So if he really is thankful to UMass Nation and especially Coach Martin, why not stay and help the team leave the A-10 as a champion and with a ticket to the Dance in hand? Like he said....he has one year left to play. UMass has one year left in the A-10. He's expressing his gratitude to UMass Nation and Coach Martin but leaves anyway. Time will will where he goes, but it'll be a school that either offers him more money or a better chance of making the Dance. He left the coach that he said he's especially thankful for with the unenviable task of filling his spot on the roster for a year before UMass joins a mediocre hoops league.

So even though this year was more enjoyable it ended joylessly. No post season, a first team all A-10 player a promising freshman and a recruit leaving. I understand Davis and McHugh's decisions but Josh only has one season left. He shoulda stayed....or at least change the post...nothing personal, it's just business.

[69MG]

LS, we have no idea why guys leave and in most cases we'll never find out. Josh will never make the NBA and he might only be a backup in Europe. If someone offered him a bunch of $$, no idea how much that might be, it would be awfully tempting to take it. Again, don't know why he entered the portal but over 500 kids have done it in just 1 day.

[NilesGold]

It's a fair point, but you are thinking in the moment. This season will be little more than a blip if they cannot follow it up with a final push over the top to a post season tournament.

Yes it would be a blip, but you're already throwing in the towel on the next season? I don't see any reason why next season they can't do as well as, or better, than this past season... obviously that hinges on what happens for the reason of this off-season, so maybe let's see how it goes?

You hear anything about Cross?

I have no inside knowledge. Hopefully the fact that Cross hasn't entered the portal yet is a positive sign, perhaps he's in negotiations with the Mass Collective.

[LS71]

LS, we have no idea why guys leave and in most cases we'll never find out. Josh will never make the NBA and he might only be a backup in Europe. If someone offered him a bunch of $$, no idea how much that might be, it would be awfully tempting to take it. Again, don't know why he entered the portal but over 500 kids have done it in just 1 day.

The age old question about $...how much is enough?

Given what you said about his basketball future, why not stay repeat as a 1st team all conference player and lead your team to a conference regular season and/or tournament championship?

We'll see what happens, obviously and it's true that some players take their name out of the portal and stay where they were.

Time will tell.

[DoctorJ]

Verbal Commits reports that Gianni Thompson has entered the portal. No big shocker there. As long as he finds a home, it opens up his scholarship.

[DoctorJ]

Jonathan Beagle from Albany is in the portal. Could be a good backup.

[NilesGold]

LS, we have no idea why guys leave and in most cases we'll never find out. Josh will never make the NBA and he might only be a backup in Europe. If someone offered him a bunch of $$, no idea how much that might be, it would be awfully tempting to take it. Again, don't know why he entered the portal but over 500 kids have done it in just 1 day.

The age old question about $...how much is enough?

Given what you said about his basketball future, why not stay repeat as a 1st team all conference player and lead your team to a conference regular season and/or tournament championship?

We'll see what happens, obviously and it's true that some players take their name out of the portal and stay where they were.

Time will tell.

Everyone has to make that determination for themselves, just like anyone in the workforce does. If Cohen gets offered $200k (I'm just making it up), and the UMass collective could only offer him $50k, he'd be crazy not to take the extra $150k for his final season.

[Floyd]

But, what if he goes to his "better situation" and finds out his minutes are cut and he's not as effective as he was here? Is it worth it?. If he had another very good season here other offers to play somewhere after hes done could easily offset 150k. Getting your weaknesses exposed could do more damage than good sometimes

[Floyd]

Yeah…he made all A10, UMass got 20 wins….and a seat in front of the TV for the post season.

At the end of the day/season UMass did no better with him than it did without him.

Interesting comment, by saying UMass did no better this season you are saying that you mostly judge a season on post season play…which is fine as everyone values things differently. I saw UMass this year as doing much better with this group than any team in a long time…besides winning more games they were much more enjoyable to watch. They weren’t flawless but they were engaged and gave great effort. Going forward, and I can’t remember who said it, but for the guys who mostly value post season appearances, the whole season will just be about 4 days in March, nothing up to that point in the season will matter at all.

My comment was in response to Cohen's post on X:

UMass Nation! Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Especially
@coachFMartin, now it’s time for a new chapter on a story that is still being written.

I have entered the transfer portal with one year to play.

This team did indeed win more games and played a better, more enjoyable brand of basketball this season. I'm guessing they did so with the goal of getting to the Dance in mind. So if he really is thankful to UMass Nation and especially Coach Martin, why not stay and help the team leave the A-10 as a champion and with a ticket to the Dance in hand? Like he said....he has one year left to play. UMass has one year left in the A-10. He's expressing his gratitude to UMass Nation and Coach Martin but leaves anyway. Time will will where he goes, but it'll be a school that either offers him more money or a better chance of making the Dance. He left the coach that he said he's especially thankful for with the unenviable task of filling his spot on the roster for a year before UMass joins a mediocre hoops league.

So even though this year was more enjoyable it ended joylessly. No post season, a first team all A-10 player a promising freshman and a recruit leaving. I understand Davis and McHugh's decisions but Josh only has one season left. He shoulda stayed....or at least change the post...nothing personal, it's just business.

LS, what recruit is leaving?

[devildawg3010]

Article about Cohen with some quotes below.

"About 30–40 colleges have contacted me, and the four majors are the ones recruiting me," Cohen said on Monday evening. "That’s where I am. I'm not (leaning towards a) geographic preference, but rather what sets me up best for after college, networking, making connections. The whole deal."

"I (only) came to the decision in the last 48 hours. I didn’t think leaving was an option," he said earlier this week. "It didn’t work at UMass. We just couldn’t get it done. We both said goodbye, and now it's onto the next phase.

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hazlet-an ... dcc3a29a4e

[minutefanjsf]

Article about Cohen with some quotes below.

"About 30–40 colleges have contacted me, and the four majors are the ones recruiting me," Cohen said on Monday evening. "That’s where I am. I'm not (leaning towards a) geographic preference, but rather what sets me up best for after college, networking, making connections. The whole deal."

"I (only) came to the decision in the last 48 hours. I didn’t think leaving was an option," he said earlier this week. "It didn’t work at UMass. We just couldn’t get it done. We both said goodbye, and now it's onto the next phase.

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hazlet-an ... dcc3a29a4e

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