McCall to action
New coach takes reins as UMass regroups
AMHERST — It was 6:45 a.m. on March 27 when Matt McCall got the phone call that would alter the course of UMass basketball. But he didn’t answer right away.
McCall had just finished his second season coaching Chattanooga, and he had been on the road recruiting for weeks. He had flown in late the night before to West Palm Beach, Fla., and was anticipating getting some rest before an 11 a.m. meeting.
Not so fast.
The day before, Billy Donovan, who got him his start as a student manager at Florida, had called to alert him that UMass, less than a week after Pat Kelsey unexpectedly backed out of the coaching job moments before his introductory press conference, was interested in McCall.
But the early hour of the call surprised McCall.
“I kind of immediately popped out of bed and made a cup of coffee to make sure I was with it,” McCall said.
McCall called back. That night, he was on a flight to Boston. The next morning, he interviewed for the job. And the following night he was in Amherst with a job offer from athletic director Ryan Bamford.
Those 48 hours were a whirlwind, but it was just the beginning of a months-long stretch that’s led to the start of a new UMass era, beginning with tonight’s season opener against UMass-Lowell.
“I don’t think I’ve slept since,” McCall said.
McCall’s first week with UMass was chaotic. There was accepting the job, the difficult conversations with folks at Chattanooga, the introductory press conference, getting his family situated and starting life in an unknown place.
Then there was the basketball part, and figuring out the direction of his program. Who was staying? What would his staff look like? McCall also needed to hit the recruiting trail.
That Saturday, McCall invited his new players to get on the court with him, to begin to get used to each other, and he started to gain clarity on the future.
“Some guys just didn’t show, which was foreign,” McCall said. “I don’t know if I made it mandatory. I was like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be here, I’m going to show you guys some things we’re going to be doing.’
“You could just get the sense and the feeling that from the guys that didn’t show, like are you even open to giving this a chance? And if you’re not, that’s OK, but we’ve gotta move forward.”
Ultimately, seven players transferred out. It was a stark difference from when McCall took over at Chattanooga in 2015, when no one left.
“It’s rare that you have 100 percent retention,” McCall said. “That doesn’t happen. Did I expect some guys to leave? Yes. Did I think seven would leave? No. Was I shocked that it happened after I got here? Not at all.
“The biggest thing I wanted was guys that wanted to be here, and guys that wanted to play for this university, not necessarily play for themselves.”
Short on players, McCall went out and grabbed two recruits late — including Carl Pierre from BC High — but the roster was still thin. Four incoming transfers will have to sit out.
But another setback came last month when fifth-year point guard Jaylen Brantley, whom McCall expected to play 30 minutes per game, was diagnosed with a previously undetected heart condition that effectively ended his career.
“You can never prepare for that as a coach,” McCall said.
So UMass trudged forward with 11 eligible players, eight of whom are on scholarship.
“These guys haven’t flinched,” McCall said. “They’re like, ‘All right coach, what’s next, let’s get better.’ For me as a coach, that’s all you can ask for.”
Even for the returning players, there were growing pains. But as tonight’s opener looms, players are starting to come around.
“It was rough at first, but guys started to buy into it,” said junior center Rashaan Holloway. “Guys who we needed to buy into it bought in. They’re getting there.
“I feel like everybody on the team has bought in now, but it was rough coming in here. We had some guys who didn’t realize that he was trying to help. I feel like he put the fun back in basketball for all of us.”
McCall cautions that this year is all about laying a foundation. In addition to Holloway, who emerged last year as one of the best big men in the Atlantic 10, UMass returns guard Luwane Pipkins, who averaged double figures as a freshman, and guard C.J. Anderson, the team’s lone senior. They were picked 12th in the 14-team league’s preseason poll.
McCall is more interested in continuing to build the culture. He wants to see how the team responds to adversity. “That’s important to me,” he said. So far, he seems pleased with the results, but he knows he needs patience.
“A lot of adversity, a lot of challenges the last six months,” McCall said. “Some we knew were coming, some you don’t prepare for and you can’t prepare for, but I think everybody that’s a part of this program or around this program understands it’s heading in a really, really positive direction.
“We’re building a mansion. Is it going to look pretty all the time this year? No. What’s the end product going to look like? Hopefully magnificent.”
‘I think everybody … understands it’s heading in a really positive direction.’
— UMASS COACH MATT McCALL On optimism surrounding team