Minutemen set to start their season

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - Hoops is on the horizon.  UMass basketball coach Derek Kellogg is welcoming 7 new players to his team this season.  Kellogg begins his 2nd season as head coach of his alma mater with a wealth of talent, but a lack of experience.

Five freshman and two transfers make up half the team, which will be led by the Minutemen's lone senior, Ricky Harris.

Kellogg's team has gotten more athletic, but also less experienced.  This may turn into a rebuilding year for the Minutemen, but they will be playing with a chip on their shoulders after being picked 9th in the Atlantic Ten preseason poll. 

"We kind of felt a little disrespected, everyday we have that in the back of our minds", says guard Anthony Gurley.  "We want to go out an prove them and the rest of the country wrong."

Big-man Sean Carter, a transfer from Oregon State adds, "It doesn't bother me, but it motivates me.  We're young, we have to prove ourselves."

UMass opens its season on November 13th at Central Florida.