AMHERST — Is Tre Mitchell the most talented player to play at UMass since Marcus Camby?
It’s something that has become a legitimate point of conversation after the 6-9 big man averaged 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds last season as a freshman while shooting an astronomical 48.1 percent from the field.
“Tre is embracing that,” UMass coach Matt McCall said prior to Thursday’s practice when asked about Mitchell being mentioned in the same breath as Camby. “For a long time, Tre has known what he wants. He wants to win. He knows that’s the biggest piece in all of this.”
It’s also the only way that both Mitchell and the UMass program will return to national relevance.
The Minutemen haven’t had a winning season since the 2014-15 campaign under Derek Kellogg, but as McCall enters his fourth year he sees an improved supporting cast around Mitchell, who looks like far and away the most talented prospect in the Atlantic 10.
“His perimeter shooting continues to improve,” McCall said of Mitchell. “He didn’t take any days off during the pandemic. We feel like now we’ve got a supporting cast that can help him.”
UMass had a combined 412 assists to 407 turnovers as a team last season and addressed its point guard issue with the addition of Wichita State transfer Noah Fernandes and freshman Javohn Garcia.
McCall also returns two double-figure scorers on the wing in T.J. Weeks and Carl Pierre while veteran forwards Preston Santos and Dibaji Walker can do the dirty work. Freshman Ronnie DeGray is a high IQ addition and potential Glue Guy at 6-7 while fellow freshman Dyondre Dominguez should also be in the rotation.
The key for McCall is finding enough consistent options out of that group to take pressure off Mitchell, who averaged 22 points and 8.9 rebounds over the final 10 games of last season.
Even if that happens, there’s no guarantee that UMass will be able to climb the standings in what should be a loaded year in the Atlantic 10. Saint Louis, Richmond, Dayton, St. Bonaventure, Duquesne, and Rhode Island should all be postseason teams while Davidson and George Mason both have legitimate sleeper potential.
“We have to win,” said McCall. “The pieces we’ve added should help Tre, but there’s a bottom line involved here and that bottom line is winning. We have to win.”
