When it comes to UMass Basketball the first names that tend to come to mind are Julius Erving, Marcus Camby, Lou Roe, Jack Leaman, and John Calipari. Over the years, the program has had numerous talented players go through the program which has left marks on the program in a positive way. Since Derek Kellogg first started coaching at UMass, the program made two back-to-back NIT appearances and the program’s first NCAA appearance since the 1990s. Now some of the players from when Kellogg coached and players from the Matt McCall era are joining up to play with each other on “The Commonwealth” in The Basketball Tournament (TBT).
The players that make up The Commonwealth are Chaz Williams, Maxie Esho, Luwane Pipkins, Cady Lalanne, Jabarie Hinds, CJ Anderson, Carl Pierre, Donte Clark, Freddie Riley, and Terrell Vinson. All of these players played at UMass between 2009 and 2021. The coaching staff consists of Mike Mannix and Paul Chmura. The general manager is Patrick MacWilliams and Javorn Farrell is in charge of player personnel.
Freddie Riley, a guard from Ocala, Florida, played under Derek Kellogg from 2009 to 2013. Riley was known for the number of 3-pointers he attempted throughout his career. He was a part of the team when they made back-to-back appearances in the NIT in 2012 and 2013. Riley sits in the records books for making 231 3-pointers which is 6th all-time. Riley also sits 52nd in the 1,000-point club with 1,009 points scored at UMass.
Terrell “TV” Vinson, a guard/forward from Baltimore, Maryland, played under Coach Kellogg from 2009 to 2013 and was the captain during the 2012-13 season. Like Riley, Vinson was a part of the back-to-back NIT appearances. TV is known for some of his epic plays including the game-winning basket he made against Memphis at TD Garden during his freshman season. Vinson sits in the record books for playing in 132 games, which is 6th all-time, and 1st in starting in 128 games in program history. TV sits 22nd in the 1,000-point club with 1,276 points.
Chaz Williams, a guard from Brooklyn, New York, came to UMass after spending one season at Hofstra (2009-10) and ended up playing under Coach Kellogg for his final three years of eligibility (2011-14). During his time at UMass, Williams helped get UMass into all three of the postseason appearances which happened each season he played at UMass, and was a captain for the 2013-14 season when they made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. Chaz made the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team every single season at UMass, as well as the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team in 2012 and 2013. Williams was also named to the NABC All-District First Team 3 times in a row (2012, 2013, and 2014). Chaz took advantage of his playing time with the number of times he put his name in the record books, both in a single season and his career at UMass. The records he holds at UMass are:
- 7th in the 1,000-point club with 1,653 points.
- 1st in assists in program history with 702 assists during his time at UMass.
- 11th in 3-point field goals made in program history w/ 159 3-pointers made.
- 2nd in steals in program history with 199 steals.
- 10th in points scored in a single season with 627 points during the 2012-13 season.
- 2nd in steals in a single season with 81 steals in the 2011-12 season.
- 2nd in assists in a single season with 242 assists during the 2012-13 season.
Maxie Esho, a forward from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, played at UMass from 2011-15. Esho played under Coach Kellogg and was a captain for the 2014-15 season with Cady Lalanne. Esho is most commonly remembered for his steals and blocks that led to him dunking the ball on the other end of the court for some epic plays. Esho, like Williams, was a part of the team when they made it to back-to-back appearances in the NIT and also when the team made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. Esho sits in the record books for playing in 133 games which is 5th all-time and is a part of the 1,000-point club with 1,019 points with is tied for 48th.
Cady Lalanne, a center from Orlando, Florida, played at UMass from 2011 to 2015. Lalanne played under Coach Kellogg and was a captain with Maxie Esho for the 2014-15 season. Like Esho and Williams, Lalanne was a part of the 2 NIT appearances and the NCAA appearance. Cady was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Third Team in 2015, and the NABC All-District First Team in 2015. Lalanne was drafted by San Antonio Spurs in the second round in 2015. Like Chaz, Cady made the most of his playing time and got him in the record books, in both program history and a single season. Lalanne is in the record books for:
- 10th in blocks in a single season with 71 blocks during the 2013-14.
- 6th in program history in rebounds with 881 rebounds.
- 5th in program history for blocks with 197 blocks.
- 39th in the 1,000-point club with 1,107 points.
Jabarie Hinds, a guard from Mount Vernon, New York, played at UMass from 2014-16 after spending 2011-13 at West Virginia. Hinds played under Derek Kellogg and was a captain for 2015-16. Jabarie was named the Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year in 2016. Hinds scored 722 points in the two seasons at UMass and is tied for 12th in 3-point field goals made in a single game with 7 made against Duquense during the 2015-16 season.
Donte Clark, a guard from Charlotte, North Carolina, played at UMass from 2014-17 under Kellogg. During Clark’s three years at UMass, he joined the 1,000-point club and sits 25th with 1,238 points. Donte came in for the 2013-14 season but he ended up sitting out during the team’s run to the NCAA Tournament. Before getting to UMass, Donte got to play with some of his teammates.
CJ Anderson, a guard from Memphis, Tennessee, played for UMass from 2014-18. CJ had the opportunity to play under both Kellogg and McCall. While CJ does not have his name in the record books, he did play basketball with heart and passion. After Kellogg’s time at UMass came to an end Anderson was one of the few players that stuck around for the first season of Coach McCall. CJ appeared to be one of the leaders on the team both on and off in his senior year. Anderson appeared in 126 games, starting in 47 during his career at UMass. He scored a total of 644 points and averaged about 21.8 minutes per contest. CJ’s favorite memory during the Atlantic 10 tournament was from his senior year when they beat La Salle in the first round (as pictured in the feature image) and almost beat George Mason the next day.
Luwane Pipkins, a guard, from Chicago, Illinois, played at UMass from 2016-19. Pipkins played under both Kellogg and McCall while at UMass. Luwane was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team in 2018. He holds the single-game record for most points scored in a single game with 44 points which he did during the overtime game against La Salle during the 2017-18 season. Pipkins made the most of his playing time and etched his name into the record books in many ways. He holds single-game records, single-season records, and career records. Luwane holds the following records:
- Tied for 1st for the most 3-point field goals made in a single game with 8 made 3-pointers, which was achieved twice while at UMass by him the last time being against VCU during the 2017-18 season.
- Tied for 1st in steals in a single game with 8 steals against UMass Lowell during the 2016-17 season.
- 3rd in points scored in a single season with 678 points during the 2017-18 season.
- 1st in 3-point field goals made in a single season with 107 made during the 2017-18 season.
- 6th in steals in a single season with 63 steals during the 2017-18 season.
- 13th in the 1,000-point club with 1,416 points during his time at UMass.
- 7th in 3-point field goals made in program history with 226 made.
- 7th in steals in program history with 143 steals.
Carl Pierre, a guard from Boston, Massachusetts, played at UMass from 2017-21. Pierre played under Coach McCall and was a two-time captain during the 2019-2020 and the 2020-21 seasons. Pierre was known for his 3-point shooting especially when he is tied for 1st in 3-point field goals made in a single season with 8 made against Yale during the 2019-2020 season. Carl is tied for 6th in 3-point field goals made in a single season with 92 made during the 2017-18 season. Pierre is a part of the 1,000-point club and is tied for 18th with 1,353 points during his time at UMass. He is 2nd in 3-point field goals made in program history with 286 made.
Mike Mannix is a UMass alum where he got his Bachelor’s in Sports Management. Mannix currently is the head coach at Wilbraham and Monson Academy for the prep boy’s basketball team. Paul Chmura currently is an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team at Western New England University (WNE). Chmura is just finished his second season as an assistant at WNE in which he helped the team get to a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championship this past season. Patrick MacWilliams is the owner of Five College Movers and is the director of the Mass Collective, a NIL Collective for the UMass Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams. Javorn Farrell played at UMass from 2009-12 with several of the players on The Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth will find out who they are facing on Wednesday, June 21st at 12pm EST on The Tournament’s Youtube page (@the.tournament) which will be hosted by Seth Greenberg and Andrew Zoldan. Joining The Commonwealth in the TBT are Ram Nation, which consists of VCU alumni, Red Scare, which has Dayton alumni, and The Rhody Way, which consists of Rhode Island alumni.
Kaily “KG” Godek is a current student at Western New England University. She has been a supporter of UMass Athletics for over 15 years. Kaily focuses on both UMass Basketball teams, and will occasionally focus on the other Women’s Basketball teams in the conference. While writing for A10 Talk, she is a manager for the Men’s Basketball team at WNE. When she graduates from WNE she is looking to go into Sports Broadcasting and Journalism. You can follow Kaily on Twitter @kgumass23.
