— By Bill Cornwell
Marshall’s men’s basketball team has wrapped up a month of preseason practices and two exhibition games.
Now it’s time for more meaningful action.
Marshall begins play at 7 p.m. Monday on the road against Massachusetts at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
The teams are taking part in the Mid-American Conference/Sun Belt Challenge that pits men’s and women’s teams from both leagues compete against each other.
Marshall defeated Davis & Elkins 90-62 last Tuesday in its second of two exhibition games. The Herd’s 7-foot-4 graduate center Matt Van Komen dominated against the Senators, recording a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
In an earlier exhibition, Marshall defeated Alice Lloyd College 123-63.
Marshall was one of the surprises of the Sun Belt Conference last season and finished 20-13 with 12 Sun Belt victories in head coach Cornelius Jackson’s first season.
Only one starter is back — 6-1 graduate guard Jalen Speer, who averaged a shade under 11 points and was a 35 percent shooter on three-pointers.
Another returnee likely to see more playing time this season is 6-10 senior forward Wyatt Fricks, who will be counted on to increase his average of five points last season.
Among newcomers who will a big part of this season’s team, none is more visible than Matt Van Komen, a transfer from Elon. Van Komen will be counted on as a rim protector as well as an offensive threat in Marshall’s pick-and-roll offense.
Seven-foot sophomore Erich Harding saw his playing time grow at the end of last season and will be a valued backup to Van Komen.
Newcomers who will bring scoring punch to Marshall include South Carolina State transfer Wilson Dubinsky and Noah Otshudi, who comes to Huntington from Western University in Canada. Sharp-shooting Gillette (Wyoming) College transfer Caleb Hollenbeck should boost the Herd attack.
The Herd’s inside presence will be bolstered by two additional newcomers — Hollenbeck’s Gillette College teammate Drew Fuquay and Cowley College transfer Shamarrie Hugie.
A freshman who could see significant playing time is 6-6 Bryce Slay, the son of Beckley native and Marshall Hall of Famer Tamar Slay. In exhibition action, Slay showed the ability to score from long distance and setup teammates for high percentage looks.
The Minutemen also played a pair of exhibition games, defeating Ivy League member Brown 92-74 and Rhode Island College, 109-78.
UMass is looking for improvements this season after finishing 12-20 a year ago in its final season as a member of the Atlantic 10.
Veteran Frank Martin is beginning his fourth season leading the Minutemen and has a 47-47 record in the previous three seasons. Martin had previous head coaching stops at South Carolina and Kansas State and was an assistant coach under Bob Huggins at Cincinnati and K-State.
There are only three returning players on the Minutemen roster this fall. The top performer of that trio is 6-8 senior forward Daniel Hankins-Sanford, who started 17 games and averaged 9.8 points and 7.4 rebounds last season.
The other returnees are 6-4 junior guard Jayden Ndjigue, who averaged 4.7 points, and sophomore forward Luka Damjanac, who played in only 13 games.
The Herd and Minutemen have split six previous meetings.
Marshall will host a Mid-American Conference team in the second round of the Challenge on February 7, 2026.
The Herd women are hosting Buffalo on Monday at the Cam Henderson Center.
