Connector Staff
The UMass Lowell men’s basketball team welcomes eight freshmen for the 2015-16, including five new recruits. Find out about the team’s new players below:
Logan Primerano is from Peru, Ind. which is why he is most excited to play at Notre Dame this season, which is close to home. He says New England is different than where he’s from because it’s “a lot busier, there’s a lot of stuff going on.”
He chose UMass Lowell because of the quality coaching staff and the hope for a good education. “It’s been a dream of mine to play division one since I was little,” Primerano said. He believes his best contribution to the team will be his energy and positive attitude. If his friends had to describe him in three adjectives, he said they would be: outgoing, friendly, and athletic. Primerano has enjoyed going to hockey games at UMass Lowell because “they’re so different from what I’m used to,” he said.
Isaac White of Ashland, Ohio is looking forward to this season for the “major teams we get to play against,” he said. So far, things in New England seem a lot faster to him and there’s a lot more “crazy drivers,” White said. He said chose UMass Lowell because he believed it would push him to be a student and an athlete more than any other schools he
looked at. White thinks his best contribution to the team will be his smart decision making in games and ability to take care of the ball. His friends would describe him as: caring, goofy, and kind. His favorite sport to attend at UMass Lowell is also hockey because it isn’t in ohio and it has a “cool atmosphere,” he says.
Jordan Shea is in his second year at UMass Lowell but this will be his first year playing due to an injury last season that caused him to Red Shirt. He is from Lodi, Wisconsin and his favorite part of last year was traveling with the team and “hanging out with the guys,” he says. This season, he is mostly looking forward to being able to play. The biggest difference from home for him is being so close to the ocean, and having to deal with traffic. He chose UMass Lowell because he wanted to come out to the east coast and he liked the coaches. All in all he explains that UMass Lowell “seemed like a good fit.” He started out playing basketball at the gym with his dad and fell in love with the sport. He is a team player and if his friends had to describe him they would say he was easy going, friendly, and goofy. Shea likes to go to soccer games here at UMass Lowell because he has friends on the team and he has always wished he was good at soccer.
Ryan Jones thinks that New England is much colder and that people talk differently here compared to where he is from in Riorancho, New Mexico. He says he is most excited for “traveling the country and playing” with his teammates. He chose UMass Lowell because the coaching staff made him feel at home and he thought it would be the best place for him to play basketball. Jones started playing in the fifth grade, he explains that he “fell in love with it” and then quit all of the other sports he had previously played. He believes that he has leadership qualities, even as a freshman, and that he will be able to score when the team needs it. He would be described as: shy, goofy, and motivated. He enjoys going to hockey and volleyball games at UMass Lowell to support his school and meet new people.
Josh Gantz of Colombus, Ohio Red Shirted last year but still enjoyed “traveling to different big schools,” he says. He is looking forward to seeing how the team comes together and “finally playing,” he explains. New England is a lot colder than Ohio and the snow is a big change for Gantz. He chose UMass Lowell because it wasn’t too far and he thought the coaching staff would make for a good second family. He started playing basketball because he was tall but then, like many other players, fell in love with the game. He believes his high basketball IQ will benefit the team this season. He is funny, caring, and dedicated. He enjoys the hockey games at UMass Lowell because they bring in a big crowd.
Keith Hayes is from Little Rock, Arkansas. He says this season he is “excited to play the tougher competition and see how my team and I match up.” New England is a different culture for him, the food and clothing varies from his home and there are a lot more people here he explains. He chose UMass Lowell to experience somewhere besides the south. He enjoyed the coaching staff and it made him feel more comfortable that many other players live far away as well. “Basketball is my sport because I don’t think about anything else when I’m on the court,” Hayes says. He believes it is the best sport in the world and when he plays it’s like a second nature to him. He brings versatility to the team by being able to score and play defense. Three adjectives his friends may use to describe him would be: funny, laid back, and trusting. He enjoys volleyball because it’s interesting and exciting to watch.
Dontavious Smith, another sophomore who redshirted last season is from Cullen, Louisiana. His favorite part of last year was getting to know everyone around campus but this season he is looking forward to “being out there on the court and playing,” he says. One hard part of transitioning to New England for him has been the lack of fried food and good tea here he explains. He chose UMass Lowell because he wanted to “be a part of what’s building here,” he says. Smith explains that basketball has been what he likes to do from an early age. He brings height and smarts to the team along with being a good teammate. He is charismatic, funny, and motivated. Smith also enjoys attending hockey
