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Not officially hired until June, when Cleo Hill Jr. joined UMES after successful D2 stints at Shaw and Winston-Salem State, he inherited a completely barren roster and build up the team in short order from scratch, so it is no shock that the Hawks are 0-8 against D1 opponents this year (although the team’s start during the first two weeks of the season included one-possession losses to Penn and Old Dominion.) So far, the team’s offense is heavily leaning on ISO (8th lowest A/FGM rate) and the defense has not found it’s groove yet.
Like any coach with a brand new roster, Hill has mixed up rotations, with eleven players averaging more than ten minutes per game, but Ketron Shaw, a 6’5 combo guard who last played for Hill at Winston-Salem State is the team’s star. Last year, Shaw was Winston-Salem State’s best defender and played PG in spells. This year, he is currently the team’s do-everything guard on offense, as Shaw is currently 31st in the nation in usage rate who is keen on penetrating and facilitating off the dribble and is not a volume shooter from the perimeter.
As the team’s de facto big point guard, Shaw is surrounded by a backcourt that profiles as more “score first” even though fifth year senior Evan Johnson has played some true point guard during his time at Georgia State. The veteran is the only player on the Hawks with NCAA Tournament experience, so the confident combo guard can lead the charge or play off-ball, making him a nice fit to play alongside Shaw, but Johnson is prone to turnovers, though. Cardell Bailey starts at the three and is a low-usage, low-turnover floor spacer. Off the bench, Jose Cuello is continuing his 40+% three-point shooting from his time at College of Sequoias, and is an excellent cutter to find open space on the perimeter. He’s a feisty defender too. Ketron Shaw’s younger brother Kyrell, a wiry freshman, hasn’t adjusted well to the speed of college basketball and is mostly used as a floor spacer, but he’s got long-term potential. Hassan Perkins is an undersized scoring guard off-the-bench who was an honorable mention JUCO All-America pick last season and is very mistake-prone creating off the dribble but is off to an efficient shooting start. All-in-all, for a MEAC team, it’s a pretty deep backcourt and packs a lot of size with 6’0, 6’5 and 6’6 starters, but the bench guards are much smaller.
UMES’ relative size continues in their frontcourt, even with STAC transfer Lawrence Foreman (6’9 240) out with an injury and Utah Tech transfer and Willimantic native Trey Hall (6’9 215) still waiting to make his season debut.
Starting his career at Austin Peay and originally recruited by Cleo Hill Jr. to play at Winston-Salem State, Jalen Ware starts at the 4, even though his athletic inside/outside skills allow him to play the 3 in bigger lineups (which he hasn’t yet) or the small-ball five (which he has done in spells). Not known for his offense, Ware is an active defender and rebounder and can generate turnovers both by steals and blocks in sprints. Freshman Maurice Vassel is cut from the same cloth as Ware. Playing part of his high school career at St. Benedict’s, the three-star recruit earned offers early in his recruiting from eight high-majors, so UMES having the chance to snare Vassel is a recruiting boon. With the injuries in the frontcourt, Vassel has been the team’s backup center, which parlays his athleticism, rebounding and shot-blocking, but at 6’9 195, he lacks muscle and strength in halfcourt situations playing at the five. It doesn’t happen often, but UMES’ most electric lineups include both Ware and Vassel in the frontcourt.
Averaging nearly a double-double at the JUCO level, starting center Christopher Flippin is a physical, big-body classic post player who has been rebounding very well on both ends, but has struggled to score at the D1 level. Despite his 6’8 240 frame, he is not a strong rim protector.
Like Vassel, fellow freshman Ralph Martino has an impressive pedigree after suiting up last season with Overtime Elite. The combo forward is a high-end athlete and owns a steady motor, but his offensive game is currently very raw.
Random aside, we spent part of last year’s 7th grade field trip on the UMES campus with their marine biology staff and it’s a beautiful and pretty chill part of the mid-Atlantic. I surprisingly enjoyed my time on the Eastern Shore.
Listen, Maui was tough, so a jet-lagged tune-up is much needed after UConn resumes playing a gauntlet of talented and experienced teams. However, led by the elder Shaw brother and surrounded by a mix of shooters, athletes and relative size, it wouldn’t surprise if UMES finishes the season in the tier below the Norfolk State’s of the MEAC.
Like any coach with a brand new roster, Hill has mixed up rotations, with eleven players averaging more than ten minutes per game, but Ketron Shaw, a 6’5 combo guard who last played for Hill at Winston-Salem State is the team’s star. Last year, Shaw was Winston-Salem State’s best defender and played PG in spells. This year, he is currently the team’s do-everything guard on offense, as Shaw is currently 31st in the nation in usage rate who is keen on penetrating and facilitating off the dribble and is not a volume shooter from the perimeter.
As the team’s de facto big point guard, Shaw is surrounded by a backcourt that profiles as more “score first” even though fifth year senior Evan Johnson has played some true point guard during his time at Georgia State. The veteran is the only player on the Hawks with NCAA Tournament experience, so the confident combo guard can lead the charge or play off-ball, making him a nice fit to play alongside Shaw, but Johnson is prone to turnovers, though. Cardell Bailey starts at the three and is a low-usage, low-turnover floor spacer. Off the bench, Jose Cuello is continuing his 40+% three-point shooting from his time at College of Sequoias, and is an excellent cutter to find open space on the perimeter. He’s a feisty defender too. Ketron Shaw’s younger brother Kyrell, a wiry freshman, hasn’t adjusted well to the speed of college basketball and is mostly used as a floor spacer, but he’s got long-term potential. Hassan Perkins is an undersized scoring guard off-the-bench who was an honorable mention JUCO All-America pick last season and is very mistake-prone creating off the dribble but is off to an efficient shooting start. All-in-all, for a MEAC team, it’s a pretty deep backcourt and packs a lot of size with 6’0, 6’5 and 6’6 starters, but the bench guards are much smaller.
UMES’ relative size continues in their frontcourt, even with STAC transfer Lawrence Foreman (6’9 240) out with an injury and Utah Tech transfer and Willimantic native Trey Hall (6’9 215) still waiting to make his season debut.
Starting his career at Austin Peay and originally recruited by Cleo Hill Jr. to play at Winston-Salem State, Jalen Ware starts at the 4, even though his athletic inside/outside skills allow him to play the 3 in bigger lineups (which he hasn’t yet) or the small-ball five (which he has done in spells). Not known for his offense, Ware is an active defender and rebounder and can generate turnovers both by steals and blocks in sprints. Freshman Maurice Vassel is cut from the same cloth as Ware. Playing part of his high school career at St. Benedict’s, the three-star recruit earned offers early in his recruiting from eight high-majors, so UMES having the chance to snare Vassel is a recruiting boon. With the injuries in the frontcourt, Vassel has been the team’s backup center, which parlays his athleticism, rebounding and shot-blocking, but at 6’9 195, he lacks muscle and strength in halfcourt situations playing at the five. It doesn’t happen often, but UMES’ most electric lineups include both Ware and Vassel in the frontcourt.
Averaging nearly a double-double at the JUCO level, starting center Christopher Flippin is a physical, big-body classic post player who has been rebounding very well on both ends, but has struggled to score at the D1 level. Despite his 6’8 240 frame, he is not a strong rim protector.
Like Vassel, fellow freshman Ralph Martino has an impressive pedigree after suiting up last season with Overtime Elite. The combo forward is a high-end athlete and owns a steady motor, but his offensive game is currently very raw.
Random aside, we spent part of last year’s 7th grade field trip on the UMES campus with their marine biology staff and it’s a beautiful and pretty chill part of the mid-Atlantic. I surprisingly enjoyed my time on the Eastern Shore.
Listen, Maui was tough, so a jet-lagged tune-up is much needed after UConn resumes playing a gauntlet of talented and experienced teams. However, led by the elder Shaw brother and surrounded by a mix of shooters, athletes and relative size, it wouldn’t surprise if UMES finishes the season in the tier below the Norfolk State’s of the MEAC.
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