‘Good for our program’: UMass Lowell signs up for Gonzaga, UW road trip

The cluster of nine schools in the America East Conference in the upper right corner of the U.S. map is about as far away as possible from Gonzaga and the West Coast Conference.

So what brings UMass Lowell, located about 30 miles outside of Boston, to the McCarthey Athletic Center for Friday’s date with the fourth-ranked Zags?

The challenge and exposure of playing a national power is part of it, and so is an ensuing game against Washington. There are also important financial considerations for the River Hawks, who are off to a 2-0 start in their 12th season at the Division I level.

“If we’re going to make that trip, I’m going to play two games and obviously we need the money,” UMass Lowell head coach Pat Duquette said. “All that was great, the exposure and the chance to play Gonzaga, but I needed to combine the trip (with Sunday’s game at Washington) to make it worthwhile, so we worked with both schools on the dates.

“It’s good for our program. The kids are excited. I don’t think anybody saw (Gonzaga) beating Baylor by 40 points, but they’re excited. I have to raise a certain amount of money for the department and we use some extra to supplement our budget. It’s a good thing that (opportunity) still exists.”

The team’s cross-country trip begins with a 4 a.m. EST wake-up call Tuesday, but you won’t hear any complaints from Duquette. His arrival at UMass Lowell coincided with the program’s first season of the four-year transition to D-I. The River Hawks weren’t eligible for the NCAA or NIT tournaments during that four-year period, per NCAA rules.

Duquette, a former Boston College and Northeastern University assistant, guided the River Hawks through the inevitable struggles of moving up from Division II to solid footing in the America East. They’ve posted 48 wins the past two seasons, but came up short against Vermont in conference tournament title games both years. UMass Lowell has played for the America East Tournament championship three of the past four years.

“It was my first head coaching job (in 2013-14), too, so a lot was going on,” Duquette said. “One hundred percent unwavering support from above and within was critical. I didn’t realize how tough it would be to recruit when you’re not eligible for NCAA Tournament, because that’s what the kids want.

“Fortunately, my boss understood and was patient with me and gave me the time, and we were able to turn the corner. We were caught in the middle of the league for a while, but the last three years we’re right at the top.”

The America East preseason coaches’ poll projected UMass Lowell at second, behind perennial power Vermont, which has won or shared eight consecutive conference regular-season titles. The higher seed has the luxury of hosting tournament games.

UMass Lowell’s roster features eight returners, three starters and the conference sixth man of the year (forward Quinton Mincey), along with three transfers, including starting point guard Quincy Clark (Jacksonville State), and freshman guard Martin Somerville, who is third in scoring at 11.0 points.

Mincey leads the way at 23.5 points, followed by guard Yuri Covington at 15.5 points. Forward Max Brooks, first-team All-America East last season, contributes 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds while forward Cam Morris III averages 10 points and five boards.

“We’ve been fortunate not to lose our good players to the portal, even before NIL and especially since. They like it here and we’ve had enough success,” Duquette said. “And I think we’ve gotten more efficient at tapping into the portal and finding the balance between high school (recruits) and the portal.”

Time will tell if the River Hawks can secure their first trip to the NCAA Tournament, but they figure to be in the mix again in March, and likely for years to come.

“I’m big believer in the whole body of work,” Duquette said. “What we’ve done I’m really proud of, and we’re in a spot for another year to have a great chance to compete for the conference and tournament championship. I want to accomplish that for our players, myself and the university, to get a taste of (March Madness).”