By just about any measure, the University of Maine men’s basketball team had a successful season. The Black Bears made it to the America East Conference final for the first time in 21 years. They won their first home playoff game in 30 years. And in the process, they have reignited a long-dormant sense of excitement around the program.
In just three years, this group of players and Chris Markwood’s coaching staff have transformed UMaine men’s basketball. That is an achievement that transcends wins and losses — even for a team that won 20 games this season.
Perhaps the only people left unsatisfied with the results might be the players and coaches themselves, who have long known that this team had what it took to make a run in the playoffs. Their goal throughout the postseason was to win games and get the program to its first-ever NCAA tournament berth. They fell just one game short.
Markwood was “still in frustration mode” when speaking to the Bangor Daily News last week about the season, and said he’s “still in the process of trying to figure out what I could have done better to help our guys.”
But his pride for those players was front and center.
“I do think what hits you quickly after a game like that or after a season like that, is just how grateful I am for the group of guys that we have, and had this year,” Markwood said. “And all the work that those guys have put into their individual games, and the work that they have put into coming together as one — and the connectivity that they built over time.”
That connectivity, and the culture Markwood has built around hard work and character, helped power the Black Bears to significant milestones throughout the season.
What they achieved
The men’s team hadn’t made it to the conference championship since 2004. This squad won two playoff games to get there after finishing third in the conference during the regular season, one slot ahead of their projected ranking in a preseason poll. The Black Bears hadn’t won a game on Vermont’s home court since 2011, and brought home that long-sought win in Burlington during the conference tournament, against the three-time defending champion Catamounts.
And those successes brought a buzz back to the team during the winter months, something that has more often been directed at UMaine women’s basketball and men’s hockey.
“Even just going to the games in the Pit has been a vibe lately,” Orono Brewing co-owner Asa Marsh-Sachs said when his business held an America East championship watch party. “There’s just a ton of excitement around this team, and all these guys just playing their hearts out. It’s awesome.”
How they got there
One of the undeniable reasons that Maine saw a resurgence this year was the play and leadership from three-time America East Defensive Player of the Year Kellen Tynes. The graduate student guard led the country in steals per game this year, set a program record for career steals in just three seasons in Orono and led the way on both sides of the ball for the Black Bears.
Markwood also explained how his team traded size for added scoring this year, playing a guard-heavy lineup in an attempt to ratchet up offensive production while still focusing heavily on the defensive end of the floor. That often meant playing senior guard Quion Burns or 3-point threat Christopher Mantis in the four position at forward.
“We made a strategic decision this year to play more small ball with Quion Burns at the four, who’s got great length, and rebounded the ball at a really high rate for us,” Markwood said.
Burns led the team in rebounds and was its third leading scorer, averaging nearly 13 points per game and over six rebounds per game. And Mantis provided more than 8 points per game. That approach made them “a little bit thinner” on the wings but also improved the offense, Markwood said.
He pointed out that Maine evolved from the worst 3-point shooting team in the league to one of the best.
“And those guys were a major reason,” he said of Burns and Mantis.
Earlier in the season, Tynes spoke about wanting to leave UMaine men’s basketball better than he found it when arriving three years ago. There is little doubt that he and his teammates achieved that.
“I think there’s no question it’s in a much better place than where we started,” Markwood said last week, crediting the players who made that possible. “And it’s my job as the head coach, the guy driving the bus, to make sure it keeps going in the direction that those guys have set it off on.”
Who they’re losing
Key contributors Tynes, Burns and Mantis have all exhausted their eligibility and played in their final season with UMaine. Their departures were always going to leave big holes to fill. The Black Bears appear to be losing two other key players from this year’s team with top scorer AJ Lopez and junior guard Jaden Clayton entering the transfer portal this week.
Lopez scored nearly 15 points per game this season and has one year of eligibility left, which he seemingly will use elsewhere.
Clayton was fifth in scoring for the team, averaging more than seven points per game. He was second in assists, behind Tynes, with more than four per game.
It is still possible for players to enter the transfer portal but later decide to stay at their current school. Markwood said Tuesday night that his staff haven’t had “any of those major discussions” about what would happen if Lopez or Clayton decide to leave the portal and would instead like to stay at UMaine.
“In the meantime, we have to continue to recruit for our program to make sure we take care of our program,” Markwood said.
The head coach said he is “grateful for the guys that have been here” and will always have a relationship with them.
“I love those guys, and they know that,” Markwood said about Lopez and Clayton.
But he will keep focusing on the players who want to be in Orono moving forward.
“That’s the most important thing, is just continue to focus on people that want to be here, and get guys that are going to continue to embrace what we’re about up here,” Markwood said. “Just like those guys have done in their time here.”
Navigating the transfer portal
Markwood’s team is no stranger to the push and pull of the portal, in both the challenges and opportunities that it brings. The Black Bears lost their most productive player to the portal a year ago in Peter Filipovity, but responded by adding critical depth with Mantis and big men Killian Gribben and Ridvan Tutic, all providing valuable minutes as transfer players this year. Gribben, Tutic and junior Keelan Steele shared critical duties down low for the team.
The transfer portal has impacted college basketball “probably unlike any other sport” Markwood said last week, with college football in that conversation as well. He said his staff has done an “excellent job bringing in the right type of guys that have really embraced Maine and had an impact both on and off the court.”
And on Tuesday night, he noted the increasing prominence of the transfer portal. Over 1,000 players nationally had already entered the portal, according to CBS News.
“This is the reality that everybody is facing right now, to be honest,” Markwood said Tuesday night. “This is the new world that — as coaches, as programs — we all are going to have to figure out. And you’ve got to either adapt and get with those times and understand that, or it’s going to go in the other direction. All you can do is embrace it.”
Who they’re gaining
Outside of the transfer portal, the Black Bears have already secured commitments from three high school recruits. That includes the highly anticipated Maine native Ace Flagg, a high school champion in three different states who is also the twin brother of Duke phenom Cooper Flagg.
“We’re really excited about all three freshmen. Obviously, in this area, Ace is gonna get a lot of the talk in the media — as he should, as a homegrown kid coming back,” Markwood said.
He called Flagg “a really good player that we’re excited about” and has previously emphasized his versatility, toughness, basketball IQ and strength as a teammate.
“But the other two guys too are along a similar line in terms of high-upside, impact guys,” Markwood said of the two other recruits, point guard Bashir N’galang forward Josh Ojuri.
He called N’galang “athletic, tough, physical, our type of guard,” and Ojuri a “really long, super athletic and bouncy” wing player with “a knack to score the basketball.”
The coach isn’t putting a timeline on how and when the freshmen will start contributing for the Black Bears next season.
“You never fully know with freshmen until they get here what the immediate impact is gonna be,” Markwood said. “I do think at some point or another all those guys are gonna have a big, big impact in our program. It’s just a matter of when.”
New expectations, same approach
Markwood said that higher expectations after a strong season are a good thing, but he won’t be getting caught up in the added attention.
“We want to raise the expectations around this program,” Markwood said. “That means we’re doing the right things and we’re moving it in the direction we said we were going to.”
That won’t change his approach, however.
“But in terms of how we’re gonna build it, and continue to grow it, and continue to raise the expectations — not gonna change,” Markwood said. “We’re gonna continue to build it around the right type of people: high character, hardworking, serious minded individuals that obviously have the talent to compete at the highest level in our league.”
He credited the players and expressed appreciation for the way fans rallied around the team this year.
“We really want to thank the community for really jumping on board here as the season went on and supporting us,” Markwood said. “And we’re excited to continue to build that relationship with them and continue to build a program that they are gonna get behind and enjoy watching.”