Massachusetts coach Frank Martin heads into the Minutemen’s final season in the Atlantic 10 on the same page as Rahsool Diggins, a guard who begins his third year in the program.

For his part, Diggins is simpatico on the floor with Jaylen Curry, the other returning UMass guard likely to have the ball in his hands plenty this season.
And that bodes well for a program looking to build off last year’s surge up the A-10 standings.

“The fact we have seven returning guys helps me,” Martin says. “Rahsool and Jayden, if they’d never been teammates before --- because they’re both scoring guards --- then it’s hard to get them to understand one another. But when you return your guards and those two guys get along, everyone else falls in line.”

Diggins’ college career has been an adventure. He played his first two seasons at Connecticut for Dan Hurley before transferring to Massachusetts after Martin got the job in Amherst. Neither of Diggins’ head coaches is known for subtlety in communicating.

But an interesting thing has happened, especially with Diggins set to take on more point guard responsibilities this season: He’s at ease.

“I’m at peace and I’m comfortable, and when you’re a player and you’re comfortable, that’s the best,” Diggins says.

A proven, veteran guard --- and Diggins, who averaged 12.8 points and shot 36.8 percent from 3-point range last season, is surely that --- is a fine foundation for this year’s bunch as UMass takes its last lap around the Atlantic 10 before leaving the league in a football-driven move.

It’s also one of the hallmarks of Martin’s best teams. Another? A defense bolstered thanks to newcomers, particularly in the frontcourt.

“We’re the No. 1 offensive team in the A-10 last year, but our defense was below standards of what we as a staff like to have,” Martin says. “We played hard. We wanted to win. We tried everything we could. We had some defensive limitations and I think we corrected that recruiting. We have depth and athleticism on the front line. We're probably my most physical team since the late [2010s] --- ’17, ’18, ’19.”
 
A look at the Minutemen:

Coach: Frank Martin, third season at Massachusetts, 35-27 with the Minutemen and 323-228 overall in 17 seasons

Last year: The Minutemen were a deceptive 12-7 overall and 3-4 in the conference on Jan. 23; all three league victories were by double digits, and three of the losses were by a combined six points. Massachusetts caught fire from there, winning eight of its last 11 --- including a victory at Richmond --- to land the No. 4 seed in the A-10 championship. A quarterfinal loss to VCU ended the run with a 20-11 overall record and 11-7 league mark.

They’ll miss: A pair of first team All-Conference forwards. Josh Cohen (15.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Matt Cross (15.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg) gave the Minutemen one of the most effective front lines in the Atlantic 10 last season, and both transferred. Also gone is UMass’ No. 4 scorer, guard Keon Thompson (9.3 ppg)

Impact returners: Senior guard Rahsool Diggins is the Minutemen’s headliner, and rightfully so. He shared the A-10’s most improved player award with Richmond’s Dji Bailey last season, and he’ll play a major part in whatever success Massachusetts enjoys this winter.

Martin also has a pair of sophomore guards who logged extensive minutes last season: Jaylen Curry (7.4 ppg) and Jayden Ndjigue (5.5 ppg).

“I don’t care about their stats,” Diggins says. “I just love the competitive spirit they have, the competitive energy. If anybody loves to compete and is confident when they’re competing, I think they’ll be good.”

Newcomers of note: Help has arrived from a variety of sources. Daniel Rivera, a graduate student who played at Bryant last year, figures to slide into the lineup as a forward.
Nate Guerengomba, a 6-foot-4 guard from Washington by way of Connecticut’s South Kent School, is among the most lauded freshmen in the A-10 this year.
Malek Abdelgowad thought about coming to UMass last season before settling on Murray State. It didn’t work out in the Missouri Valley, but his frame and athleticism makes him perfectly suited for Martin’s system.

Perhaps the biggest wild card is 6-foot-10 junior Shahid Muhammad, who Martin says does things he’s never seen on the court. Muhammad blocked 106 shots in 30 games at the College of Southern Idaho last year, and while there will be an adjustment from the junior college ranks, he has a chance to be one of the A-10s best rim protectors.
Reasons to be optimistic: When you think about Martin’s teams at Kansas State and South Carolina, the usual traits were unrelenting defense and an impressive array of length and size.

Defense was an offseason priority, and its effectiveness is still to be determined. But the Minutemen --- with eight players listed at least 6-foot-8 --- are undeniably rangy.
“If I was in the SEC or the Big 12, the two leagues that I’ve had to build programs in to compete, I’d be really excited to be in both of those leagues with this group of guys,” Martin says.

X factor: Rivera averaged 13.1 points and 8.1 rebounds last season in the America East while swatting 73 shots. As a team, Massachusetts had 93.
And considering he’s 6-foot-6 and slated to play the three, Rivera has a chance to be a real problem for the Minutemen’s foes.

“He’s bringing some very elite athleticism,” Diggins says. “His arms are long. I’m going to be honest --- he blocked a couple of my 3s just by being there. He’s very competitive, too, and he doesn’t get out of the way, and that’s what we love here.”

Circle the date: Befitting Martin’s confidence in the roster, the Minutemen have an ambitious nonconference schedule. Among the highlights: A trip to West Virginia on Nov. 8; back-to-back games with Temple and Florida State in Uncasville, Conn., on Nov. 23-24; and a Dec. 21 meeting with Arizona State in the Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass.

Bottom line: This isn’t a farewell tour for Martin and the Minutemen; they’re in it to stack the program’s first back-to-back 20-win seasons since a three-year run from 2011-12 to 2013-14 and make a push for an NCAA tournament berth. If the point guard situation is stable --- and Martin is bullish about his options there --- then Massachusetts can land in the top third of the A-10 in its final season in the league.