Excitement abounds as the UMass Lowell men’s basketball team is gearing up for a new season. The River Hawks will open the new campaign against Rivier University at the Kennedy Family Athletic Complex, formerly Costello Athletic Center, on Monday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.

This season brings a new level of anticipation, as UMass Lowell will feature an entirely new look, with 12 of the 13 players having never suited up for UMass Lowell. Despite the challenge of the unknown, Head Coach Pat Duquette is looking forward to seeing what his roster, which features eight transfers, two true freshmen and three redshirts can do. 

Last season, the River Hawks finished 17-15 overall under Duquette’s tutelage, marking their third consecutive winning season. Despite the new roster for 2025-26, UMass Lowell was still selected fourth in the America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll, signifying the respect for Duquette’s recruiting abilities.

“I’m a big believer that the majority of culture is defined by the quality of your kids and we have good kids so that part is solid," explained Duquette. "They are great kids, so the culture is there. They know right from wrong, they hold themselves accountable, all that stuff is there.”

The 2025-26 roster features 10 newcomers, which marks the largest class to join the team in its Division I history. Bringing a mix of experience and youth to the lineup, the incoming group features two true freshmen, Victor Okojie (Castlebar, Ireland) and JJ Massaquoi (Prince George’s County, Md.), alongside senior Austin Green (Sicklerville, N.J.), juniors Darrel Yepdo (Dracut, Mass.), Angel Montas Jr. (La Romana, D.R.), Xavier Spencer (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), Shawn Simmons II (Philadelphia, Pa.), Jared Frey (Columbus, Ohio), Jerrell Roberson II (Upper Marlboro, Md.), and Khalil Farmer (Philadelphia, Pa.). 

With such a new group, Duquette and his staff have been working to put the pieces together all preseason. The team has focused on creating chemistry, learning the River Hawk model, and developing a deep and strong rotation that will be needed to successfully move through a long season.

“We are going to have to define roles, which I’ve tried to do on a continual basis, and bring these guys in one-on-one and let them know where they are in the rotation," commented Duquette. "I just felt like it would be better for them and kind of help our development.”

This year’s 31-game schedule puts the River Hawks to the test right away, playing seven of their first nine games on the road. With games at Connecticut, Wake Forest, Bradley and Iowa, the team will need to stick together through a variety of challenges before they head into conference play. 

“I think one of the biggest keys for us early is to manage our schedule," stated Duquette. "It’s probably the toughest schedule we’ve had. We’ve got 10 non-conference road games and we are playing five of the higher major schools, so we’ve got to be able to handle that, stay together and then continue to grow at the same time, so I think that will be one of our biggest challenges early.”