AMHERST — After being cautious with DeJon Jarreau in Saturday’s game with Central Florida, UMass coach Derek Kellogg said the only thing holding the freshman guard back will be his conditioning when the Minutemen host Pacific, at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Mullins Center.
“I think he’s capable of playing the minutes I need, I think it’s how good can he play in those minutes,” Kellogg said. “I’m looking forward to getting him back in shape and back into a groove a little bit.”
Jarreau returned Saturday after an MRI revealed that his foot, which was previously thought to have been broken, wasn’t. He was eager to return to the high level of play he showed in the season’s first weeks.
“I just want to play. When I found out it was four to six weeks, that had me mad. I’m just happy to be back so soon,” Jarreau said.
Kellogg said he wasn’t sure how Jarreau’s status would affect the starting lineup.
Last week, Jarreau told medical staff that he didn’t think the injury was as bad as originally thought.
“I was just walking on it and it didn’t feel fractured,” Jarreau said. “It doesn’t hurt at all. I’m good. I’m not feeling anything. It feels good.”
Jarreau was looking forward to his first extended minutes with his friend and former high school teammate Brison Gresham, who has played sparingly since becoming eligible last week.
“He’s way better than that. Once he gets in a groove, he’ll be ready,” Jarreau said. “It’s time to take off, we’ve got our whole team. It’s time to really jell and get after it.”
After struggling to shoot the ball in recent games, Kellogg had his team practice at the Mullins Center Tuesday instead of the Champions Center.
“We needed to get in the gym and get some shooting in, whether it’s free-throw line, 3-pointers, mid-range,” he said. “I thought it was important we get into the Mullins Center and shoot.”
Thursday’s game is part of the Gotham Classic, which usually ends with a game at Madison Square Garden in New York City. But scheduling problems this year led to UMass simply playing four homes games instead. The games against North Carolina A&T (Dec. 13), Kennesaw State (Dec. 17) and Rider (Dec. 22) are all included.
While Gotham in Amherst won’t include Batman, it will feature Mighty Mouse. Pacific is coached by former NBA point guard Damon Stoudamire, who played 13-years in the NBA for Toronto, Portland, Memphis and San Antonio.
“We got to know each other when he was playing for Memphis (Grizzlies),” said Kellogg, who was a University of Memphis assistant at the time. “He’s a good guy and a good coach. I think he’s going to do a good job out there.”
UMass (5-2) hopes the Tigers (3-4) break their season-long pattern of altering wins and losses as they fell to Cal State Fullerton, 78-77, on Saturday. Pacific has also lost to UCLA, UC Irvine, and Nevada, while beating Green Bay, Wyoming and Sacramento State.
It’s a much better start than last year when the Tigers lost their first eight Division I games and finished 8-20 (6-20 vs. Div. I).
Ray Bowles, a 6-foot-5 junior guard, leads Pacific in scoring (14.6 per game) and is second in rebounds at 5.7 per game. Jack Williams, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, is the top big man with 12.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Pacific struggles offensively shooting .385 percent, while allowing opponents to shoot 45.9. The Tigers are effective on the offensive glass grabbing 13.6 of those misses per game.
The game is UMass’ first of two in 48 hours. The Minutemen will face Providence, Saturday at noon in Rhode Island. Kellogg said he had no plans to further distribute minutes Thursday to keep his team fresher for Saturday.
“With the landscape of college basketball, I go into every game like it’s the national championship or a Final Four game,” Kellogg said. “It’s like this close from being a game you can win to a game you can lose. We’re not there yet where we can blow anybody out. We’re going to have to play tough to beat anybody.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage