Former UMass men’s basketball forward Ronnie DeGray III is heading to the SEC.
The freshman announced Wednesday on Twitter that he’s transferring to Missouri.
“First I would like to thank God for leading me through this path in finding a new home. I also want to thank my parents for helping me each step of the way,” he wrote in a notes app screenshot. “Thank you to all my teammates for creating bonds that will never be forgotten, we will always be brothers for life. This decision was by no means easy but God always has a plan.”
DeGray announced he would enter the transfer portal back on April 24. The Woodstock Academy product had four Power 5 offers coming out of high school: Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Arkansas and Washington State.
He is the third member of the 2020-21 Minutemen to enter the transfer portal. Senior captain Carl Pierre announced his commitment to play a postgrad season at Rice on April 1. Sophomore center Tre Mitchell hasn’t proclaimed anything definitive since declaring his entry to the portal on March 15.
DeGray averaged 8.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. The Parker, Colo., native started 14 of UMass’ 15 games and was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Jan. 18 after wins against Rhode Island and Fordham. DeGray posted a career-high 21 points in the victory over the Rams.
UMass added two guards from the Northeast to help replenish its roster. Rich Kelly will join the Minutemen as a grad transfer from Boston College. He was third on the Eagles averaging 11 points per game. Kelly spent three seasons at Quinnipiac before heading to Chestnut Hill.
“Rich is an extremely talented, all-around player,” UMass coach Matt McCall said. “He can score from anywhere on the floor, move the ball up the court quickly and execute the correct reads on balls screens. Further, he brings a high level of maturity, character and leadership, and a mental and physical toughness that will benefit our team in a significant way.”
Albany transfer CJ Kelly will also be a Minuteman next season, and he has two seasons of eligibility remaining. He led the Great Danes averaging 14.3 points per game to go along with four rebounds and two assists per contest. Kelly played a year at Norfolk before getting to Albany.
“Like many of our additions this offseason, CJ brings a high level of maturity to our program,” McCall said. “On the floor, he can score at all three levels, shoots the ball at a high percentage, and can play in the pick and roll. He will also bring length and size to our lineup as well as the versatility to play multiple positions.”
DONNELLY HEADS WEST – Former UMass women’s basketball forward Maeve Donnelly joined the University of Hawaii early this week. She entered the transfer portal April 6 and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Donnelly was limited to six games last season dealing with concussion protocols. As a freshman, she started all 31 games and set the single-season program record with 76 blocks. Donnelly’s 10 blocks against Holy Cross is a program record.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.