The UMass basketball team announced its first addition out of the transfer portal for the 2026-27 season on Thursday in Northwestern guard Jordan Clayton. Growing up in Medford, Clayton comes back home to join the Minutemen after three seasons in the Big Ten with the Wildcats.
Clayton started 10 of the 31 games he appeared in this past season, averaging 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 18.3 minutes per game. The incoming senior showcased great efficiency from the outside, shooting 41% from the 3-point line in 2.5 attempts per game.
“Couldn’t be happier to announce Clayton becoming a member of our program,” UMass head coach Frank Martin said. “He is a leader who has a competitive spirit second to none.”
In his sophomore season, Clayton started all 10 games he played in, averaging 4.7 points, 2.5 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game. The 6-foot-2 guard appeared in 28 games as a freshman, including NCAA Tournament games against Florida Atlantic and UConn.
“[Clayton] was a rotation player for three years at Northwestern with a role that continued to grow,” Martin said. “He has played in NCAA Tournament games, so he brings invaluable experience, along with a talent that our team needs.”
During his high school days, Clayton played at Bradford Christian Academy, rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports and the No. 3 player in Massachusetts (two spots above now teammate Jayden Ndjigue) and No. 28 point guard in the nation.
Clayton and Ndjigue were previously teammates with the Mass Rivals 17U AAU team, finishing with a 15-4 record in the Adidas 3SSSB circuit.
