UMass Lowell men’s basketball program adds seven players, including three transfers

LOWELL — UMass Lowell men’s basketball head coach Pat Duquette has added seven newcomers to his roster ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

While this is the largest incoming class to join the River Hawks in a single season since 2014-15, the group brings a solid combination of experience and skill to the lineup.

The team welcomes four true freshmen: Kris Johnson, Armani Perkins, Martin Somerville and Isaiah Walter.

The new players also include three transfers: senior Quincy Clark and fifth-year seniors Mekhi Gray and Caleb Murphy.

“We are excited to welcome a new generation of talented, deep players, combining three transfer players with four freshmen,” Duquette said. “They will bring depth and versatility to our defensive line and will complement our core of returning players very well.”

The River Hawks are coming off two straight seasons in which they advanced to the America East championship game. Expectations are high for Duquette and his program. UML went 22-10 last season, including a win at Georgia Tech and a two-point loss at Arizona State.

Let’s take a look at the new River Hawks:

Kris Johnson

Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound freshman guard from Prince George’s County, Maryland, starred at Clinton Grace Christian School.

He was a two-time first-team all-conference selection. Johnson averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. PrepHoops ranked him among the top 10 players in Maryland.

Armani Perkins

Perkins is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound freshman guard from Brockton who starred at Holbrook High School.

At Holbrook, he was a three-time Mayflower League All-Star. He surpassed the 1,000-point mark as a senior. As a junior, he was selected as the Mayflower League Most Valuable Player.

Martin Somerville

Somerville, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound freshman guard from Bowie, Maryland, spent last season at Southern California Academy.

Somerville averaged 14 points and five assists as a senior and was named Overtime Elite in his final season.

Isaiah Walter

Walter, a freshman guard of impressive size (6’4″, 200 pounds), grew up in Gosford, Australia and stood out at Tuggerah Lakes Secondary.

He spent last season at Terror Prep in Toronto and had a solid season, averaging 15.7 points, 7.9 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. He was named second team all-tournament by the Elite Prep League.

Quincy Clark

Clark, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound senior guard from Columbus, Ohio, is a transfer from Jacksonville State.

At Jacksonville State, he averaged 7.9 points and 2.9 rebounds, along with 97 assists and 34 steals. He started 13 of 32 games. Clark began his college career at Lipscomb, where he played from 2021-23.

Mekhi Grey

The graduate student is a 6’4″, 190-pound guard from Montrose, New York, and well known to River Hawk fans.

Gray is a transfer player from NJIT, where he played against UMass Lowell from 2020-2024. In 105 games, Gray started 74 of them, averaging 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Gray was selected to the America East All-Rookie Team in the 2020-21 season.

Caleb Murphy

Murphy, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound graduate student from Atlanta, Georgia, will play at UML after stints at South Florida and DePaul.

He played in 52 games at South Florida before transferring to DePaul. In two seasons at DePaul, he saw action in 23 games, starting eight. He averaged 5.4 points, 2.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game at DePaul. He was ranked the No. 72 high school player in the country by ESPN.