When Jordan Clayton entered the transfer portal, reconnecting with Frank Martin yielded a sense of familiarity that felt like home.

Clayton, a 6-foot-2-inch, 185-pound junior from Medford attending Bradford Christian Academy, considered playing for the Martin at UMass when he was the No. 3 player in the state, before choosing Northwestern. Martin’s “tough love” resonated.

“He definitely gets on you, but you can tell that he really cares about you and wants you to be your best,” Clayton said. “That’s something really valuable to me.”

Clayton joins senior guard/forward Jayden Ndjigue (Ayer/Rivers), redshirt junior guard Rollie Castineyra (Marblehead/Phillips Exeter), and freshman guard Cam Hailey (Dorchester/Western Reserve) on a roster with an unmistakable local flavor and deep ties. UMass opened the season Monday night with a 71-60 win over Troy.

Clayton met Castineyra on the court in fourth grade, played against and then with Ndjigue in the Rivals AAU program for years, and knew Hailey as he starred on a younger Rivals team.

Ndjigue is one of Clayton’s best friends, and he stayed in touch with Castineyra and Hailey over the years, as well.

Martin called it an “epiphany” to return seven players from last season’s team in this unpredictable college basketball landscape. Adding a transfer who feels like a returner, plus other talented players who are buying in, yields natural team chemistry and a hometown feel.

“I’m really happy that they get to play basically in their backyard and represent their state,” Martin said. “Every time they take the court, their heart is going to be surrounded by the two names that are making them who they are: their last name on the back and Massachusetts on the front.”

UMass men’s basketball coach Frank Martin returns seven players from last year’s 17-16 squad.Courtesy/UMass Athletics

Ndjigue said that when Martin recruited him out of high school, Martin’s pitch was that the staff envisioned Ndjigue helping the team as long as he bought into their vision and played extremely hard.

He said that after last season, when he didn’t play as well offensively as he hoped, Martin helped him understand why and how to fix it. He pointed out spots to be aggressive and how to become assertive and a vocal leader.

“I’ve made too many mistakes to count in my time here,” Ndjigue said. “He’s stuck by me through all of them. He’s always come in, whether or not I made a hundred mistakes the day before, and still tried to help me gain a better understanding of the game of basketball.”

This season, Ndjigue will have another trusted voice in his ear encouraging him to maximize his potential. When Clayton gets on him and raises his voice, Ndjigue listens because their friendship spans close to a decade.

Ndjigue is learning how to become less passive and take over games rather than blending into his surroundings.

“It’s been incredible,” Martin said. “Jordan and Jayden are best friends. Jordan coming to school here has now unlocked Jayden. Jayden is a lot more confident in his voice.”

Ndjigue will be sidelined for Friday’s 4 p.m. tip against Boston College at TD Garden but should return within two weeks for a team trying to break through in the Mid-American Conference.

The Minutemen knocked off undefeated Miami (Ohio) in the quarterfinals before falling in the semifinals to finish 17-16. This season, they believe they are capable of more.

“We have a good team,” Martin said. “We’ve just got to put the parts together.”

Trevor Hass can be reached at trevor.hass@globe.com. Follow him on X @TrevorHass.