The Huskies and their explosive All-CAA guard open the season Monday at Boston University.
Masai Troutman was playing basketball with friends in 2020 when he saw the initial report of Kobe Bryant’s death. He thought the post had to be a cruel fake.
“So then I actually checked and my heart sank,” says Troutman, who was a high school sophomore in Maryland. “In my stomach I’m feeling it right now just thinking about it. He was my idol for basketball.”
In the years since the helicopter crash that claimed Bryant’s life at age 41 (along with the lives of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers), Troutman has embraced Bryant’s Mamba mentality. The Huskies are counting on their explosive 6-foot-4 guard to help propel them into contention as he now begins his junior season at Northeastern.
“I try to push myself,” says Troutman, who averaged 10 points as a sophomore while starting every game for the 12-20 Huskies. “Kobe was relentless with it. The stuff like that is inspirational to me.”
The Huskies open the season at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Boston University (streaming on ESPN+). It’s part of a season-opening doubleheader with the Northeastern women’s team opening at BU at 4:30 p.m.The Coastal Athletic Association coaches have picked Northeastern to finish sixth in men’s basketball this season — and they’ve named Troutman to the All-CAA preseason second team.
The Huskies like their chances of surpassing expectations based on the leadership of their junior class of Troutman, Rashad King, Harold Woods and Collin Metcalf, who played big minutes while developing throughout their first two seasons at Northeastern. Coach Bill Coen offered them the opportunity to play through their mistakes and now the quartet is turning the corner, driven by a blend of experience and togetherness that is rare in this NIL era of the transfer portal.
“It’s a great strength,” says Troutman, who chose Northeastern amid offers from Florida, Georgetown, Indiana and other schools. “We came in together freshman year, always talking, huddling up after games, going to our boys’ apartments — the relationship throughout the years has been closer and closer. I feel like we’re the upperclassmen now, we know what we need to do, we know what works or what doesn’t work.”
It’s a versatile and complementary group. King can play both guard positions with the length and vision to disrupt defensively. Woods creates mismatches at either forward spot while providing physical toughness. Metcalf is an athletic shot blocker whose offensive game appeared to be turning the corner this summer as the quartet stayed on campus for daily workouts together.
Instead of pursuing opportunities in the transfer portal, Troutman said they’ve spoken often about realizing the investments they’ve made in each other.
“That’s outside noise,” Troutman says of offers to transfer. “We know what we got here. We’re going to stick together and make the best of it because we know we got each other’s back.”
Opposing CAA coaches view Troutman as the key because he’s an above-the-rim athlete who plays hard at both ends of the court with a goal of becoming an all-CAA defender.
“He’s got a relentless work ethic — he’ll get two or three workouts a day,” says Coen, starting his 19th season as Northeastern’s all-time winningest men’s basketball coach. “Quite often he’ll guard the other team’s best matchup, and that’s a challenge for a guy who you’re expecting to shoulder some of the scoring load.
“The game is slowing down for him. His decision-making is becoming better. He’s worked a ton on his 3-point shot so if people have to come out and play him at 24 feet, he’s got that much more space — and he can get to the rim on one dribble from just about anywhere and explode.”
Troutman has grown as a leader, which is crucial for a program seeking to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019.
“He’s a reserved individual personality-wise. He stays in his own lane and handles his business,” Coen says. “But he has taken this as a personal challenge to come out of his shell and be more of a leader. Obviously he’s a tremendous talent and everybody on the team respects him and respects what he can do and what he can be. He has put in a lot of time.”
Troutman, who is majoring in finance, aims to continue his playing career professionally beyond Northeastern.
“I want to keep this game going as long as possible — anywhere there’s a chance, anywhere they’re willing to take me,” he says.
The Huskies are viewed as postseason underdogs. Those types of negative predictions used to inspire Kobe Bryant — and they’re doing the same for Troutman now.
“I don’t pay attention, I had to get off social media because of all that stuff,” Troutman says of his team’s middle-of-the-pack forecast. “I’m just going to work regardless.”
