The off-season was hard on the men's basketball team, but that doesn't dampen coach Bob Sheldon's optimism.
"We've got 13 guys on the team and they started working out since the week after the season ended last year," Sheldon said. "They have worked really well and really bought into the system. We're going to make up for the experience we lost with teamwork."
Tufts graduated its leading scorer and rebounder in the form of former co-captain Deyvehn East. East set an example both on and off the court last season averaging 12.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game while helping to sustain moral during its 8-17 (2-7 NESCAC) run.
Those who will also be absent from this year's roster include former co-captain Eric Mack, who graduated with East in the spring, now-junior Blaine Lay, who transferred to James Madison over the summer, and classmate Scott Armstrong who will study abroad in the spring. Mack led the team in assists last year with 83, Armstrong was second in total points scored with 229, while Lay was the second leading rebounder, averaging 6.2 boards per game, and the third highest point producer with 224 on the year.
"Deyvehn was very athletic had experience," coach Bob Sheldon said. "Eric was our point guard and played most of the time. We're going to miss the experience that they, and the two juniors, brought to the games."
Even with these key players, the Jumbos did not fare well last year, especially in the NESCAC. They averaged just 66.7 points per game, compared with their opponents' 76.6. Tufts did out-rebound its competition, 39.6 to 36.4 per game, with the help of Lay and East, but surrendered 19.6 turnovers every forty minutes. To better these statistics, Tufts will have to both compensate for its losses and potentially change its game plan against its highly-competitive league rivals. Sheldon is confident in his team's ability to do these very things.
This year's squad will be anchored by
senior tri-captains Reggie Stovell, Jesse Belodoff and Andrew Kaklamanos. 6'9" junior Dan Martin, who averaged 8.0 PPG with 4.6 RPG last season, will have to use his size to help fill in under the boards and drive to the basket. The team roster also includes four juniors and three sophomores along with three new freshmen.
"Martin and Stovell will be starting in the 4-5, and Brian Fitzgerald and Casey D'Annolfo will be other big guys inside," Sheldon said. "We're going to do rebound by committee and send five big guys to the boards. Last year we were so deep, we had to get some rotations going. Dan and Reggie will be getting more time, and we're excited about it."
Sheldon also expects several freshmen to break out on the offensive side of the court this winter.
"[Freshmen] Ryan O'Keefe and Jake Weitzen are both going to play and we expect them to be big contributors. They were both big scorers on their high school teams," he said.
Though they did not put up many wins against league opponents last year, the Jumbos did make the postseason tournament. However, they lost in the first round to Trinity on Feb. 21 by a score of 57-72. It was the second time that season that the Jumbos had fallen to the Bantams, and to add insult to injury, now-senior Craig Coupe, who played for Tufts for two seasons before transferring to Trinity, was on the winning side of the court in February. Tufts will be out to avenge this loss this season.
"There's a little extra something there when we play Trinity," Sheldon said. "But there's also something with Williams and Amherst too. [However], I think with Trinity it's a little bit more personal."
Tufts has been training hard throughout the preseason in hopes of improving from last season. So far the team and coaching staff feel optimistic as they prepare for their first games at the Lopata Classic in St. Louis, MO this coming weekend.
"As a staff, we're really excited about going this season," Sheldon said. "The guys will give us and each other any thing we might ask them to give. Right now we're playing as more of a team than we have in the past few years."
HOOPS STATS
<$>1 <$>Games the Jumbos won in 13 tries away from Cousens Gym last season
.292 <$>Team's three-point percentage in 2003-04
.387 <$>Opponent's three-point percentage in 2003-04
17 <$>Times Deyvehn East, Blaine Lay, or Scott Armstrong led the team in scoring (all are gone this year)
0 <$>Number of times Tufts won back to back games last season<$>
