When then-freshman basketball player Jake Weitzen logged nearly 30 minutes in the second game of his college career, scoring a team high of 23 points, grabbing ten rebounds and leading his team to its first victory - an 88-76 win over Whittier College on Nov. 20 of last season - it was nothing new for the 6'3" forward.
After all, Weitzen, now a sophomore, had been the star of his Bronx High School of Science team, earning an honorable mention for the New York Daily News All-Bronx Team in 2003-2004. Weitzen was used to being the go-to-guy.
The real change would come two games later when Tufts dropped a 104-89 game to Salem State. Weitzen was forced to watch most of the game from the bench, playing only 11 minutes and getting off just six shots.
Indeed, Weitzen, like many other freshman athletes, would spend his freshman season as a role player after being a superstar on his high school team.
"In high school, I used to shoot 25 to 30 times a game, while now I might shoot three to five times," Weitzen said. "I used to play the whole game, while now I may play only ten minutes."
For Weitzen, the transition from high school star to college role player was all about changing his mindset. Knowing that starting the game as a freshman on the bench would provide no guarantees, Weitzen just tried to take advantage of his limited opportunities.
"I was just hoping to get in and play," Weitzen said. "I know some freshmen didn't play and that was really hard for them. I came in here knowing it wasn't going to be like high school, so I was just trying to take advantage of every opportunity."
When he got on the court, Weitzen did just that. He only averaged 18.4 minutes per game, seventh on the team, but finished second in scoring with 11.1 points per game.
"I came in to provide instant offense, if we needed points, or just to change the lineup, give a guy a rest if he needed one," Weitzen said. "The main thing was to try to step in and not miss a beat."
Although he only took 7.5 shots on average each time he stepped on the court, Weitzen led the team with his 56 percent field goal shooting. He was also the team's most accurate and consistent three-point shooter, hitting 28 of 64 attempts.
But Weitzen said he recognizes that offensive prowess is not enough to keep a player on the court at the college level. To earn more time, the sophomore knows that he will have to improve the two weak links in his game: defense and stamina.
"Defense is a mental game a lot of the time, so I'm just trying to get better focus, [concentrate] more, and also just work out," Weitzen said.
While Weitzen was able to play serious minutes in high school, he has had to adjust to the up-tempo game the Jumbos play. Unlike his high school team, the Jumbos play a lot of man-to-man defense and employ more motion on offense.
For the 270 pound Weitzen to become accustomed to this new style of play, he said he has recognized the need for more experience and better conditioning.
Weitzen said he knows that his team will need him to play a bigger role going into the coming season as the team tries to adjust to life without departed tri-captain and All-NESCAC forward Reggie Stovell. Stovell led the team with 18.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
"Losing Reggie, everybody's role is going to change," Weitzen said. "Everybody's going to have to help with scoring and rebounding. The roles are going to be more dispersed."
With Weitzen and other players rising to greater roles, the team may need new freshmen to step in. For those freshmen, as well as any freshmen playing other sports, Weitzen offers some advice.
"Make sure you know your role," Weitzen said. "Be humble about it. Help your team in any way you can and when it's time to step up, make sure you have the confidence to do so."
