Six of the 14 players in Jumbo uniform on Friday will be wearing the brown-and-blue for the first time.
The team has added five freshmen and a sophomore walk-on to this year's squad and this influx of new talent will make up for a small sophomore class and stock the Jumbos' talent pool for future seasons. With a strong staff of four seniors leading the team, these newbies have plenty of role models on the court.
"[The freshmen] have great potential to be contributors to this year's team," senior captain Laura Jasinski said. "Playing a lot of pick-up during preseason was really important. It gave us a chance to get to know each other's style of play and really brought us together as one group, which is difficult when almost half of the group is new."
Getting to know each other is something the team will have to do a lot of this season, as they welcome new players to both the guard and forward positions. Joining senior guards Valerie Krah and Taryn Miller-Stevens will be first years Katie Wholey, Vanessa Miller and Casey Sullivan.
"I see both guard and post players emerging within the freshmen class," senior co-captain Libby Park said. "The potential for this class is great."
Under the basket, senior co-captains Libby Park and Laura Jasinski will work along with junior Khalilah Ummah in showing freshmen Julia Baily and Elisa Synborski the ropes of the Jumbos offense. Additionally, sophomore Katie Puishys, who was not on the roster last year, will hope to make an impact for the Jumbos below the basket.
With six new bodies this year, compared to just three last season (one recruit and two walk-ons), preseason practices have been more productive and the freshman presence has added a new spark to the Tufts roster.
"The physical aspect of having more bodies to practice with is a great asset," Park said. "However, more importantly, all the freshmen bring their own element to the team which gives us great chemistry on and off the court."
Whether the freshmen can adjust to college basketball and head coach Carla Berube's coaching style remains to be seen. Only a couple weeks into the season, the Jumbos are working diligently with an eye on Friday's start date, when they will face Suffolk in the Endicott Tip-Off Invitational.
"Although many people complain about the NESCAC starting [practice] two weeks later than everyone else in the country, it makes our preseason that much more intense," Miller-Stevens said. "This is definitely the most rigorous preseason I've experienced in my four years.
"I was surprised at how well the new players adjusted to the intensity of a college sport," Miller-Stevens continued. "They all committed themselves to getting better, and I think that contributes to why they have integrated so well with the returning players."
While the new additions have been working hard to fit in, taking charge of the young team will rest on the shoulders of the returning veteran leadership. With seniors Jasinski and Park down low and Miller-Stevens and Krah at the top of the key, the new players will have plenty of examples to follow.
"I believe that our returning players, especially our four seniors, have helped out a lot in [the freshmen's] transition from high school to college basketball," Berube said. "I believe they will have a positive effect."
With a veteran core, hard work on the part of the freshmen will determine who sees the most time on the court. Overall, the Jumbos look to have contributions from everyone, as it still remains foggy which rookies will emerge as the leaders of the class.
"Collectively, I think having six new players has been a challenge," Berube said. "But I think they did a great job preparing for the season in September and October. They've been working very hard in practice, and each day I think they're getting better and better and understanding what we want to defensively."
