As the men's basketball team opens its season Saturday night against Bridgewater State, it certainly has an abundance of seniors to turn to for guidance and leadership.
The tri-captain unit of seniors Jake Weitzen and Ryan O'Keefe and graduate student Ross Trethewey, along with three other seniors, are set to lead the Jumbos into neighboring Waltham, Mass. for the season-opening Brandeis Classic. But the Jumbos' opener will also be a coming-out party for the team's only freshmen - Matt Galvin and Sam Mason.
Contributing freshmen can lighten the load of some of the veterans heavily entrenched in the rotation and ease the burden on veterans to carry the team.
Galvin, a point guard, graduated from Regis High School, a private school in Manhattan with a rich basketball tradition. The Jumbos are hoping they've snagged one of the elite point guards for which New York City basketball is known. But for Galvin, the transition to the college game is a tricky one.
"I can tell the pace here is definitely a lot quicker than high school, so I'm going to have to get used to that," Galvin said. "But coming from New York City, I'm used to a quicker game, so I'm hoping that will help."
Galvin comes in as a backup for the Jumbos' established starter at the point, senior Jeremy Black. Black has made just three career starts, but after making some strong offseason strides, he'll probably take on a bulk of the minutes leading the Tufts offense.
"Right now, I see myself stepping in only when Black gets tired," Galvin said. "I'm still learning the ropes - learning what's going on on the court. Hopefully as the season progresses, I'll be able to take a bigger role."
"He's going to be the backup point guard, and it's going to take him a while to learn the system," coach Bob Sheldon added. "It's a whole new system, and it's harder being a point guard, because you've got to be the quarterback. Instead of just learning his spot, he's got to learn all five, so there's going to be a period of adjustment."
That period of adjustment will also be an issue for Mason, a 6'4" forward from Philips Exeter Academy. He finds himself buried in the depth chart, however, as the Jumbos boast a pair of returning sophomores at forward in Dave Beyel and Bryan Lowry, as well as a new senior walk-on in 6'6" Aaron Harris.
"Sam Mason's a 6'4" wingman, and he's got some real good wingmen in front of him," Sheldon said. "He's going to have to play really hard to get some time."
Luckily for Mason, he has the talent to make an impression right away.
"Sam is really impressive," Weitzen said. "He has a very polished game - very athletic and very long, and he plays great defense. Those are his greatest attributes."
The team's veterans will be expected to make the transition for the two rookies as seamless as possible.
"They've really been great," Galvin said. "They've been great to me and Mase. We've been getting along with everybody."
And luckily for the rookies, the upperclassmen have steered clear of hazing the two newest Jumbos.
"There haven't been too many freshman chores," Galvin said. "I mean, there are only two of us, so there's not that much they can do. We just have to take the punches whenever they come."
