After a successful 21-6 season in 1999-2000, the men's basketball team is ready to lace up its sneakers once again. The Jumbos are looking to pick up where they left off last year, after defeating Colby 74-73 in overtime for the ECAC championship, and will rely on a strong core of veterans and an explosive offense to get the job done.
"What we hope to do is to take off from where we ended up last year," coach Bob Sheldon said. "We had a good run down the stretch, we got almost everybody back, and we want to build on that. I would like to win 20 games again, and see where we go from there."
The Jumbos finished the regular season winning their last four games, and then went on to win three more to clinch the ECAC Tournament title. The team went 16-2 through the final month-and-a-half, and only lost one of its 13 home games. Last year's stellar finish has many people wondering if this is 'the year.'
The Jumbos return all but two players, although both losses, guard Mike Andrews and forward Paul Smith, were starters. The make-up of the team remains very similar to last year, although an extra year of experience will help developing players as the season wears on.
Tufts will be led by senior captain Dan Flaherty, who, at center, topped both the scoring and rebounding lists last year, at 14.1 and 8.2 per game, respectively. The team will also look to seniors point guard Bobby Mpuku, forwards Fred Pedroletti and Brandon McKenzie, and center Tom Bernier for veteran support.
"There's some good leadership on the team," he said. "There's some real characters on the team - they've been around for four years, they've played a lot of time. Last year they had a little taste of some success, and now we want to take it to the next level."
There is no question that Tufts will be able to score. Flaherty and Pedroletti each averaged over 13 points per game last season, with Pedroletti leading the team in field goal percentage, at 53.1. Sophomore Brian Shapiro put up seven a game despite seeing limited action, and that number is expected to rise along with his playing time.
Mpuku, who averaged 8.0 points and 4.4 assists last year, will run the offense, but will also see some minutes at the two spot, splitting time with freshman Phil Barlow at each position. Barlow, one of the Jumbos' top recruits, may provide the team with the explosiveness off the dribble that it lost with the departure of Andrews, who played his fourth season last year as a graduate student.
"Phil Barlow is going to get some serious time," Sheldon said. "[He] turned down Division I scholarships to come here. He's going to be fun to watch."
Shapiro, last year's NESCAC Rookie of the Year, can play both shooting guard and small forward. Junior Bobby MacMannis, who averaged 4.7 ppg, will enter the rotation second semester, but will miss the first part of the season while he recovers from wrist surgery. Sophomore Lee Neugebauer, who averaged 1.4 ppg while playing just over six minutes a contest, will also get time in the backcourt.
The Jumbos, however, will be at their strongest on the inside, where four of the team's five seniors will spend most of their time. Flaherty, at 6'7" and 248 lbs, returns in the best shape of his career, and has been pushing the team throughout the preseason.
"Dan Flaherty has been unbelievable in what he's done from the end of last year until now," Sheldon said. "He's in the best shape of his life. He's playing well, and because he worked so hard in the preseason, he brought guys along with him. We're in the best shape we've ever been in. [The other players] worked hard because Dan made them."
In addition to Flaherty and Pedroletti, Tufts also has the option of going to the 6'6" Bernier, whose aggressive style of play will give the team a boost of the bench. At 6'6" and 200 pounds, freshman Troy Palmer, one of the most athletic players on the team, according to Sheldon, will also see significant time down low. Sophomore Kyle Van Natta will start at small forward, but at 6'5", he also gives the team some extra height.
Tufts may have trouble on defense, however. The Jumbos lost two of their best defenders in Andrews and small forward Smith, and will have to work to replace their presence on the court.
"Our team is a little different this year because the two guys we left were probably our best defenders, so we're trying to find somebody to step up," Sheldon said. "I don't think we're good on defense right now, but I think we can work into that."
The team will turn to its athleticism to help out, and will work on improving its defensive play as the season progresses.
"We're athletic. We're going to press more," said Sheldon of his defensive strategy. "We're going to play a little bit more zone, and we're just going to work on it and work on it."
Sheldon hopes that his team's high-powered offense will make up whatever it lacks on defense, although he feels that the team may defend better than even he gives them credit for.
"We're very, very good offensively," he said. "So even when we're practicing, we're playing against ourselves, so we're playing against good guys. I'm hoping that some of the stuff that we do in practice that doesn't work will work in a game."
Overall, Sheldon is optimistic about his team's chances. The Jumbos are in better shape than they have been in recent years, and last year's late-season success has fueled the veterans on the team, itching to win in their last year of eligibility.
"It's going to be a good year," Sheldon said. "I think we can win. We look at our schedule, and I feel that, on paper, we're as good as or better than everybody we play. We're going to be an exciting team to watch."
