The women's basketball team's preseason has left several players weak in the knees. The Jumbos, who had already lost four women to graduation, have now lost one player for the whole season to a knee injury, and three others for part of the year.
The situation forces younger players to take larger roles on the team, and freshmen and sophomores have played a prominent role in Tufts' opening two games. After disposing of Johnson and Wales on Nov. 21 behind sophomore center Emily Goodman's 31 points, the Jumbos lost handily to Babson College last night, 69-47.
The Jumbos' home opener is Sunday against Lasell, and the team will be without the services of both captains, senior guards Shira Fishman and Meghann Gill, who are out with knee injuries. Also missing are sophomore guard/forward Erin Harrington, who is out until next semester with mono, and sophomore forward Sarah Conlon, out for the rest of the season with, you guessed it, a knee injury.
Fishman led the team in assists last season with four per game, and started in every contest for the Jumbos. She also led the NESCAC in steals with 77. Harrington, meanwhile, was the team's third leading scorer, and provided an outside threat for the Jumbos, connecting on 12 of her 25 three-point attempts.
"Erin proved herself last year," Savitz said. "We miss her at this point. She had a good pre-season, she played well in our scrimmage. Her strengths are her shooting and her defense."
Luckily for the Jumbos, Fishman and Harrington will both be back in time for the more important conference games after winter break.
The Jumbos started last season's campaign promisingly enough, sprinting out of the gate with five straight wins over non-conference opponents. Following a loss to Wellesley and a win over Smith after winter break, the Jumbos lost to Colby 66-60 in the first game against a NESCAC opponent. The Jumbos would finish 3-6 against NESCAC teams, while topping six of their last seven non-conference opponents.
This season, another poor showing against NESCAC opponents could exclude Tufts from the inaugural NESCAC women's basketball tournament. But before the NESCAC schedule begins on January 20, the Jumbos have some healing to do.
The team has lost several players to graduation, among them All-NESCAC second team forward Molly Baker. "A huge loss," Savitz said. "She always gave us a double-double. She could run all day. She was always in shape."
Baker averaged 12.4 points and a team-high 9.4 rebounds per game for the Jumbos last season, and her departure leaves holes in the offense and on the boards.
"We can take care of her scoring if a few other players step up," Savitz said. "But we will definitely miss her rebounds. She was also a great leader."
The Jumbos also lost guard Melissa Harvill, forward Karen Robator, and center Meagan Brown. Harvill started every game for the Jumbos, while Robator played 18 minutes per game off of the bench and led the team with 26 blocked shots.
One important ingredient that should stay the same this season, though, is Goodman. She was the team's leading scorer as a freshman last season with 17.2 points per game, as well as its second best rebounder, behind Baker. She was named NESCAC and NEWBA (New England Women's Basketball Association) Rookie of the Year, and named to the All-NESCAC second team.
"Emily is a presence," Savitz said. "She has great footwork. Every time she is balanced, she scores. She is very hard to defend one on one in the post. She is the best post player in the NESCAC. She's tough and has a number of moves."
Goodman also led the NESCAC in free throw percentage (.769), finished second in points per game, and third in field-goal percentage (.539).
With Gill and Fishman out, the team must find a leader on the floor. The job could fall to sophomore guard Hillary Dunn. "Hillary has emerged as a starting point guard," Savitz said. "She sees the floor well, and has a good understanding of the game. The only thing that I would like Hillary to do more of is shoot, and she's capable of doing that. I'd like her to find shots more and be a more verbal leader."
The returning juniors are led by two guard/forwards, Katie Kehrberger and Jayme Busnengo. Kehrberger, who comes off a season with the women's soccer team that finished in a loss in the national finals, started almost all of the games for the Jumbos last season, posting four points per contest. "She is in great shape," Savitz said. "She brings athleticism and is a pleasure to have on the team because she brings a lot of energy"
Busnengo did not see much playing time last season, averaging seven minutes a game, but has become an important player on a team decimated by injuries. "She is an all-around player," Goodman said. "Because a lot of people have been hurt, we have been really relying on her, and she has come through so far."
Kehrberger contributed four points and perhaps more importantly, six rebounds in the Jumbos' season opening 70-62 win over Johnson and Wales. Dunn played solidly for all 40 minutes at the point, combining eight points and seven assists. Goodman scored 31 points, while freshman Maritsa Christoudias added 14 as the Jumbos managed to win with only eight players on the roster.
"It was nice to see Maritsa step up," Savitz said. "She certainly asserted herself in the first game. Her biggest strength is her athleticism." Christoudias is one of four freshmen on the team, all of whom saw time in the Johnson and Wales game.
"We had a strong class," Dunn said. "But their class should be just as strong."
Also contributing to the victory was freshman Kate Gluckman, who chipped in with four points and seven rebounds.
"Kate's strength is rebounding and defense, and we know that anything that we get on the offensive end is just gravy," Savitz said. "She's one of the hardest workers on the team."
The other two freshmen, Erin Buckley (6'0") and Rebecca Anderson (6'2"), add much-needed height to a team that was out-rebounded by opponents last season, even before losing four players each to graduation and injury.
"Erin's got to rebound the basketball," Savitz said of Buckley. "She can be a physical presence, she just doesn't always know it."
Most of the players are expected back in time for the NESCAC opener on Jan. 20 against the Bates Bobcats, when the games really begin to count, and the playing time has given the younger players an opportunity to mature that they might not have had otherwise.
"It's tough when the captains are out," Savitz said. "Hopefully when we are all healthy, we will go eight or nine deep. We have confidence in the kids playing right now. Kids are getting game time. Everybody is playing. With kids out others are called upon to step up."
