As the men's basketball team vies for a spot in the NESCAC Tournament this weekend, junior and leading scorer Mike McGlynn will strive to reach another milestone in his basketball career. With his fourth three pointer against Middlebury last Saturday, McGlynn edged closer to Tufts' all-time single season three-point record of 90, set by Bill Slackman during the 1990-91 season.
McGlynn's hot hand from three-point land has sparked the Jumbo offense all season. He is averaging 18.2 points per game, including 24.7 points in NESCAC contests. His scoring in these conference games is particularly important for the team, as only the top seven NESCAC teams qualify for the postseason.
With two games remaining this season, and 89 three pointers in the bag, it seems almost a foregone conclusion that McGlynn will surpass Slackman's record. McGlynn has a 49.6 field goal percentage, and is 89-183 for 48.6 percent for three pointers. His three-point percentage is good for second place in the NESCAC, behind Bowdoin's Greg Orlicz, who holds a slight edge, shooting 48.7 percent from downtown. McGlynn averages just over four three pointers per game, and with this weekend's two home games is in prime position to take over the all-time lead.
While his three-point percentage is second in the NESCAC, McGlynn has connected on more shots from downtown this season than any other NESCAC player. The closest player to McGlynn is Colby's Damien Strahorn who is 12 behind with 77 threes on the season.
McGlynn's high three-point total can be partially attributed to the loss of sophomore point guard Phil Barlow, which left McGlynn and junior Brian Shapiro as the team's top scorers. Also contributing to his performance is the Jumbo's young inside game. Though freshmen Craig Coupe and Reggie Stovell have played solidly for Tufts, they are not yet dominant forces. Consequently, much of the scoring has had to come from outside rather than down low, giving McGlynn more opportunities to shoot.
McGlynn and the rest of the Jumbos will be in action tonight and Saturday afternoon, as they take on Wesleyan and Connecticut College in Cousen's Gym to close out the regular season.
