The more things change...

For the men's basketball team, it's d?©j?  vu all over again.

Last year starting point guard Phil Barlow, then a sophomore, went down with a foot injury early in the season, leaving the Jumbos without an experienced man to run the offense. Players were thrust into roles they weren't accustomed to playing, and starting lineups were juggled around as the team and the coaching staff tried to find the right person to run the offense. Lee Neugebaur, and Jim Wilson, then juniors both saw a number of starts at the point, as did then-sophomore Eric Mack.

This season, after Barlow and Neugebaur quit the team for personal reasons, Wilson, now a co-captain, and Mack were left to battle for the starting point guard position. And no sooner had coach Bob Sheldon and his staff decided that Mack was the right man for the job than the 5'8" junior went down with a severe foot sprain. Once again, Tufts' starting point guard is out, likely until January.

After a season riddled with injuries and inconsistencies, it appears, at least early on, that this season may feature much of the same.

"We've already got three guys on the injured list, and the season hasn't even started yet," coach Bob Sheldon said.

Another key player joining Mack on that list is promising freshman Dan Matin, a 6'8" prospect who would likely have seen substantial playing time. Martin went down with a broken leg, and, like Mack, will be out until January.

So with all of the injuries, even before the season's first tip off, why is this team so optimistic?

"Last year was a rebuilding year for us," Sheldon said. "When Phil went down last year, the other point guards hadn't been playing a lot. Now everybody's got more experience, and I foresee a good year."

Indeed, there are many differences between last year's squad and this year's, and there are differences between last year's injuries and this year's. When Barlow's season ended last year, the team had already been playing together for over a month, and the offensive scheme was at least partially based around the sharp shooting point guard. The Jumbos based their offense on a run and gun style of play, where Barlow, and now-seniors Mike McGlynn and co-captain Brian Shapiro were the primary shooters. When one of those players was done for the season, so was the game plan.

The offensive load shifted inside a great deal, and onto the shoulders of 6'7" Craig Coupe, and 6'5" Reggie Stovell, now sophomores. While both came into their own toward the end of the season, they struggled early on while they became accustomed to the fast paced NESCAC play.

This season, both Coupe and Stovell have a year of experience, and will be key starters for the new-look Jumbos at the four and five spots.

"Last year we tried to be run and gun, but this year we're looking to establish our inside game more," Sheldon said. "We're gonna look to pound it inside, which should help to open things up outside for our shooters."

The Jumbos' presence in the paint should be considerably improved, as all three freshman on the team are listed at 6'5" or bigger, including Martin at 6'8" and Blaine Lay at 6'7".

But this is not to say that the team will rely primarily on its big men. Tufts will certainly still be led by last year's leading scorers, Shapiro and McGlynn. McGlynn was one of two players from last year's team to receive All-NESCAC honors (Coupe was the Rookie of the Year), and led the team with 18 points per game, including 23.6 per game in NESCAC play. He was nearly unstoppable from three point range, shooting a blistering 48.1 percent from beyond the arc, far and away the team leader. But McGlynn's most valuable statistic may have been his attendance record, as he was the only player to start all 25 games last year, providing some much needed consistency in an inconsistent year.

Shapiro was second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game. The 2000 NESCAC Rookie of the Year also led the team in assists and steals, and missed only two games all season. McGlynn and Shapiro will round out the starting lineup at the two and three spots, respectively.

Also helping out will be sophomore transfer Andrew Kaklamanos, who played at a Div. II school in Florida last year. Kaklamanos may help co-captain Wilson at the point guard position while Mack is out.

Possibly the biggest thing the Jumbos have going for them this year is experience. The team lost just three seniors from last year's squad, only one of whom played in every game. And even though Barlow averaged ten points per game, all of those points came in the first two months of the season. Despite the departure of three players for personal reasons, all of the major contributors from last season are back this year.

Tufts opens its season next Tuesday at home against Springfield, in one of only eight home games the team has this year. With Mack on the bench, Wilson will make the start at point for the Jumbos, a position he became familiar with last year.

Even with a new game plan, and without Barlow, the key ingredients from last year's team are still there. And with all of the injuries so far, this season is looking more and more like last year. But if the players and the coaches have anything to say about it, this year will be vastly different.