Coming into the season, the men's basketball team knew it would be better than last year's team, but it achieved beyond expectations. The team finished 16-10, with a 7-2 record in NESCAC, losing only to Connecticut College and Amherst - the number two team in the country in Div. III - in NESCAC play.
The record is a turnaround from last year, in which the Jumbos record was 8-17, with a conference record of 2-7.
The Jumbos won nine games on the road this season, after managing only one victory away from Cousens last year. The Jumbos' biggest test of the year came as the team played on an eight game roadtrip that lasted from Jan. 18 to Feb. 5. During that stretch they went 5-3 and defeated three major conference opponents, including 2004 NCAA runner-up Williams.
A big reason for the Jumbos' success was senior tri-captain Reggie Stovell. Thrust into a leadership role, he led the team in scoring with 18.2 points per game and in rebounding with 10.2 per game. In NESCAC play he averaged 21.3 points per game.
Finishing third in the conference in scoring, Stovell was named to the All-Conference Team. His three NESCAC Player of the Week awards gave him two more than eventual NESCAC Player of the Year Andrew Schiel of Amherst.
"It's going to be tough to replace Reggie," sophomore guard David Shepard said. "You can't just find 20 points and 10 rebounds. We've got some good guys who could step it up, but there's no question it's going to be a challenge."
The consistency of Stovell on the boards was helped by another veteran, junior center Dan Martin. He was named NESCAC Player of the Week for his career performance against Colby in the first round of the NESCAC tournament, a game in which the center scored 26 points and pulled down 15 rebounds.
The other senior captains, Drew Kaklamanos and Jesse Belodoff used their veteran experience to lead the team in crucial situations. Kaklamanos started all 26 games and scored 8.5 points per game. Kaklamanos is also considered by some players the best perimeter defender on the team.
The team will need to replace two guards next year as Kaklamanos' departure is paired with that of Belodoff, a backup point guard.
While the team will miss Stovell's scoring inside next year, it will find consolation in the development of its freshman guards. Freshman guards Jake Weitzen and Ryan O'Keefe averaged 11.1 and 10.9 points a game respectively, finishing second and third on the team in scoring. Weitzen's damage came exclusively off the bench.
Also returning will be sophomore Brian Kumf, who was fourth on the team with 10.7 points per game. Coach Bob Sheldon once described him as "the most athletic player on the team." He started 21 games this year and captivated fans with his crashing drives to the basket.
Sophomore David Shepherd was one of the more unsung heroes on the team. He only had 8.3 points per game, while starting all 26, but it was his assists and perfect inbounds passes that left a mark. He led the team and the conference in assists with 6.69 per game. He finished a full 1.42 assists ahead of the second place player in assists in the NESCAC, Middlebury's Simon Behan. And he triggered one of the most memorable plays of the season, throwing up a perfect lob for Martin from the inbound for the alley-oop in the team's 93-81 victory over Trinity on Feb. 11.
The victory over Trinity completed a four game winning streak that put the Jumbos a season-high seven games over .500, an impressive feat considering that the team opened the season 1-3, before a string of three road wins propelled them to a winning record.
Going into conference play, the team was on semi-shaky footing, having just lost to Brandeis. But they defeated Colby and Bowdoin to open conference play. Following a loss to Wheaton, the team again won three straight on the road, against conference rivals Williams, Middlebury, and Wesleyan.
"One high point of the season was beating Williams," Shepherd said. "We came into their gym, and beat them by nearly 20 when they were in the top 25. Even though we were winning for most of the second half, it seemed like it was a close game. We kept the emotion up."
The season came down to the final weekend, when Tufts had a one-two punch of No. 22 Trinity and No. 4 Amherst.
"That was another high point of the season. Trinity had the league's leading scorer, and it felt good to beat them," Shepherd said. "The crowd was unbelievable; it felt good to win a big game at home."
The roles were reversed for the second contest. Amherst crushed the Jumbos 94-61, proving its dominance.
The following weekend Colby came to Cousens for the first home playoff game since the 1999-2000 season. The Jumbos won the game 99-88 to set up a semi-final match-up with Bates. That's where the season ended as the Bobcats defeated the Jumbos 60-54.
The team's No. 2 seed in the tournament was the result of a turnaround season. In fact, on the team's brochure, produced before the season, claims, "the Jumbos will continue to rebuild in the 2004-2005 season." The Jumbos did more than rebuild, but they still have work to do.
"This off-season we'll have to rededicate ourselves and simply try and be better," Shepherd said.
