Fans at Cousens Gym might be doing a double-take this weekend. Starting at center in the Tufts lineup will be Brian Fitzgerald - last year's senior tri-captain.
No, he didn't miss a graduation requirement - Fitzgerald, a Master's student in biomedical engineering, is using his remaining year of eligibility for the basketball program and returning to the team for another season.
The decision to return to the team was an easy one for the Jumbo big man who is eager to get the team back in line for a repeat of the 2005-06 NCAA Tournament run.
"There were a lot of factors in coming back," said Fitzgerald, who averaged 5.4 points and 5.7 rebounds a game last season. "Last year was a great experience for me and the rest of the team."
Fitzgerald did not play basketball his freshman year - he walked onto the team as a sophomore - so he graduated last year with another year of NCAA eligibility. It also means that he is part of the core group of players whose first year was the 2003-04 season when Tufts finished its season with a disappointing 8-17 record and has seen the turnaround of the program in the past three seasons.
The returning players from that team, including Fitzgerald and senior co-captains Dave Shepherd and Brian Kumf, dedicated themselves as players and teammates, which Fitzgerald believes was the key factor in turning around the program over the past two seasons.
"We worked hard and helped bring a whole new work ethic and state of mind to the team," Fitzgerald said. "I wanted to come back to the guys that I played with for three years and finish off what we started."
With the graduation of Dan Martin, the First Team All-NESCAC center who averaged double figures last season in points and rebounds, coach Bob Sheldon's Jumbos will rely on Fitzgerald to lead the team in the paint. With league standouts senior Rob Stockwell of Bates and senior Drew Cohen of Colby coming back as the league's top big men, Fitzgerald will play a key role in neutralizing their size and strength.
"I think he is ready for the challenge," Sheldon said. "He is important to us because he has a lot of experience, and he is a leader on and off the court."
Fitzgerald brings a warrior's mentality to the court, often implementing his own physical nature by gaining position inside and wrestling his opponents for the rebounds. Fitzgerald fouled out of five games last season.
"I think we need to be physical with teams," Fitzgerald said. "Teams in the NESCAC are typically soft, and if you look up and down our roster, we aren't the tallest team in the league, but we have some strength at a lot of different positions. If we all make an effort to rebound, defend and be disciplined on offense, then I think we have a lot of potential."
Fitzgerald's brute style of play is acknowledged and appreciated by his teammates.
"Without Fitz, people wouldn't fear us as much," Kumf said. "He has a known reputation for trash talking, technicals and hard fouls. He likes to think he is underground and nobody knows about him, but you don't want to go down the lane with him there. You never know what he's going to do."
With Martin graduating, the Jumbos lost a dominant offensive inside presence and their top rebounder and will have to focus more on team defense and rebounding than in years past. The Jumbos should have no problem putting points on the board, but most teams will look to hurt Tufts where they are vulnerable: their overall lack of size.
With Fitzgerald down low, opposing forwards will be tested physically, and guards will have to think twice before penetrating to the basket. Fitzgerald provides a work ethic and intensity to his team, a certain attitude that any basketball team needs. His finest attributes don't show up in the box score - there is no statistical category for toughness and inside presence.
Part of that attitude fumes a heightened expectation level for the 2006-07 season. Last winter, the Jumbos were all but in the Elite Eight, holding onto a three-point lead over Amherst, when the Lord Jeffs' sophomore guard Andrew Olson hit a desperation three-point attempt to send the Sweet Sixteen game into overtime, where the Jeffs shattered Tufts' March Madness run. This season, it's time for revenge, and Fitzgerald and company are hungrier than ever.
"We need to play with a chip on our shoulder," Fitzgerald said. "Last year, we felt we were one of the best teams in the country and that nobody knew about us."
With a No. 12 preseason ranking and a reputation to defend, teams know about the Jumbos now.
And after a few hard fouls from the new Tufts inside man, they'll know about Fitzgerald, too.
