The women's basketball team has big shoes to fill this season.
The conclusion of the 2005-06 campaign coincided with the end of the storied career of Jess Powers' - one of the most highly recruited players in the program's history. Powers led the team in scoring three out of her four years, notching her 1,000th point midway through last season, and spent 788 minutes guiding her team on the floor, playing 100 more minutes than anyone else on the squad.
Certainly, the end of such a career marked the end of an era for the Jumbos. But it also provides a key opportunity for the personnel on the court this year, which is certainly not deficient in talent or depth. The Jumbos return five of their top six scorers from last season and seven players who averaged at least 13 minutes on the floor in 2005-06.
"Losing Jess is a big loss for us, but we are just going to take everything she taught us and put it into a new team," senior Valerie Krah said. "We have strong senior leadership, our offense is dynamic, and we're used to playing with each other."
With such a wealth of experience, the offensive burden will not fall on the shoulders of one or two players. Krah will take the lead from the perimeter, while senior co-captains Laura Jasinski (6'0") and Libby Park (6'2") and junior Khalilah Ummah (6'0") will patrol the paint.
"Last year and in years previous, we've always looked to Jess, and I think this year the nice thing is we have a lot of weapons offensively," coach Carla Berube said. "Both Val Krah and Laura Jasinski have stepped up offensively over the last couple of years. And we have [Ummah] and Libby and a good group of experienced players. But we'll always miss Jess because she played hard no matter what."
Berube's team has historically relied on the performance of its guards, but this year, the team's strength inside may lend itself to a different breed of play. Jasinski, Park and Ummah have eight seasons of experience between them and may give the Jumbos just the balance they need to pose a threat both under the rim and beyond the arc. Tufts will try to use its versatility down low to its advantage.
"We always want to get the ball inside," Berube said. "We'll take a two-foot shot over a 15-footer any day. Our focal point is getting it into [the forwards'] hands because they have the experience and the talent."
The Jumbos may have a seasoned core, but there is no shortage of new faces donning the brown and blue this season. The team has welcomed six new players onto the squad - five freshmen and one sophomore walk-on - a startling difference from last year, in which the team only had one freshman recruit and three walk-ons.
"We welcome all of the newcomers," Krah said. "We are very comfortable with each other - there is no division between the newcomers and everyone else, and that should play a huge part in our success. They bring a lot of energy and a new competitive edge."
As opposed to last year when injuries plagued the team, making it difficult to field a bench three or four deep in the middle of the season, this year's team will dress 14 players for opening night on Friday against Suffolk.
Although the rookies have only had two weeks of official practice to prepare for the first game of the season, they will not have to worry about a NESCAC opponent for another two months. The team will tip off its conference schedule with a game against Amherst on Jan. 12.
But like last year, when the squad competed against four top-15 teams, the 2006-07 non-league games are no walk in the park. Berube added Salem State, Worcester State and the WPI Tournament, held over winter break in Worcester, to the schedule.
Much of last season's tougher competition came during the team's West Coast swing in San Diego over winter break, when it lost all three games it played against Point Loma, Millikin and Messiah. This year, however, the squad is staying on the East Coast, and its record may benefit.
As has been the case during the Berube era, the team will hope to showcase its defense during those games and throughout the entirety of the 2006-07 campaign. Reminiscent of her years as a player at UConn, Berube has emphasized defense as the key to success on the court.
Last year, however, an anemic and often puzzling offense was the source of the Jumbos' pain. The team averaged a decade-low 54.4 points per game, shooting just 36.0 percent from the floor - second-to-last in the NESCAC. Still, Berube refuses to change her style of coaching, believing in the old adage that good defense yields good offense.
"We're still a defensive team; that's our bread-and-butter," the coach said. "That man-to-man in-your-face defensive pressure can lead to offense - we want to score out of our break. I like where our offense is. [Senior] Taryn [Miller-Stevens] and [freshman] Vanessa [Miller] are both pushing the ball well right now."
The team believes that a new slate will yield new offensive productivity.
"We have completely new plays this year," sophomore Kim Moynihan said. "Everyone is an offensive threat this year. We're not just depending on one person. We need everyone to step up and hit baskets. We're more of a threat that way too."
Only time will tell if this year's team can maintain its defensive prowess while compiling a dynamic offense. The Jumbos are only upbeat heading into Friday night's game, though.
"This is a new season with new offenses," Park said. "We're working really well together so far. We're just looking to go out there and play our game. Our team looks great this year."
