Last year, Vinny Pace ’18 averaged 5.2 ppg overall for the Tufts Jumbos, and 5.4 ppg in conference. This season, Pace has absolutely exploded, and his numbers have skyrocketed to 19.5 ppg overall and an incredible 22.3 ppg in conference, shattering last year’s statistics and leaving us NESCAC junkies wondering, “What did Vinny do this offseason?” Seriously, this improvement has been incredible.
When I talked to Pace this week about his offseason workout regimen, he told me his primary focus was on improving his jump shot.
“I think having that going more consistently this year is making it easier to drive and get into the lane and make plays on offense.”
It worked. Pace is shooting much more consistently. The sniper is shooting 43.2 percent overall this year, but what’s more impressive is his in conference shooting: Vinny’s 14 threes are the most made in conference play thus far, and his three-point shooting percentage (58.3 percent) puts him at third in conference play. Pace has knocked down three or more from deep in 15 games this season, proving that his long-range game is a vital part of his offense.
Defenders have realized they have to step out on Pace to contest the three, but when they do, he blows right past them to get to the hole. He’s drawing contact and getting to the foul line, but the key is that he’s not forcing anything. When Pace doesn’t have a clean shot, he kicks it out to open shooters. His ability to distribute the ball is possibly Pace’s most impressive attribute. He’s tied at eighth in NESCAC play in assists, which is very impressive for the league’s second-highest scorer.
In addition, Pace is also rebounding the ball extremely well. He has even out-rebounded stud center Tom Palleschi ’17 in conference play. Ranked fourth in NESCAC games, Pace has made it clear that even though they are going to push the ball on the break, Tufts’ four-guard lineup is not going to lose games on the boards. Pace loves the new up-tempo style of play.
“Playing faster has allowed for more easy baskets for the entire team. It has allowed for guys to make plays in the open floor in transition, which we really didn’t have a chance to do last year.”
As the season progresses, keep an eye on Pace. It is definitely going to be a challenge to keep up the freakish rate Pace is performing at – ranking top-10 in points, assists and rebounds is crazy – but I think Pace is at least up to the task of keeping it close. This Friday night’s tilt is definitely going to be a good one to watch when Pace matches up with Wesleyan’s star BJ Davis ’16 in Middletown, Connecticut. Tune in to see whether or not Pace and the Jumbos can keep the train moving in the right direction against the Cardinals.
Excellent article on Vincent. The only difference is that Vincent hardly had any playing time last year so the comparison between years is not valid.
The intent was not to knock Pace’s freshman campaign, but rather to highlight his stellar sophomore season thus far. Playing time differential was definitely considered when writing the article, however, productivity per minute played clearly shows Pace’s improvement from last season to this season. Last year, Pace played 17.7 minutes per game and scored 5.2PPG, while this year he is playing 29.0 minutes per game and scoring at a 19.5PPG clip. This means that last year he was scoring 0.29 points per minute, while this year he is scoring 0.67 points per minute. Additionally, Pace’s three-point shooting percentage has increased from 28.3% to 43.2% overall. These are enormous improvements in efficiency.
Your explanation is very well received. It genuinely was a great article. Thank you