Tufts University Jumbos
2017-2018 Record: 17-8 (6-4 NESCAC), lost in NESCAC Quarterfinals
2018-2019 Projected Record: 16-8 (5-5 NESCAC)
Key Losses:
G Thomas Lapham ’18 (7.0PPG, 2.3AST, 1.0STL/G)
G Everett Dayton ’18 (8.3PPG, 4.3REB/G, 44.9% FG)
G KJ Garrett ’18 (9.9PPG, 5.3REB/G, 1.2STL/G, 46.7% FG)
G/F Vincent Pace ’18 (18.3PPG, 8.3REB/G, 2.5AST/G)
Projected Starting Lineup:
G: Tyler Aronson ’22
Aronson found his way into the starting lineup right out of the gate in his freshman campaign. Listed at just 6’2” and 185lbs, Aronson makes his living as a scorer despite not being the biggest guy out there. He has a terrific jump shot and his high release allows him to get into the paint to score from mid-range rather than just live behind the three-point line. His outstanding athleticism makes him a very tough matchup on both ends of the court, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see him near the league lead in steals by the end of the season. Watch out for Aronson this year because he’s already in position to lead the next wave of elite NESCAC guards.
G: Carson Cohen ’22
The second of Tufts’ dynamic duo of freshman is Carson Cohen, who has served as a bit of a workhorse through his first four contests. Cohen is averaging 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists while playing 34 minutes each game thus far. These are some great numbers, and that includes two close victories and an overtime loss against #11 nationally ranked MIT. Playing a similar style to Aronson, Cohen has great handles and will surprise you with how quickly he can get to the basket. As his 5 assists per game would indicate, he has tremendous court vision and is serving as the facilitator the Jumbos need. He is also looking like an early rookie of the year candidate with his performance so far.
G: Justin Kouyoumdjian ’21 (4.7PPG, 2.4REB/G)
Kouyoumdjian is finding a nice role as the 3rdor 4thscoring option in the starting lineup. His shooting numbers are modest and certainly have room for improvement given his nice shooting stroke, but he’ll contribute a few buckets when the Jumbos need it. He’ll also grab a few rebounds and dish out a few assists, acting as a sort of glue for this team. In the early going he has turned the ball over at a bit too high of a rate (4 per game) so that’s something to focus on as the season progresses. For now, the southpaw serves as a complementary scoring option who will help keep everything running smoothly on the court.
G/F: Brennan Morris ’21 (1.8PPG, 0.4AST/G, 53.9% 3PT)
Morris brings a bit of height to the starting lineup and he plays as a true sharpshooter with about as pure of a jump shot as you can find. Like the smaller guards in the lineup, he can score in a multitude of ways and helps spread the floor on offense. He is a key part of the lineup as he has the size and length to matchup with some of the bigger forwards in the league, which will be especially important against teams like Williams and Hamilton who are loaded with 6’4”-6’7” wings. Morris is a great piece to have in this lineup, and it’ll be a big year for him given that he saw very little action in his freshman season.
C: Luke Rogers ’21 (5.2PPG, 4.8REB/G, 60.5% FG, 39.5% FT)
The Massachusetts native is about as true a center as they come. Rogers is a skilled post player who is capable of having huge games (as evidenced by his 32-point outburst in the second game of the season). He’s going to be a rebound machine this year, especially since Tufts will often go with a relatively small lineup. He was in the rotation last season, but didn’t play a ton of minutes so keep an eye on his durability given that his 6’8” frame is lugging 230lbs up and down the court every night. He is really going to have to work on free throws because he shot an abysmal 39.5% from the line last year, and he’s at 41.7% through four games this year. Teams are going to take notice, so he better be staying late shooting foul shots after practice or else hack-a-Rogers could be in full effect.
Everything Else
Tufts lost a larger portion of their lineup from last season than any team in the league. Not only did they graduate 4 players who played key roles, but they also saw the departure of Vincent Pace ’18 who was a true NESCAC stud. This left them with a ton of minutes up for grabs, and only one senior on the roster. This year the Jumbos have an entirely different core filled with talented underclassmen – the only question is whether or not they can survive with so much inexperience against teams with much older lineups. Well, they’ve already begun to answer that question, plugging two freshmen into the starting five and seeing guys step up who were used in much smaller doses last year.
Patrick Racy ’20 has mostly been used off the bench in the first three games, although he started nearly every game in his sophomore season. He helps bring length to the court with his 6’6” frame, and he has already upped his rebounding totals from 3.8 per game last season to 5 per game through their first four. Eric DeBrine ’22 is another guy with size who can help the Jumbos matchup with some of the bigger teams, and he has been used as such in his first four career games. Given that Tufts starts 3 guys who are 6’2” or below, they’ll look to mix in these guys who can completely change the dynamic of the lineup with different sizes and skill sets. They also finished the 2017-2018 season tied for last in the league in blocked shots per game, so hopefully these bigger guys can get their hands on a few more shots.
One issue that the Jumbos will look to fix from last season was their scoring inefficiency. They ended the year 3rdin the NESCAC with 78.7 points per game, but second to last in field goal percentage (42.6%) and third to last in 3-point field goal percentage (33.1%). What this really means is that they can be scoring A LOT of points. They’ve already improved their shooting numbers early into this season, and they’ve added some guys to their lineup who can really shoot. I talked about the four guards in their starting lineup that can knock down shots, but Will Brady ’21 is another who plays a similar role and shoots a very high percentage from beyond the arc. He will help bring some firepower to an already talented offense that is seeking to increase their efficiency, especially since their defense really isn’t anything special.
A big hole in the early going for the Jumbos is the loss of Eric Savage ’20. He has been out thus far with a concussion but yet his Jumbos squad is a team that has looked pretty good so far given how much they lost from last year. When he is healthy again, slot him into the starting lineup and make this Tufts team much tougher to face than they are currently. Tufts is already off to a good start, and that’s a very scary sight for teams that expected a down year with all the youth in Medford.
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