Tufts University Jumbos
2018-2019 Record: 12-14 (4-6 NESCAC), lost in semifinals of NESCAC Tournament
2019-2020 Projected Record: 17-9 (5-5 NESCAC)
Key Losses: None
Projected Starting Lineup:
G: Carson Cohen ’22 (7.9 PPG, 2.1 REB/G, 3.1 AST/G)
Cohen broke onto the NESCAC scene last year with a very fine season for a freshman. He posted solid numbers and displayed some truly impressive quickness and court vision, making him the Jumbos de facto point guard. Cohen has a very high basketball IQ and did a nice job minimizing turnovers last year, but there is definitely room to grow…literally. There were times last season when Cohen looked a bit undersized, making it difficult for him to matchup with bigger guards and making it difficult for him to be physical inside. It appears as though Cohen addressed this problem in the offseason because he looks noticeably more filled out this year and even grew an inch (according to the roster). Tufts might need to start looking out for those notorious random drug tests that the NESCAC is so well known for…
G: Tyler Aronson ’22 (10.1 PPG, 3.2 REB/G, 2.8 AST/G)
This guy is the X-Factor for Tufts this year, no doubt about it. Aronson is one of the most sneaky-athletic players in the league and it’ll really surprise you when he throws down a dunk in the lane despite being only 6’2”. He can also shoot the lights out, but didn’t really display that in his freshman campaign. This season Aronson is off to a blazing hot start, shooting nearly 50% from 3-point land and averaging almost 13 points per game. He has the potential to be one of the most talented guards in the NESCAC if he can harness his athleticism and stay under control because he does have a tendency to get a little ahead of himself and try to rush things. If Aronson can play within the system and stay under control he will be very difficult to stop given all the other weapons that the Jumbos have.
G: Eric Savage ’20 (16.0 PPG, 6.4 REB/G, 3.5 AST/G)
Aside from having the best last name in the league, Savage brings a lot to the table. He has been a leader for the Jumbos from the first day he set foot on campus and now he finds himself as the leading scorer and captain of this team. At this point there isn’t much left to ask of Savage besides putting up star-caliber numbers and that’s no small task. His numbers have steadily improved over the course of his career, but so far this year it seems like he has reached a plateau. As I said before it’s very challenging for a player of Savage’s stature to improve in any particular area, but that’s what Tufts is going to need him to do if they’re going to get to the next level. The Jumbos took a step back last year and seemed to descend into relative mediocrity, so the lone senior on the roster will have to get his back ready for one last chance to carry this team to the top.
F: Brennan Morris ’21 (13.9 PPG, 4.6 REB/G, 44.2% 3PT)
Here’s a guy you really have to watch out for. Morris is a physical, 6’6” wing who is an absolute sniper. His 44.2% clip from downtown last season was good for 2nd in the league and this season he’s picking up right where he left off. Morris plays a unique role on this team because he’s really their only true wing so he has to spend a lot of time defending the NESCAC’s premier 3’s and 4’s. This can really take a toll on guys, so it’s essential that Morris gets enough rest to be able to play the most important minutes every game. He has also proven that he is someone who needs to be on the floor in crucial moments, as evidenced by his game winner with seconds remaining to take down the first place Middlebury Panthers a year ago. Morris may not be the flashiest or most explosive player on the team, but without him the Jumbos would be in a very different place.
C: Luke Rogers ’21 (14.0 PPG, 9.1 REB/G, 55.6% FG)
Rogers is one of the few centers in this league that has an enormous impact on every game he plays in. He’s a double double machine, with 15 in his career and 4 already this season – in fact he’s averaging 14 points and 12 rebounds per game through 9 games this year. Throw in his career 55.8% from the field and you can start to see how much of a threat he really is. This type of production will be very hard to sustain, but Rogers’ career arc seems to indicate that he’s up for the challenge. One thing I find very interesting is that Tufts lists each player’s major on their online roster and I couldn’t help but notice that Rogers majors in History and Entrepreneurship. I’m not sure if that’s the name of one joint major or if Rogers is a double major, but I certainly hope it’s the former. I’ve never been a particular fan of the Jumbos, but entrepreneurship as a legit major?? Come on, guys. If nothing else we’ll just have to watch and see how Rogers’ entrepreneurial skills manifest themselves in his on-court performance.
Everything Else:
Last year was a bit of a wakeup call for Tufts as they were faced with the loss of an enormous group of seniors who were all important contributors to their national powerhouse teams from years prior. In fact, they didn’t have a single senior on their roster last season and Eric Savage ’20 is the only senior this season, so it appears that the Jumbos are on an upward trend once again. That said, it’s hard to judge exactly where they’re at right now. They’re off to a solid 7-2 start including an impressive win over MIT, but for the most part it’s the same cast of characters that finished 12-14 last year.
Coach Sheldon is building a classic NESCAC basketball team in Medford, anchoring a true center in Luke Rogers ’21 in the paint and surrounding him with playmaking guards who can shoot you out of the gym. Will Brady ’21, for example, is a guy who frankly doesn’t offer much except for the fact that he’s lethal from downtown. At 6’1”, 190lbs he lacks the foot speed to keep up with guards and the size to matchup with wings. This means that they pretty much have to stick him in the corner and tell him to shoot when he catches the ball. Another guy like this is Justin Kouyoumdjian ’21 who takes care of the ball, but really doesn’t do anything besides hit a shot once in a while and give the starters some rest. Coach Sheldon also brought in Casey McLaren ’23 and Dylan Thoerner ’23, two freshman wings that he hopes will play a similar to Brennan Morris ’21, while bringing some much-needed size to their backcourt (and maybe bringing back some faint memories of Vinny Pace). The Jumbos also employ big Max Oppenheim ’21 off the bench who is essentially a slower Luke Rogers ’21 with a less refined skillset – he’ll basically only set foot on the court when Rogers needs a break.
Tufts is still a very young team that has a long way to go, but it’ll be interesting to see how competitive they are this year now that they’ve got a few years of experience under their belts. An interesting note about their schedule is that they have a brutal stretch of four road games at the end of the year in the final two NESCAC weekends – at Trinity, at Conn College, at Middlebury, and at Williams. This will be a very intriguing stretch for the Tufts because at that point in the season they could be going in any direction. If they get hot at the right time and gain momentum heading into the conference tournament, this will be a very dangerous team come postseason play. If they hit a few bumps in the road and decide to roll over, the end of the season will not be very kind to the Jumbos.