Jumbos back from a long break. Worked out kinks  with  an ugly win against Gordon on Tuesday night. What did  PT Barnum do in a prior life to have his  issue be scheduled  the first weekend of every NESCAC season with Williams/Midd? Seeing better shot selection from young guards. Great first semester report cards all the way around, but  Team will need to snap back to gym rat mentality quickly as, other than Gordon, no games or practice for quite some time. Still have a good vibe about these guys going into regular season.

JustAFan and Walzy 31 accurately summarized the Tufts/MIT game yesterday. No need for further exposition. Cousens was rocking. Fun atmosphere and free hot dogs. Stated attendance numbers might actually match number of attendees.  Not sure I agree with the critique of MIT talent (and not just because I'm a Jumbo homer). The big guy and the point are very good. 6'9"  with good hands and 10-12 foot jump hooks... are you kidding? Might be a little soft, but  there's no team in the 'CAC that wouldn't have him. The guard is quick and tough. Haven't seen Amherst, but have seen Brandeis and MIT and MIT gives fits to any CAC team this year. Do they play Midd? 

Lost in the computer  a reply to Ocholoko41, but the gist of it was I got my comeuppance and am reminded that the wounded are shot, not saved. Statistics say 2 for 19 or whatever, but in part a key player was out the first 32 minutes to take care of academic commitments.  Might only happen at a couple of schools in the NESCAC, Tufts being one. Shot  selection will be an issue for a young team thinking about going inside out, but more importantly  Plymouth's weak side rebounders were allowed access to the paint at no cost and quick cutters got to the rim.  Tufts was up about 10, gave it up and fell back by 8 or 9 before  crawling  back  nicely to force an OT. Couldn't pull it out. Last year they might not have come back at all. A couple of tough turnovers against a quick and scrappy D hurt, but  it was a team loss.   Last night the  young and enthusiastic Jumbos offered more proof  to the theorem that progress is not always linear. It's  a season, not a zero sum game, so we'll see how it goes against MIT on Sat at Cousens and see how the Jumbos can progress.

The Jumbos will be fine this year. Youthful, enthusiastic, and wanting to get back into the conversation  as relevant to NESCAC hoops. Building off last year's turnaround and tournament appearance for the first time in a few years, the boys want to get into the top third rather than the middle third of the league. If spots 1-3 have already been conceded by some, these guys would like a chance to  mix it up. Early season success is helping build confidence for veterans and  the newbies  who look good so far.  The loss to Regis is a teachable moment...there are no nights off. The outside shooting will come around and the perimeter defense is getting better. Other than Quezada, not much quickness on D up top the last couple of years, but things could be different with the younger guards and wings. Bigs are a solid group, if a little undersized, who all bang and rebound. Scoring is pretty well balanced and  several guys  have stepped up at different points during the games to carry the offense. This group likes and trusts each other. Could be an interesting season at Cousens...now if we could just get the kids to come out and support their team