Teams: Men's Basketball: Team Overview

►Pierce's points make team history
►Pierce scores share of NESCAC weekly award
►Team alumnus Scott Brown wins U.S. Senate seat

Tufts University features one of the strongest men's basketball traditions in New England. Including the 1949-50 team that won 20 games while opposing the likes of UConn and Boston College, through the successful tenure of Coach Tom Penders in the early 1970s, to current coach Bob Sheldon's teams that have made three NCAA Tournament appearances, Tufts has a well-established reputation as one of the top programs in the region.

This is the 99th season of basketball for the Tufts program, which began in 1904-05 and did not field formal teams from 1911-18. Coach Bob Sheldon, the program's all-time leader in victories with 308, surpassed the 300 wins milestone last season in a victory against Roger Williams University. Sheldon guided the team to a school record for wins with a 23-7 finish in 2005-06. Now in his 23rd season with the Jumbos, Sheldon has participated in nine NCAA Tournaments as a player and coach.

Members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), Tufts plays in the nation's most competitive small college conference academically and athletically. Four conference teams played in the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2008 and two in 2009. Conference member Amherst College was the 2007 NCAA National Champion. The Jumbos played in the NESCAC Tournament championship game in 2006 and have reached the conference tournament semi-finals in three recent seasons.

Adding to the excitement of the 2009-10 season are the renovations made to Tufts University's historic Cousens Gymnasium over the summer. Previously too short to host NCAA Tournament games, the court was rotated 90 degrees in order to lengthen it to NCAA standards. Many other upgrades were made, including handicap accessibility and improvements to the lobby, bathrooms and sound system. One of the truly distinctive basketball venues in the nation - it was featured in the NCAA News as a "One of a Kind" facility - these modifications enhance the playing and viewing experience while maintaining the "feel" of this historic venue.

Sheldon and his staff have recruited some of the top players in the nation to Tufts. Current senior Jon Pierce was a D3Hoops.com pre-season All-American last year and has been the NESCAC scoring leader in back-to-back seasons. Jake Weitzen and Ryan O'Keefe, both 2008 graduates, finished their Jumbo careers as 1,000-point scorers. Weitzen is seventh on the team's all-time scoring list with 1,440 points. Andrew Kaklamanos and Reggie Stovell both graduated in 2005 and played professionally in Europe. Chad Onofrio's career free throw percentage of 86.8 from 1992-96 is 23rd among the all-time leaders in Division III. Chris McMahon was a First Team All-American and Third Team Academic All-American in 1995. Pat Skerry's 634 career assists from 1988-92 is 19th best all-time for the NCAA.

The 2005-06 Jumbos recorded one of the best seasons in the team's history by advancing to the NCAA Tournament "Sweet Sixteen." Their NCAA Tournament run included a clutch road victory at Cortland State and an overtime loss at Amherst in the round of 16. Sheldon was voted as D3Hoops.com's Northeast Region Coach of the Year. Sheldon's 1994-95 team electrified the campus, winning 20 games and earning the program's first NCAA berth. In 1996-97, Tufts won its final seven games to clinch their second NCAA Tournament berth. The 1999-2000 team captured the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship and won 21 games.

The NESCAC is a group of highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities that share an academics-first philosophy for intercollegiate athletics. Basketball players at Tufts have consistently received recognition for their academic efforts. Three members of last year's team earned All-NESCAC Academic Team honors. Co-captain David Shepherd earned ESPN The Magazine Northeast Region All-Academic Team honors in 2007.

In addition to highly competitive NESCAC games against recent NCAA qualifying teams from Amherst, Bowdoin, Middlebury and Trinity, the Jumbos also play one of the country's most challenging non-conference schedules. The team regularly travels to play out-of-region competition, and this year they will play at the annual Chuck Resler Tournament in Rochester, New York to open the season. The Jumbos will also host strong local programs Brandeis, Babson and Salem State in the inaugural "Big Four Classic" at the new Cousens in December. Out of nearly 400 NCAA Division III teams, Tufts ranked 30th in strength of schedule in 2007-08 and 52nd in 2008-09.

Located right outside of Boston, Tufts offers a well-rounded collegiate experience to student-athletes. Within its picturesque small-college campus, Tufts is a major university with "an unprecedented diversity of programs, exceptional faculty and staff, and bright and talented students," according to President Lawrence S. Bacow. The Athletics Department sponsors a varsity program of 28 sports that is among the most competitive in the NCAA's Division III. Tufts finished 10th in the 2009 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, which awards points based on NCAA performances. The University's proximity to a world-class city renowned for its academic institutions is also a major draw.