There is no doubt that the Jeffs will feel the loss of last year's graduates-Jackson Collins, Hugh Quattlebaum and Chris Smith-who all started inside and gave the team points, rebounds and strong leadership.
With these three dominating ºstarters gone and five new freshmen joining the team, the Jeffs will be relying heavily on Tri-captains Erik Kelly '01, Brian Daoust '01 and Abe Sexson '01 for experience and leadership.
Shooting guard Kelly and point guard Daoust both had standout junior seasons and along with Sexson, who will have to step in at center, the three veterans will definitely be key players in the team's success this year.
"Although we lost three solid players and starters from last year, we will have to face the challenges that it brings," said Sexson.
Coach David Hixon '75, about to begin his 24th season at the Amherst helm, commented on the new face of the team. "I think our young guys will have to mature quickly to fill the void left by three experienced graduated players, particularly at the big-man spot," said Hixon.
"Senior leadership at the guard slots will help, but it will take a concerted overall team effort to get back to the postseason," he added.
Although the team is young and somewhat inexperienced, they have depth and talent on their side. Looking to have an immediate impact are some promising newcomers.
Adam Harper '04 will see time at guard, John Donovan '04 will be counted on at the guard position as well, and Timothy Jones '04 will contribute as a forward.
Also looking to play important roles are John Kloepfer '04, Don Quinn '04 and two-sport athlete and NESCAC Rookie of the Year for soccer Franklin Perry '04.
"The team is looking for these underclassmen to step it up," said Kelly. "Depth can outweigh inexperience if we can come together as a team."
The Jeffs are depending on strong play in the post from returning Pat Fitzsimons '03 and Steve Zieja '03. Zieja is returning from offseason knee surgery, but he should be ready for play soon.
Two of the Jeffs' biggest games this year come early in the season, giving them little time to gain momentum.
Their first home game is Thursday against Clark University. Last year Amherst lost a close overtime battle to them. Clark returns their whole team from last year, so the Jeffs will face another stiff matchup this year.
Equally critical for the Jeffs is the Dec. 12 game against Worcester State College. When the two teams met last season they went to overtime and the Jeffs were unable to pull out the win in the extra period.
One of the first goals this season for the Jeffs is to come out on top in both of these games.
A second goal involves the new conference setup. This year the NESCAC is implementing a conference tournament, and out of the 11 teams in the conference, only the seven with the best records will make it to the tournament. The NESCAC is a very good conference from top to bottom, so every game will hold critical importance to tournament hopes.
With the new rule changes, only the NESCAC champion will get an automatic bid for the NCAAs, which is the biggest goal for Amherst basketball this year. There is the possibility that teams could make the tournament as at-large bids, but no at-large bids are guaranteed.
"Our NESCAC schedule speaks for itself," said Hixon. "Besides that, we continue to play some of the strongest teams in the region in Babson College, Brandeis University, Worcester State and Clark. We also play some key games on the road, and that makes our schedule more difficult than it may be a year from now."
In order to achieve these goals and make it to the NCAAs, the team must work hard all season for the best ranking possible, and then fight for the NESCAC title.
Amherst opens its season Tuesday night at non-league rival Massachusetts College with its home opener set for Thursday night at 7:30 against Clark.