The men’s basketball team had a tough season last year, going 9-16 and losing multiple players along the way. 

The team started off the season well, going 3-0 in their first three games, but could not keep their momentum going. To finish the season, the Judges went winless in the month of February and missed a national playoff berth by a wide margin. 

The long losing stretch helped contribute to their subpar 3-11 University Athletic Association regular conference record.

In nonconference games, the team managed to stay afloat with a mediocre record of 6-5 but seemed to fall apart after mid-December. 

Fortunately for the Judges, the team’s top-two scorers will return to the court for the 2016 to 2017 campaign. Forward Jordan Cooper ’18 led the pack, with a team-high 15.3 points per game, with guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 right behind, with 13.7 points per game.

Despite the impressive top-line scoring, the Judges found themselves in dead-last in scoring for their conference. The team posted 67.6 points per game, a full four points below seventh-placed University of Chicago. Although the team did not pour in the baskets, they were able to place in fifth, with a 43.8 shooting percentage. 

The team struggled to find the open passing lane last season, with guard Tim Reale ’17 leading the squad with a meager 2.8 assists per game. Overall, the team managed only 12.8 assists per game, a mark which placed them in seventh overall for assists-per-game in their conference. 

On the boards, the Judges were boxed out much too often, with a conference-low 32.8 rebounds per game. A going concern for the Judges will be their inside muscle, as team-leading rebounder and center John Powell ’17 left the team in the middle of their 2015 season. Next in line stands Cooper with 4.6 rebounds per game, who will need to carry the brunt of the boards until the rest of the team can step up. 

Defensively, the team was able to balance its offensive woes by allowing only 69.4 points per game. This placed the Judges in a respectable third place for the conference in that category. 

This year’s team will have to rely upon their upperclassmen, with only three new recruits for the year. The team is also guard-heavy, something that might affect their rebounding and defensive abilities throughout the season. All three first-years are listed as guards, with Coach Brian Meehan’s son, guard Jake Meehan ’20, topping that list.

Coach Meehan begins his 15th season as the Brandeis head coach, looking to switch up their game plan, while the squad aims to redefine its offense and maintain its solid defense as the season opens. 

The team began its 2016 to 2017 campaign last Tuesday with a well-fought 87-78 victory at home against Suffolk University to open the season undefeated and will look to continue the trend against Rhode Island College.