Wednesday, October 23, 2013

2013-2014 Season Preview

13,232. 

That is the total number of combined career minutes MIT has lost to graduation from last season ("lost" specifically to Apple - Will Tashman, Facebook - Jamie Karraker, Morgan Stanley - Jimmy Burke, and MIT's graduate school program - Noel Hollingsworth and Mitchell Kates). 

5,794 points. 91 wins. 4 NCAA Tournament appearances. A #1 National Ranking. 

With some of the best players in MIT history moving on to their new careers, the 2013-2014 Engineers will have to adhere to the principal that their predecessors so effectively utilized: 

Process. 

The Engineers wear white t-shirts instead of their practice jerseys until they feel they have truly become a "team"
Throughout the offseason and into the first eight practices of this season, the somewhat inexperienced Engineers have taken what they have learned from their older counterparts - process, attention to detail, a tenacious precision - and are attempting to take it a step further. 

As Coach Anderson has engraved into the minds of his players throughout the years, every play must be a "masterpiece." Every cut, every screen, every rebound, every loose ball must be approached with one's complete mental and physical attention. Just as a scientist breaks down their experiments into painstakingly meticulous components, or a financial analyst understands where every penny comes and goes, the MIT basketball team must break down the game like it never has before. 

Again in 2013-2014 the Engineers will be faced with a challenging schedule. They will be pitted against some of the top teams in the region during the non-conference slate, and beginning January 8th will jump right into the always-challenging NEWMAC play. 

The 2013-2014 MIT Engineers end another practice in Rockwell Cage
It has been 113 years in the making; since the day MIT Basketball shot its first basket in 1900, the team has been building upon the success of those before them. Last season's stars brought the program to new heights, and have passed on the tools to keep building. It is now in the hands of the 2013-2014 MIT Engineers to make every play, and this season, a "masterpiece."