TCNJ men’s basketball’s Travis Jocelyn making most of abbreviated season

When Travis Jocelyn burst on the scene a year ago, it was pretty evident there might not be a ceiling to what he is capable of doing on the basketball court.

It didn’t take long for The College of New Jersey senior to put those many talents on display as he scored a career high 43-points on Saturday to lead the Lions to a season-opening sweep over Stockton.

“Coming into Saturday’s game, I wasn’t extremely satisfied with my shooting performance from the day before, so I really tried locking in even more with a better warmup and preparation for the game,’’ said Jocelyn, who earned conference Player of the Week honors for the effort. “Once we started, I felt really good and it ended up being one of those games where every time you shoot the ball you feel as if it has a good chance to go in. My teammates did a great job of hitting me in spots where I could score and we had a ton of contributions that helped us kick off the year.’’

The 43 points Jocelyn tallied are the second highest in TCNJ history. Greg Grant, the former Trenton High great, holds the mark with 52 points in a game in the 1987-88 season.

The abbreviated NJAC season is only eight games, with each team playing four back-to-back series’ on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s not the complete season that any player, especially the seniors, would like.

“It would have been great to play a full season for my last year, but I am very grateful for the NJAC and all of the schools participating this year for figuring out a way to let us play safely,’’ Jocelyn said. “There are schools and leagues who have shut down and to be in a position to play is just a blessing.’’

There has been amazing growth — both on and off the court — since a lean and lanky Jocelyn showed up on the Packer Hall doorstep as a freshman.

“I was a young kid who was trying to find his way,’’ Jocelyn said. “I was a skinny shooter and thought I knew a lot about basketball, but then realized that there was so much to learn in terms of playing the game, handling things off the court, and being a true teammate. I did not have a huge role on the team so I tried to make the most out of it by learning from the older guys. Now that I am a senior, it’s a little weird looking back because now I’m the person who younger guys come to for advice.’’

As one of just three seniors on the TCNJ roster, he has easily taken up the leadership role. The other seniors are PJ Ringel and Brandon Slaybaugh.

“Losing the seniors from last year obviously leaves points and rebounds that need to be filled in, but my role changes as a leader more than anything,’’ Jocelyn said. “PJ and I have been here the longest and we are both senior captains and our job is to make sure the younger guys are prepared for games, but most importantly, that they know what TCNJ basketball is about. We have a lot of guys that are really talented and are stepping into bigger roles and I just try to instill confidence in them because I know how good they can be.’’