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By
Jon Teitel
jonteitel@hotmail.com
October, 2004
2004-05
Harvard Basketball Preview
The Veterans: The
Crimson rely on their four seniors, three of whom are in the starting
lineup. The fourth senior is David Giovacchini, whose brother Michael
is a freshman at Dartmouth (brother Tony plays for Stanford).
The Youngsters: Only
three freshmen will join the team this year. Harvard hopes that one of
them can emulate one of his old teammates: freshman Tyler Klunick used
to play on the same team as 2004 NBA lottery pick Andre Iguodala.
The Departed: There
will be more cohesiveness in Cambridge this winter than anywhere else,
as no seniors played for Harvard last year so they did not lose anyone
to graduation. Then again, some seniors probably could have helped last
year during Harvard’s 13-game losing streak.
The Strengths and
weaknesses: 7-footer Brian Cusworth returns after recovering from
injuries last year, but he will look down on his teammates (literally),
as there are no other players over 6’8”. Holding onto the ball will be
a priority this year: last year the offense had 19.1 turnovers/game,
which ranked #321 out of the nation’s 326 Division 1 basketball
programs. The offense must also get off to an early start, as Harvard
lost all 20 games last year when it was not leading at halftime.
The Star: Harvard’s
1-2 punch of Kevin Rogus and Matt Stehle can hold their own with anyone
in the Ivy League. Rogus led the Crimson in scoring last year, and is
one of the top scorers and three-point shooters in the conference.
Stehle was Honorable Mention All-Ivy last year, and had a
conference-high 16 rebounds against Cornell on January 30.
The Schedule: A
relatively easy schedule lies ahead for Harvard, as they only play two
teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament (Princeton and Lehigh). Seven of
their nine games in December are on the road, but six of their eight
games in February are at home.
The Imports:
Apparently Cornell did not get acceptance letters from every
basketball-playing citizen of the province of Ontario: the Crimson’s
lone foreign representative is Ontario’s own Luke McCrone.
The Coach: In
addition to veteran leadership on the court, Harvard will have
experience on the bench as well. Coach Frank Sullivan has been a
head coach on the collegiate level for the past 21 years, the most of
any Ivy League coach.
The Prediction: The
Crimson’s two-headed monster of Rogus and Stehle can compete with the
top two players on any other team in the conference. With an easy
schedule, a healthy Cusworth, and some better protection of the
basketball, Harvard should be vastly improved over last year’s team.
Learn
more about the author Jon Teitel and how to contact him here
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