Better days are here for the Crimson
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – What a difference a couple of years makes.
Two seasons ago, Harvard suffered through a long 4-23 season, marked by inexperience (no seniors on that team) and injuries. Things got to the point where head coach Frank Sullivan would talk with his players about winning “ten-minute stretches”, not a game.
Prior to Saturday’s loss to Central Connecticut State, the Crimson started the 2005-06 season 5-0 for the first time in eight years, and already surpassed the win total of two seasons ago. They look like the top contender to knock off Penn in the Ivy League, boasting the league’s best front line with seven-footer Brian Cusworth and versatile forward Matt Stehle. The dynamic duo comprises the league’s top two returning scorers and rebounders, with Stehle having led the league in the latter category last season.
College basketball is about guards, though, and the Crimson don’t fall short in that area despite some inexperience. Freshman point guard Drew Housman has thus far acquitted himself well despite having one more turnover than assists. He averages 34 minutes per game and is fourth on the team in scoring. Junior Jim Goffredo, who has developed nicely in his career, leads the team in scoring and has been perfect at the free throw line. Senior Michael Beal looks like the defensive stopper, but he’s also making nearly 66 percent of his shots thus far and is second on the team in rebounding. He gives them a tough, experienced player on the perimeter and can play all three positions.
With the Crimson, the assist/turnover ratio is an interesting stat: through six games, they have 38 more turnovers than assists, but sit at 5-1. Sullivan attributes that to much of the offense going through the big men; Cusworth and Stehle, who have been known to try to do a little too much at times, have combined for 40 of the team’s 106 turnovers. Harvard has won mainly with its defense, as only two teams have shot better than 40 percent against them thus far, and rebounding, with an advantage of nearly four rebounds per game.
Despite the great start, the Crimson aren’t trying to relax. They know that the Ivy League is a one-bid league when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, so the games that start in January mean everything.
“We’re trying not to think about it too much, we don’t want to become complacent by any means,” said Stehle, a native of nearby Newton, Mass.
Sullivan said that Stehle, who had a big game against UC Davis at both ends of the floor, seemed to be pressing a bit in the early going.
“I think he’s been pressing all along,” Sullivan said. “He’s trying to do too much himself, he’s trying to take the whole responsibility on. I think he feels the hype, if you will, the Matt Stehle hype, and I think he’s had enough of it. I think he really wants to relax and just play basketball. That’s kind of what we’ve tried to get him to do.”
Stehle has plenty of help aside from the aforementioned players, as this year’s team has some depth. The perimeter offers additional support from senior role player Zach Martin and designated shooter Ko Yada, while freshman Andrew Pusar has thus far played limited minutes but is sure to contribute before all is said and done. Martin is now playing small forward regularly and should be more at home there with his skills facing the basket and shooting the ball. Helping out in the frontcourt will be junior Brian Darcy, who is finally healthy, and sophomore Brad Unger. Freshmen Evan Harris and Kenyon Churchwell should also get some minutes, but their impact is felt more in practice than on game day right now.
“They’re just weak physically right now, and they do get pushed around, but they’re as exciting as heck in practice,” Sullivan said of his freshmen forwards.
Amidst the early start, the Crimson have also received a vote in the AP Top 25 each of the past two weeks, one they probably won’t receive again after the loss on Saturday. It left many who cover the team wondering who the vote came from and was the subject of jokes even among the team.
“I don’t know where it came from,” said Sullivan when asked about it. “It’s nice to have, though, we’re not turning it back. I don’t know if we’re a red state or a blue state, we’re not giving it back.”
Stehle’s take on it goes right with his theme of no complacency.
“Until you beat someone in the top 25, you don’t deserve a vote,” the senior forward said.
The Crimson haven’t done that, and they won’t play anyone ranked until they play Boston College on December 22. But their early wins are certainly helping the team’s confidence, and with a few more wins to further boost it, they could certainly challenge Penn for supremacy in the Ivy League.
