Lack of Players Plagues JV Hoopsters; Squad Stumbles to Dismal 3-6 Record

Five-game losing streaks never do much for a basketball team's morale, especially when three of the losses come within seconds of the final buzzer. Folks really start getting down when fan attendance barely breaks into double digits, and the coach has trouble rounding up ten bodies for practice.

Indeed, the members of Harvard's men's junior varsity hoop squad-are something short of thrilled about their 3-6 season, and first-year coach Joe Rogers has set goals like being "mature," "smart" and "responsible" for his charges. The league trophy is nowhere in sight.

Lollipops for Rogers

The Crimson's last outing against the St. Thomas More prep school resulted in a sloppy 99-76 Harvard win, but Rogers got so frustrated over an early deficit that he collected two technical fouls before the five-minute mark.

"Thank God we won this one," Rogers said after the game last week, adding that the referees were giving out technicals "like lollipops at the bank."

Referres and lollipops have had very little to do with the five-game skein that ended against the missionaries from St. Thomas More. "We've lost some tough ones," said captain John Solomon, who almost salvaged a squeaker against Navy Prep with a last-second steal, only to throw the ball away when he couldn't find a man open up court.

'This Guy's in High School?'

The j.v. plays many of its games against squads of fifth-year "high school" students--post-grads who are taking an extra year of preparation before college.

Rogers points out that except for hapless St. Thomas More, most of these opponents have more depth and talent than the Crimson because the prep schools at least get their best players on the court.

Sandman

A traditional problem at Harvard and other Ivy League schools afflicts this year's Crimson j.v. squad: a lot of high school hoop stand-outs have discovered biochemistry or poetry-writing or yacht racing. They can play intramurals at the IAB on Sunday mornings, where they will probably find veterans of last year's j.v. team--only one of whom still wears a Harvard uniform.

Practice scrimmages have been rare because fewer than ten people usually show up, and in games, Rogers said, only three or four Crimson players are capable of scoring consistently. "We don't have a lot of height or speed, but we hustle a lot," substitute forward Jim Kinney said.

Emptiness at the IAB

Even when Harvard's meager offense finds its range, there's usually no one there to witness the event. No more than 40 patrons showed up for the St. Thomas More bomb-a-thon, and at least half were saying nasty things about "Hah-vahd."

"It's lousy; you can't get up for a game," point guard Juan Sepulved said flatly afterwards.

Rubber Stamp

Despite Rogers' troubles--which were aggravated by the loss of guard Kevin Boyle to the varsity--the coach hasn't lost all of his rookie optimism. If the Crimson can control the pace better in future contests--more specifically if they can mesmerize more aggressive opponents with careful passing and shot-selection--then Harvard's beleaguered warriors may yet break .500, he theorized.

Regardless of former teammate Boyle's recent success in the big leagues (17 points against Columbia), visions of glory don't haunt the j.v. players. "A lot of us did not expect to play collegiate basketball," Solomon said. "We're not doing incredibly well, but it's been fun," Sort of.