Looking For Company

Hanging from the rafters in Briggs Cage is a lonely banner. It reads, "Ivy League Champions, 1986 Women's Basketball."

It is lonely because Harvard basketball does not win many championship banners. In fact the men have never won an Ivy League championship.

Coming into this season, it didn't look like the Crimson would win its first hoop crown, either. All the experts picked Harvard to finish toward the bottom of the heap.

"There are too many missing pieces," they said. "Too many unanswered questions."

But after last night's 91-76 triumph over Vermont, the Crimson looked like a team that could challenge for the Ivy crown.

"We've got the talent," said forward Tedd Evers. "We've just got to work hard and stick together like a team."

You can't blame the experts for questioning the Crimson's offense. Harvard lost its two leading scorers from a year ago, Arne Duncan and Keith Webster, and the team didn't look like it had anyone to fill those shooting shoes.

But Coach Pete Roby's offensive committee has averaged more than 78 points per game so far this year, despite a sub-par shooting percentage. Once the Crimson's key scorers--notably Tri-Captain Mike Gielen, forward Neil Phillips, and Evers--get hot, those point totals may soar.

And if Roby needs one player who can score the important basket, he just has to look to Ralph James, freshman phenom. James finally broke out last night, scoring 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting. And he made some moves that left a few Catamounts looking like they were stuck in reverse.

"He has incredible talent and incredible potential to be one of the greatest players in the league," Gielen said of his backcourt mate. "If he comes out and plays with his head, like he did today, he'll achieve that potential."

With the backcourt and forwards sinking the baskets, the Harvard pivot--one of the chief targets of Harvard's critics--may also start to produce some offense.

"I remember Dick Vitale's preseason issue which said that Harvard didn't have any centers," sophomore center Malcolm Hollensteiner said. "[Tri-Captain] Billy [Mohler] and I would like to show them that it's different."

Last night, the Crimson duo did just that, combining for 15 points, four blocks, and eight rebounds. And they did that against Vermont's Joe Calavita, who may be one of the best big men in the nation.

But offense, they say, doesn't win championships. Defense does. And Harvard's defense has been, well, suspect. The Crimson's press gave up 121 points to Boston College, the largest point total ever yielded by Harvard.

But in the last two games, Harvard's pressure has worked well. UNH scored only 71 points on Saturday, and Vermont had only 76 last night.

"[Our press] is coming along," Gielen said. "It was shaky in the B.C. game, and better against UNH. It's getting better every time we come out."

If Harvard's press clicks into place the way it's supposed to against the Crimson's Ivy opponents, Dartmouth and Cornell--the Ivy favorites--may have to make room for the Crimson near the top of the standings. But that's a long way away, and the Crimson has other things to worry about.

"Everybody is shooting for number one, and that's what we're going to shoot for," Evers said. "If we come up short, well, that's the way the ball bounces, but it won't be because we didn't try or play hard enough."

Maybe, just maybe, the 1986 women's basketball banner will have someone to hang out with.