Scoot, Shoot or Sink

The scoot'n shoot is not dead. Just a little sick.

The Harvard men's basketball team's exciting up-tempo offense--which produced 82 points a game last year--struggled in the early season, scoring less than 62 points in three of the squad's first eight contests.

But the good doctor, Crimson Coach Pete Roby, prescribed an alert zone defense and a patient offense to cure the squad's ills.

"We were dictating the games with our full-court pressure, but we just had too many unforced errors," Roby said. "We're taking some possessions out of the game, and trying to look inside more."

So far, the new-look Crimson has netted better results. Although Harvard has won only one of its last three contests, the losses were to Lehigh--a team favored to win the East Coast conference--and Dartmouth, the pre-season Ivy favorite. And in both contests, the Crimson still had a chance pull off an upset in the final minutes.

'Shmen of the Week: Freshman Ralph James, Harvard's leading scorer (14.0 points per game) and rebounder (5.6 rebounds per game), was named Ivy Rookie of the Week for his recent efforts. The 6-ft., 4-in. freshman from West Hempstead, N.Y., fired in eight consecutive points as the Crimson whittled the Big Green's lead from 13 to only two with less than two minutes to play. James, who has led the Crimson in scoring on seven occasions, is the first Crimson cager to cop the award since Neil Phillips did during the 1985-'86 season.

"It's great that people around the Ivy league have recognized me in this way," James said. "But I would rather have won a few more games instead."

K.C. and the Sunshine Band: Despite not starting a game this season, junior Kevin Collins is the squad's third leading scorer, averaging 7.7 p.p.g. Collins, who scored 20 points against New Hampshire and a career-high 22 against Brandeis, hit a pair of free throws in the second half of the Lehigh game to become the third Crimson cager to eclipse the 100-point mark this season.

No Clang for Lang: While most of the Crimson cagers have shot poorly from the field, junior David Lang has sparkled. Lang, who has started the last four contests at center, has hit 59 percent (25-for-42) this year.

But that should not be surprising considering that Lang is a career 55.9 shooter, and has an outside shot at the career field goal accuracy mark set by Monroe Trout '84. The 6-ft., 9-in. Trout was a 58 percent shooter (280-for-483) in his playing days, and also holds the single season mark of 65.9 percent, set during his sophomore season.

No Time for a Timeout: With the score 62-59 and only nine seconds remaining in the Lehigh contest, Harvard decided not to call a timeout. Instead, James dribbled the length of the court and missed a three-pointer that would have sent the game into overtime.

"By calling a timeout, we would have allowed the defense to set up," Roby said. "I've been in this situation before, and the offense is at a definite advantage."

Keying on Queenan: With most eyes focused on Lehigh all-time leading scorer and All-America candidate Daren Queenan (30.4 points per game), the school's second all-time leading scorer Mike Polaha exploded for 23 first-half points against the Crimson. Polaha, a graduate student who missed the 1985-'86 season with a knee injury, poured in nine consecutive points at the end of the first half as the Brown and White stalked off to a 41-26 halftime lead.