Gielen Gives Improved Cagers Big Lift

They say that big things come in small packages, and this weekend, 5-ft., 10-in. point guard Mike Gielen was as big as they get for the Harvard basketball team.

Friday night, Gielen led the Crimson back from a 12-point halftime deficit to topple Brown, 77-64. And the junior's 10-point, 10-rebound, 6-assist effort against Brown was nothing compared to his showing on Saturday night.

Against Yale, Gielen exploded for a career-high 30 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Crimson crush the Elis, 89-68. Gielen shot a strong 8-for-13 from the field against the Bulldogs, including 4-for-8 from three-point range. He was also 10-for-11 from the line.

"[Gielen] had a good week in practice, so I knew he'd play well," Harvard Coach Pete Roby said. "He was fantastic."

Top Gun

The ironman point guard--who plays more than 35 minutes per game--is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.1 points per game, and leads the Crimson in three-pointers, assists, and steals.

"My success has been from mental preparation," Gielen said. "I've been coming out mentally ready as well as physically ready."

Earlier in the season Gielen struggled with his shot, but it appears his shooting touch has come back to stay.

"I'm playing with a little more confidence now," Gielen said. That goes for the team as well.

The James Shift: One of the effects of the great play of Ralph James--Harvard's leading scorer and rebounder--is that opposing teams concentrate on the freshman, leaving other Crimson players open.

"It's making the scoring more spread around," Gielen said. "Teams realize that he is a prolific scorer, and when they overplay him, it leaves someone else open."

But Harvard's solid team play this weekend may stop its opponents from keying on James, and start worrying about everyone else, too.

"In the last two games I haven't been near leading the team in scoring," said James, who was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the third time. "I think now that other teams have seen that other people are scoring. It's not a one-man attack, it's a five-man show. That's a message we sent this weekend."

Space Program: In the first half against Yale, Harvard was extremely patient on offense, passing the ball inside and out to find the open shooter. By making the extra pass, the Crimson frequently found Gielen or Neil Phillips open for a corner jumpshot.

One of the offensive changes made by Coach Roby since the start of the year has two men, usually Tri-Captains Bill Mohler and Kyle Dodson, running an exchange off of the low post. Roby said that using two post men has improved Harvard's inside game, as well as creating more time and space for the outside shooters.

"Since [the inside guys] have been playing well, other teams have been worrying about them more," James said. "When they slump off us, we have more time to shoot."

Phillips Hoop-Driver: Another important reason why the cagers have been playing so well lately is the steadily improving play of Phillips following the football season.

The part-time split end, who needed a few weeks to get ready for play on the court rather than on the gridiron, has quietly moved into third place on the Crimson's scoring chart, and has been one of Harvard's best all-around players.

Although his shooting touch wasn't always there early in the season, Phillips' shot has started to fall with greater and greater regularity. After missing 10 of his first 11 three-point attempts to start the year, the junior has dropped 11 of his next 26 triples, including four of seven against Brown and Yale.

"I've always felt comfortable pulling up from out there," said Phillips, referring to the land of three. "I think that the lifting I did in the off-season has increased my strength to the point where I feel I can shoot from far out without changing my shot."

Phillips' shooting hasn't been the only part of his game that has been improving. The junior is second on the squad in steals and assists, and leads the team in free-throw percentage.