Meet Tyler Rullman A.K.A. The Man

Ask Tyler Rullman, about his abilities and you get practically nothing--just a few modest statements about his versatility and his dedication to his team.

But ask others about the senior captain of the Harvard basketball team's abilities and you get everything--and then some.

Because, quite simply, it is Rullman who everyone is talking about this year in Harvard basketball circles.

The 6'7" Winthrop resident is The Man, the big enchilada, the go to guy. Period.

"He's definitely, without a doubt, the main cog for us this season," Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said. "He's our best player, our best worker, our best student, and one of our best all-around kids. You name it, he's it."

Rullman is coming off a stellar junior year, in which he led the team in scoring (15.4 ppg), threepointers (37), minutes played (910) and was second in steals (37), while starting all 26 games for the Crimson for the second straight year.

In addition, he was fifth in the league in scoring (15.0), fourth in field goal percentage (.503) and third in free throw percentage (.837). For these efforts, he was named to the honorable mention All-Ivy team.

But while his stats are impressive, they are hardly indicative of what is perhaps his chief on-the-court strength: versatility.

In his three years at Harvard, Rullman has seen action at every position in the Crimson line-up--from point guard to center.

"It's been sort of interesting," he said. "I've been put into a lot of different situations throughout the years, and I like to think that I did an okay job in them."

Sullivan was a little less reserved in his assessment of the shooting guard.

"It's really almost amazing how many positions he can play--and play well," he said. "He's a tremendous athlete."

He has some great post moves and he can play tough inside, and he has an excellent outside shot. He has some real gifts."

His gifts are not confined to the court either.

In the classroom, Rullman has handled the tough task of being a student-athlete at Harvard masterfully. He's a top student in the economics department and a likely candidate for the academic All-American team.

"He's a real smart kid," Sullivan said. "You can tell it on the court--in addition to in the classroom. He's a good thinker."

But despite all his gifts, Spring-field, Mo., native is a paragon of modesty--a quiet, hard-working study in self-effacement.

"The unique thing about Tyler is that he possesses extraordinary basketball instincts, but he does it in an unassuming way," Sullivan said. "He's definitely the main cog on our team, our best player, but he's a shy, introverted type of guy who works harder than anybody else on the team. That's rare these days."

While his unassuming manner appears to be an obvious asset, Sullivan remembers Rullman's quiet nature was a negative during the team captain selection process.

"At first some people weren't real sure if he could be a good leader for this team, because of his quietness," Sullivan said.

Now, with myriads of practices and a few games under Harvard's belt this season, the consensus is that it was a good choice.

"He's real well-respected by all the guys," fellow senior Eric Carter said. "Although he's not a real vocal leader, he has a real strong character and he leads by example."

It is in this role, as a leader by example, that Sullivan believes Rullman will leave his legacy at Harvard.

"When it comes down to it, Tyler's great contribution to this program won't be so much the number of wins he produced or points he scored," Sullivan said. "It will be the incredible example he's set for future Harvard players. If everyone would be as dedicated and as unselfish as he has been, the future of Harvard basketball would be pretty bright."