ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

So, your second-place-in-the-Ivy League team loses two all-time great post players, and you have no one behind them. You enter the 1997-98 campaign without a proven power forward.

What can you do to fill the void?

Six Ivy League Rookie of the Week selections later, the solution seems rather obvious: recruit 6'8" freshman forward Dan Clemente.

A mere nine months removed from St. Thomas More Prep., Clemente has been the dominant offensive force in the frontcourt all season long.

The freshman's 14.6 points-per-game average is second on the team only to highly-touted junior point guard Tim Hill.

Clemente has led Harvard in scoring on a team-high seven separate occasions, and the forward has drained more three-pointers (44) than any other member of the Crimson.

The unique blend of size, agility and shooting touch that Clemente possesses makes him a nightmare for Ivy League defenses.

At 6'8" he easily shoots over most guards in the league, but very few power forwards have the skills or determination necessary to guard Clemente on the Perimeter.

When he is hot from the floor, no defender in the league has effectively contained Clemente's offensive barrage.

Clemente entered this past weekend having not played competitive basketball in almost two weeks after suffering an ankle sprain in practice Feb. 2. But in his first weekend back he posted 37 points, 11 rebounds, an assist and two steals, earning him his sixth Rookie-of-the-Week award.

So dominant has been the freshman's run that he has won six of the nine rookie honors in weeks that he has played.

A virtual lock for Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Clemente has shown the most firepower and talent in the post at such an early stage in his career since the two men he has replaced, Kyle Snowden '97 and Chris Grancio '97.