Best Ivy Front Court Ever? Maybe

The Harvard women’s front court is to Ivy basketball what the Lakers’ trio of Kareem Abdul-Jabar, James Worthy and Magic Johnson were to the NBA in the 80s.

The Crimson trio of junior Reka Cserny and co-captains Hana Peljto and Tricia Tubridy are seeking their third straight Ivy championship. They form a Harvard front court that is already being advertised as among the best the league has ever seen.

“I think that’s a pretty accurate statement, only because Hana has been the MVP of the league for two years and will be an incredible strong candidate this year,” said Crimson coach Kathy Delaney-Smith.

The trio has built a reputation in the Ivy League over the last three years despite lacking the size to push opponents around the court.

“They can just get it done,” said Penn coach Kelly Greenberg of Harvard’s front court. “They can score inside and out. They definitely create matchup problems for us. There’s no question that when people think of the Ivy League, they think of Harvard’s front line.”

Their combination of speed, shooting ability and experience creates the potential for another undefeated season amongst the Ancient Eight and the possibility of earning the Crimson its third straight berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Most Valuable Peljto

For three years now Peljto, an annual Ally-Ivy selection, has been the anchor of the powerful front court standing at 6’2.

After being named Rookie of the Year in 2000, Peljto followed up with consecutive Ivy scoring titles and unanimous Player of the Year honors.

Last year she had her way against the Crimson’s opponents, averaging 21.3 points per game and leading the conference in rebounding with just under 10 per game.

After drawing numerous double- and triple-teams last year, Peljto worked with her coaches to locate open players on the floor, hoping to help both herself and her teammates score. By honing her passing skills during the team trip to France this summer, Peljto has added yet another dimension to her game.

“We’ve been trying to encourage her to pass up the first and second opportunity and get the ball back a third and fourth time, which we think will get her easier, better shots,” Delaney-Smith said. “She did that really well in Europe and hopefully that will continue this year.”

For Peljto, part of the motivation to work on the aspects of her game outside of shooting and rebounding comes from the bitter taste of losing to Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament last year.

As a senior co-captain, Peljto understands the pressure to return to the playoffs and advance beyond the first round this year.

“We have even higher expectations than we did last year, and especially for the seniors, we feel a sense of urgency to finish out on a strong note and finally getting that NCAA win,” Peljto said.

Talking the Talk

After playing beside Peljto for three years, fellow forward Tubridy echoes her sentiments about the need to win an NCAA tournament game—a hump Harvard has been unable to scale the last two seasons.

“Since this is the last time the three of us will be playing together, there is definitely a sense of urgency,” Tubridy said. “We want a great season, we want another Ivy title and we want a win in the NCAA tourney.”

While Peljto is praised for her vision with the basketball, Tubridy earns her praise as a communicator that keeps the team together on the court.

“What Tricia Tubridy gives to a team, no coach in the world can teach,” Delaney-Smith said. “And she still keeps on giving. That’s who she is…She’s the coach on the floor.”

She is also recognized by her fellow players as one of the biggest hustlers on the team.

“Playing hard is always a good goal to have because no matter how many mistakes you make, you can always hustle,” Tubridy said.

Both her teammates and coach rave about how she anchors Harvard’s focus and motivation throughout the season. But don’t sell the 6’0 forward short on her basketball skills.

Last season, she was the only basketball player in the Ivy League to be in the top six in rebounding (7.2), assists (3.2) and assists-to-turnover ratio (almost 3:2).

Tubridy also had one of the individual highlights of the year when she registered the first triple-double in Harvard women’s basketball history, putting up 12 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a victory over Brown.

Another aspect of her game is her accuracy—she lit up opponents, draining shot after shot. In a victory over Central Connecticut, Tubridy was five-for-five from beyond the three-point arc and put up a season-high 17 points.

“She was one of our top three-point shooters in terms of accuracy and she’s still that way,” Delaney-Smith said. “And I think she is that way because she has very good shot selection. She’s so unselfish that she doesn’t ever try to play outside of herself.”

Doing Her Country Proud

Rounding out the triple threat for the Crimson, Cserny’s play at center has attracted attention as the rock in the middle of this explosive and potent front court. But it is also her pressure-free attitude that has earned the respect of her teammates.

“When I’m on the court, I don’t think about what the expectations are about my performance—I’m just trying to do my best,” Cserny said. “Even if they say I’m a part of that ‘best front court in Ivy League history,’ that won’t change the way I play and definitely won’t make me feel nervous about it.”

With the basketball in her hands, the 6’3 Cserny has followed in the path blazed by Peljto, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and First Team All-Ivy distinctions in each of her two collegiate seasons.

In Cserny’s home country of Hungary, she has long been recognized as one of the nation’s premier female basketball players.

She has played with the Hungarian national team six times, including this past summer when her team placed 10th in the European championships.

“I cannot tell you what an experience like that does for a player’s game,” Delaney-Smith said. “Cserny’s game has taken on a level of new heights.”

After Cserny was second on the team last year in scoring with 14.7 points per game—while leading in steals and blocks with 66 and 40, respectively—it is quite high praise for her coach to talk about better possibilities from her more experienced center.

Nevertheless, Delaney-Smith discussed in length the number of options that the team will be looking to use with the quicker and more forceful Cserny.

“Last year, if you pushed Reka, you took her inside game away,” Delaney-Smith said. “She has to have room to move and slash and put it on the floor and do her thing...Oh yeah, go ahead and try and body her this year.”

And perhaps more importantly, Cserny herself recognizes the new abilities she possesses after training hard this summer.

“My main goal for this year is to make my performance more balanced than it has been in the past,” Cserny said. “I worked hard during the summer and I hope that it will help me in reaching my goal. It does not necessarily have to be something that shows up in the statistics, it is more about doing the little things that make our team better.”

Bouncing Back Off the Bench

Although Peljto, Cserny and Tubridy started almost every game and led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, take it from them that the depth of the Crimson front court will be important this year.

“We have several underclassmen ready to contribute to the front court this year—[Maureen] McCaffery, Kate Mannering and Christiana Lackner—who all bring a different style of play to the court,” Tubridy said.

Rounding out the front court is sophomore Shana Franklin, a 6’0 forward/guard who epitomizes Harvard’s versatility. With her height she can take the ball down low and score from the post. But with her shooting touch, she can drain it from beyond the arc. In her freshman year, she went 11-for-29 (38 percent) from three-point land.

“Shana Franklin is playing the most incredible level of basketball,” Delaney-Smith said. “She’s our best slasher, by far. She’s a phenomenally great three-point shooter. She’s just playing out of her mind right now.”

Unfortunately for the Crimson, Franklin suffered from mononucleosis last year, but she will be returning full strength this season.

The situation with Mannering is quite similar. She is also returning from an injury and will look to improve beyond her restricted abilities last year by penetrating into the paint with her speed.

“Kate, who missed most last season with a broken thumb, is a poised slasher,” Tubridy said. “Both of them [Mannering and McCaffery] are strong players who are going to play a vital role in our games this year.”

McCaffery is actually another sophomore recovering from mononucleosis. At 6’1, she still has the skills to be a legitimate perimeter threat.

“McCaffery just was outstanding in Europe,” Delaney-Smith said. “She’s a front court player who can shoot the three like no one in the world, except for Kate Ides [’03]. As I said, I think Maureen was a defensive force in Europe.”

Complementing these three sophomores coming off of the bench will be Lackner, one of two freshman recruits.

Already, she has begun to impress her coaches and upperclassmen teammates, drawing comparisons to established impact players.

“[Lackner] has remarkable athleticism for a forward,” Delaney-Smith said. “She admires the way Hana plays and is copying some of the things Hana does as far as that, which I think is fabulous for a freshman to do to a senior, especially Hana. She has the most gorgeous hook shot, almost like a Katharine Hanks.”

Hanks was Dartmouth’s main threat last year, scoring 18.9 per game and pulling in 8.8 rebounds.

But while the bar is set high for Lackner—just as it was with Peljto, Tubridy and Cserny—she will come off the bench to add depth to the already strong trio of starters.

“[Lackner] is really strong in the paint, she shoots well from outside, she is quick, she is a good defensive player and she is motivated,” said Cserny. “What else do you need? I’m sure she will make our front court even better than it has been.”

And considering that the Crimson went undefeated in Ivy League play last year, that is a scary thought for Harvard’s opponents.