Solid Back Court Promises Depth

When talking about the Harvard women’s basketball front court, an exclamation point is often used.

While such punctuation is not regularly employed when talking about the team’s back court, neither is its crooked cousin.

“I don’t have any question marks about the back court,” said Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith.

If the Crimson hopes to reach great heights this season, its ascent will surely be built on the solid foundation that the back court will provide.

With all but one guard back from the team that captured the Ivy crown in 2002 and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament, bigger and better things certainly seem imminent.

It is therefore no wonder that Delaney-Smith confessed, “I love this back court.”

With such depth and skill at each guard position, Delaney-Smith has good reason to lavish praise upon the unit.

“The off guards, working with [the] point guards, make it very hard to defend us,” junior Katie Murphy said. “Whatever two guards are playing, they make a way for the offense to gel, using their different strengths.”

In the backcourt, Delaney-Smith has a triumvirate of potential starting guards at her disposal.

Senior Bev Moore started the last 16 games of 2002-03, ending her season with a 14-point game in the NCAA Tournament game against Kansas State.

“Bev is fabulous and ended last year with an incredible performance at Kansas,” Delaney-Smith said.

The diminutive (5’2) Louisiana Tech transfer averaged 8.0 ppg and 2.1 assists per game last year, but her most noteworthy statistic is a scintillating .429 three-point percentage.

Murphy calls Moore “one of the best three-point shooters in the country,” and the statistics back her up.

On the basis of percentage, Moore would have been ranked 16th in the country, but she did not take enough shots to be officially ranked by the NCAA.

This season, that may change.

“During the off-season I worked a lot on shooting, specifically the shots that Kathy wants me to be ready to take in the game,” Moore said. “Three-pointers and shots off the screen are what she wants me to take a lot of.”

Her responsibility this upcoming season, however, will be more than just knocking down treys.

“My role on the team this year is to be a leader on the floor and off,” Moore said. “As a senior and as the point guard, the coaches expect me to communicate with my team well, set a good example in practice and make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to.”

What Moore contributes in shooting, sophomore Jessica Holsey contributes in quickness and athleticism.

“She is super quick and almost impossible to stop on the drive,” Moore said.

And teammates and coaches are just now seeing Holsey’s ability as she dislocated her shoulder twice last season, forcing her to play most of the season injured.

“We saw glimpses of what she could do, but they were very few and far between last year because of the injuries she was playing with,” Delaney-Smith said.

But after resting for most of the summer and playing basketball only sparingly, Holsey has come back performing impressively.

“She’s one of those blessed people,” Delaney-Smith said. “She’s so talented that her body needed the rest, the injuries needed the rest. She took the rest and she’s back playing like a superstar.”

In Moore’s opinion, talent was never an issue for Holsey.

“I think she’s always been this good,” Moore said. “She just needed to gain confidence, which she’s done.”

Junior Rochelle Bell, one of only two players to start every game last season, headlines those at the off-guard position.

As a sophomore, Bell contributed 4.4 points and 1.3 steals per game. She does not necessarily have to score to help her team, though.

“Rochelle is our defensive stopper,” said Delaney-Smith.

“My role is primarily one of defensive leader and offensive creator,” Bell said. “With two amazing forwards like Hana and Reka—the guards have to be able to deliver the ball in the paint.”

Bell said she has put a lot of effort into making better decisions about when to pass and when to take it herself on drives towards the basket.

“Over the off-season I put a lot of work in to my mid-range game as well as my one-on-one moves,” Bell said. “I had been more of a threat off-the-dribble in high school and I would like to get back to that more.”

Currently recovering from a high hamstring injury, she has had some chronic injuries in the past, but she is expected to return in time for this weekend.

“She’s a tough player and plays with pain,” Delaney-Smith said. “We believe that she’s going to be back just as strong as ever.”

Marianas Trench-like depth extends past probable starters to the edges of the bench.

Another sophomore, Laura Robinson, brings different strengths to the court.

“Laura is avery smart and fundamentally sound player,” said Murphy.

After a freshman campaign in which she saw limited minutes, Robinson will look to gain more time on the floor.

“Laura Robinson has come back an entirely different player in my opinion,” Delaney-Smith said. “She was always good on the ball, but she’s doing some nice stuff team-wise defensively.”

It is this level-headedness that impresses her teammates so much.

“Laura is a very smart player who hardly ever makes the wrong decision on the court, especially under pressure,” Moore said.

“God forbid we have any injuries, I would be entirely comfortable with her,” Delaney-Smith said.

Murphy, who walked on to the team her freshman year, looks to contribute, especially to Harvard’s running game, while earning more minutes this year.

“I had limited playing time freshman year, then a varied sophomore year, so I am looking to get more consistent playing time this year,” Murphy said.

The coaching staff is pleased with her play thus far this year.

“She is contributing all the right things. [She] has stepped up her defense,” Delaney-Smith said.

A 5’9 freshman out of Tucson, Arizona, Kyle Dalton will take her time to get adjusted to college basketball. It will be hard to get playing time for Dalton because of sheer numbers, according to Delaney-Smith.

“Kyle is a great shooter,” Delaney-Smith said. “I think she can impact the rebounding part of the game from the perimeter.”

The only guard missing from last year’s squad is senior Dirkje Dunham. As a junior, she averaged 3.7 ppg, but was better known for her defensive ability.

“I wanted to take advantage of academic and other extracurricular opportunities during my final year here that wouldn’t be possible with the huge time commitment of basketball,” Dunham said.

She says she is happy with her choice, and Delaney-Smith agrees.

“I think it was a great decision for Dirkje to do that,” Delaney-Smith said. “Her strongest element was that she was a tremendous defensive player for us, but with a lot of factors concerned, I think it’s a great decision for her and we’re deep enough that it’s okay.”

After a summer trip to France, the players have had plenty of opportunity to prepare for the journey ahead.

“The guards played amazingly in Europe this summer and we all really meshed as a team,” Bell said. “I hope to see us continue that fluid basketball and really see more offensive production from the guard spots this season.”

With no question marks remaining, the back court hopes to make a real statement this season.