Bryce Aiken

Harvard’s 2016 recruiting class ranked No. 10 in the nation, a historic accomplishment for the Ivy League University. The Crimson was ahead of every single 2016 Final Four team and six of the eight Elite Eight teams—trailing only Kansas and Virginia. David Freed profiles each of the seven members of the class before they step on the floor for the season opener against Stanford, covering their recruiting process, playing style, and potential fit on this year’s team. In this one, he covers point guard Bryce Aiken.

In a season-opening exhibition against MIT, freshman point guard Bryce Aiken came off the bench to lead all scorers with 17 points. By Ryosuke Takashima

Recruiting Process:

Aiken was the cherry on the top for Harvard, who nabbed the New Jersey alum near the end of the recruiting calendar when Aiken gave his verbal commitment shortly after visiting campus in October. The high school senior—who was also being pursued by Miami, Oklahoma, and Auburn—said that he chose Harvard “because it’s a unique opportunity” and “a once in a lifetime chance to be different and do something different.”

The speedy point guard said that he valued the work that Harvard coach Tommy Amaker had done at developing point guards. With the exception of sophomore Tommy McCarthy, each of Amaker’s last four main starting point guards (Jeremy Lin ’10, Oliver McNally ’12, Brandyn Curry ’13-’14, and Siyani Chambers ’16-’17) have all become All-Ivy talents.

Playing Style:

By looking through Aiken’s highlight reels (see here and here), you can see the similarities between him and the player he is often compared to—fellow Patrick School alumnus Kyrie Irving. The Cavs point guard is a mentor to the senior and once said that “I can tell he watches a lot of videos of me.”

Aiken has a filthy handle, frequently using an in-and-out dribble to move defenders out of his path. He is very calm on the court, and, like Irving, flashes a versatile offensive game. He is comfortable finishing at the rim with both hands and moves well on the perimeter. The other parts of his game aren’t as defined: while almost every pass in the video is a highlight that leads to a dunk, in high school he averaged under two assists a game—giving him the appearance of an Irving-like score-first point guard.

Aiken sharply resists the Kyrie comparisons: when asked about them, he responded that “I am looking forward to creating my own path. I want to be the first Bryce Aiken, not the first Kyrie Irving.” He does some different things in the videos—moving more without the ball than Irving, for example—but there is a decent degree of similarity in the two players’ games.

Potential Fit:

Aiken steps into an interesting position on the team. His playing style allows him to potentially play alongside either returning senior co-captains Siyani Chambers and Corbin Miller, or sophomore Tommy McCarthy in two point guard lineups on the offensive end. However, perimeter defense is always a concern for Amaker, an NABC Defensive Player of the Year at Duke. Amaker expressed clear frustration with McCarthy’s inability to handle opposing point guards at the point of attack this year, and that will limit Aiken’s minutes.

The best guess is that Aiken will be compete with McCarthy to be the first guard off the bench to replace Chambers. Senior Matt Fraschilla, who is less talented but more experienced than the duo, may also be in the mix. Amaker historically is reticent to give freshmen big minutes, but Aiken is steadier than McCarthy, who was turnover-prone throughout the season.

–Staff writer David Freed can be reached at davidpabanfreed@gmail.com.