Harvard Basketball Caught Travelling

As Harvard wound down for the summer, some of its bigger basketball names were just getting started with an offseason full of travel, new cities, and new jerseys. Crimson players showed off their talents for teams ranging from Great Britain to the Dallas Mavericks, playing in three different nations along the way. Here are The Back Page’s top travel-centric basketball moments of the summer.

4. In basketball, shooting from long distance usually means beyond the three-point line. The Harvard men’s basketball team, though, took it a step further when they went to Italy to play four preseason exhibition games. The squad went 4-0 on the trip, collecting solid efforts from sophomores Wes Sanders and Kenyatta Smith. With the completion of this trip, the team gave a whole new meaning to “going coast to coast.”

Total miles the men’s team traveled to play: 3,824.

3. While his former teammates jetted East, Keith Wright ’12 went west to pursue his hoops dreams. Upon signing with the Mavericks’ summer league team, Wright played five games in the NBA Summer League, averaging 3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.0 minutes of playing time. He earned an efficiency rating of +3.60, helping his team go 4-1. But for Wright, the journey has temporarily ended there, as the Mavs did not sign him onto their regular-season roster.

Total miles Wright traveled to play: 2,716.

2. Despite being deemed ineligible her freshman collegiate season due to NCAA rulings, sophomore Temi Fagbenle did more than just finally get on the hardwood this summer—Fagbenle was one of 12 players selected to play for Great Britain’s national team for the 2012 Olympics. Despite the team’s 0-5 record during pool play, Fagbenle played an average of 20 minutes per game, recording 4.8 ppg, 1.2 bpg, and 4.0 rpg.

Total miles Fagbenle traveled to play: 3,250.

1. Once the dust of Linsanity settled down, Jeremy Lin ’10 found himself in the throes of free agency. Amidst rumors from both the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets camp, Lin finally signed an offer sheet with the latter team, worth roughly $30 million for four years of play. After the ensuing drama caused largely by a disgruntled Knicks organization, Lin found himself packing his bags and moving to Houston for the next leg of his basketball career.

Total miles Lin will travel to play: 1,419.

Who said traveling in basketball was a bad thing?