Another Run for the Crown

Still reeling from last year’s loss to Dartmouth on the final day of the league schedule, Harvard women’s basketball is determined to fill the holes that arguably cost it the Ivy title against the Big Green.

“We had some weaknesses on defense last year that we won’t have this year,” says junior co-captain Christine Matera. “We had the size last year and [Dartmouth] had the speed, and it ended up where the benefit was on their side.”

But in the 2009-10 season, these areas could serve as a good foundation for a team whose starting lineup is expected to be much more fluid than it has been in years past, especially at the forward spot.

“If you ask our team, there are no starters established yet, except for [sophomore point guard Brogan Berry],” coach Kathy Delaney-Smith says.

That depth may prove to be a strength for a team whose athletes bring diverse styles of play.

“[Junior co-captain] Claire [Wheeler] is probably our only power person, so if we feel power’s what we are looking for in a certain game, then she’ll start,” Delaney-Smith says. “If we need athleticism, then [juniors] Emma Markley and Jackie Alemany will start.”

Delaney-Smith is considering similar flexibility on the perimeter. The Crimson seems to be set at point guard with Berry, last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, but Delaney-Smith is exploring different options, including giving Berry some time on the wing.

Meanwhile, Matera, sophomore Caitlin Rowland, and freshman Victoria Lippert are the candidates at guard to join Berry in the starting lineup. Rowland, who didn’t see a lot of playing time last year, could take on a lot more responsibility this year.

“We’re just thrilled with where Caitlin is,” Delaney-Smith says.

Lippert, a two time Cal-Hi All State Division III selection, is expected to make an immediate impact in her rookie season.

“She’s just a baller,” Delaney-Smith says of Lippert. “She’s great at slashing, she’s good on the offensive glass, and she’s just an aggressive player. Don’t mess with Victoria.”

To prepare itself for the wear and tear of Ivy League play, the team has scheduled games against talented non-conference opponents, including Boston College, which it faces in its season opener.

“BC has a very large post presence,” Rowland says. “We’re going to have to really focus on post defense, and the guards are going to have to pressure the ball handlers.”

A few trips are also on the horizon for the Crimson. Over Thanksgiving, the team will head to Colorado for the 23rd Annual Coors Classic, and Jan. 21 brings a tough matchup at Florida State.

But for Harvard, the focus of the season is league play which will begin on Jan. 16 in Hanover, N.H. in a rematch of the Crimson’s heartbreaking loss to Dartmouth last year.

“There’s always going to be a big rivalry when a team beats us,” Rowland says. “Of course we have extra motivation.”

With Dartmouth returning three starters from last year’s squad—including junior forward Brittney Smith, the 2009 Ivy League Player of the Year and 2008 Rookie of the Year—the Big Green is favored to win a third-straight Ivy title.

“Last year [Dartmouth was] tougher and faster in the post,” Matera says. “We’ll be better at matching up this year.”

Harvard’s contests against Dartmouth come at the beginning and the end of Ivy League play, but there are ample games to keep the Crimson occupied in between.

“Pretty much every team in the Ivy League can beat every other team on a given day,” Matera says.

The second game of the league schedule pits Harvard against the Columbia Lions in a test of the squad’s versatility. Just as the locations of Dartmouth and Columbia couldn’t be more different, the two teams have very different styles of play. The Big Green is very athletic and fast, whereas the Lions rely on the powerful play of junior Judie Lomax, who led the NCAA in rebounding last year with over 14 boards per game.

“She’s very strong, very resilient,” Matera says. “She’s a little bit different.”

Last year, Columbia defeated the Crimson, 74-71, in the teams’ first contest, but Harvard exacted revenge when it visited New York later in the season, defeating the Lions, 71-58.

Columbia brings back four of its starters and could make a run at the traditional contenders.

Also challenging the Crimson this season will be rivals Princeton and Yale.

“If [the Tigers] put it all together, they are dangerous,” Delaney-Smith says. “Yale probably has even more talent than Dartmouth.”

With new talents on the rise and the Big Green perennially lurking up north, Harvard will have no time to rest in a tough league schedule. Only if it takes care of business throughout the Ancient Eight slate will the Crimson’s final game against Dartmouth determine the Ivy League. And no revenge would be sweeter than for Harvard to knock off the Big Green for the Ivy title in Lavietes.