HOOPSTERS TO MEET AMHERST IN OPENER

Last year the Crimson basketball varsity opened its season against a classy Williams five in a contest that set the tone for a dismal and frustrating Harvard season. The Crimson blew a 16-point lead and dropped a cliff-hanger in the final seconds of play.

Tonight the varsity makes its 1962 debut at Amherst, and although the Crimson quintet is something of an enigma, it will probably start this season on a more auspicious note than last year.

The Lord Jeffs were hit hard by graduation losses, but they will be no pushover nonetheless. Amherst plays a very slow, cautious, ball-control brand of basketball with lot of zone pressing. The Jeffs know this system well, and so the Crimson cannot afford to make as many mistakes as it could against a more free-wheeling attack.

The Crimson will start only two veterans from last year's squad in tonight's contest, forwards Bob Inman (6 ft. 2 in.) and Pete Kelley (6 ft. 6 in.). Kelley tallied 306 points last year and was one of the squad's leading rebounders. Sophomores Al Bornheimer (5 ft. 11 in.) and Leo Scully (6 ft.)--the leading scorer on last year's freshman team--will start at the guard positions. Vern Strand (6 ft. 4 in.) will play at the pivot post on coach Floyd Wilson's revamped offense.

Also slated to see plenty of action for Harvard are sophomores Mere McClung and Denny Lynch. Lyncy was one of the big guns for the Crimson last season; he topped the 200-point mark in scoring and sank free throws at an 82 per cent clip. Last year Harvard finished its campaign with a 10-14 record and seventh place in the Ivy League.