Hoopsters Set for New Slate

When Crimson basketball coach Frank McLaughlin says his team has "a good blend of experience and youth," forget that he has said the same thing at the beginning of each of the past four seasons.

Don't discount as an empty platitude McLaughlin's prediction of a winning record and a run at the conference title. For the first time in years, and possibly for the first time ever, the landlord of the IAB has the talent to back up what he says.

By the end of the season--which begins tomorrow night when the Crimson hosts the Portuguese national team in an exhibition at the IAB--the rest of the Ivy League just might believe him too.

But convincing the Penns and the Princetons in the neighborhood won't be easy. For that, McLaughlin will depend on a strong-but numerically sparse--nucleus of returning veterans, and a tall, talented, but inexperienced group of newcomers.

With senior co-captains Tom Mannix and Mark Harris forming the experienced core along with junior scoring machine and first team All-Ivy forward Donald Fleming, and standout recruits Monroe Trout (first team Connecticut All-State) and Joe Carrabino (first team All San-Fernando Valley) leading the freshmen, the Crimson should improve dramatically on last season's 11-15 overall, 6-8 Ivy League mark.

The resurgence of Harvard basketball depends on the newcomers to the team in a number of ways. Last year's squad, as talented as any in the league offensively, consistently came up short on the defensive end of the floor.

With no regular taller than Harris' 6-ft. 5-inches, the Crimson usually gave away valuable inches on the forward line. In most contests Harris got into early foul trouble trying to defend opposing centers that stood five inches taller, and was often joined on the bench by at least one of his forecourt mates.

The influx of height on the forward line should take at least some of the pressure off and will certainly help on offense. As the freshmen gain experience, opposing coaches could cringe at the sight of a front line of 6-ft. 10-in. junior Bob McCabe--out all of last year with a knee injury--in the center, flanked by Trout and Carrabino, both of whom stand 6-ft. 8-in.

With that sort of height on the boards, opponents will no longer get those second, third, or even fourth shots from inside--or so the scenario goes.

Although McLaughlin will continue to take advantage of his squad's overall quickness by pressing extensively, the use of any of several types of zones should become more viable. With an effective zone, the Crimson will cut off the inside passing lanes and opponents will be forced to the perimeter.

And--as the Crimson discovered last year--few teams can win on the strength of perimeter shooting.

Offensively too, the squad should be stronger than last year. With some sort of inside threat provided by Harris and the gaggle of rookies, the outside should open up for Mannix and Fleming, last year's big guns.

Fleming hit the twines last year at a 19.9 points per game clip, while gathering in an average of 6.0 rebounds on the way to All-Ivy honors, and with a little luck he will avoid another mid-season slump.

The 6-ft. 4-in. junior played mostly forward last year, but don't be surprised if you see him in the back court, particularly later in the season as McLaughlin brings height into the forward line.

A trio of talented guards will join Fleming when he plays in the back court, most notably Mannix and sophomore Calvin Dixon. Mannix was the Crimson's second leading scorer last year, averaging over 12 points per game. He could equal that clip this year, and along with Harris will provide a stabilizing influence on the young team.

Dixon, flashy but inconsistent last year, has the potential to both move the Crimson offense and be among the Ivy League assist leaders in the process. "People may have expected too much from Dixon last year," McLaughlin says, "but he is much more consistent now." With a full Ivy League season and the China trip behind Dixon, McLaughlin counts on the Philadelphia to fulfill expectations this season.

Junior Robert Taylor will come off the bench to help in the backcourt, filling in as a solid, experienced play-maker.

With Harris the only experienced front line player, untested depth will characterize the Crimson up front. In addition to Trout and Carrabino, freshmen Chris Mitchell, Ken Plutnicki, and Terry Murnin, all of whom hover around 6-ft. 8-in., will provide uncharacteristic bench strength.

If the freshmen and McCabe produce as expected--and McLaughlin is "very optimistic"--the Crimson will take the ball inside, and thus accent their traditionally strong outside game.

McLaughlin says this year's team has the best all-around talent of any of the Harvard squads he has coached. The question mark, and it's a biggie, is the overall inexperience. But with the first Ivy game not until January 6th against Brown, the young team should settle down against non-conference opposition, including four games against Division 2 teams. In a crucial turn-around from last year, 12 of this season's first 15 games will be in the friendly confines of the IAB, where the Crimson went 8-3 last winter.

"If this were a year from now," McLaughlin says, "I'd say we'd have a great shot at winning the Ivies. But because of the inexperience, on some nights we'll look great, and on others we'll look terrible."