The Harvard Classics

A group of about 10 Harvard students are scheduled to appear at Walpole State Prison later this month.

But they aren't worried about venturing through the barbed-wire gates of the maximum security institution. In fact, most term the experience "enjoy able."

They belong to the Harvard Classics Basketball Club, a 10-year-old student-run organization whose members are out for "a fun time playing basketball in a relaxed atmosphere." The all-male Classics play teams such as the Harvard and Tufts j.v.s, Dean Junior College, Rhode Island Community College and Fort Devens Air Force Base, as well as prison teams like Concord State Prison and Walpole.

It's not just their opponents but also their unique philosophy that sets the Classics apart from a typical Harvard varsity team. "We have a better time than they do," says senior David Thompson. "We don't spend as much time practicing, and we schedule all the games ourselves."

The 9-1 Classics spend about 90 minutes playing together on Sunday nights to ready themselves for their games. Although in past years the club has had a full-time coach, this year senior David Wanger and junior Mohan Nadkarni are at the helm. "It's working out a lot better than we thought," Wanger says of their efforts. "We just try to give everyone the same amount of playing time, and to maintain an informal atmosphere while doing the best we can."

Most players insist that the club does not consist of those who could not make the varsity. "We're all good athletes who just don't want to put in the time commitment" says Wanger, adding that the majority of the players did play on the Harvard j.v. and that three of the Classics used to play varsity.

But Classics try-outs are held immediately after cuts for the varsity squad. Of 40 or 45 prospective players, 16 or 18 become members of the Classics. Freshmen are not allowed to play, because Harvard requires that the club not compete in any way with the varsity program. Players who have not made the varsity both freshman and sophomore years are "generally pretty realistic that they won't ever be varsity players," says Wanger.

An added attraction of playing for the Classics, however, is the annual spring break trip. Last year the club travelled to Europe, visiting Austria and Denmark and playing various teams from these countries. The Classics went 3-2, facing off against, among others, the Austrian National team."

Most importantly, according to Thompson, "Everybody gets together and has a rowdy time." He also recalls the previous year's trip to Denmark, and the tremendous prestige that being American held, "When we were in Copenhagen, we were treated like celebritics. People thought that since we were basketball players from the United States, we must be great."

But before trips abroad are possible, funds must be raised. The club charges membership dues at the beginning of the year, and plans several fundraisers such as sponsoring movies and selling mugs or t-shirts.

The club's annual budget is about $1000 to $1200, and is spent primarily on uniforms and travelling. Blue and gold are the Classics' colors; Crimson is not used because the club wants to emphasize its autonomy from Harvard.

The Classics' home court is Harvard's Briggs Athletic Center, but only five or six of the 20 games played each year may be on this court. The approach to selecting players for each game is informal. On the Sunday before each game, members volunteer to play if their schedules permit.

Earlier this year the Classics visited Walpole, and most of the club members term this the most rewarding experience of their season; they are eagerly awaiting subsequent matches.

"It gave me a completely new perspective," says junior John Williams. "Most students at Harvard are from relatively affluent backgrounds. We went there, and went through the completely allen process of being searched, going through a metal detector--all the things you do when you're in a maximum security institution. Here at school, sometimes we fell like we're in prison because we have papers due and lots of deadlines to meet. But you begin to realize that it's nowhere near like what other people have to go through. It was a really enriching experience."

And Thompson observes that although the inmates "gave us a pretty physical game" they were well behaved and enthusiastic."

"There was an interesting tension between the inmates and the referees, because the refswere also the prison guards," Thompson continues. "They gave us a good game. But I guess they have lots of time to practice," he adds. "Afterwards some of them came up to us and asked if we could get them out. I guess they thought we were law students."

Because many Classics players have played on the Harvard j.v., there is a spirited rivalry that surfaces when the teams compete. Earlier this year, the Classics beat the j.v., but after winter break and a three-week respite from basketball, the Classics fell to their opposition. "We were a little out of shape," Wanger explains.

Another Classics player emphasizes this point. "We're all getting a little old. Some of us have the beginnings of beer bellies. I remember when I was in high school and is some semblance of shape, I wanted to play the whole game. Now after about five minutes I'm looking for an oxygen mask."

But this bantering does not reflect the dedication most of the Classics feel for the sport. "We do have a light-hearted approach to the game," Williams says, "but everybody here does hate to lose."