Malcolm Hollensteiner

Malcolm Hollensteiner has no problem standing above the crowd at Harvard.

At every varsity basketball game, the 6-ft., 10-in. freshman center wears prescription goggles, an undershirt under his uniform, and long white boxers under his shorts.

Mal Hollensteiner is one easy man to identify.

When he steps on the court for a home basketball game, he's greeted with a standing ovation. And when he plays, although his minutes are limited, he becomes the focus of attention.

Cheers of "Come on, Mal" and "Go, Mal" arise from the Briggs bleachers. Mal Hollensteiner is a symbol of the future for the Harvard men's basketball team.

"If Harvard could ever have a good big man," said freshman Brian J. Buckley, a spectator at Friday's Yale game, "the team would definitely improve."

The men's basketball team is currently 8-15 overall, 3-8 in the Ivies. The squad is an underdog. And so is Hollensteiner.

Bleacher regular Dan Dougherty, a freshman, said, "We're cheering for the underdog who, by looks, might not accomplish anything on the court."

On the court, Hollensteiner looks sluggish, awkward.

But looks don't affect his intensity level. His determination caused one older spectator--who saw Hollensteiner for the first time Saturday against Brown--to say, "This kid plays with a lot of heart,"

East Side Story

Hailing from the East Side of Manhattan, Hollensteiner attended Deerfield Academy, where he missed the last two seasons because of sickness.

After graduation, the 17-year-old decided to take a year off from school. He hooked up with Riverside Church, an amateur basketball team located in the Upper West Side, to sharpen his skills.

The Riverside Hawks, instituted 26 years ago to stimulate interaction between the church and community, are considered one of the best amateur teams in the country. Ex-Hawks include NBA players Chris Mullin, Walter Berry and Albert King, as well as college standouts Kenny Smith (North Carolina) and Mark Jackson (St. John's).

"It was the best education for me," Hollensteiner said. "I learned so much more about city life, and was definitely seen as part of the team."

Hollensteiner says the opportunity to play with Riverside Church was the main reason he received scholarship offers from such Division I schools as Fordham and Manhattan.

He chose Harvard for its "all-around environment." And Harvard, in turn, has chosen him as a home-crowd favorite.

Freshmen spectators initiated the now-ritual reaction, which soon swelled to the rest of the crowd. "It's nice because I get pumped up," Hollensteiner said. "Obviously, freshmen don't get to play too much, so it helps a lot."

"I'm not the most naturally gifted athlete," he added, "but I'm a team player."

But despite his experience at Riverside, and despite the attention he has received from Harvard fans, this season has been a tough one for Hollensteiner.

"The change from high school to college ball is so different," he said. "I have played a lot better in practice than in games. I just need more experience."

"I like to see myself carrying this team," Hollensteiner said, "but hopefully, because of our talent, it's not going to happen."

He mentioned the "Freshmen Five" (Hollensteiner, Brian Mackey, Scott Gilly, Sean Duffy and Brian Ehrlich), and the "learning experience" each Yardling has gone through this season.

In a losing season, Hollensteiner has known cheers--mainly for his appearance. Who knows what the reaction will be in a winning season.