M. Cagers Hope to Never Say Never Again

Never is a very long time.

Never has the Harvard men's basketball team won the Ivy League title.

Never has the Crimson earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Never.

But the 1988-89 Crimson is trying to do what has never been done before, and this year the team is one of the favorites in the Ivy League race.

"I don't mind being picked as one of the favorites, like some people do," Harvard Coach Pete Roby said. "I think it shows that they have a lot of respect for the program and for the talent of the players."

Led by a solid core of experienced seniors and a talented bunch of newcomers, Harvard will not be short on talent. The Crimson has lost only three players from last year's squad to graduation and will return its top three scorers.

The Harvard roster features five seniors, all of whom have made significant contributions in the past. And a strong crop of seniors, Roby is quick to point out, has paid off in Ivy League races over the last few seasons.

"The past few teams that have won the Ivy League have been senior-laden, senior-dominated," Roby said. "This year we have not only a lot of seniors in key positions but also a lot of seniors who have been tested in games."

The man in the spotlight will be guard Mike Gielen, who will be the team's co-captain for the second-consecutive season. An adept ball-handler and strong defensive player, Gielen sets the tempo for the team.

A year ago, Gielen was the second-leading scorer on the Crimson, averaging 13.0 points per game despite suffering through a season-long shooting slump. Gielen nailed only 38.9 percent of his field goal attempts, including a weak 31.9 percent from three-point range, from where he took almost half his shots.

"When I was just starting out coaching, I remember talking to an established coach who said that when you put a shooter at point guard, he will start to have trouble shooting," Roby said. "I think that last year Mike was too busy thinking about the other things that go along with being a point guard."

But with the emergence of sophomore Dana Smith as a solid alternate point guard, Gielen will be able to concentrate more on scoring.

Smith averaged just 3.1 p.p.g. last year, but his ball-handling ability should free Gielen for far more. In the squad's pre-season scrimmage against St. Francis Xavier, Gielen was a fiery 10-for-17 from the field for 27 points.

"He's been playing well this year, and I think his mind isn't cluttered because he knows that Dana can get him the ball," Roby said.

Gielen will have to carry the scoring load early in the season, because Harvard will be without the complete services of its other three leading scorers returning from last year, Co-Captain Neil Phillips, senior forward Kevin Collins and sophomore Ralph James.

Phillips and Collins, two basketball forwards who also played split end for the varsity football team this season, will probably not be completely ready to play until January.

James, who was the 1988 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and led the Crimson in both scoring (14.5 points per game) and rebounding (5.7 rebounds per game), was placed on probation earlier this year. Although James has been working out with the team, he won't be eligible to play until the end of December.

Phillips, who was co-Most Valuable Player with James last year, has divided his time between the gridiron and the court for the past two seasons. Last year he averaged 11.2 p.p.g., and was a dominant force at the end of the year, earning a spot on the All-Ivy second team.

Collins played extremely well early in the season, but saw fewer minutes down the stretch as Phillips came on, finishing the season averaging 5.2 p.p.g.

Although Phillips is expected to be back completely for the Ivy season, which starts January 7, he has been fairly ineffective early in past seasons. The same will probably be true for Collins.

"In the past it's taken the football guys about a month to get back to where they should be," Roby said. "Last year when Neil came back, he couldn't stick the ball in the ocean. He was something like 2-for-18 to start the year, but he finished up shooting almost 47 percent from three-point range on the season."

"Physically I'm a little banged up," Phillips said. "This year I saw more football action than I had in the past two years, and as a result I'm sore and my fingers are a little more bruised than I'm sore and my fingers are a little more bruised than I'm used to. Mentally, though, I'm hungry and that is going to make up for whatever physical ailments I have now."

In addition, senior center Dave Lang is recovering from back surgery, and will not be in full form until January.

With so many starters missing from last year's team, the Crimson will have to rely on senior Tedd Evers for leadership and scoring. Evers shot just 37 percent from the field last year but has played well in practice and will likely start Saturday against Boston College in the Crimson's season-opener.

The other forward spot will be occupied by Ron Mitchell, who is considered to be the front-runner for the Ivy League Rookie of the Year Award. The 6-ft., 7-in. freshman has already earned kudos from coaches and teammates.

"We knew coming in that Ron had the potential to be a real impact player for us, and so far he's been just that in practice," Roby said. "He's not only very talented in terms of sheer athletic ability, but he also has a mind for the game."

"In Ron Mitchell," Phillips said, "you've got a guy who is easily one of the most talented freshmen in the league."

Playing in the pivot against the Eagles will be junior Mal Hollensteiner, whose 6-ft., 11-in. frame will be helpful in getting rebounds. Hollensteiner scored a career-high 16 points in the season-opener against St. John's last year, and Roby is hoping that his steady offensive improvement continues.

Hollensteiner will eventually share time with center Fred Schernecker (see accompanying story) who is coming back to Harvard after spending a year abroad studying in England. Schernecker will miss the opener because of an injury suffered in practice.

Junior guard Scott Gilly is a solid ball-handler and shooter who will give Gielen and Smith a breather from time to time. Also seeking time in the backcourt are junior Brian Mackey and sophomore Ian Smith--Dana's twin brother.

In the frontcourt, three new-comers will press for action--junior Steve Bowsher and freshmen Eric Carter and Mike Minor. Bowsher spent the past two seasons with the junior varsity before earning a spot on the top squad this fall.

Roby said Carter is a very strong and a relentless rebounder, and he called Minor's play "one of the biggest surprises" of this fall.

If the Crimson's key players are able to stay healthy once they get back into the lineup, and the veterans can inspire the rookies, then Harvard may just win that title.

Then the Crimson won't ever have to say never again.