Harvard Features Trio of Sixth Women

Anyone who regularly attends Harvard women's basketball games should have noticed a pattern this season. About five minutes into each contest, Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith looks down her bench and summons one, two or all of a trio of players to report to the scorer's table.

Jumping to their feet, the three Harvard hoopsters tear off their warmups and race to check in, awaiting the next stoppage of play for the opportunity to step onto the court and revitalize the Crimson. A few seconds later, they take the floor, replacing their teammates in the lineup, and Harvard has not lost a step.

Senior shooting guard Sarah Brandt, junior forward Sarah Russell and freshman point guard Lisa Kowal represent the Crimson's formidable second wave of attack. They are Harvard's sixth women.

Traditionally, the term "sixth man" has been used to designate a player who consistently is the first to come off the bench for a team and contribute significantly to that squad's success. In the case of the 1997-98 Harvard Crimson, the role of sixth `wo'man is shared by Brandt, Russell and Kowal.

Because they play different positions, these three players are called upon at different times for different purposes. But it has become commonplace to see all three enter a ballgame together.

Brandt is the leader of the trio, both by way of seniority and past experience. Although her caliber of play easily qualifies her as a starter, she has been Harvard's primary sixth player for the past two seasons.

"It's definitely a role that I've decided to accept," Brandt says. "Personally, I decided that that's the role that I love and can do well with and have success at.

"It's an awesome role to have to try and re-energize your team and to know that that's what you have the power to do. As a starter, I might not be able to bring that to the team, so it's a role I've really learned to love this year."

Brandt and Russell refer to themselves as "the enforcers," a title they created to define the specialty of their task. They are content to sit back and observe at the start of the game, but when they step onto the hardwood, they intend to make their presence felt.

"Sarah [Russell] and I fell into the role of being the first people off the bench along with Lisa fairly early in the season," Brandt says. "To get ourselves charged up and mentally ready to go into the game, we decided that out starters have five minutes..."

"They have five minutes," Russell chimes in, "to do whatever they can do. But at 15 minutes, the enforcers are coming in."

"And they're wreaking havoc," Brandt continues. "It's just a way to get us pumped up and feeling confident."

Kowal is the newest member of the bunch, but she has graduated quickly from the ranks of the inexperienced. In only her first year of collegiate basketball, Kowal has averaged 17 minutes a game and contributed enormously to Harvard's third consecutive Ivy League title and NCAA Tournament berth.

And the elder statesmen have gladly welcomed the diaper dandy into their group.

"I've never thought about it," Kowal says. "I don't know if I fit into the role [of enforcer], but I definitely feel like a part of it because [Russell] and [Brandt] at the scorer's table are just like, `Let's do it.'"

The three enforcers may have similar roles, but they play their parts in different ways.

Brandt is perhaps the truest sixth player by definition, as she usually is the first to check into the game, whether or not Russell and Kowal accompany her. Brandt can play the two-guard or the small forward in Harvard's offense, and she normally replaces senior Alison Seanor or junior Suzie Miller when she enters a game.

Her strengths on offense are her perimeter shooting and her uncanny ability to throw crowd-stunning backdoor passes to teammates breaking towards the basket. Brandt finished the season atop the Ivy League in threepoint shooting percentage, dropping 46.8 percent of her shots from beyond the arc in conference games.

"At the start of the game, there's a lot of adrenaline and a lot of excitement with the starters, and I see my role as one who...has seen the game and can figure out where we're lacking or what needs to be done," Brandt says. "I head in there, pump up my teammates and just try to get the adrenaline kicking once again."

"[Brandt] is a special sixth man--let's just get that right out there," Russell adds.

Russell is no slouch either. She hit 49 percent of her shots over the course of the season, and was the primary reliever for the nation's leading scorer, Harvard co-captain Allison Feaster.

But scoring at Feaster's clip is not what Russell concerns herself with. Instead, she focuses on another strength of Feaster's--rebounding--and draws on that prowess for her own game.

"When I go into the game for [Feaster], especially if she's had a pretty good night rebounding, then I get very much inspired by that," Russell says. "Rebounding is just working hard, and I can go in and try to follow what [Feaster] has established in that game--the rebounding force from Harvard."

Kowal, meanwhile, is the Crimson's back-up point guard for co-captain Megan Basil. Kowal provides a change of pace from Basil's style--while the latter is more of a spot-up shooter and half-court offense executor, Kowal's game is collapsing defenses by penetrating and then dishing to an open teammate. She is an excellent ball handler with superb quickness, and she is seldom unnerved.

"Sometimes it's the greatest thing ever if you're running up the court and you see Lisa blow by you," says Russell. "There's no drop ever when Lisa's on the court. That inspires so much confidence when you see a point guard who's just taking it."

"I feel like I come in and just try to keep the intensity up," Kowal says. "Whatever the starters are doing, I try to do the same."

"You know [Lisa] is just looking to give the dish to somebody," continues Russell. "That's what's great about her--reckless abandon but unbelievable poise. That bodes so well for Stanford."

Indeed Harvard's trio of sixth women will probably be a crucial component of the Crimson's performance against the Cardinal on Saturday. And while they each play different positions, their games complement each other remark-ably well.

It is not uncommon to see Kowal call out a play for Russell or one that runs Brandt around a double screen for a catch-and-shoot trey. The three share a common sense of purpose when they are on the floor, and they mesh well with one another.

"I think on the court [Russell] and I are very emotional players, and Lisa comes in with this dead calm poise of an awesome freshman point guard that balances out," says Brandt. "We definitely complement each other in that way."

Beyond the conjunction in their styles of play, Saturday's NCAA Tournament matchup against Stanford rep-resents more for these players.

It is a chance to take on a basketball powerhouse with arguably the nation's top sixth player, Stanford junior and second-team All-American Kristin Folkl.

Unfortunately for the Crimson, that opportunity will not come. Folkl, the Cardinal's leading scorer and rebounder and the 1997 NCAA Player of the Year in volleyball, tore her anterior cruciate ligament and suffered damage to meniscus cartilage in her left knee during a routine lay-up drill in practice on Tuesday.

She will require surgery and will not be able to play in the tournament. Still, Harvard's sixth women have tremendous respect for what their Cardinal counterpart has accomplished, and they feel agreat deal of sympathy for her.

"If you took all of my athleticism, like all ofit, every last ounce of my athleticism, it wouldfit in the last edge of Kristin Folkl's pinky--thewoman is exceptional," Russell says. "But thatjust makes you psyched to play her."

"I think Kristin Folkl lends legitimacy to therole of the sixth woman," Brandt adds. "Itdefinitely psyched me up when I heard that she wasa sixth person because I think it's awesome thatsomeone can come into a game and have such anamazing impact on her team.

"I would have been very psyched to go in therewith her and try to, if not counter her, at leasttry to temper her impact. I'm very sad that shewon't be out there playing with us because itwould have been amazing to play with someone ofher caliber. You never want to see someone getinjured."

Despite Folkl's absence, Harvard's sixth womenwill still play in Maples Pavilion, home to one ofthe richest traditions in women's collegebasketball. And for these three women, thatopportunity is the chance of a lifetime.

"It's pretty exciting to me that we get to playon the same court as Stanford because that hasalways been something, growing up, that I'vewanted to do," says Brandt, who is a Seattlenative.

Still more significant, however, will be thefinality Brandt will experience sometime withinthe next three weeks. Kowal and Russell have nextyear, when both will likely crack the startinglineup.

But for Brandt, regardless of how far Harvardgoes in the postseason, the NCAA Tournament willbe the culmination of a wonderful career. Andsome-where along the line, these three sixth womenwill check into a game together for the last time.

"[Sixth woman] is an amazing role that thethree of us have shared, and no one else has beena part of that role," Brandt says. "I think it'sfantastic that we're going to have a chance to doit one more time."

It is clear that Kowal and Russell feel thesame way.

"I really wouldn't want to go into the gamewith any other person on the team but SarahBrandt, hands down," says Russell. "Going into thegame against Stanford with Sarah Brandt next tome; it, to me, is why I play basketball and why Ilove this team."

As for Brandt, who will play in her 106thcareer game for Harvard on Saturday, she regretsthat her time with her fellow enforcers islimited, but she plans to enjoy every last secondof it. After all, the senior is heading back tothe West Coast and the court she grew up dreamingabout, with the opportunity to make historyalongside fellow sixth women Russell and Kowal.

"I definitely do [feel like now is the time],"Brandt says. "As a senior who does not have afuture in pro basketball, this is my last chanceto enjoy the pure adrenaline and the exhaustionand the comraderie that comes with team sports.

"Lisa has a fantastic career ahead of her,"continues Brandt, "and I'm ending mine with thislast push through the NCAAs. I feel like enteringthe game with Lisa is a nice merging of Harvard'spast and future.

"[Russell] is someone who I have a tremendousamount of respect for as a player, a team leaderand a friend. She provides such an emotional liftto every member of our team, and I think that I'vetried to emulate that spirit this year in my ownplay. When Kathy gives us the nod on Saturday, I'mplanning to simply enjoy the moment.

"I'm psyched as all hell that I'm going to getto try it one more time against a one seed--I meanthat doesn't happen very often," Brandt says. "Thechance to make a difference in that game is goingto be fantastic, and I wouldn't have it any otherway.

"If you took all of my athleticism, like all ofit, every last ounce of my athleticism, it wouldfit in the last edge of Kristin Folkl's pinky--thewoman is exceptional," Russell says. "But thatjust makes you psyched to play her."

"I think Kristin Folkl lends legitimacy to therole of the sixth woman," Brandt adds. "Itdefinitely psyched me up when I heard that she wasa sixth person because I think it's awesome thatsomeone can come into a game and have such anamazing impact on her team.

"I would have been very psyched to go in therewith her and try to, if not counter her, at leasttry to temper her impact. I'm very sad that shewon't be out there playing with us because itwould have been amazing to play with someone ofher caliber. You never want to see someone getinjured."

Despite Folkl's absence, Harvard's sixth womenwill still play in Maples Pavilion, home to one ofthe richest traditions in women's collegebasketball. And for these three women, thatopportunity is the chance of a lifetime.

"It's pretty exciting to me that we get to playon the same court as Stanford because that hasalways been something, growing up, that I'vewanted to do," says Brandt, who is a Seattlenative.

Still more significant, however, will be thefinality Brandt will experience sometime withinthe next three weeks. Kowal and Russell have nextyear, when both will likely crack the startinglineup.

But for Brandt, regardless of how far Harvardgoes in the postseason, the NCAA Tournament willbe the culmination of a wonderful career. Andsome-where along the line, these three sixth womenwill check into a game together for the last time.

"[Sixth woman] is an amazing role that thethree of us have shared, and no one else has beena part of that role," Brandt says. "I think it'sfantastic that we're going to have a chance to doit one more time."

It is clear that Kowal and Russell feel thesame way.

"I really wouldn't want to go into the gamewith any other person on the team but SarahBrandt, hands down," says Russell. "Going into thegame against Stanford with Sarah Brandt next tome; it, to me, is why I play basketball and why Ilove this team."

As for Brandt, who will play in her 106thcareer game for Harvard on Saturday, she regretsthat her time with her fellow enforcers islimited, but she plans to enjoy every last secondof it. After all, the senior is heading back tothe West Coast and the court she grew up dreamingabout, with the opportunity to make historyalongside fellow sixth women Russell and Kowal.

"I definitely do [feel like now is the time],"Brandt says. "As a senior who does not have afuture in pro basketball, this is my last chanceto enjoy the pure adrenaline and the exhaustionand the comraderie that comes with team sports.

"Lisa has a fantastic career ahead of her,"continues Brandt, "and I'm ending mine with thislast push through the NCAAs. I feel like enteringthe game with Lisa is a nice merging of Harvard'spast and future.

"[Russell] is someone who I have a tremendousamount of respect for as a player, a team leaderand a friend. She provides such an emotional liftto every member of our team, and I think that I'vetried to emulate that spirit this year in my ownplay. When Kathy gives us the nod on Saturday, I'mplanning to simply enjoy the moment.

"I'm psyched as all hell that I'm going to getto try it one more time against a one seed--I meanthat doesn't happen very often," Brandt says. "Thechance to make a difference in that game is goingto be fantastic, and I wouldn't have it any otherway.