Senior Pride

"Senior Night" at Lavietes Pavilion meant much more than an emotional pre-game ceremony on Saturday night.

Two weeks after suffering the season-ending loss of captain center Paul Fisher to mononucleosis, the remaining members of the class of '99--point guard Tim Hill, shooting guard Mike Beam, center Bill Ewing, and guard Chris Dexter--went toe-to-toe on consecutive nights with the Ivy's national powers, pulled off the biggest upset in Harvard basketball memory and emerged having equaled the school record as the winningest four-year class in history, with 56.

The deep, talented class took a season fraught with injury and frustration and validated its claim to be considered among the best classes ever to don the Harvard uniform.

Though these players will likely bring home at least one win next weekend and in doing so amass more wins than any other Harvard class, the two most successful campaigns of the past four years were 1996 and 1997. Then, the current seniors played in the shadow of the '97 class, which included the likes of Harvard's all-time rebounding leader, Kyle Snowden.

The current crop certainly has succeeded on paper, but several disappointing setbacks earlier in the season prevented the team from cementing its place inhistory. Saturday provided the defining moment todo just that.

"This was the only team we hadn't beaten in myfour years," Hill said. "We couldn't have askedfor a better night."

Sophomore forward Dan Clemente may be the mostpotent Crimson scoring threat, and he certainlymade the most dramatic bucket of the night againstPrinceton--a 26-foot explosion that spottedHarvard a three-point lead with 1:47 left inregulation--but the forward was marked by opposingcoaches all weekend.

Clemente contributed just two baskets afterhalftime on Saturday.

Similarly, freshmen guards Drew Gellert andPatrick Harvey have greatly increased their rolein the Crimson backcourt since the exam break. Thetwo combined to notch 11 rebounds and five stealsin the two games.

However, it was the seniors who produced incrucial areas to put Harvard over the top.

Facing the two most formidable big men in Pennjunior Geoff Owens and Princeton freshman ChrisYoung, Ewing was very nearly Harvard's first, lastand only line of defense against interior assault.Two weeks ago, Owens won the battle of the boards,and Young nearly single-handedly battered theCrimson into submission with 17 first-half points.

This week, Ewing did everything that could beasked of a starting center, let alone one pressedinto duty by Fisher's illness. Ewing was judiciousyet active on the offensive end, and his 17rebounds on the weekend are indication that he didstood his ground against more size ableopposition.

Hill was typical, which is to say, superb. Inaddition to breaking Harvard's all-time assistsrecord with 14 on the weekend, the senior slashedhard into the defense and exhibited judgement thatwas a wonder to watch.

After Hill got in foul trouble on Friday night,those in attendance got a rare chance to see justhow important Hill's presence is. The point guardplayed 82 minutes over the weekend, but when heleft the court for three minutes against Penn, theQuakers took it to the replacement Gellertimmediately.

That Harvard saw its six-point lead transforminto a two-point deficit is proof enough. WhenHill lost the floor, Harvard's control over thegame was notably diminished.

It was largely due to Hill's floor generalshipthat Princeton Coach Bill Carmody said, "Harvardcontrolled the game tonight. It was theirs fromthe outset."

Mike Beam, who was kept on the bench due tofoul trouble much of Saturday night and who hasbeen eclipsed by the emerging freshmen at times inthe past month, scored all 11 of his pointsagainst Princeton in the final 7:30 of regulationand overtime.

Beam worked without the basketball to get inthe offensive flow, then drained consecutivethrees to open the overtime period and put Harvardup for good.

"I struggled much of the game, but I got alittle more aggressive with the dribble, hit a bigshot, and got going," Beam said.

Even Dexter, who has seen little playing timein an injury-plagued Harvard career, got thestarting nod in his final home game and dropped athree-pointer in ten minutes of action.

Something just seemed to come together forthese four this weekend. Hill did not have to holdthe ball 30 seconds out of each shot clock. Beamshowed aggressiveness and mobility, and Harvardgot both interior defense and active, appropriatecontributions on defense.

"Our preparation for this weekend wasincredible," Beam said. "This was the best ideawe've had heading into the Penn-Princeton weekendin my career."

Whatever the reason, Carmody clearly summarizedthe cause of the upset best.

"Harvard was prepared for us, and we couldn'tthwart that confidence," Carmody said. "The thingsthat their guys can do well, they did well."

All this on a weekend when Clemente wasfrequently eliminated as the go-to guy on theoffensive end.

It was almost eerie, hearing Princeton, whichalso lost to Yale the previous weekend, compareits woes to Harvard's successes.

"Things just happen in the course of theballgame, and we never got control," Carmody saidin frustration. "Our mental status is not good,and we're struggling against senior teams [likeHarvard] that handle themselves well."

After nine years of frustration, that admissionmakes you feel awfully good about the journey ofthe men who made it happen

"This was the only team we hadn't beaten in myfour years," Hill said. "We couldn't have askedfor a better night."

Sophomore forward Dan Clemente may be the mostpotent Crimson scoring threat, and he certainlymade the most dramatic bucket of the night againstPrinceton--a 26-foot explosion that spottedHarvard a three-point lead with 1:47 left inregulation--but the forward was marked by opposingcoaches all weekend.

Clemente contributed just two baskets afterhalftime on Saturday.

Similarly, freshmen guards Drew Gellert andPatrick Harvey have greatly increased their rolein the Crimson backcourt since the exam break. Thetwo combined to notch 11 rebounds and five stealsin the two games.

However, it was the seniors who produced incrucial areas to put Harvard over the top.

Facing the two most formidable big men in Pennjunior Geoff Owens and Princeton freshman ChrisYoung, Ewing was very nearly Harvard's first, lastand only line of defense against interior assault.Two weeks ago, Owens won the battle of the boards,and Young nearly single-handedly battered theCrimson into submission with 17 first-half points.

This week, Ewing did everything that could beasked of a starting center, let alone one pressedinto duty by Fisher's illness. Ewing was judiciousyet active on the offensive end, and his 17rebounds on the weekend are indication that he didstood his ground against more size ableopposition.

Hill was typical, which is to say, superb. Inaddition to breaking Harvard's all-time assistsrecord with 14 on the weekend, the senior slashedhard into the defense and exhibited judgement thatwas a wonder to watch.

After Hill got in foul trouble on Friday night,those in attendance got a rare chance to see justhow important Hill's presence is. The point guardplayed 82 minutes over the weekend, but when heleft the court for three minutes against Penn, theQuakers took it to the replacement Gellertimmediately.

That Harvard saw its six-point lead transforminto a two-point deficit is proof enough. WhenHill lost the floor, Harvard's control over thegame was notably diminished.

It was largely due to Hill's floor generalshipthat Princeton Coach Bill Carmody said, "Harvardcontrolled the game tonight. It was theirs fromthe outset."

Mike Beam, who was kept on the bench due tofoul trouble much of Saturday night and who hasbeen eclipsed by the emerging freshmen at times inthe past month, scored all 11 of his pointsagainst Princeton in the final 7:30 of regulationand overtime.

Beam worked without the basketball to get inthe offensive flow, then drained consecutivethrees to open the overtime period and put Harvardup for good.

"I struggled much of the game, but I got alittle more aggressive with the dribble, hit a bigshot, and got going," Beam said.

Even Dexter, who has seen little playing timein an injury-plagued Harvard career, got thestarting nod in his final home game and dropped athree-pointer in ten minutes of action.

Something just seemed to come together forthese four this weekend. Hill did not have to holdthe ball 30 seconds out of each shot clock. Beamshowed aggressiveness and mobility, and Harvardgot both interior defense and active, appropriatecontributions on defense.

"Our preparation for this weekend wasincredible," Beam said. "This was the best ideawe've had heading into the Penn-Princeton weekendin my career."

Whatever the reason, Carmody clearly summarizedthe cause of the upset best.

"Harvard was prepared for us, and we couldn'tthwart that confidence," Carmody said. "The thingsthat their guys can do well, they did well."

All this on a weekend when Clemente wasfrequently eliminated as the go-to guy on theoffensive end.

It was almost eerie, hearing Princeton, whichalso lost to Yale the previous weekend, compareits woes to Harvard's successes.

"Things just happen in the course of theballgame, and we never got control," Carmody saidin frustration. "Our mental status is not good,and we're struggling against senior teams [likeHarvard] that handle themselves well."

After nine years of frustration, that admissionmakes you feel awfully good about the journey ofthe men who made it happen