M. Hoops Hosts Brown, Yale

The Harvard men's basketball team will host Brown and Yale this weekend in a dual attempt to erase forgettable memories from last weekend and to avenge past losses this season.

"I know that this weekend, we're going to be intense and play hard for four quarters and come out with the win," said junior forward Dan Clemente, who shocked Harvard fans with his unexpected return to the Crimson lineup when he suited up against Cornell last Friday.

The hoops star showed no signs of rust, as he came off the bench for 24 explosive points in a 67-57 Harvard victory. Clemente's return came none too soon, with Harvard's date with Penn and Princeton, perennial Ivy League leaders, right around the corner.

However, the "Killer P's" of Penn and Princeton immediately swarmed around Clemente last weekend as the junior forward could only manage a combined 13 points on 5-of-21 shooting during the Crimson's last two losses.

When the Crimson traveled to Brown on Jan. 15 in the two teams' only meeting this season, the story of the game was Earl Hunt. The 6'5 freshman scored 39 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three- point range and a Barry-esque 17-of-18 from the free-throw line.

Stopping this first-year sensation will be the key to a Harvard victory.

"We've got to pay more attention to Hunt," said freshman point guard Elliot Prasse-Freeman. "But stopping a guy like that takes more than one person. We have to play better team defense."

Senior captain Damian Long, who had a combined total of 31 points against Brown and Yale earlier in the season, plays the kind of intense defense that the Crimson will need to stop Hunt.

Making the two-point shot will also be a big factor. Harvard managed to connect on a meager 35 percent of its shots from the floor against the Bears, as well as an atrocious 45-of-118 over the weekend.

However, other than Hunt's extraordinary performance and the team's poor shooting, the Crimson put in a solid effort against the Bears, winning the battle of the boards, 40-29, Junior forward Tim Coleman pulled down nine rebounds, and Prasse-Freeman tacked on 11 boards and dished out eight assists.

"We didn't play as aggressively as we could [against Brown]," Clemente said.

The inside game should be a definite advantage for Harvard. In addition to pummelling the Bears on the boards, Coleman abused Brown forward Alaivaa Nuualiitia for 18 points on 9-of-18 shooting, and held the hapless Bear to ten points on 3-10 shooting.

Against the hated Bulldogs, Harvard was again victimized by an outstanding individual performance by sophomore forward Onatje Woodbine, who scored 28 points but went only 8-of-18 from the field.

"We're actually not going to change too much [to defend Woodbine]," said freshman scoring guard Brady Merchant.

Forward Onnie Mayshak, whose developing inside presence should aid Harvard's offensive attack in the coming games, emphasized the need to play hard and play together.

"The Brown-Yale weekend got away from us last time," Mayshak said. "We just have to come out with a little more concentration and intensity this time [against Brown and Yale]."

There is one major difference between this weekend's contests and the previous meetings between these squads: the looming presence of the 6'9" Clemente, whose 18.8 ppg would lead the Ivy League if he had played in enough games to qualify.

After a subpar performance last weekend, some questioned whether Clemente was fully recovered, but Clemente decisively answered his critics.

"I feel comfortable right now," Clemente said. " Last weekend was rough. It was obvious that I missed some time. However, practice has really helped this week, and I did some things on my own. Right now I feel like I never left."

A rejuvenated Clemente should help the Crimson recapture its early-season form.