Good Things Come In Big Packages

Harvard’s opponents this year can be forgiven if they think they see five gaurds on the floor at once.

The Crimson play two big men at all times, but Harvard’s frontcourt players can shoot and run the court as if they belonged on the perimeter.

“Our big men can rebound, run the floor, and make a transition,” Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said. “It’s such a blessing to have kids who can move up and down, and do it fairly quickly.”

With a three-guard lineup, Harvard’s four frontcourt players have been forced to adapt to a style of play that focuses on the backcourt. Ideally, the Crimson would like to play an up-tempo game, which forces the big men to run the floor and concentrate on transition defense.

While most frontcourt players might prefer a half-court game where the ball is pounded into the post, junior forward Sam Winter says he welcomes the guard-first mentality.

“I like playing an up-tempo game,” Winter said. “When the guards are getting their shots going to the hole, it makes it easier for us inside.”

A Second Chance

Going into last year, senior forward Tim Coleman was all set to be the post presence needed to make Harvard a team to be feared in the Ivy League. With Penn and Princeton in something of a rebuilding year, everything was in place for the most talented Harvard team in years to finally win the Ivy championship.

Then, late last summer, Coleman learned that he would be forced to miss a year of school for academic reasons. With star forward Dan Clemente playing his final season last year, that ideal team would never get to take the court.

As his teammates struggled down the stretch en route to a tie for fourth in the Ivy League, Coleman spent much of the year in San Francisco working for an Internet company while trying to stay in shape. He refused to feel resentment over not being able to play.

“You can’t live thinking ‘what if?’” Coleman said. “Basketball teaches you not to be jealous. I wanted them to win the league and go to the NCAA tournament.”

Despite nearly averaging a double-double thus far this season, Coleman believes he has not approached his form of two years ago.

“Nothing can replace the Division I practice and season,” Coleman said. “I feel way more relaxed and confident on the court, but physically, I still have a ways to go.”

Coleman’s return provides the Crimson with more than just a consistent inside scoring threat. The forward has developed an outside shot which makes him as tough to guard on the perimeter as in the paint. It was Coleman’s three-pointer in the final minute against Lehigh this year that put the Crimson in a position to win the game in the final seconds.

Most importantly, Coleman provides sorely-needed rebounding ability in the frontcourt. Thus far, Coleman has averaged nearly nine boards a game. The next-best rebounder in the frontcourt is Winter, with just 3.5 a contest.

“Everyone knows their roles on this team,” Coleman said. “I know that every time, I’ve got to get that rebound.”

Filling Big Shoes

After spending two years stuck behind Clemente, Winter finally has a starting spot at power forward. Yet for Winter, starting will be nothing new.

Winter filled in for Harvard two years ago when Clemente missed two months with a detatched retina. The then-freshman from Topeka, Kan., exceeded all expectations, containing opposing forwards and often providing an unexpected scoring boost, regularly scoring in double-figures.

Unfortunately, the forward has been hard-pressed to duplicate that surprising first-year success.

Winter’s best asset is his outside shooting, but he has struggled to find his touch this year—making just a third of his field goals—and he is far from satisfied with just being an outside shooter.

“I’m trying to work on my consistency with my outside shot,” Winter said. “I also need to become more effective with my post moves, defense and rebounding.”

Winter has shown flashes of his ability in the last two games, following up a solid offensive performance against Northeastern with his first double-double of the year Saturday against Stoney Brook.

Coleman is confident that Winter will find his range.

“In practice he hits shots all day,” Coleman said. “It’s just a matter of time until that carries over to the court.”

The Best JV’er Ever

No regular has overcome greater odds to earn his way into the rotation than junior center Brian Sigafoos. Recruited by Sullivan from high school, the 6”11” was cut from the varsity squad as a freshman and relegated to the JV team—usually a death sentence for a player’s collegiate career.

“I was under the impression that I would never play varsity basketball here,” Sigafoos said.

No Ivy player in recent memory has even risen from the JV level to start for the varsity team. But rather than letting this fact demoralize him, Sigafoos worked constantly after his freshman year building size and strength.

“Brian has become an effective runner with great agility,” Sullivan said. “He can catch the ball in the post real well.”

Sigafoos was rewarded for his intense offseason efforts with a spot on the varsity squad last year. After some solid play as a reserve, the center earned a starting slot late in the season. All told, he averaged close to seven points and more than four rebounds a game last year.

At his best, Sigafoos presents a tall presence in the post and provides several easy baskets a game. This season, however, he has seen his minutes limited by Coleman’s return and by nagging injuries, including a foot problem that will likely bother him all season. Despite shooting 57 percent from the field, Sigafoos is averaging only 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds a game.

“I’ve not been playing nearly as well as I did last year,” Sigafoos said. “A lot of it is just a lack of self-confidence.”

Sigafoos’s biggest weakness is his tendency to get into foul trouble. His numbers last year would have been far more impressive had foul problems not limited him to 16 minutes a game. Against Penn last year, he fouled out in just six minutes of action.

Sigafoos has worked hard with assistant coaches since the end of last season on playing physical, but smart, defense. Thus far, however, he is still averaging a personal foul about every five minutes, which is not significantly different from last year’s rate.

“Avoiding fouls is about moving your feet, not fighting so much with the arms and playing a little stronger,” Sigafoos said. “I”m more under control with my fouling, but I still need to work on it a lot.”

Freshman Hurdles

Freshman Graham Beatty is the only underclassman in the frontcourt (last year’s sole recruit, forward Kam Walton, did not score last year and is no longer on the team).

While lacking polish from a basketball standpoint, Beatty has impressed teammates with his considerable athletic talent and ability to play in an up-tempo game. The Evanston, Ill., native starred in both basketball and track in high school, and is considering running hurdles for the track team this spring.

Beatty is seeing the most minutes of any of the three freshmen on the team, and he should become a regular part of the rotation as the season progresses.

“He’s a little raw right now, but he’s a great athlete and brings a lot of energy,” Sigafoos said. “Just give him some time.”

Though just a rookie, Beatty does not give up much to his elders. Although Harvard’s top three inside players are upperclassman, none averaged more than 15 minutes a game last year. All told, Harvard’s big men may have the best of both worlds: a combination of veteran savvy and the untapped potential of younger, less-experienced players.

“We’re not nearly as good as we could be,” Coleman said. “I just see us getting better.”