Peljto Fulfills Long-time Ambition

Junior Hana Peljto is generally known as a globetrotter in basketball rather than in the travel sense.

However, this summer the star forward of the Harvard women’s basketball team took a vacation from the court, as she ventured back to her birthplace in Bosnia for the first time in a decade.

The threat of war forced Peljto and her family to flee to Slovenia. It was there, at the age of 11, that she first picked up a basketball. In 1995, she and her family immigrated to Ottawa, Canada, before moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota. There, she attended Osseo High School and led its team to a state title in her senior year, in addition to setting almost every scoring and rebounding record. Yet despite her success both in high school and now at Harvard, there was always the sense of something unfulfilled.

“It was definitely something I needed to do—to go back and reconnect with my family,” Peljto said fervently. “It was a pretty incredible experience.”

Peljto spent two weeks revisiting favorite childhood places, including her old house and family vacation spots. Though initially nervous about returning after her extended absence, the feeling quickly dissipated.

“Once I spent some time there, I felt as if I had never left, even after being gone for so much time and even after so much had changed,” Peljto said.

With a personal mission completed, Peljto now returns to the familiar task of demoralizing Ivy defenses. Last year, she was the unanimous selection as the Ivy League Player of the Year after steering the Crimson to the league title. Her team-leading averages of 20.1 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game were crucial as Harvard stormed to an Ivy record of 13-1 and 22-6 overall.

“Last season we really clicked well with a good mix of upperclassmen and younger players,” Peljto said.

In a ground-breaking year for the squad, Peljto made Crimson history during the league opener against Dartmouth. Peljto tore open a close game with a career-high 36 points. Her total ranks second-highest in team history, topped only by 39 points scored by Harvard legend Allison Feaster ’98.

The rest of the Ivy season was a magic carpet ride marred only by a loss to Princeton, as the Crimson sealed its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament faster than any other team in the country. Peljto counts the clinching game against Yale as one of her fondest memories,

“That’s what makes you want to come back this year and do the same thing again,” she said.

This year, Peljto and the Crimson are looking far beyond their small-time Ivy League competitors. A fierce pre-league schedule will test the mettle of a reworked lineup that includes five new players. While veterans from last year’s team will certainly draw on the nonleague experience that took them to the first round of the NCAA tournament, Peljto acknowledges that the national trek will not be easy.

“We’re almost a completely different team from last year,” she added. “We’re hoping to regain team chemistry.”

The first half of the season will include top-25 opponents such as Minnesota, Boston College and Vanderbilt. It’s the most challenging ever attempted by a Harvard team.

“They’ll be tough games but I think they’ll be great opportunities for us to show where we’re at,” she stated. “We’re hoping to make an impact.”

Peljto has spent considerable time this summer and fall refining her passing game.

“I know that’s one aspect I have to work on because I will not get as many easy shots this year,” she said.

In order to guard against the kind of prolific numbers Peljto has produced in the past, opponents will be increasing the defensive pressure. Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith has been preparing for this likelihood.

“[Peljto’s] using the clear-out, and if she doesn’t get something she likes, she’s kicking it to her teammates,” Delaney-Smith said. “She never really did that last year. She really tried to shoot against double and triple teams—and was quite effective doing it. Now she’s doing both [passing and shooting.]”

Peljto was effective enough against such odds, as she placed second in the league in scoring. Now the star forward’s passing improvement will aid the Crimson when the team plays its tough nonconference competition. Harvard will face some of the nation’s top teams, who will be prepared for Peljto’s shooting prowess and force her to use her clear-out.

“Her body’s stronger, better, faster,” Delaney-Smith said.

When the women’s basketball season opens with Syracuse on Nov. 22, Peljto will be primed to lead the Crimson with spirit and intensity.