Freshmen Excel in Exhibition

The talent that earned Harvard men’s basketball team the No. 2 spot in the Ivy League preseason media poll was on display Saturday afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion, as the Crimson beat Division II Puerto Rico-Mayaguez 85-65 in Harvard’s first and only exhibition of the 2005-06 season.

All 14 active Harvard players saw significant minutes in the first action of the fall campaign, as Crimson coach Frank Sullivan tested his freshman recruits in anticipation of the team’s run for the Ivy League title.

“The goal of the day was to get everybody in the game,” Sullivan said. “It worked out real well for us...we showed some flashes of potential.”

Harvard took control of an overmatched Bulldogs squad with an 18-0 run midway through the first half, which stretched a 17-16 lead to a comfortable 35-16 advantage. Captain Matt Stehle, a preseason favorite for the league Player of the Year award, scored seven points in the run to help Harvard take a 48-27 lead into halftime. The Crimson then pulled out to a 34-point lead with a 22-9 burst to open the second half.

“It really was about conditioning,” Sullivan said, “and more importantly to get them playing together. We don’t get as much up and down [the floor] in practice.”

Harvard’s standout frontcourt tandem was typically dominant, as Stehle poured in 12 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes and junior center Brian Cusworth had 15 points and 10 boards in only 15 minutes.

Mayaguez, which is playing four New England schools on its tour of the US, was paced by 20-point efforts from forward Pedro Colon and guard Luis Ramirez.

JUNKYARD DOG

Harvard was led on offense by freshman guard-forward Andrew Pusar, who collected 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting despite only playing 13 minutes off the bench. Pusar, a wing player who likes to put the ball on the floor and drive, displayed an uncanny ability to get to the basket and be in the right place for put-back lay-ups.

“We looked at ourselves and said, ‘How did he get that many points?’” Sullivan said. “He’s a junkyard player—is his jump shot pretty? No. Is his free throw pretty? No. Can he score points? Oh, yes.”

The 6’2, 200-lb. Pusar also had six rebounds, four assists, and no turnovers.

“I just wanted to play hard,” Pusar said. “It was the first time I’d ever played with these guys in a real game...I think it went pretty well. [I’m] just trying to always be involved somehow, and hopefully at the end I’ll have some effect on helping the team win.”

MAKING HIS POINT

Perhaps the biggest enigma for the Crimson heading into the season is the point guard spot. With the graduation of incumbent David Giovacchini and the injury-related departure of potential starter Tyler Klunick, Harvard needs someone to take the reins of the offense.

On Saturday, freshman Drew Housman was given the start in the backcourt beside junior shooting guard Jim Goffredo. Housman missed all three shots he took but dished out a game-high six assists against only three turnovers and added three steals.

“I was actually surprised when [Sullivan] said I was starting today...but I just looked at it as an opportunity to go out and play my game,” Housman said. “I’m not sure how it’s going to go from day-to-day, but if I start all the games, I’m going to be ready.”

Housman played a team-high 22 minutes, while fellow freshman point guard Erik Groszyk tallied 13 minutes.

“We’re still trying to figure it out, but I think [Housman is] further along in terms of being the lead guard than he was a couple of weeks ago,” Sullivan said. “We gave him more minutes tonight just to continue to see how much he can lead with different combinations of guys.”

If Housman can solidify the point guard spot, that would free senior swingman Mike Beal to play off the ball on the wing, where he is most comfortable. Beal, who scored six points on 3-of-5 shooting, started the game at the small forward position before switching to point guard when Housman exited.

“We don’t want Mike at the point,” Sullivan said. “He really has to become our defensive stopper, so we really have to get him off point guards, and get him on scoring guys. The defensive match-ups are going to dictate our preference.”

FAST BREAKS

Harvard out-rebounded Mayaguez 50-33...Junior Brian Darcy scored 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting in only 13 minutes. The 6’8 forward played sparingly in his first two seasons, partially due to injuries, but he could have an increased role backing up Stehle and Cusworth this year...The Crimson takes on Vermont in the opener next Saturday at home. The Catamounts are coming off a season in which they won the America East Championship and upset No. 4 seed Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The opening tip at Lavietes Pavilion is scheduled for 4 p.m.

—Staff writer Caleb W. Peiffer can be reached at cpeiffer@fas.harvard.edu.