BASKETBALL '07: Reserve Bank

Strength in numbers will be the team mantra this year for head coach Tommy Amaker and his newly revitalized Crimson squad.

After running with a perilously thin rotation through most of last season, the Crimson’s lack of depth finally got the best of Harvard’s men, as they dropped six of their last eight Ivy matches to close out the season.

But one year later, the Crimson finds itself ready to jump on the hardwood with a surprising new weapon in its artillery: a deep bench.

Bolstered by a promising freshman class and a deep sophomore unit with one year of Ivy League play under its belt, the team will look to incorporate its youth in the new up-tempo playing style that Amaker has installed.

“I’m not sure what the coaches are thinking in terms of rotation, but a lot of guys will play this year,” sophomore guard Jeremy Lin says. “We are going [to play] up and down and get winded more easily, but I think everyone is pretty much ready to step up when their number gets called.”

With the team featuring only one senior and a handful of juniors, the impetus will be on the team’s younger players to provide valuable sparks off the bench.

Along with returning sophomores Lin, Pat Magnarelli, and Doug Miller, some of the team’s newest faces will provide additional firepower and energy off the bench.

Sophomore Dan McGeary, a recent transfer from New Hampshire (UNH), and freshman T.J. Carey are two viable guard options that Amaker will look to use as relief off the bench for junior starters Andrew Pusar and Drew Housman.

McGeary, who averaged 26.3 minutes per game with the Wildcats, will bring some much-needed range to the team, as he made 39 three-pointers in his last season with UNH.

Carey, battle tested from playing four years at St. Dominic High School in New York, brings some versatility to the squad by being able to play anywhere from the point to the wing.

“T.J. is a really smart player at the point guard [and] makes great decisions,” Lin says.

But guards aren’t the only new faces on the Harvard roster. Freshmen Adam Demuyakor and Kyle Fitzgerald, both measuring in at 6’7, will reinforce an already strong frontcourt with the quickness and athleticism that Amaker will demand of his players this year.

“With Kyle and Adam, they’re pushing me every day at practice,” junior forward Evan Harris says. “Adam came in and starting beating up on me, hitting in the blocks, and that was great. They’re bringing in a lot of toughness.”

Although roles for the new faces haven’t been clearly defined yet, it is easy to see that each of them will be counted upon heavily as the season progresses.

“All four of the new guys that have been playing every day come in with great attitudes,” captain forward Brad Unger says. “I know Adam and Kyle have both been playing big guy spots, and we don’t have very many big guy numbers right now. The opportunity will be there for them to contribute right away.”

With Unger suffering a preseason injury a month ago that will sideline him for at least the next two weeks, the underclassmen may indeed have their opportunity to showcase their talents.

Intense practices are one thing, but nothing can substitute actual game-time experience, especially when that experience will present completely new challenges for the incoming freshmen.

“It’s obviously going to be up to Coach Amaker [to decide] how many guys are going to get to play and how deep he wants to go on the bench,” Unger says. “Last year, we weren’t as deep. We had a lot of freshmen, and it’s tough to play in the Ivy League as a freshman. We’re relatively young again this year, but all those freshmen are at least sophomores now, and that one year makes a big difference.”

That one year has particularly paid dividends for sophomores Lin and Mangarelli.

Each has battled hard through the preseason to earn starting spots on the roster and will be the most immediate mentors available for the new class of freshmen as they transition from high school to college ball.

After being limited to just nine games last year with a back injury, Magnarelli is quickly making up for lost time. In the team’s 90-60 win over Northwestern State on Sunday, he scored 18 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, both career highs.

Though the team may be young, its bright future will attempt to mask the past few dark and tumultuous seasons. With a vibrant new playing style and the pieces in place to implement that style, Amaker has the necessary elements to embark upon his Ivy campaign.

—Staff writer Mauricio A. Cruz can be reached at cruz2@fas.harvard.edu.