Crimson To Move to Small, Fast Lineup

Junior Brad Unger is averaging 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds this season. Senior center Brian Cusworth took his 17.9 points per game average, second in the Ivies, and league-leading 9.1 rebounds with him as he left his Harvard career behind last Saturday.

For the 6’8 Unger, filling the 7’0 Cusworth’s shoes will be a difficult task—in more ways than one.

To compound the problem, Unger will be adjusting to a steep increase in playing time with a role he is not used to—maintaining a low-post presence.

In the likeness of Matt Stehle ’06, Unger is a big man who plays behind the line, possessing the ability to spot up from three at any time. Learning to play down on the blocks will be a work in progress.

“Brad has a different game a three point player, a skilled guy who can play behind the line,” Crimson coach Frank Sullivan said. ”Nobody’s going be a low-point scorer like Brian.”

But there still remains talent in the frontcourt to aid in Unger’s progress. Sophomore Evan Harris, with not the height but the wingspan of a seven-footer, will combine with senior Brian Darcy, a low-post offensive presence, to bolster the 4-5 rotations.

“We have a very small rotation but with a lot of potential,” Sullivan said. “[For example] Harris has really improved this year, he’s improved his defense, and when he gets his arms in play, he’s a very good defensive player.”

And that will be Harvard’s focus coming down the stretch of its Ivy season—filling the defensive gap left by the 7’0 Cusworth. The lane will now appear much more open for opposing squads without the Crimson’s career leader in shot-blocks manning the paint.

“I think there’s a little pressure on offense, but I don’t think as a team were going to have trouble making up those points,” senior captain Jim Goffredo said. “We are going to take a little hit on defense with shot blocking and rebounding.”

To make matters worse for the Crimson, sophomore Kenyon Churchwell, expected to get significant playing time upon Cusworth’s departure, is now likely out for the season with a heart condition.

As a result, the Crimson must rely on a depleted four-man frontcourt rotation, with Unger, Darcy, Harris, and freshman Pat Magnarelli to call on.

What the squad lacks in size, however, may be made up in its team speed. Harvard’s offensive reigns now sit squarely on the shoulders of its captain, the team’s leading remaining scorer at 15.5 points per game.

Goffredo will look to utilize the speed and youth of his backcourt cohorts in breakout rookie Jeremy Lin and sophomore Drew Housmnn. It will be a different look for the Crimson but also one with potential.

“Improve our defense and we will get some open court opportunities,” Sullivan said. “We’ve seen that we’re a good team on the fast break—[Lin] has some speed and [Housman] is a very good open court player.”

Housman, ranking in the top ten in points (12.9), assists (3.11), and steals (1.5) in the Ivy League will be a focus of this new fast break game in addition to his already established influence in the Crimson’s front-court set.

But what the team always comes back to is the pending problems on defense—with no solution but hard work in sight.

Harvard, first in the Ivies in blocks and offensive rebounding thanks mainly to Cusworth, will experience a major lack of big stops and free lay-ups over the coming weeks. And on top of this, even with Cusworth, the Crimson is last in the league in field goal percentage defense, allowing teams to shoot at a .486 clip.

There is much to improve, and without Cusworth, this lies as a tall order ahead. But the team sees a silver lining—out of the loss comes new potential.

“With Brad and Evan both having a perimeter game, I think we’ll be able to move up and down the court more,” Goffredo said. “[We’ll] have a different look as a team and hopefully have success with that.”

Staff Writer Walter E. Howell can be reached at wehowell@fas.harvard.edu.