Men's Basketball's Best Recruiting Class in Program History Looks to Make Immediate Impact

Top 10—in its roughly 100 years of history, top 10 are two words that have rarely been associated with the Harvard men’s basketball team. In fact before the 2011 season, the Crimson was a team that hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1946—an ordeal that saw the Crimson eliminated by Ohio State in the first round.

Somehow though, come Thursday evening when the team tips off against MIT, seven Harvard freshmen—who comprise the 10th-best recruiting class in the nation—will all be wearing Crimson.

To many it may come as a surprise, but to anyone paying attention to Harvard coach Tommy Amaker over the past few seasons, this year’s freshman class is only an extension of the success he’s brought to the program. When asked about his touted freshman class, however, Amaker is quick to point out that his program is more than a simple ranking or even seven of the best freshmen in the nation.

“I think they’re talented and bring a lot of youthful enthusiasm and exuberance, but I think the key to our team will be the leadership of our veterans and certainly the growth and development of our veterans as we go along,” Amaker said. “The upperclassmen, as always, I’ve been able to count on.”

There’s little doubt that Amaker will look to his most seasoned players—namely co-captain Siyani Chambers and classmate Zena Edosomwan—to lead a program composed mostly of underclassmen. In the mix among the rookies are four forwards and three guards.

While it remains to be seen how Harvard’s seven freshmen will fit into Amaker’s lineup, the amount of talent in this year’s class along with the return of senior guard Siyani Chambers was enough to warrant a vote for the Crimson in the Associated Press’ preseason rankings.

Following the departure of forwards Agunwa Okolie ‘16 and Evan Cummins ‘16, the biggest question regarding the freshman class lies largely at the forward position. While junior Chris Egi could potentially start alongside Edosomwan in the frontcourt, there could be a serious case made for one of the freshman forwards to be in the rotation as well. reshman Chris Lewis and classmate Robert Baker, Jr. will push Egi to be the starter at the four spot.

Freshman forward Robert Baker has a chance to crack the starting lineup early in his career with the Crimson. By Courtesy of Harvard Athletic Communications

When he committed to Harvard late last fall, Lewis—ranked 44th in his class by ESPN at the time—was the highest-ranked player to commit to the Crimson. Throughout high school and on display at the annual Crimson Madness event, Lewis has been a strong presence in the post, a position that the Crimson has typically looked to for depth despite Edosomwan’s breakout junior season.

For a squad that’s been historically guard heavy, the recent increase in height is one that has been well-received

“I went from the second tallest guy last year to the fifth now, I’m a little shorty,” Edosomwan said. “It’s nice for me when I’m getting my shot blocked, seriously I’m getting my shot blocked. I’m not finishing as well so these are things that I’m having to learn and how I can score against different size. You have Robert Baker, sitting under me with just super long arms and then Chris Lewis’ strength and his shot blocking ability.”

Along with Baker and Lewis are forwards Henry Welsh and Seth Towns. With Welsh and Baker both measuring up at 6’10’’, there will be no shortage of height on the court for the foreseeable future in Lavietes. With a bit more of a perimeter shot, Towns could also find a spot in the rotation as a small forward or a stretch four alongside Edosomwan in the frontcourt.

Freshman Seth Towns will be a unique asset for the Crimson given his 6'7'' height but ability to spread the floor. By Courtesy of Harvard Athletic Communications

While the questions surrounding the team’s forwards remain unanswered, one thing is certain: Siyani Chambers will be anchoring the Crimson at the point guard position. While sophomore Tommy McCarthy showed flashes of success in last year’s underwhelming season, there exists the possibility that the Crimson also have a worthy successor to Chambers in freshman Bryce Aiken. The four-star recruit out of New Jersey came to Harvard despite offers from some major programs including Oklahoma, Miami, and Illinois. In limited minutes this offseason, he has shown that he’s more than capable of running the floor when needed.

Also in the mix at the guard spot are freshman Christian Juzang and Justin Bassey. While the two will likely be competing for minutes behind Chambers, McCarthy, and Aiken, both bring talent typically absent from the Crimson in recent years. With sophomore Corey Johnson and captain Corbin Miller likely taking up most minutes at the two spot, minutes among the team’s new guards will be thin, but given the amount of experience they bring, Amaker finds himself with a great problem when it comes to talent.

While only time will tell what the limit on Amaker’s highly touted freshman class will be, he isn’t one to forget they’re freshman at Harvard after all. As someone who pitches Harvard as a 40-year decision to prospective recruits, he’s well aware of the fact there’s a big learning curve associated with stepping foot on campus for the first time.

“I’m really, really knocked back with how they’re handling everything,” Amaker said. “Not that I didn’t expect that, but I’m just very pleased with how they’re handling it. We always talk about our young kids and our freshman having a willingness to fit in and show us that they really want to work hard—they’ve done that as best or better than any freshman group we’ve brought in this far.”

—Staff writer Troy Boccelli can be reached at troy.boccelli@thecrimson.com