Eight Games In, Siyani Chambers is Back in Business

If anyone had any doubts regarding senior co-captain Siyani Chambers’ health coming into the 2016-2017 men’s basketball season, those doubts have been silenced.

Chambers withdrew from Harvard in 2015 after tearing his ACL during a summer workout. The Ivy League does not allow players to red shirt or play as graduate students, so players must leave school if they wish to preserve athletic eligibility.

Through the first eight games of the young season, much of the media focus on the Crimson has been on its rookie class, and the attention is certainly not without merit. Freshman forward Seth Towns currently leads the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game—and 21 per game during the team’s three game win streak, earning Ivy Rookie of the Week. Guard Bryce Aiken has also been a bright spot, providing a complement to Chambers in the backcourt. Rookie forward Chris Lewis had a breakout game against Boston College with 22 points while shooting at a 75 percent clip.

But Chambers has quietly been building an impressive stat sheet of his own, particularly in the assists categories. The Golden Valley, Minn. native is currently tied for third in all of Division I men’s basketball with 7.9 dimes per game. In the Ancient Eight, the next closest player—Yale point guard Anthony Dallier— has only 4.2 per contest.

By finding his teammates, Chambers makes everyone around him better. In Harvard’s three Division I wins (Chambers did not play against Div. II Fisher after getting banged up in the Crimson’s season opener against Stanford), the co-captain is notching 10.7 assists per game, compared to just 5.8 in losses. Not only does Chambers find his teammates, he protects the ball. Against Northeastern and Boston College last week, the senior had a combined 22 assists, but just a single turnover.

Chambers’ dribbling and ability to find teammates in traffic has been key over the past week, especially as Harvard has had to preserve leads late in games. Against Boston College on Dec. 7, the Crimson clung to a 69-63 lead. Despite leading by as many as 18 points, the Eagles were mounting a late comeback. To slow the Harvard offense, Boston College applied full court pressure, swarming Chambers as soon as he received the ball in bounds. Despite the pressure, Chambers evaded the pack and found Bassey streaking down the floor for an uncontested layup to give the Crimson some breathing room.

“[Siyani]’s in a really good place with the balance of scoring and finding people,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said after Harvard’s win over Northeastern on Dec. 6. “I do think he’s in a really good rhythm of seeing things, shots are falling, he’s hitting his spots, and it’s nice to see that out of him. He deserves that.”

Perhaps his most noticeable impact, however, comes in his leadership role on the team. In an ever-changing starting lineup, Chambers is a constant. From tip off to the final buzzer, Chambers is talking to his teammates constantly on the floor. For him, communication has been something the team has needed to improve on so far this year, and he sees it as his job to take the lead with that task. Averaging just under 32 minutes per game, Chambers embodies the “quarterback” title that Amaker looks for in a point guard.

Having a competent quarterback on the floor is especially important this year, with seven freshmen on the team trying to insert themselves in a team that struggled to a 14-16 record just a season ago. The freshmen have consistently pointed to the leadership of Chambers on and off the court as instrumental to their growth as players so far this season, both on and off the court. As it goes through the growing pains of a young team, Chambers has used his veteran status to teach the identity of Harvard basketball.

“He’s the best point guard I’ve ever played with,” Towns said. “He’s in the locker room making sure we’ve got all our work done, teaches us life lessons….On the court, his energy and motor carries our team. We’re looking at him, everybody on the team knows we’re looking at him for the leadership role.”

But ask Chambers to discuss his successes, and he pushes the attention to his teammates and to the bigger picture outcome—whether his team came out with a “W”.

“[H]e’s doing things like having 13 [points] and 11 assists, you wouldn’t even know,” Towns said. “Especially if you talk to him, he doesn’t boast about anything. Everything about him is win first, and that’s what matters most.”

Staff writer Theresa C. Hebert can be reached at theresa.hebert@thecrimson.com.