Second Year Together Fosters Team Unity

Second chances are hard to come by, but the Harvard women’s basketball team has the rare opportunity to build on a second-place finish in the Ivy League with all the same players—not to mention a few additions.

“It’s great having everyone back,” sophomore forward Victoria Lippert says. “We’re united in our collective goal of winning an Ivy championship...so we’re all here for that mission of hanging up another banner in the gym. Being back together for another year, I think, is only going to help us.”

Because there were no seniors on the team last year, the Crimson knew going into the 2009-10 season that its campaign could potentially be a test run for what could happen this season. The squad featured then-sophomore Brogan Berry and then-junior Emma Markley, two players who provided a one-two punch on offense. Then-junior co-captain Christine Matera also stepped up as the season progressed, showing off the sharpshooting ability that makes her so lethal.

What came as a pleasant surprise last year was the emergence of Lippert, a versatile forward with the ability to score in a variety of ways. She established herself as another scoring option for Harvard, boosting the Crimson’s reputation as one of the best offenses in the league.

But all that offensive firepower proved to be insufficient, as the squad fought hard throughout the season but finished second behind perennial Ivy League contender Princeton. The Crimson fell twice to the Tigers, the final loss coming towards the end of the season.

That game highlighted one of the team’s season-long weaknesses: the starting lineup, composed of three forwards and two guards, only had two legitimate rebounders in Markley and current co-captain Jackie Alemany. Princeton’s Devona Allgood, playing at center, outmuscled the Crimson backcourt to grab 13 rebounds, eight of which were offensive.

“Rebounding has been focused on in practice since the very first day,” Lippert says. “We’re definitely looking to work on that this year and stop giving away second chances on the offensive board and really focus in on our boxing out.”

The team’s presence in the post only diminished in subsequent postseason play. In the first round of the WNIT, Harvard fell to Syracuse, 87-68, in part due to poor shooting but also due to a lack of rebounding. The Orange collected 50 boards to the Crimson’s 26.

Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith has made it a point to her players that she will not tolerate the same discrepancy this time around.

“Rebounding has definitely been something that [our coach] is trying to reiterate, that the captains are trying to reiterate,” Matera comments. “Little things in practice have to do with that. We do extra running [when it comes to] keeping track of rebounds. Missed box-outs we run for. It’s something we’re trying to keep at the forefront.”

The offense, though strong throughout most of the campaign, also made a disappearing act when it was time to face Syracuse. In that game, nine players got significant minutes, but none of them could find the answer to raise the team’s low field-goal percentage. The Orange, on the other hand, shot 58.8 percent on the night.

But both the offseason and preseason training have provided the squad with time to regain the fluidity that the offense exhibited in league play.

“We’re really cohesive on and off the court, and we spend a lot of time together,” Matera says. “Many different people have gotten minutes last year, so we have a lot of experience playing together. This makes everything easier in games, because no matter who subs into the game, you know they’ll be ready to go.”

“[Bringing back everyone] will definitely benefit the team both on and off the court, but especially on the court,” Alemany adds. “We each know our different styles, and it really makes it easier to help the freshmen transition smoothly.”

Even though the team is returning all its core players, four freshmen are projected to contribute to the team’s goals right from the start. Center Elise Gordon and forward Marissa Brock both provide much-needed height to the squad, while guards Christine Clark and Missy Mullins have proven to be scorers from their high school days.

“I would say [the freshmen are] doing a great job,” sophomore guard Elle Hagedorn says. “One or two are coming back from injuries, so they’re a little behind, but all of them have caught on to the plays pretty quickly. They have a pretty good understanding of what the coaches expect of them during practice, which is important, because if they don’t know what the coaches expect of them, we all have to run.”

They had better hit the ground running, because there are no more chances and excuses for an experienced Crimson team, especially if it wants to beat its top Ivy League rival.

“This year, we’re a whole other team,” Lippert remarks. “We have built upon our cohesiveness and our talent from last year, and this year, it’s time to get some revenge on Princeton.”

—Staff writer Brian A. Campos can be reached at bcampos@fas.harvard.edu.