When Harvard hired former Duke standout and Michigan coach Tommy Amaker after the 2006-07 season, hopes were high, but the Crimson’s win total stayed mediocre as usual.
But with a 13-3 record (2-0 Ivy) already this season, it looks like the team’s play has finally caught up to the hype.
And the Crimson haven’t been competing against slouches either. They topped Boston College for the second straight year and picked up wins against George Washington and William & Mary — the latter a triple-overtime thriller.
Nor have the losses been unexpected. Apart from a Nov. 23 loss at Army, the Crimson have only lost to ranked opponents: then-No. 14 Connecticut and then-No. 14 Georgetown.
Leading the way for Harvard, however, is not one of the much-ballyhooed Amaker recruits of the past two years but rather senior Jeremy Lin, a holdover from previous coach Frank Sullivan’s tenure. Lin leads the team in points, with 17.1 per game, as well as assists and minutes. On top of that, his 2.9 steals per game are sixth in the nation and the 6-foot-3 guard averages over one block per game.
Beyond that, he has a tendency to shine at the most critical moments. Facing a two-point deficit in the third overtime against William & Mary, it was Lin’s buzzer-beating half-court shot — while being fouled — that won the game for Harvard.
And against the Huskies, Lin filled up the box score like few others can, tallying 30 points on 11-18 shooting along with nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals. Three days later against BC, he led the team with 25 points.
Behind Lin is a bevy of talented underclassmen. Six-foot-8 sophomore forward Keith Wright is the only other Crimson player to average in double digits, with 11.1 points per game. Even more impressive, he’s done it while shooting 60.9 percent from the field — fourth best in the country.
In addition, freshman Kyle Casey has come along especially strong in recent games. Coming off the bench, the 6-foot-7 forward has averaged 17.75 points and seven rebounds over the squad’s past four games. He is also the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week.
The Crimson are off to a strong start in conference play, beating a weak Dartmouth team twice. While they rolled to a 29-point victory over the Big Green Jan. 9, their 62-58 victory Saturday was less convincing.
Through strong non-conference play, Harvard has positioned itself as the only legitimate candidate to take down two-time defending champion Cornell this season.
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