Harvard Basketball: Representing For The Ivy League

If you’ve never been to (or heard of) Hanover, New Hampshire, you only need to know two things. First, it’s home to Dartmouth College, my current home. Second, it’s cold as hell. After four years at this school, I’ve discovered that there really aren’t any other talking points about Hanover—it’s just another sleepy town in a very sleepy state.

Earlier this week, a major sporting event woke up our sleepy little town. The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll’s 24^th ranked Harvard Crimson men’s basketball team was coming to town. After playing football against Harvard for the past four years, I have developed a deep resentment for the school and its athletic program. I lost all four of my football games against Harvard so there is nothing but bad blood between us.

With only 4,400 students on campus, our school rarely sells out an athletic game; however, the arrival of a nationally-ranked opponent and our rivalry with Harvard created a buzz that attracted enough people to create the first Dartmouth basketball sellout in recent memory. With a packed house full of rowdy fans, I was ready cheer on the Big Green to victory. When Dartmouth went up by four points in the first half, we were ready to start our “O-ver-ra-ted” chants. Unfortunately, the squad couldn’t maintain the momentum and Harvard ran away with the game in the second half and won by 16 points.

As much as it hurts me to say this, I can’t ignore the fact that Harvard is a damn good basketball team and wins by Harvard support the legitimacy of Ivy League basketball. Don’t get me wrong—I still hate Harvard athletics, but Harvard’s tenure in the top-25 helps every other Ivy League school.

Many people across the country do not respect Ivy League athletics. Schools such as Dartmouth and Harvard are known for turning out academic scholars—not athletes in the major billing sports such as football and basketball. The eight schools in the Ivy League don’t give out academic scholarships and therefore can’t recruit the nation’s premier athletes. Additionally, the schools mandate that all recruited athletes must have similar academic credentials to the rest of the student body. Recruited athletes who can barely pass the SAT simply won’t get accepted (Sorry Derrick Rose).

Despite the lack of high profile recruits and a relatively low athletic budget when compared to schools like UConn and Duke, the Harvard Crimson has held down its spot in the top 25 for the past month. Coaches and analysts across the country are starting to notice the talent coming out of Ivy League schools. Two years ago, the Cornell Big Red came up with upset after upset and ended up making it to the Sweet 16. Last year, the Princeton Tigers nearly upset the eventual NCAA champion, the Kentucky Wildcats, in the first round of the tournament. Harvard’s very own Jeremy Lin currently plays for the New York Knicks.

Teams like Harvard and Princeton don’t have the same athletic talent as other schools. Where they lack in athleticism, they make up for in coaching and basketball knowledge. Tommy Amaker, Harvard’s head coach, is one of the best in all of basketball. Amaker studied basketball under the legendary Mike Krzyzewski and you can definitely see how much of Coach K has rubbed off on him. His system suffocates opponents on defense and creates open shots for every player on offense. Amaker proves that you don’t need freak athletes on your team; all you need are hardworking players who understand their roll on the team.

Don’t sleep on Harvard in March. Assuming they maintain their momentum, they’ll reach the Big Dance this spring. While I don’t expect them to win the tourney, I do expect this squad to eliminate a few big names before their run ends.

- Chad Hollis
Twitter: @djhollisto

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January 27th, 2012 | Dan | Comments Off |