tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-645749475857315124.post4369137712479783142..comments2016-02-04T10:28:40.892-05:00Comments on The 14-Game Tournament: Shorting HarvardMichael Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06461922638043769098noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-645749475857315124.post-45635965258818257782011-09-06T12:59:30.757-04:002011-09-06T12:59:30.757-04:00Amaker has done a great job getting freshmen invol...Amaker has done a great job getting freshmen involved from his first recruiting class in 2008-2009. This might be his best class of his four at Harvard, but it will also be his toughest class to integrate into the lineup, as his returning talent has never been better.<br /><br />The Crimson really needed frontcourt depth last year. A lack of confidence in Jeff Georgatos and Andrew Van Nest at times left Harvard playing Laurent Rivard at the 4 - something that just can't happen this year if the Crimson plans to reach the level of success many have charted out for it. Luckily, the freshman class is loaded at the 4/5, with three options there and a fourth (Wesley Saunders) that is probably more suited to be a three, but could also pass as a four.<br /><br />It can take some time for freshmen to learn how to defend at a Division I level, so whether the rookies can help there remains to be seen. At least a couple should be good enough to provide an offensive boost over last year's bench, which would bolster the argument that the offense alone might be good enough to overcome any defensive lapses.<br /><br />Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't include the usual caveat about freshmen. Harvard's two highest ranked recruits in 2008 (Max Kenyi and Andrew Van Nest) and two of its top three guys in 2010 (Jamie Moore and Ugo Okam) have combined for a high of 47.5% minutes played in a season (Kenyi 2009) and a high offensive rating of 91 (Van Nest 2010), so be careful projecting too much onto the unknowns.Michael Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06461922638043769098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-645749475857315124.post-62825068480836737902011-09-06T11:38:30.426-04:002011-09-06T11:38:30.426-04:00how do you see the highly ranked freshman class fi...how do you see the highly ranked freshman class fitting in?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com