W. Hoopsters Must Shut Down Gurile

She's young. She's tall. And she's Massachusetts' only hope. Meet freshman center Melissa Gurile.

When the Harvard women's basketball team travels this weekend to Amherst to play the Minutewomen, the hopes of the small rural campus will fall on Gurile's freshman shoulders. Coming into the match she is averaging 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. Not bad for a frosh.

"She is a talented freshman, on whom the team will depend heavily," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said.

UMass will need a career game out of its diaper-dandy, but it won't be easy. Harvard should be able to keep Gurile in check with senior Co-Captain Debbie Flandermeyer and sophomore Tammy Butler, the Crimson's two low post players who are having great years themselves.

Flandermeyer averages 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds an outing, and is closing in on her 1000 career point. And Butler has completely owned the glass. During her last outing, she looked like Wilt as she hauled in 17 rebounds without playing the majority of the second half. (And, by the way, she is averaging 13 points per game.)

UMass (1-3) will need more than Gurile, then, if it hopes to defeat Harvard, which has a 2-1 record and looks capable of vying for an Ivy League Title.

One answer for UMass may be to call on the basketball gods and let them repeat some of their magic. Last year Harvard came into its game with UMass clearly the better team, but only squeaked out a 55-51 victory.

"Last year we were a lot better than them, but didn't play well," Delaney Smith said. "I think this year we are again the stronger team. Our team is so confident though, that if we have prepared well we will do fine."

Backcourt Play

The key to the game will be backcourt play. The Crimson should dominate at the guard position and be able to control the tempo of the game. "We can attack them in the backcourt," Delaney Smith said. "They are young and not particularly strong."

Young and not particularly strong would certainly not characterize the Harvard backcourt of Co-Captain Erin Maher and junior Cara Frey, who have played with poise and confidence throughout the season.

That confidence sometimes hurt the Crimson Wednesday night, when its backcourt played too aggressively.

"We need to work on our transition defense," Delaney Smith said. "We can't try as much to steal the ball."

But, it all seems to add up. Gurile may be good, but Harvard is superior. If the Crimson plays well it could be another one of those character building experiences for Gurile and her gang of Minutewomen.