BASKETBALL '08 SUPPLEMENT: The Road to Glory

As the Harvard men’s basketball team’s season opener approaches, there must be one thing that is running through Crimson coach Tommy Amaker’s mind: how his team can win a game on the road.

Last season, the Crimson posted a record of 7-6 within the friendly confines of Lavietes Pavilion, but its record on the road was an atrocious 0-15 overall, including 0-7 in conference play. With a record of 3-11 in the Ivy League, the team found itself tied with Columbia for last place in the conference. Harvard is still aiming for its first Ivy title, but in order to win one, it must first find a way to win without home-court advantage.

“It was horrible,” Amaker says. “We were horrible. We weren’t very good at all on the road. We’re hopeful we can improve on that, because in order to be a good team, you have to win away from home. We’re hopeful that we can do a better job of it this year.”

When playing in front of the home crowd, the Crimson outscored its opponents by an average of about eight points per game. On the road, however, its opponents outscored it by an average of almost 13. After winning its first Ivy League matchup against Dartmouth last year by 26 points, Harvard succumbed to a seven-game Ivy League losing streak—five of those games were played on the road.

This trouble on the road is not due to a lack of talent on the court. Under the leadership of captain guard Andrew Pusar, guard Drew Housman, forward Evan Harris, forward Pat Magnarelli, and 2007-08 All-Ivy League guard Jeremy Lin, the team is full of players that are individually among the best in the conference. This was demonstrated in several big games at home against Michigan, Mercer, and Penn. They just never clicked together when on the road.

“We didn’t have the experience, and we didn’t have the chemistry to pull out road wins,” Lin says. “But I think now we are a lot closer, a lot more experienced, and a lot more resilient. So I definitely think we won’t be having that problem this year.”

The Crimson never settled into a comfort zone while away from home, possibly because it was not too comfortable at home either. Harvard’s longest home winning streak was three games last season, but its success at home was also punctuated by several home losing streaks. Although its offense was decent, its defense left much to be improved, failing to make some key stops and box-outs in close games.

“When you’re on the road, the two things you really need to do are play defense and box out,” Harris says. “We didn’t do a good job at that. I don’t know the numbers, but I’m sure if you looked at the way we rebounded and defended at home versus on the road, there would be a big discrepancy.”

The Crimson was much worse statistically than it’s hosts on the road, commiting about two more turnovers, grabbing two fewer rebounds, and blocking one less shot than its opponents per game.

“We need to bring defense and consistency to our game,” Pusar says. “When we play well, as we saw in the Michigan game, we can beat anybody. But you have to bring your A game every time out.”

The Crimson hopes it learned a lesson from last year’s disappointing season. With seven talented freshmen joining the other seven skilled upperclassmen on the team, Harvard is ready to not only get its first road win in over a year, but also to establish itself within the Ivy League as one of the teams to beat.

“I don’t know if there was a solution out for that,” Housman says. “We were just so bad last year. But if we win a couple of games, we can get a swagger...it’s basketball, you got to play how you can play.”

“Winning on the road in college basketball is a really tough thing to do,” says junior guard Dan McGeary, “but at the same time, it’s important if you’re going to be a successful team. Last year, we weren’t all that deep, and we had some injuries. This year, when we’re healthy, we’ve got a strong rotation, and I think it’s going to be an easier thing to do. Hopefully we’ve learned a lot from our mistakes last year. I think we’ll be ok.”