Male Rookie of the Year: Siyani Chambers, Men's Basketball

On Dec. 11, he was “brilliant” and a “savior.” On Jan. 12, he “[made] things happen.” On March 8, it was his “moxie, his savvy, [and] his daring” that were noteworthy.

While Harvard men’s basketball coach Tommy Amaker’s descriptions of Siyani Chambers continually changed, one thing remained the same throughout the season: the freshman point guard’s poise in late-game moments.

There may not have been any chance for Chambers to prove himself in clutch situations had the departure of senior Brandyn Curry not created an opening at the guard position. Given the opportunity, though, Chambers began every game as the sole rookie in the Crimson starting lineup and closed each contest in a manner that was more fitting of a player with years of experience.

As a result, Chambers won Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors unanimously and was selected to the conference’s first team; the first ever rookie so honored.

“We said at the beginning of the season that there’s no one more important on our team than that kid, given the circumstances [and] the position,” Amaker said the week that Chambers was selected for those awards. “[He’s] how our team has been able to have some success this year. He’s been the leader of that. He’s been in the middle of it. He’s made timely plays, big shots, winning baskets.”

One of the earliest indications of Chambers’s late-game abilities came against Boston University on Dec. 11. With his team trailing throughout the contest, Chambers came out of intermission looking to score. After three made shots from beyond the arc, including an and-one four-point play, the freshman not only brought his team back from a late deficit, but set up an opportunity to win the game.

After setting the table for a chance at a victory, Chambers then delivered the victory when he hit a jumper from the wing to win the game, 65-64.

The basket itself was one of many impressive moments for Chambers, but it was his consistent presence that was on display in that game—and throughout the season—that proved most valuable to Harvard. Firstly, the point guard played a total of 39 minutes against the Terriers, just over a minute above his season average of 37.8 minutes per game, a number that led all freshmen in the nation. Secondly, Chambers’ hot shooting from deep that day speaks to the 42.7 percent three-point field goal percentage he amassed throughout the year, good for fifth in the conference.

“We say that if you say the right things and play the right way, you will be amazed at how well you perform on the offensive end,” Amaker said. “Siyani is a great example of that. ”

Against Dartmouth, in Harvard’s first Ivy game of the season, it once again required a double-digit second half from Chambers to gain momentum and the lead. After an and-one that tied the game with seven and a half minutes remaining, Chambers both scored and dished out the ball, leading to a career-high 22 points as well as six assists. The latter statistic was on pace with Chambers’ 5.61 assists-per-game season average, a figure that placed him second among all rookies nationally.

“I was just really anxious to come out here and do what I could [to] help my teammates win in order to get our first victory in the Ivy League,” Chambers said after the contest.

It was, perhaps, the week after one of Chambers’ weakest set of games that the cliché “experience beyond his years” resonated the most strongly. After going a combined 5-of-19 at Princeton and Penn, Chambers entered the final weekend of the season having not shot 50 percent in four weeks of play. With a chip on his shoulder, the rookie shot at an 83 percent clip against Columbia in the Friday night matchup, willing his team to yet another squeaked-out victory.

For the third time in as many down-to-the-wire games, it was a Chambers and-one that helped propel the Crimson to the winner’s circle.

Down two with just over 40 seconds remaining in the game, Chambers received an outlet pass from sophomore Steve Moundou-Missi on their opponent’s right wing. Chambers went in for the layup, despite getting fouled, giving Harvard a lead that his squad would never relinquish.

With the win, Harvard took back first place in the Ivy League standings, ultimately earning it a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

“I said it all along and I said it to our team, I don’t know who is the best player on the roster,” Amaker said. “I’m not sure there is a more important player than Siyani and that’s who he has been for us. It’s easy for me to say that now, but a while ago, at the beginning of the season, I remember thinking that considering the circumstances and all the things I knew about how incredibly important he was going to be.”

On Dec. 11, Amaker asked the question “What can you say about Siyani?” On March 8, he answered that question for himself as he declared that “you can’t say enough about Chambers.”

—Staff writer Juliet Spies-Gans can be reached at jspiesgans@college.harvard.edu.