Harvard men’s basketball co-captain Keith Wright was named one of 50 preseason candidates for the John R. Wooden award, given to the country’s best player, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced today.

Wright, the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, joins the likes of North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes, Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, and Kentucky’s Terrence Jones on the preseason list.

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After one of the most important weekends in Harvard men’s basketball history, the dominoes continue to fall in the Crimson's favor.

Following his official visit to Cambridge a few days ago, Siyani Chambers, a 5’11, 160-lb point guard out of Hopkins High School (Minn.) committed to Harvard yesterday—the same day that fellow visitor Mike Hall of Woodward Academy (Ga.) also gave his word to Crimson coach Tommy Amaker.

“I just really liked the community and the players and the coaching staff and thought it was going to be a great fit for me,” said Chambers, rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and an 88 by ESPN.com.

Jeff Borzello of CBSSports.com told The Crimson last week that Chambers is a “lefty point guard, quick, good floor leader ... he knows how to move the ball, he’s getting better on his shot. I think he’s a really solid point guard, and he would be a good fit for Harvard. He could run the show for four years.”

Neal Nieves of C2CRecruiting.com tweeted, "No clue why more schools didn't offer Chambers. Kid is going to be a very good point guard for Harvard. ... When Harvard is making it's elite 8 run in 4 years and Chambers is running things, then they will say damn I should have offered him."

Chambers said his final two schools were Harvard and the University of California, Davis.

“Now the pressure’s off about trying to find a college to go to, and I can just worry about playing basketball,” he said.

He joins the 6'10 Hall and Evan Cummins of Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) in Amaker's latest recruiting class.

Harvard men’s basketball coach Tommy Amaker’s fifth recruiting class with the Crimson is beginning to fill up.

Mike Hall, a 6'10 senior at Woodward Academy (Ga.) committed to Harvard this evening, choosing Amaker’s squad over offers from George Mason and Penn—which he stated were his second and third choices, respectively.

Hall, rated an 89 by ESPN and a member of the Rivals.com Top 150, was one of eight highly-touted high school prospects to visit Harvard this past weekend.

“Just the experience I had this weekend [pushed me over the edge],” said Hall, who noted that he had arrived in Cambridge without expecting to make a decision in the near future. “I really enjoyed my experience up there. It just felt like the right fit for me.”

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Though the season doesn’t get under way for nearly two months, this weekend had important implications for the future of Harvard men’s basketball.

For the fifth straight year, head coach Tommy Amaker hosted a slew of high school basketball prospects on campus for the football team’s home opener. The campus visits—official for the high school class of 2012 and unofficial for the class of 2013—are an important part of the decision-making process for all prospective athletes.

Some of the blue-chip recruits listed Harvard as one of their top choices, up there with the likes of basketball powerhouses as Kansas and UConn. To gauge their interest in Harvard, we’ll refer to the most authoritative source of news we know: the players’ Twitter accounts.

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If you're frustrated with the NBA lockout and craving a game to watch, your solution might be nearer than you think. Later this month, Penn’s historic basketball arena, the Palestra, will hold an event that will showcase NBA players that even Ivy League students might know.

The setup will be simple: Team Philly vs. Team Melo. Team Melo will boast of many of the NBA’s top acts, including the New York Knick’s newly acquired Carmelo Anthony, the New Orleans Hornets’ point guard Chris Paul, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s superstar Kevin Durant, and the player everyone loves to hate, the Miami Heat’s Lebron James. Opposing this formidable group is Team Philly, led by the Phoenix Suns’ Hakim Warrick and the Houston Rockets’ Kyle Lowry. Unfortunately—or at least in my opinion, as yours truly hails from Los Angeles—Kobe Bryant has turned down an offer to join Team Philly.

A piece of the profits from this showcase will go to local Philadelphian charities. For anyone interested in making the trek to Philadelphia for the 6 pm tip-off on September 25th, tickets range from $35 to $50 but are going fast.

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