Basketball '11-'12
Hoop Grads Face World
What does Occupy Wall Street have to do with Harvard women’s basketball?
Add to the mix 2011 graduate Jackie Alemany, and the answer becomes much clearer. On Oct. 25, the former Crimson co-captain and guard published a blog entry for the Huffington Post relating the fashion industry and the Occupy Wall Street movement—not bad for someone mere months out of college.
Fear the Turtleneck
Since arriving at Harvard in 2007, Crimson coach Tommy Amaker has transformed the men’s basketball team from an Ivy League cellar-dweller into the winningest squad in the program’s history.
After posting an 8-22 record in his first season, Amaker and his teams have improved each year of his tenure, the last two of which were the most successful in the Crimson’s history.
Ancient Eight Arena Tour
The Harvard men’s basketball season may have ended abruptly last year, but at Lavietes Pavilion, the team could not be beat. The squad ended the season by defeating Princeton, a win that marked the Crimson’s 17th straight win at home—a run dating back to the 2009-2010 season. The streak is good for the 10th-best in the country in Division I ball.
Although this home-court advantage is fairly new, the home court isn’t. Lavietes opened in 1926 and is the second oldest arena used in college basketball.
Crimson Eyes Europe Ball
Co-captain Brogan Berry currently has her eyes set on Princeton, Yale, and the rest of the Ivy League. But a year from now, she could be preparing for Bourges, Rivas Ecopolis, or Taranto. Whether she decides to play in France, Spain, or Italy, Berry hopes to play professionally overseas after she graduates from Harvard.
Doing so has become a trend for Harvard women’s basketball players over the past few years, as Berry hopes to follow in the most recent footsteps of former teammates Emily Tay ’09 and Katie Rollins ’09. Current assistant coach Lindsay Hallion ’08 also played overseas after graduation.
Pros Versus Ivy League Joes
Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett—and now, Keith Wright. While all play for Massachusetts-based basketball teams, they now have one more thing in common: all have been influenced by Brian Adams.
In June of this year, Adams joined the Harvard men’s basketball program as an assistant coach, filling the void left by former assistant Kenny Blakeney. Prior to joining the Crimson’s staff, Adams was involved with multiple NBA teams. For the New York Knicks, he was the organization’s intern for basketball operations. Most recently, Adams spent the last five years working for the Boston Celtics, four of them as video coordinator.