Notorious G.I.Z (Senior Swan Song)

It is a ritual that takes place at the end of every Harvard women's basketball game. Win or lose, the Crimson gathers in the center-court circle, and the players raise one arm each, bringing their hands together above the center of their group with a lone index finger protruding from the top.

After they break the huddle, the players usually rush into the locker room for a post-game address by Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. But something different happened last night.

As the majority of Harvard's squad headed to the locker room following the Crimson's season-ending, 73-68 loss to Dartmouth, the four seniors lingered around halfcourt. Kelly Kinneen, Rose Janowski and co-captains Suzie Miller and Sarah Russell exchanged hugs as they tried unsuccessfully to fight back the tears.

But make no mistake, these were not tears of sorrow for the Crimson's defeat at the hands of the Big Green. The tears symbolized the end of one of the most successful eras in Ivy League women's basketball during which Harvard's Class of 1999 were the pillars.

It was fitting, perhaps even poetic, that in the Class of '99's finale, Harvard's three leading scorers--and its only players in double figures--were all seniors. As they have throughout their careers, Harvard's fantastic four left it all out on the floor in their swan song.

These four seniors represent one of the winningest classes in Ivy League history. Despite the disappointing season they had this year, they will graduate with a formidable overall career record of 73-34, an impressive Ivy mark of 46-10 and an unbelievable home conference record of 26-2.

But their greatest on-court achievement came last March when Harvard became the first No. 16 seed ever to defeat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, upsetting fifth-ranked Stanford 71-67 in hostile Maples Pavilion. The Class of '99 contributed 29 points to that history-making win.

Individually, each senior made an impact on the court as well.

If ever a player deserved to be measured by more than just statistical contributions, Kelly Kinneen does. Kinneen contributed five rebounds and a baseline jumper to last night's cause, but more importantly, she could always be counted on to sacrifice her body for her team.

Kinneen was always the player who did all the little things, the intangibles. If there was a loose ball on the floor, you can bet Kinneen was diving after it. Whenever an opponent was off the mark with a shot, Kinneen was crashing the defensive boards with her 5'8 frame looking closer to 6'8.

And if the opposition beat Kinneen to the rebound, they were still not assured of possession. Kinneen turned the act of tying up the enemy and forcing a jump ball into an art form. On the defensive end of the floor, few could harass an opposing guard better than Kinneen. Kelly Kinneen is a powerful argument for including heart as a statistical category.

Sarah Russell has been the Crimson's sparkplug throughout her career. Whether as a starter or a reserve, Russell was the vocal leader that could inspire her teammates like no other. And last night Russell was in vintage form.

The Crimson's co-captain went out with the same competitive fire she has always had, scoring 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. She also did her usual number on the glass, pulling down seven rebounds.

But Russell's most lasting effect has come off the court, where she founded the Harvard Student-Athlete Partnership, an America Reads program in which Harvard athletes volunteer as tutors and mentors for children in Allston. Russell's community service efforts have ensured that her influence will continue to be felt long after her graduation.

Russell's co-captain this season, Suzie Miller, has had the most celebrated basketball career among the seniors. An honorable mention All-Ivy selection last season, Miller led the Ivy League in three-point field goal percentage (42.7) as a junior, also good for 17th in the nation in that category. Her eight treys at Penn tied her for the Harvard single-game record.

Miller had a typically solid performance in her final game, netting 16 points and hauling in five rebounds. But her ultimate moment in the spotlight came in Harvard's stunning defeat of Stanford.

With 46 seconds remaining in that game and the Crimson clinging to a one-point lead, Miller spotted up behind the three-point arc on the left wing and coolly drained what proved to be the game-winning shot. Before a national television audience tuning in on ESPN, "little Suzie Miller," as one Bay-area newspaper referred to her, authored the biggest shot in Harvard basketball history.

Center Rose Janowski undoubtedly had the most difficult career among Harvard's seniors. In the fall of her freshman year, she had one of her ovaries surgically removed because of a cyst that had developed on it. She battled through a difficult rookie campaign and an injury-riddled sophomore season.

Last year, Janowski finally emerged as a force in the Crimson's frontcourt. But tragedy struck her once again when, on the night following Harvard's historic victory over Stanford, she was rushed to the hospital and had her second ovary removed due to another cyst.

Through every obstacle life has handed her, Janowski has remained her positive and spirited self. She has had a fantastic senior year--worthy of First Team All-Ivy honors--and last night she ended her career with a 13-point, eight-rebound performance. But it is Janowski's character, in addition to her outstanding ability, that will be sorely missed.

Four seniors, four years, three Ivy rings, one benchmark of excellence. In three months, these four young women will march into Harvard Yard to emerge as college graduates, and it will be my pleasure to walk alongside them. They have played their final games in Lavietes Pavilion, but the standard they have helped set will raise the bar of Ivy League women's basketball forever.