HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Hoopsters Start Off Hot

Harvard men's basketball stuns Boston College 62-61, as part of 2-1 start to the season

By John Veneziano
Special to the Gazette

Paul Fisher '99 contributed 10 points and nine rebounds in the season opener.

The last time it happened only one member of the Harvard men's basketball team had even been born.

But they were all there to celebrate it on Nov. 18, when the Crimson knocked off host Boston College, 62-61, to open the 1998-99 season. The victory, Harvard's first over the Eagles since January 1975, was gained in dramatic fashion when senior guard Mike Beam drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to cap a wild last-minute comeback. For Beam, who finished the night with 12 points, the basket helped him earn Ivy League Player of the Week honors.

Harvard led just twice in the evening, at 2-0 when sophomore Tim Coleman hit a short jumper to open the scoring, and at the final buzzer on Beam's 25-footer. Senior guard Tim Hill, who found Beam for the winning shot, finished the night with 11 points and seven assists, while senior captain Paul Fisher contributed 10 points and nine rebounds.

"It was a significant win for us, beating a team from the Big East, and especially one from Boston," commented head coach Frank Sullivan, whose squad rallied from an eight-point deficit with under two minutes to go. "Our guys played hard all 40 minutes, and we hung in there and stayed close enough to put ourselves in a position to win it at the end."

The Crimson soon followed with an 84-70 win over Holy Cross, as Fisher pounded in 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Hill added 16 points. Freshman guard Andrew Gellert came off the bench to contribute six points, two rebounds, an assist, and two steals, and senior Bill Ewing equaled a school record with five blocks.

Tim Hill '99 finished Harvard's first game of the season with 11 points and seven assists. Hill found senior guard Mike Beam for Beam's winning three-pointer at the buzzer, which capped the Crimson's wild last-minute comeback.

Harvard suffered its first loss of the season, 89-87, to Lehigh on Nov. 28, dampening a few personal milestones for Hill. Early in the game, he became the 19th player in school history to reach the 1,000 point mark - and the first with 1,000 points and 400 assists - and finished the night with a career-high 13 assists. Fisher again led the team in scoring, this time with 21 points. The powerful 6-foot-8-inch forward is shooting 63 percent from the floor through three games.

"The Lehigh game was a reality check for us to remember that in order to win we're going to have to play better individual and team defense, and do a much better job on the boards," said Sullivan after the Mountain Hawks shot 56 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Crimson, 38-30. "It's early in the season and there's still a level of inconsistency most teams are dealing with, but now is the time to address those concerns."

Harvard has four players averaging in double figures: Fisher (17.0 ppg); Hill (15.7); Dan Clemente '01 (11.0); and Beam (10.3). The presence of Clemente is an unexpected bonus. Up until two days before the opener, the 1997-98 Ivy Rookie of the Year was expected to miss the entire season with a left ankle injury. But the pain has subsided and a doctor cleared him to play and to put off the surgery until after the year. He hit a huge bucket in the B.C. game that cut the Crimson's deficit to a single point with eight seconds remaining.

A busy month ahead includes home games vs. Sacred Heart (Dec. 5, 2 p.m.), Boston University (Dec. 8, 7 p.m.), and the Ivy League opener against Dartmouth on Dec. 16 (7 p.m.). The Crimson also travels to Santa Clara, Calif., for the Cable Car Classic on Dec. 29-30.

This story reprinted courtesy of the Harvard Varsity Club.