"You know how it is when a pot boils," says squash coach Jack Barnaby, whose team plays Army Saturday. "The good stuff on the bottom keeps bubbling up to the top."
Two sophomores are keeping Harvard's squash hopes bubbling this season, and one has already risen to the top of the team.
Sophomore Anil Nayar, India's national champion, took over the number one spot from former intercollegiate champ Rick Sterne Wednesday. Barnaby says that number three-ranked Jose Gonzalez may also be ready to make a move.
Another sophomore, Mike Scheinmann, who didn't play at Cornell last Saturday, will start number eight in the Crimson's home opener.
"Challenges from below have really kept the heat on my top players," says Barnaby. "This is a very healthy situation."
Barnaby anticipates little trouble against Army, which he says "usually fields less sophisticated performers." The West Pointers have beaten Harvard only once.
Senior Yoshiharu Akabane may not play tomorrow. Akabane, ranked eight last week, has been troubled by a stomach illness. "I don't think he'll be able to do himself justice," Barnaby says.
What strategy will his team use against Army? "The same one Yovicsin uses in football," Barnaby says. "We'll try to eliminate mistakes."
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