Thomas "Satch" Sanders wants another Great Awakening to shake Harvard out of its complacency. Like the Puritan revivalist Jonathan Edwards of almost two and a half centuries ago, Sanders would like to see a little fervor in the meetinghouse.
Sanders preaches a gospel of basketball, not religion. Although not a man for fire and brimstone, Sanders hopes to generate a spirited gathering of believers at the Indoor Athletic Building this winter.
The soft-spoken ex-Celtic defensive wizard will try to arouse the waning interest in Harvard basketball of recent years.
The Crimson cagers averaged 900 to 1000 fans at home games last year, the lowest in several years. David B. Matthews, director of Harvard Sports Information, said yesterday.
Sanders feels "the loyalty is there, but is, how shall we describe it, latent. Now, it's a matter of reawakening it."
Sanders and his Celtics teammates wooed Boston fans to the Garden for years with a run-and-shoot style of basketball, but the first-year mentor says a weak bench and "prohibitive lack of rebounding height" may force him to a more disciplined strategy.
Good Speed
"We have good speed, but not the overall team quickness to run a devastating fast break," Sanders says. "Look for some ball control and playbook material. The fans care more about seeing a winner than a particular style."
The Sanders recipe for filling the stands with fans includes more than chalkboard changes, however. Live music, cheerleaders and alumni support figure in his plans.
Musical Support
Sanders hopes to find student musicians, such as the Harvard Jazz Band, to play for each of the squad's 11 home games. "A little rock, jazz, or rhythm and blues adds that something which, even in the pros, gets a player going six inches higher off the ground. The fans like it, too," Sanders says.
Prospective cheerleaders met in Quincy House Wednesday night to plan for their debut at next Friday's game with Connecticut.
"We will be more structured and higher quality than the football group, but still pretty loose," Andrew G. Berg '76, the squad's organizer, says.
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