Last year at midseason the Crimson five had captured only three victories in their first 13 starts. In five of the last six straight losses, opponents outscored the cagers by the meager total of eight points. Coach Tom "Satch" Sanders decided it was time for a transfusion of new blood: he substituted Bill Carey and Steve Selinger for Arnie Needleman and Mike Griffin and Harvard won eight out of their last eleven games to snag fourth place in the Ivy League.

Sanders hopes to improve his team's showing this year with the infusion of three sophomores. At guard, sophomores Jonas Honick and David Rogers have won the starting berths. Honick led the freshman team in scoring last year, notching a 17.1-per-game scoring average. Rogers played sixth man for the freshmen last year and earned himself a reputation as a good backcourt playmaker and defensive stalwart.

"Honick has been the most consistent player so far," Sanders said yesterday, "and Rogers has been a beautiful surprise. He has a strong hold on that guard spot, but I expect there will be a lot of changes as the season develops."

At center, towering 6 ft. 9 in. sophomore Brian Banks has stepped in to fill the vacancy created by the departure of last year's captain Tony Jenkins. Jenkins sported an impressive 15.7 scoring average last season and ripped down 8.6 rebounds per game.

Banks will have his work cut out for him if he is to equal those statistics. If his prowess as a freshman is any indication, however, he may outshine Jenkins's achievements, having grabbed 17.2 rebounds per game and having dumped in an average of 16.2 points per game for the season.

Fast Break

Sanders said he hoped Banks's rebounding would enable the team to succeed in more fast breaks this season. "But to fast break," Sanders said, "you've got to control the defensive boards and limit the offense to one shot every time. Brain is an excellent defensive rebounder, and I hope that he will give us better board strength so we can run."

At forward, veterans senior co-captain Lou Silver and junior Bill Carey have the forward positions nailed down. Silver earned first team all-Ivy honors last season as he led the team in both scoring and rebounding. Silver popped in 16.2 points per game last season and cleaned the glass for a 10.1 season average.

Sanders said yesterday he expected Silver to have another good season, but thought that he would be facing tougher defenses this winter.

"Last year other defenses had to concentrate on both Tony Jenkins and Silver," Sanders said. "This year they will put their best defensive forward on Silver. Silver is a hell of a factor so opponents will have to gear their defenses to stop him."

Sanders emphasized that the team had great potential this year and that he expected most of his players would be seeing considerable playing time.

"I don't over-emphasize starting as a big thing," Sanders said. "It's a prestige thing for the players. I know I used to like to start and all that crap, but it's not a big thing. I will go with the most effective combination.

"Against taller teams, I might go with Mufi Hannemann for his rebounding strength. If I need scoring, I can go to the shooting power of Arnie Needleman. If he's shooting well, he could play 38 of the 40 minutes even if he doesn't start."

Rebounding Strength

Sanders said that co-captain Lenny Adams had been playing well after two seasons of injury and that he added great rebounding strength to the team.

Sanders also said he expected major contributions from seniors Mike Griffin and Steve Selinger and 6 ft. 5 in. sophomores Walter "Doc" Hines and Jeff Hill. Griffin and Selinger split starting time last season and Sanders said he figures both to play prominent parts in this year's action.

Hines sat out freshman year and fractured his left hand earlier this year but will return to action next week. Hill fractured a finger in three places during the Bentley scrimmage and will be lost from three to six weeks.

Sanders said Penn, Brown and Princeton will be Harvard's toughest competition this season in the Ivy League but he said he is confident that Harvard's depth gives it a shot at the title.