But all is not perfect in Briggs Athletic Center.

Foremost among Roby's problems is a lack of experience. The large freshmen class may be very talented, but it is also quite young.

Roby has attacked this problem in Harvard's initial games with the sink-or-swim method, playing four freshmen at once on several occasions.

He's had no choice. In the season opener, Webster had to leave the game after just two minutes when he jarred his head scrambling after a loose ball.

Roby promptly found a replacement in Yardling Mike Gielen--who responded with a 10-point performance.

"Considering that we have so many freshmen, we've all been meshing very well," Gielen says. "The upperclassmen have been good about that--they're not afraid to stop and tell you things that they've learned."

That combination--education and opportunity--bodes well for the development, not to mention job satisfaction, of the talented youth brigade.

"We have a great atmosphere because Coach Roby is teaching us the game," says DeGreeff. "We all have a chance to play, to grow as players."

But a problem less likely to go away is a weak inside game and a related lack of height. Against Vermont, only four of Harvard's 26 baskets were scored by frontcourt players in a half-court offensive set.

Sophomore starting center Bill Mohler, the Crimson's tallest player at 6-ft., 8-in., is struggling offensively this season with just 11 points in the two contests.

The height problem will be a bigger factor away from the Ivy league than in it, where few teams--Yale is one--have frontcourts much taller than Harvard's.

Phillips and Webster look to be the heart and sole of the Crimson offense. The former has shown the ability to stick it from anywhere within 18 feet of the basket, and the latter combines good outside shooting and the ability to drive with unmatched intensity.

"There's no question that Keith's a real catalyst for us because of his competitiveness," Roby says.

Kyle Dodson rounds out the starting five. A player with excellent athletic ability, the 6-ft., 4-in. forward has yet to preform well consistently. Against Vermont, he was 0-for-9 from the floor.

Roby has shown a greater willingness to go to his bench than his predecessor, and a great wealth of freshmen talent awaits him there. Guard Gielen--who has reached double figures off the bench in each of Harvard's first two games--looks like the best of the bunch.