If Harvard women's basketball coach Kathy Delaney Smith likes anything more than about Barb Keffer than her play as starting point guard this year its that she will be back next year.

and the year after that. too

That's because Kefler is a freshman. And that is very good news for the Crimson.

Keffer has been outstanding this year. She leads the Crimson in minutes played (almost 30 a game) and assists (5-4 a game), and is third in scoring (7-0 points per game) and in the only team member with more assists than turnovers.

Indeed, she should make her presence felt immediately in the Harvard record book. With 86 assists on the year, she needs only eight in the team's final 10 games to set a new team record.

But even that is just the beginning. Delaney Smith says that, "potentially, she is the best point guard the Ivy league has ever had, although she is not that yet."

Already Keffer is second in assists in the Ivy League, averaging 7.0 in league games.

Considering her performance in high school, Keffer's play for her new team isn't really a surprise.

Keffer made her high school's varsity team as a sophomore but didn't start in her first two years: instead she came off the bench in a sixth or seventh man role.

She finally grabbed a starting position as a senior and made the most of it. She averaged 13.5 points and seven assists per game while leading Cardinal O'Hara High School to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship.

Keffer's high school coach, Maryann Nespoli, calls her, "One of the smartest ballplayers I've ever had both on and off the court. If it was ever necessary to get two points in a hurry, you could always depend on Barbara."

In the wake of her team's triumphs personal accolades poured in her Keffer. She was named the most valuable player of her team and league, made the Philadelphia all area team and was an honorable mention All-American in U.S.A. Today.

Letters from interested colleges and scholarships offers rushed in on the heels of those awards.

Keffer received letters from dozens of schools and "serious interest" from about eight, including Harvard, Penn, Bucknell, and New York University.

NYU and others offered full scholarships that in the end her decision came down to Harvard or Penn.