When the Harvard men's basketball program lost its numbers one and three all-time leading scorers to graduation two years ago, first-year Coach Pete Roby knew he had some major rebuilding in front of him.

By the end of last season--the cagers' worst since their 1951-'52 campaign--four freshmen and a sophomore were starting for the Crimson, which wound up with a dismal 6-20 mark (2-12 in the Ivies).

After finishing in the Ancient Eight cellar for the first time in a decade, Harvard loses just one significant player (guard Pat Smith) from last year's unit but does not figure to improve dramatically.

The cagers have already stumbled out of the gate to an 0-3 start, including a five-point loss to Lafayette--one of the Crimson's rare victims a year ago.

Roby, who directed the Crimson recruiting program while serving for three years under former cager mentor Frank McLaughlin, says his young squad is not mentally tough enough yet, pointing out that Harvard's failure to execute the fundamentals has already cost the cagers two losses in the early going.

But Roby also understands that the rebuilding process takes time.

"We're excited about the program and the kids," Roby says. "We think we're doing it the right way, and it's just a matter of time. We have good enough players now to have the means to win the Ivy League."

But winning the Ivy League in 1986-'87 is far from Roby's mind--especially considering that his squad has been picked by most to finish last in the Ancient Eight for the second straight year (something that hasn't happened to Harvard since the '50s).

"Our feeling right now is that we want to be competitive," he says. "We'd like to think we're good enough to go .500, but there are 26 other teams on the schedule that may have something to say about that."

At season's start, the Crimson will try to answer opponents' calls with a starting line-up of two seniors, a junior, and a pair of sophomores.

Co-Captain Keith Webster, whose average of 11.6 points per game paced Harvard last season, provides the hoopsters with leadership in the backcourt.

After copping All-Ivy honorable mention last season, the 5-ft., 11-in. guard pumped in 41 points in the squad's first two contests this year, and the Crimson will count on his defensive intensity as it looks to wear down opponents with a sustained press.

"Keith really understands what we need to get from him to be successful," Roby says of his three-year starter.

Alongside Webster in the backcourt is sophomore Kevin Collins. The 6-ft., 4-in. Westboro native spent most of his freshman year toiling for the Crimson junior varsity, where he was the squad's leading scorer and rebounder.

Collins came up to the varsity level for the cagers' final eight games of the '85-'86 season and appeared in four of them, scoring five points in 22 minutes.