Worse still, Gielen has hit only 9 of his 36 three-point attempts--a 25 percent rate. And Gielen takes a majority of his shots from three-point range.
Fortunately for the Crimson, Gielen's cold hand hasn't had as bad an effect as most people would have expected. The emergence of freshman Ralph James, Collins, and Tedd Evers as legitimate scoring threats has taken some of the heat off the point guard.
Still, Gielen's slow start has been very frustrating. "I don't think I've hit the rim more and not made a shot in my entire life," Gielen said.
Shot...And A Save!
But Gielen's shooting woes haven't affected the rest of his game. He clearly has established himself as the floor leader on offense--dishing out 33 assists at a clip of 6.6 per game--and leading the full-court press with his hawking style, averaging 2.8 steals per game.
Against Brandeis Sunday, Gielen played the role of the playmaker well, getting eight assists, including one on a fancy between-the-legs bounce pass for a Collins layup. But Gielen also appeared tenative to take open shots, not firing up his first shot until there was only 1:25 left in the first half.
"I don't want to get worried about my shooting, because I know I can shoot the ball," Gielen said. "If I keep putting it up its going to go in eventually."
"I think most of it is confidence," Roby said. "He needs to be patient, and he needs to be confident that the shots are going to drop."
Triple Sect: The closer you are to the basket, the easier it is to score, right?
Wrong! It doesn't seem to be easier for James.
The Crimson's top scorer is 6-for-11 from three-point range--a sizzling 54.5 percent rate. However, James is only shooting at a 40.8 percent clip on his two-point attempts.
Collins and Evers. Harvard's third and fourth leading scorers, are also shooting slightly better from behind the triple line.
Sentenced to Death: The 1987 Worst-Looking Mascot Award goes to the Brandeis Judge--who attended Sunday's game wearing a gown and judicial wig.
The winner will be presented with a razor blade and several cartons of Nair to remove the bristles from his legs before he dons his short robe again.
Stats The Way It Goes: In every game the Crimson has played so far, the team which held the lead at halftime eventually won the game.
Despite its 4-2 record, Harvard has been outscored by its opponents, 519-473, averaging 78.8 points a game while giving up 86.5 points.
Musical Chairs: At the beginning of the season, Roby promised that he would take advantage of his squad's depth, and so far, the coach has been true to his word.
Every Harvard player has seen time in at least two games, while nine cagers have played in every game this year. In addition, ten Crimson players have played an average of ten minutes in each of the six games.
Freshman File: James is currently leading the Crimson in scoring, pouring in 15.5 points per game. Although the freshman is shooting only 42 percent from the field, his take-it-to-the-hoop style creates openings for Harvard's big men.