The addition of such a talented freshman might disrupt the chemistry of some teams, but Maher has fit right in with the Crimson squad. One of the first people Maher met at Harvard when she visited as a recruit was senior Co-Captain Jody Fink.

"She's a great kid," Fink says. "I thought the best of her even before I knew about her talents on the court."

And Maher has appreciated the support the veteran players have given her.

"I think when I got here I was a little hesitant about my role, being a freshman," Maher says. "I looked to the upperclassmen for leadership, and I got it."

Many people know Erin Maher as a basketball player, but there is much more to her life than basketball. The aspiring doctor is already taking the pre-med track and plans to concentrate in biology. Thus far, her transition to life at Harvard has not been an easy one.

"I knew Harvard would be tough, but I didn't think it would be this tough," Maher says. "In general, I want to adjust to Harvard and being away from home. I'm looking forward to the day that I can say that I really want to be here. My priorities are definitely academic, but basketball has always been important to me and always will be. I know I'll find the balance I need to continue in both."

Maher has certainly achieved a great deal both on and off the court, a fact which she attributes largely to the support of her parents, who have made several trips from Iowa this season to see her play.

"My parents have given me the confidence that I can do anything," Maher says. "I know that they expect a lot out of me, and I play to make them proud. If they don't see the game, I call them on the pay phone right after the game. I know my father paces around, waiting to hear what happened."

If there is anything that has disappointed Erin so far, it has been the lack of attention women's basketball receives at Harvard in comparison to her hometown.

"Playing basketball in high school was almost more exciting for me. Everyone knew who I was, and walking through school everyone knew when it was a game day."

But Maher gives those few dedicated fans who attend the games their money's worth. While the cornfields of Iowa may be a place to revisit the past and relive the days of the great Shoeless Joe, the freshman from the Hawkeye state has turned Briggs Cage into her own field of dreams.

"I would like to win the Ivy League Championship three years in a row," Maher says. "I don't think that's unrealistic."

For now the bleachers of Briggs Cage remain almost empty.

But people will come. They will come from places far and wide. They will pull up in their cars, pay five dollars for a ticket, and they will ask you if they can look around. They will sit in the stands and watch.

And they will wait for those now familiar words--"Threeeeeeee-point goal for number 31..."