"Piltch did an extremely good job in a difficult situation," Harvard Co-Captain Jim Masland says.

"He's willing to learn from people around him," Fish says. "Steve is a very dedicated student of the game. He's done a hell of a job in his first year doing that."

But Piltch enthusiastically emphasizes that Barnaby and Fish (who are still involved with the program as associate coaches) and Captains Holleran, Hope Nichols, Stephanie Clark, Bernheimer and Masland have made the transition easy.

Easy enough to free up some time for Piltch to pursue his mission.

"I've rarely met any people who, once they moved past preestablished perceptions, didn't enjoy it," Piltch adds. "No matter how good you are, there is always someone at your level to play with."

After all, if a guy with a passion for basketball could end up as the coach of the most successful squash program in the country, anyone must be able to play the sport, right?