"He's a real smart kid," Sullivan said. "You can tell it on the court--in addition to in the classroom. He's a good thinker."

But despite all his gifts, Spring-field, Mo., native is a paragon of modesty--a quiet, hard-working study in self-effacement.

"The unique thing about Tyler is that he possesses extraordinary basketball instincts, but he does it in an unassuming way," Sullivan said. "He's definitely the main cog on our team, our best player, but he's a shy, introverted type of guy who works harder than anybody else on the team. That's rare these days."

While his unassuming manner appears to be an obvious asset, Sullivan remembers Rullman's quiet nature was a negative during the team captain selection process.

"At first some people weren't real sure if he could be a good leader for this team, because of his quietness," Sullivan said.

Now, with myriads of practices and a few games under Harvard's belt this season, the consensus is that it was a good choice.

"He's real well-respected by all the guys," fellow senior Eric Carter said. "Although he's not a real vocal leader, he has a real strong character and he leads by example."

It is in this role, as a leader by example, that Sullivan believes Rullman will leave his legacy at Harvard.

"When it comes down to it, Tyler's great contribution to this program won't be so much the number of wins he produced or points he scored," Sullivan said. "It will be the incredible example he's set for future Harvard players. If everyone would be as dedicated and as unselfish as he has been, the future of Harvard basketball would be pretty bright."