The freshmen on this year's Harvard men's basketball team have the biggest shoes to fill of any recruiting class in recent memory.

Last year's seniors were the first since 1928 to post four consecutive .500-or-better seasons, and established a new benchmark against which future teams will be judged, with program-high 58 wins in their careers. The class of 1999 brought talent and respectability to a Harvard basketball program that was a perennial non-contender in the Ivy League.

When the class of 1999 joined the team as rookies, however, there were lower expectations.

Coming on to a squad that posted just a 6-20 record in the 1994-95 campaign, the class of 1999 exceeded everybody's wildest expectations by posting a 15-11 record in their first campaign and a record of 43-35 over the next four years.

With the graduation of four of the team's top five scorers from last season, however, the Crimson will need strong rookie performances from several members of the class of 2003 to continue the success of the last four years.

Although the freshman class has the potential to fill the holes left by last year's graduates, the biggest question is whether they can make enough of an impact in the 1999-2000 season to make up for the loss of three starters.

"We have seven newcomers, but it's difficult to know for certain who will make the biggest impact," Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said. "We're hopeful that Brady Merchant and Elliott Prasse-Freeman will contribute in the backcourt, and that Onnie Mayshak and Sam Winter can help us up front. There are going to be opportunities for our new players to contribute this year."

Fixing a Hole