"We had seven new players [freshmen and transfer students] coming into practice, so it was a little slow at first, but they are going to be really good if they work hard," Clemente said.

Clemente also mentioned junior-college transfer and former teammate, Bryan Parker, as an immediate contributor to the team. Clemente and Parker, a graduate of Cuesta College in California, played together at St. Thomas More Preparatory School in Connecticut in 1996-97. Clemente is excited about renewing his past on-court chemistry with Parker.

"It was great [joining up with Parker again]," Clemente said. "He knew my game, I knew his game."

Clemente, Parker and the rest of the Crimson squad have a long road ahead of them in their quest to capture the league crown. A strong Dartmouth team joins the perennial Ivy powerhouses, Penn and Princeton, in the fight for the league title.

Picked to finish third in the league, Dartmouth will give Penn and Princeton a run for their money. The Big Green will return all five of its starters and seven other letterwinners. While acknowledging Dartmouth's potential, Clemente predicts an extraordinary season for Penn.

"Just looking at [Penn's] schedule, they are playing Kansas, Temple, and they open against Kentucky," Clemente said. "They are playing one of the toughest schedules that I've seen, and just from playing [these top-ranked teams], they just have an amazing advantage already."

Harvard has a much less daunting schedule. The Crimson season officially opens at home against Division-II Washington and Lee Nov. 20. Clemente attributes the level of difficulty in the Crimson's non-conference schedule to the youth of the team. The main goal now, he says, is to focus on crucial Ivy League games.