When he does, freshman Brady Merchant will probably start at two-guard in-between Prasse-Freeman and Long. Merchant is a solid-shooting wing guard, who, like Prasse-Freeman, also got his predecessor's number--Mike Beam's No. 22.

"Brady Merchant is a fine athlete with good range," Sullivan said. "He's a good shooter with good ball skills and he brings a real complete game."

What the Crimson loses in Beam's pure shooting ability at the two--he was a 43.3 percent three-point shooter and averaged 11.8 ppg--it may gain in mobility with the ball. Beam was often a stand-and-catch shooter who needed a ball screen to generate his shot.

"We'll definitely be doing more driving from the wing, not the top," Long said. "Our wing guards are guys who can penetrate and get the ball inside or go corner-to-corner."

In past years, the Crimson backcourt relied on penetration by Hill, mostly from the top of the arc, to free up big shooters like Beam and Clemente on the wings. A gunner with the ability to drive like Merchant or junior-college transfer Bryan Parker could add a dimension Harvard hasn't seen since the days of Mike Scott '98.

"Bryan gives us a slashing game, and a defensive-rebounding game too," Sullivan said.

But at least initially, much of the success or failure of the offense may depend on Long, who, if he returns to the form of his sophomore year, would be the best pure shooter on the team. Long struggled to find his role in the offense last year, shooting just 34.3 percent from the floor and 31.7 percent from behind the arc.