Sturdy said she hopes the team will find its chemistry early on.

"We have all the physical skills we need to execute and play intelligently," she said. "We will win."

As devoted as Sturdy is to her teammates, she is just as faithful to her studies. A biochemistry concentrator, Sturdy passed on basketball scholarships early in her senior year of high school because she knew she wanted to go to an Ivy League school where she could focus on both academics and basketball.

In the end, she chose between Brown, Princeton, Penn and Harvard. A visit to Cambridge sealed the deal.

"I just really liked the players and [Coach Delaney-Smith]," Sturdy said. "I knew I wanted to come here."

Indeed, Sturdy has taken advantage of Harvard's opportunities off the court. She said she has been a Group I student almost every semester.

She has been a freshman prefect since sophomore year, is the Undergraduate Athletic Council representative for women's basketball and spent last summer in England and Ireland writing for Let's Go Publications.

While Sturdy has had a great experience at Harvard, she has also been sure to remember how lucky she is and to give back to others during her time here.