While she would love to study overseas, Sturdy is not yet anxious to leave Harvard. For now, she is concentrating on senior year and her final season.

"My first and second years here, we really set the standard for what Harvard basketball should be," she said. "The few older players on the team are really a link to that Harvard tradition in basketball."

She should not have a hard time being an effective leader. Indeed, Sturdy is one of the toughest and most outgoing players on the team.

In a game in front of many family and friends at Florida Atlantic a few years ago, Sturdy had her front tooth knocked out. On her way down after making a shot, a player on the opposing team elbowed Sturdy in the mouth and dislodged the tooth. Sturdy went out for a few minutes, got cleaned up and was quickly back to finish the game.

For the rest of the game, she heard her cousins yelling "Toothless Twelve," in reference to her jersey number. After the game, Sturdy went to the dentist to get her mouth outfitted with a fake tooth.

But her experience provided a valuable lesson for the rest of the team.

"Now the whole team wears mouth-guards," she said.

During this season, though, Harvard will follow more than just Sturdy's safety precautions. The team will take its cue from her notion of team play. Sturdy believes team interaction is crucial to its success this year.