Last season, the Harvard Men's basketball team opened with a game against Boston College, pulling off a dramatic and unexpected 62-61 win.

This year, the Crimson starts out with a much easier opponent--Division III Washington and Lee, a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference that went 6-19 last season and has a 6'6 center.

With an extremely young and inexperienced team, including five new faces, the Crimson open up the season with little prospect of moving up from the middle of the Ivy League pack. But an easy win over a cellar-dwelling Division III team should boost Harvard's confidence.

This week, Harvard got good news. Sophomore guard Drew Gellert returned from a separated shoulder and will most likely start Saturday.

"Having Drew back has been really great for practice this week," senior guard Damian Long said. "He brings enthusiasm and a good work ethic. With Drew back in the lineup, the rest of us can return to our natural spots."

The Crimson starters for this weekend's game haven't been determined yet, but it seems safe to say that Gellert, Long and junior forward Dan Clemente will all be penciled into the starting five.

"I have no idea who will play," Long said. "It's liable to change by Saturday afternoon. Could be Onnie [Mayshak, freshman forward], maybe Tim Coleman, maybe Bryan Parker."

Whoever Harvard coach Frank Sullivan plays on Saturday probably won't matter. Washington and Lee boasts no players of any merit, no big man and no noticeable perimeter game. The Generals are literally playing out of their league. The last time the team played an Ivy League opponent was in 1956-57, when it defeated Columbia 69-63.