One was leading his San Diego high school team back to the division championships.

Another was working in a law office in his hometown of Chicago.

The last two were right here in Cambridge, waiting in the wings of Lavietes Pavilion as their Harvard teammates took third place in the Ivy League.

That was a year ago, but now Kam Walton, Pat Harvey, Mike Causey and Brian Sigafoos are all donning Crimson uniforms as part of the patchwork newcoming class of 2000-01. The only thing more intriguing than how each arrived in Cambridge is how each will figure into this year's veteran-laden squad.

Walton, a 6'8, 230-pound forward/center, was hand-picked by the Crimson staff as the only freshman recruit. He hails from a basketball-rich lineage-- his uncle, Bill Walton, won NBA championships with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and the Boston Celtics in 1986. Kam's father, Bruce, who is Bill's brother, also made a name for himself in professional sports as a member of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

Currently, four Walton boys are playing Division I college basketball, including Kam's cousins Chris (San Diego State), Luke (Arizona), and Nate (Princeton).

"Kam has been fortunate to be exposed to the game like he has," said Harvard head coach Frank Sullivan. "He's a lucky guy but he still has a lot of adjustments to make to the college game."

Sullivan made it clear that he will reserve any accolades for Walton until the initial transition period is over. After all, Kam is a West Coast boy adjusting to the East, a freshman adjusting to the academic rigors of Harvard and a high-school phenom adjusting to the college game all at the same time--that's a lot to handle for anyone.