His eye looked great, and he was cleared to play. After informing a surprised Sullivan with his decision, he scored 24 points against Cornell and started the final nine games of the year.

Clemente's return lifted a team depending on then-freshman Onnie Mayshak and then-junior Tim Coleman for inside play, and he worked hard to get back in sync with the new guys. Harvard finished the year having exceeded expectations in the Ivy League, including a near-win over Penn and two straight wins at Cornell and Columbia to close out the season at 12-15 (7-7 Ivy).

"We showed some signs last season that we can be very good," Clemente said. "Coach had said he believed we could play better the next season, and everybody believed it and worked hard this summer."

After three years of hardship and drama, Clemente looks to a calmer, albeit more successful, final season at Harvard. While he won't comment on the starting lineups other than himself, Prasse-Freeman and guard Drew Gellert, he believes this deep, shorter team will be extremely effective against league teams.

"I think the five we put out there are going to be much different than any five we play, and we can use that to our advantage," he said.

Clemente also recognizes the importance of rebounding. At 6'7, Clemente is one of the tallest and strongest players on the team. He claims that he could rebound in prep school and that Harvard somehow dulled his skills, but that he will pick up seven to eight rebounds a game this season.

Of course, the humble Clemente refuses to think too far into the future. He refuses to think beyond the first game of the year. He refuses to hear the cries of a possible NCAA tournament bid. He knows that, despite a close-knit team that works well together and can score points, there are great obstacles in their way.

"Penn's always going to be top of the league," Clemente said. "Penn is a basketball school, they have basketball players that go there, the crowd is basketball fans. They're always going to be good because they have this attitude, you know, they're not Ivy League, they're better than any Ivy team. They come in with that attitude to every game and that's why they win. The guys on their bench could start on any Ivy League team."