Aggressiveness on defense has never been a problem for Gellert, who has led the Ivy League in steals the past two seasons. The Harvard senior is on pace to eclipse the school record of 213, held by Mike Gielen ’89. This season, however, Gellert will be asked to take on a bigger role offensively.

“For Harvard to do well, everbody on the court’s got to be a legitimate threat to score,” Gellert said.

Prasse-Freeman, Harvard’s point-guard, will also be called upon to put points on the board. Prasse-Freeman led the Ivy League in assists as a freshmen and sophomore, but increased his scoring output last season, averaging 9.8 ppg. Prasse-Freeman rebouds well and plays solid defense, though he has been plagued by turnover problems. His 1.7-1 assist-to-turnover ratio was one of the worst in the country. Holding on to the ball will be crucial if Harvard’s offense is to be succesful.

Most important among Harvard’s point producers is Harvey. Though Coach Sullivan insists that “we don’t really have a go-to-guy,” it seems likely that Harvey will be called upon to take the Clemente-type shots. Harvey, a terrific free-throw shooter, has shown signs of being up to the task. He hit two crucial free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining in a 79-78 win over Dartmouth, a buzzer beater to down Hartford 80-78 and had four points in the final 10 seconds to lead Harvard over Columbia 66-61. He’s already demonstared his scoring prowess early this season, as he currently leads the team in scoring with 19.6 ppg.

Merchant will again be called upon to provide a lift off the bench. He’s averaging 6.6 ppg as Harvard’s sixth man so far this year. Freshmen guards Jason Norman, Kevin Rogus and David Giovacchini may see some minutes as well, though the backcourt is already crowded.

“It’s a tough group to crack, when you’ve got four experienced guys in the backcourt,” Sullivan said.

Harvard’s frontcourt will also look to contribute. Leading the way will be the 6’8 Coleman. Though Coleman sat out last season, he looks to be a big factor this year. He’s in the best shape of his life and is scoring and rebounding effectively.

Junior Brian Sigafoos emerged as an effective center in the second half of last season. Though bothered by foot injuries, the 6’11 New Jersey native adds much needed size to a small Harvard lineup.

Winter and freshman Graham Beatty will also see some action. Sullivan has high hopes for the 6’8 Beatty, Harvard’s most athletic forward.

“He shown tremendous energy to compete for the basketball around the rim,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan will look to put different combinations in at frontcourt, even utilizing Sigafoos and Coleman on the floor at the same time. Harvard’s big men run the floor surprisingly well.

“It’s such a blessing to have kids in the frontcourt who can move up and own [the court] and do it so quickly,” Sullivan said.

In addition to replacing Clemente offensively, Harvard will be looking to improve on its effective but erratic defense. Last year’s squad led the Ivies in turnover margin (+2.6) while setting up mostly in a tough man-to-man. When asked about Harvard’s task for this season, Sullivan was clear about the team’s goals.

“We have to improve our defense significantly,” said Sullivan. “What happened during [last year’s five-game losing streak] revolved around our inability to score... [and] our defense in each of those games wasn’t really good enough to get us over the top.”

Sullivan also mentioned rebounding as an area for improvement.