It’s getting to be a Crimson rite of passage. Season begins, shy freshman joins team. Season ends, assertive freshman wins Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

Two year ago, it was Hana Peljto who took home the award. Last year, Reka Cserny earned the honor. Will it be Jessica Holsey this year?

Holsey, a standout freshman guard, selected as a McDonald’s All-American honorable mention in high school in Potomac, Md., is one of five freshman additions that appear primed to inject new life into an experienced Crimson lineup.

Holsey should make an immediate impact on the court, stepping in as one of Harvard’s options at point guard after the graduation of Jenn Monti ’02. Junior Dirkje Dunham will attempt to replace last year’s Ivy League assist leader as the ‘quarterback’ of Harvard’s offensive attack. According to Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith, who calls Holsey “one of, if not the, quickest player I’ve ever coached,” the freshman should be up to the challenge.

Yet, Holsey is not the only first-year who could make a big splash in league competition.

Shana Franklin, a 2001 Nike All-American from Wilmette, Ill, will also see immediate playing time this season. In spite of her success in high school, Franklin, like her teammates, seems enervated by the challenge of joining such a competitive Harvard squad.

“Being an All-American isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be,” Franklin said. “I’m excited, though, to be moving my game up to the next level.”

The other freshmen seem to share Franklin’s emphasis on the major transition required between high school and college-level basketball.

“I went to a small high school in Virginia so it’s a big change coming to play in the Ivy League,” new forward Kate Mannering explained. “Fortunately, the coaches and the upperclassmen have been really supportive in helping me take the step up.”

For her part, Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith says that she is amazed with the potential that the five freshman players have shown during preseason practices.

“These might be the fastest learners on the face of the earth,” Delaney-Smith said. “We knew that they were skilled when we recruited them but the ability that they have shown so far is fabulous.”

Delaney-Smith has singled out each of her new players for praise and has given Mannering and fellow rookie forward Maureen McCaffery the nickname of “the Twin Towers.”

The players, in turn, seem to enjoy a good rapport with the coach and seem bound to her philosophy of playing hard basketball from the get-go and rotating every player in from the bench.

“It’s awesome to have a woman coach to look up to—I, for one, have never had that chance before,” McCaffery said. “Her achievements and management have been inspiring and, as an incoming freshman, I’ve found these coaches to be great role models.”

The decision to play an uptempo game to outrun and outhustle the opposition is a result of the coaching staff’s confidence in the freshmen’s ability to contribute productively off the bench.