Prasse-Freeman said that he and other teammates recently lent advice and encouragement to Harvey as he wrote a letter stating his case to the board. But Prasse-Freeman added that their assistance may have been “futile.”
“It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances,” Prasse-Freeman said. “Harvard has certain rules that have to be followed and Pat knew that. Things just didn’t work out for him.”
Harvey could not be reached for comment.
The absence of Harvey will be a major setback for a Harvard team that has already been struggling in recent weeks. The Crimson has dropped four of its first six league games, seriously darkening its chances at competing for an Ivy title.
With Harvey gone, Harvard faces a daunting task trying to replace his scoring ability. Entering this weekend, he was averaging 16.4 points per game. He scored a team-high 21 points against Brown Friday and led the Crimson again with 16 at Yale in what proved to be his final game.
Harvey will finish his career 12th on Harvard’s all-time scoring list (1,208) and second in career three-pointers (181). He is also one of only six players in school history to amass 150 steals.
“We’re obviously going to miss him since he’s such a dynamic player,” Prasse-Freeman said of Harvey. “He does things on the court I’ve never seen anyone do.”
The likeliest candidate to replace Harvey in the starting lineup is sophomore Jason Norman. Norman earned the start in the one game Harvey has missed so far this season against Vermont on Dec. 17. Harvey sat out that game with an ankle problem.
“Based on Coach’s subbing patterns, Jason would definitely be a guy who’ll need to step up,” Merchant said. “Mike Beal and Kevin Rogus are guys who have seen playing time, too.”
Ready or not, Harvard will begin life without its star guard this Friday when it hosts Columbia at Lavietes Pavilion. But however difficult a challenge it is for the team to move on, the hardest adjustment may be the one that awaits Harvey.
—Staff writer Brian E. Fallon can be reached at bfallon@fas.harvard.edu.