In the center will be Cserny, who returns for the final season of her productive career with the Crimson.
Cserny formed an almost unstoppable inside-outside post tandem with Peljto the past three years, finishing third in the Ivy League in scoring with 18 points per game last season.
This year, she will take over as team leader. A contrast to Peljto’s garrulous style, Cserny’s strong-but-silent personality in the center of Harvard’s frontcourt will anchor the team against this season’s new challenges.
In the backcourt, the obvious candidate to fill the role of graduated point guard Bev Moore ’04 is junior Jess Holsey.
Although Holsey saw action the last two seasons, shoulder injuries prevented her from fulfilling her promising potential.
“Although [Holsey] did play last year and the year before, she really didn’t,” Delaney-Smith says. “She only had one arm.”
A number of talented options complement Holsey at the point. The Crimson boasts freshman Lindsay Hallion and junior Laura Robinson—both of whom could see significant playing time.
“It’s exciting to know that any combination of guards on the floor has tremendous ability to produce,” Holsey says.
With Robinson providing plenty of know-how and skilled play, the rookie Hallion will contribute with her own dazzling talent. Coaches gushed about Hallion’s performance in a scrimmage against Bentley College on Nov. 11.
“Laura [Robinson] is a smart player and actually has taken a step in the right direction this year,” Delaney-Smith says. “I’m going to take it a day at a time. Laura adds a level of poise to this team that, at times, we need. And Lindsay Hallion, for a freshman, I think blew us away yesterday. She was tremendous in that scrimmage. Poised, smart, did a great job.”
Rochelle Bell, a senior guard and regular 2003-2004 contributor from Brooklyn Park, Minn., will miss the season after having surgery on her ACL.
Rounding out the backcourt unit will be 6’ junior Shana Franklin—one of the “best slashers” Delaney-Smith said she has ever coached—and senior Katie Murphy.
Franklin, who has seen limited action, could surprise the Ivy League, Delaney-Smith said.
“I don’t think the world knows how good Shana is,” she says. “They will see how good she is this year.”
Katie Murphy, an unrecruited walk-on to the squad during her freshman year, has also developed into a crucial player.
“She has probably one of the most inspiring stories here at Harvard,” Delaney-Smith says. “She’s just doing a great job. She’s so consistent, so smart. She’s a player who has played within her strengths.”
That lesson is something Harvard will look to take to heart. By using its balance and depth to its advantage, the Crimson will hope to play within its own strengths.
—Staff writer Gabriel M. Velez can be reached at gmvelez@fas.harvard.edu.