And while Welch didn’t know that would be the case when he committed, Harvard’s improvement when he was in his final year of high school offered more than a glimpse of hope, as the Crimson added five wins to its record while shaving two losses to finish above .500 for the first time since 1994.

Talk of being on the cusp of a Harvard renaissance was no longer mere idle speculation. Welch believed—as Leaman had told him—that the Crimson stood on the brink of a return to a new golden era.

“I knew the freshman class at the time I was coming in—Kenny Smith, Tyler Kolarik—I knew they had a great class. I knew Dom Moore was a great player. I knew we had a great team coming in,” Welch said. “I expected to win four ECAC championships and go to the tournament every year because we won our league...I knew our class was a good class and that we could make our mark on the program.”

Sure there were hiccups along the way. Neither of the roads taken to an ECAC title was smooth despite the lofty expectations heaped upon the Crimson’s shoulders. And each of Harvard’s three NCAA tournament appearances thus far have ended in heartbreak.

But as his days in uniform dwindle, Welch is fully aware that his dream has been more or less realized. With an at-large berth to the tournament, Harvard has now reached the big dance for four straight years—only the second team in Crimson history to do so.

The only other stretch that compares, five-straight from 1985-1989, was capped by a national title—a goal which Welch insists is not only within the realm of possibility this year, but is one for which this year’s squad is better equipped than any of those on which he has played.

“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and how we’ve put Harvard back on the map, Welch said. “I helped put Harvard back on the map. But there’s a huge part of me that’s not satisfied yet. I’m still hungry for what we can accomplish.”

—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.