Harvard’s quick turnaround was due in part to the healthy return of its big men.
The other boon for the Crimson was its freshmen. The core four of Casey, Brandyn Curry, Christian Webster, and Dee Giger vaulted the squad to the top tier of the Ivy League.
“They had to earn everything, and they did,” Amaker said of his freshmen. “We’re very high on those guys—all of them. Very pleased with what they were able to bring to our program on a first-year basis.”
Though Harvard came up short of its ultimate goal, the Crimson felt it left nothing in its tank.
“No regrets—I think that’s the one thing that I don’t have,” Lin said. “Throughout the entire process, I made sure, and the guys that I played with made sure, that no matter what happened, we would put our best effort forth. I can honestly say that we gave everything that we could and we tried our best.”
Lin’s graduation marks the end of an era, but with the league wide open next season, the Crimson has the pieces in place to make another run at its first-ever Ivy League championship.
—Staff writer Timothy J. Walsh can be reached at twalsh@fas.harvard.edu.