“I didn’t have a good season personally [last year] but this summer—being up here, working hard, and playing well in Italy—really boosted my confidence,” Webster says. “I’m just ready to get [the season] started.”

Then there is Rivard, an elite three-point shooter who averaged 10.1 points last season, culminating in his nearly single-handedly keeping the Crimson alive in its NCAA tournament game against Vanderbilt by going six-of-seven from long distance. But without the presence of his four former co-starters in 2012-13, Rivard will likely be the focus of opposing defenses, which could mean fewer open shots.

“We’re concerned [that] he’s going to be a marked guy,” Amaker says. “If that is the case, [the question becomes], is he going to be able to not get frustrated by that and give up himself for the benefit of his teammates.”

Without Wright and Casey, the frontcourt will feature two new starters, spots that will likely be filled by talented but largely unproven sophomores Kenyatta Smith and Steve Moundou-Missi. The latter is the most polished of the Crimson bigs and often provided spurts of energy, defense, and rebounding off the bench last season. This year, he too will also be asked to take his game to another level and take on a larger scoring role as a starter.

“I’m just trying to be more aggressive, trying to not think too much,” Moundou-Missi says.

Smith was a highly-touted recruit last season who failed to get off the bench but will now need to harness his potential to replace Wright as the team’s premier back-to-the-basket low-post scorer. Sophomore forward Jonah Travis will likely play a number of minutes as well.

“The goal is to play inside-out,” Amaker says. “We’ll try to structure things around the personnel that we have, but it hasn’t changed the overall philosophy.”

That strategy will be put to the test during a grueling non-conference schedule. Harvard will play road games at No. 17 Memphis as well as St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s—both of which received preseason top 25 votes—not to mention BCS-conference schools UConn, Boston College, and Cal.

“It’s a gauntlet,” Amaker says. “It’s the hardest [schedule] we’ve had [since I’ve been here].... I’m hopeful that we can control it. We can’t have our spirit broken if we hit a period of time when we’re not playing as well.”

But the Crimson’s destiny this season will come down to Ivy League play, in which Ian Hummer-led Princeton is considered a heavy preseason favorite. But despite the losses it has suffered and all the question marks surrounding it as it heads into the season, the new-look Crimson is not ready to concede the championship just yet.

“We have a chance,” Chambers says. “If we work hard and continue to get better everyday, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to take the Ivy League title again.”

—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu.