For Chambers, who was thrust into a dual role as the team’s floor general and vocal leader, the return of Curry means a lighter load not only on the floor but in the locker room. The two Crimson point guards, both nominees for the 2014 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, have flourished separately but will now get the opportunity to play together.
“[We have] a great relationship,” Chambers said. “We’re competitive in practice, but we’re also really good friends outside of practice. Brandyn helped recruit me to Harvard, so I think we have a really good relationship both on and off the court.”
Beyond Chambers and Curry in the backcourt, the team returns its leading scorers from the last two seasons in Saunders and Casey. The returning big man gives Harvard a four-deep rotation at the forward spots, which features an All-Ivy big man in junior Steve Moundou-Missi, a national top-100 recruit in freshman Zena Edosomwan, and the team’s returning center in junior Kenyatta Smith.
“I think that this year, everything will be different from last year,” Casey said. “We are going to have different people on the court, [but] we are going to be pushed like we were last year. I think if we play up to our potential, then we will be absolutely fine.”
Though they were locks for starting roles just a year ago, the two seniors will be competing for time this winter. Defense will be a key determinant for playing time, something that Casey and Curry have excelled at in the past. Both, Rivard said, will provide much-needed depth for a team that had four players average over 33 minutes a game last season.
“We are able to pressure the ball more [with them on the floor],” Rivard said. “Brandyn is a really good on-the-ball defender, and Kyle is a good shot blocker, so we got somebody behind us. On the offensive end, they are both scorers who can score the basketball, and especially for Brandyn, he just adds a lot of depth to the point guard position that we really didn’t have last year.”
When Casey and Curry take the court for the Crimson’s home opener on Nov. 12 against MIT, there won’t be memories on their mind—just unfinished business.
—Staff writer David Freed can be reached at david.freed@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @CrimsonDPFreed.