“We have our set identity, our set standards, and our set goals—they don’t change,” he continued. “Our players know them by heart, and we don’t compromise or negotiate with those three categories. Those are internal for us, and we’re never really worried or focusing or trying to listen to anything from the outside world.”

II. NONCONFERENCE PLAY

Five days before the Crimson took the floor for its first game against Holy Cross, it suffered its first setback. Smith, a defensive titan whose size and trustworthy hook shot had been essential to the Crimson’s run a year before, was out indefinitely. A stress reaction in his left foot had become a hairline fracture with overuse. Amaker’s preseason starting center wouldn’t return for two months.

Harvard barely missed a beat. Amaker put Casey into the starting lineup alongside Moundou-Missi, but it was Travis, the first reserve off the bench, who shined brightest in a season-opening 82-72 win over Holy Cross at the TD Garden. With 20 points and 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes of play, Travis established himself as the team’s spark plug off the bench.

“I know my job—to provide energy for the team,” Travis said after the win. “If they need me to grab rebounds, score points, or set screens, [then] that’s what I will do.”

The performance was emblematic of the two team strengths that Amaker has stressed all year: its bench and its balance. Five players finished in double digits, with the bench chipping in 31 of the team’s 82 points.

Both qualities stemmed from each player’s awareness of his role on the team. Before the season, Amaker’s staff affixed note cards to every locker detailing what each player would be counted on to do. Saunders was both the team’s best slasher and best perimeter defender. Casey was the vocal defensive leader and an effective passer from the high post.

However, Curry, dubbed the team’s “sixth starter” by Amaker, had his role interrupted by an ankle injury in the Holy Cross matchup. With Curry sporadically in and out of the lineup for the next two months, the Crimson found itself down two key players early.