The return of Harvard Crimson basketball competition at Lavietes Pavilion for the first time since pre-pandemic kicked off on Oct. 15 as both the men’s and women’s programs battled their teammates in two intrasquad scrimmages following an assortment of pre-game activities and food.

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Junior Chris Ledlum launches t-shirts into the stands as players are introduced onto the floor before the games begin.

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Half of the women’s team huddles as they prepare to hit the court again.

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Junior guard McKenzie E. Forbes shoots a jumper over first-year guard Elena Rodriguez. Later on, in her season and career debut for the Crimson on Nov. 12, Forbes dropped 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists against Massachusetts.

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Crimson faithful pack the stands and cheer on the teams and Harvard’s dance team from the stands prior to their halftime performance.

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Sophomore forward Lindsey S. Lawson connects from the charity stripe on her second free throw attempt.

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First-year guard Elle E. Stauffer fires from three as Rodriguez contests.

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Junior guard Idan C. Tretout pulls way back for a narrowly-missed monster slam as sophomore forward Justice U. Ajogbor and senior forward Kale Catchings watch during the men’s team warm up.

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Senior co-captains Catchings and Mason T. Forbes battle it out in the post, waiting on the rebound off Ledlum’s shot.

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Harvard’s cheerleaders cheer from the baseline mid-scrimmage.

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Ledlum goes up to slam home a dunk off the pass from senior point guard Spencer Freedman on the fast-break as Tretout and junior guard Luka Sakota stand back.

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Tretout lays up an acrobatic shot through contact against Ledlum, maintaining body control and finishing the basket, as Freedman battles Katchings under the basket.

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Sakota pulls a three-point jumper from the right wing over the contest from first-year guard Tyler Simon. Sakota’s range has looked good in the last few games, as he buried buzzer-beating threes in both the Nov. 13 game against Iona and the Nov. 24 game against Colgate to send each contest into overtime.

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Tretout fades away on a jumper as Sakota guards him closely in the paint.

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The stands erupt in anticipation of t-shirts being launched into the crowd in a break from the scrimmaging. It’s safe to say players and fans are both excited that Harvard basketball is finally back.

The women’s program is currently 2-4 in non-conference play after its thrilling 82-79 victory over Boston University on Saturday, while the men’s team moves to 5-2 after last Wednesday's overtime win against Colgate and a great comeback win over the Northeastern Huskies on Saturday night.

—Staff photographer and writer Zing Gee can be reached at zing.gee@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @Zing401.