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.

{shortcode-8147c2bcf1039c24ffc84f7d6c2a757282e6d54e}

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

{shortcode-caa1b042900e9bef40a1b2abea6f1a3030dff348}

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

{shortcode-0cea4fed98d60fcfb5b8caefc11bc759e52886fa}

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.

{shortcode-732f33592eb4169dc0f092ad933030e3b54dcaa4}

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

{shortcode-6669e3d470bc6e6c68c93c35ecf1ab2f0198ef3f}

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

{shortcode-f70ee69e0d91dba00571671fbf6d8d0c8676cfbd}

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

{shortcode-8e98b49de6a5776edc0f6b29f834ddaebd86f785}

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.

{shortcode-441d95ac5c69299022ade5de88c66057f721d9d6}

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

{shortcode-b401a4eb7209f8889dec761a7486be87e5031fc2}

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

{shortcode-a01a5deaaa7ef2664dff473cc21466a326513d9b}

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.

{shortcode-5a12a7541e9dab2b3e18c266b8f8a8a8ebc1587e}

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

{shortcode-f4b9cbc95aa88567dc8d77fd3c734e98690f9b57}

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.

{shortcode-75e8fb3e2d81463e31851407b977351fea641d01}

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

{shortcode-32d20b41fd0dbd5371452dba5a523bb86977af0b}

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.