For the first time this season, Harvard men’s basketball fans caught a glimpse of the Kyle Casey of old. In his third game back since suffering a broken foot during the preseason, Casey finished with a season-high 13 points and six rebounds.

“He came up to me before the game and said he was feeling really good and that he was loose,” junior co-captain Oliver McNally said. “I was like, ‘Oh man, this guy’s about to put some shots up.’”

It didn’t take long for McNally’s prediction to be proved right.

The first possession after Casey checked in with 14:43 to play, the 6’7” forward took a pass in the left corner, up-faked, drove baseline, and finished with a thunderous two-handed slam in traffic.

“That play kind of showed that he’s not thinking about the foot as much,” McNally said. “That was really good to see, and I think that will be something that he can build on as he goes forward.”

After missing his next two shots, Casey converted on a deep ball in transition off a pass from classmate Brandyn Curry to put the Crimson up 17-15.

Before the night ended, Casey knocked down two more three pointers, shooting a perfect three-of-three from deep.

But Casey’s teammates still think it will take some time for the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year to get back to the point he was at before suffering the injury.

“He’s definitely not where he was in the preseason,” McNally said. “He’s a hard worker.  His game improved a lot from last year, and I have full confidence that in the next few weeks he’ll be right where he needs to be.”