The season may have ended nearly two weeks ago for the Harvard men’s basketball team, but the candle is still burning in the office of coach Tommy Amaker.
Finalizing next season’s schedule and fielding calls from NBA scouts has kept Amaker busy as the Crimson men’s basketball coach—a position he doesn’t plan on giving up.
“I’m not looking for anything,” said Amaker, who was listed by one media outlet as a potential candidate for the St. Johns coaching job. “We’re completely happy with what we’re doing here and where we are—and we’re hopeful that the powers that be are happy with me.”
Amaker has now shifted his attention to next season’s schedule and his players’ futures.
After a 2009-10 campaign that pitted the Crimson against UConn, Boston College, and Georgetown, next season’s schedule could be filled with even more big-name opponents.
“We’re playing at Michigan, Colorado [is coming] here, [and] we’re trying to finalize UConn again,” Amaker said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with BC.”
But that might not be all.
“Instead of going to Seattle, we might try to go to LA or the Bay Area,” Amaker said. “[We’d] play at Southern Cal, UCLA, or Cal Berkeley…Not all of them—maybe one of them.”
In Amaker’s first three seasons at the helm, the Crimson played eight games against opponents from one of the six power conferences, finishing with a 3-5 record.
Harvard defeated Michigan at home in Amaker’s first season, and then beat Boston College on the road in each of the past two seasons.
“[The non-conference schedule has] been a big plus for our program and for recruiting,” he said. “It’s been an aspect we’ve been able to get a lot of mileage out of.”
Individually, co-captain Jeremy Lin was also able to get a lot of mileage out of his play against the team’s toughest non-conference opponents. In games against UConn, Boston College, and Georgetown, Lin averaged 23.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
These performances boosted Lin’s recognition nationally, both with media outlets and NBA scouts.
Lin’s next big opportunity to impress professional scouts will come Apr. 7-10 when the 6’3” guard travels to Portsmouth, Va. to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a pre-draft showcase for potential professional players.
While Harvard’s non-conference schedule and Lin’s professional future may remain up in the air, Amaker is absolutely certain of which bench he wants to be standing in front of when the 2010-11 season tips off.
