ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Point Guard Shows Poise for M. Hoops in Upset Classic

There is one constant for Harvard this season.

As junior Drew Housman goes, so goes the Crimson.

“Housman is the key for us,” coach Tommy Amaker said after Wednesday’s 72-67 win over New Hampshire. “If we don’t get the kind of play out of him that he’s capable of, we’re not going to be as good.”

And this week, Harvard got it from Housman.

In two very different games, Housman gave two very different performances, but one thing connected the two together.

When it counted most for the Crimson against New Hampshire on Wednesday and Michigan on Saturday, Housman delivered.

In a game that demonstrated Housman’s growth as a point guard since his freshman year, the third-year standout quarterbacked a near flawless game against the Wolverines. The result was a historic 62-51 win over the Big Ten squad.

Behind Housman’s clean and efficient possession of the ball, the Crimson posted an astounding assist-to-turnover ratio of 17-9 in the contest. This is a far cry from the turnover-laden squads of years past.

“The thing that stands out for me is the 17 to 9 assist to turnover ratio,” junior forward Evan Harris said after the game. “Because I don’t know if many of you guys were around last year, but it was usually the other way around.”

Housman’s eight-point, six-rebound, three-steal performance won’t turn any heads, but this complete performance combined with his leadership on the court was instrumental.

And at the end of both games, it was Housman with the ball, icing the game for the Crimson.

Up 53-51 with just 50 seconds remaining, the game against the Wolverines was still in doubt. A Crimson miss combined with a Michigan three would have stymied Harvard’s upset bid.

But missing was never an option for Housman. The point guard drove the ball right past standout Michigan freshman Manny Harris, cut into the paint, and somehow floated a finger-roll over the outstretched arms of the Wolverine big men.

As the ball fell through the net, the game was all but assured. It was Housman again who provided the heroics, and he had done the same thing just three days before.

Against the Wildcats, Housman struggled for much of the game, failing to tally his first field goal until there was only 6:52 left in the game.

But by the end of the night, Housman had 13 points, including a dagger of a three with just over a minute to play, and the Crimson had another critical non-conference victory in its young season and Amaker’s young tenure.

“I’m not going to stop shooting because I had a rough game and made some turnovers,” Housman said after the game. “I should keep being aggressive even though I had a rough first three quarters.”

“[Housman] certainly made some big shots, and came and quarterbacked the team,” Amaker added. “He was the leader for us that we needed.”

The Crimson is beginning to follow its quarterback’s lead. And for Harvard, that’s a sign of good things to come.

—Staff writer Walter E. Howell can be reached at wehowell@fas.harvard.edu.