Men's Basketball Continues to Rack Up Preseason Honors

Earlier this semester, we at The Back Page already took a look at some of the preseason hype surrounding this year’s men’s basketball team. With the squad returning seven of its main eight rotation players from last year, but also welcoming back seniors Brandyn Curry and Kyle Casey, this year’s team looks—on paper, at least—to be better than last year’s. Throw in freshman Zena Edsomowan, the first ever top-100 basketball recruit to attend Harvard, and pundits have been high on this team coming into the season.

Since our last post, both of the team’s point guards—sophomore Siyani Chambers and senior Brandyn Curry—have landed on the Cousy Award watch list that honors the best point guard in the nation. Chambers started every game last year in Curry’s absence and was the first freshman to ever be named first team All-Ivy, while Curry was a second-team All-Ivy performer his junior year and led the Ivy League in assist-to-turnover ratio.

The team’s other backcourt member—junior Wesley Saunders—got even more national acclaim. On Oct. 10, Saunders was named to the Lou Henson Preseason All-America Team. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top mid-major student-athlete in Division I. Saunders is the only Ivy League representative on the team and one of only six juniors to make the 25-man roster.

As a team, the Crimson was also a unanimous pick to win the Ancient Eight in the 2013-2014 Ivy League Preseason Media Poll. Harvard is the first team since the 2009-2010 Cornell Big Red to be a unanimous pick. Those Big Red made waves by defeating Temple and Wisconsin on the way to the Sweet Sixteen.