Ask Scottie Pippen, Vivian Vance, or Samwise Gamgee the same question and you’ll likely get the same answer: it’s not always easy playing second fiddle to an icon.

As Americans we want to Be Like Mike, we Love Lucy, and we make Frodo the Lord of the Oscars—but we tend to push to the periphery the supporting cast who put our stars in orbit.

Harvard women’s basketball co-captain Tricia Tubridy is such a player. Often lost among the big names and big games of Hana Peljto and Reka Cserny, Tubridy has quietly but consistently contributed to the Crimson’s cause during a prolonged period of dominance that has included two Ivy League titles and a 26-game Ancient Eight win streak.

Despite the lack of attention, Tubridy has handled her role on the team well.

“It can be frustrating sometimes. Everyone wants to score and everyone wants to be the one who goes out and gets 25 points a game,” says Tubridy. “But whenever you get to play with someone for four years, you start to learn how they like to play, and you adjust your game to each other. Over time it really becomes a lot of fun to play together.”

Crimson coach Kathy Delaney-Smith says Tubridy has been instrumental in the success of the women’s hoops program over the last four years.

“Her strength for four years has been her humbleness and her willingness to accept what she needed to do for the team,” Delaney-Smith says.

Such accolades may not always make the headlines, but contribute just as much to winning league titles as do points per game or blocked shots.

THE PRIDE OF THE CRIMSON

“When you’re younger you don’t dream of being the consistent player, you dream of being the star player.”

Ironic words from Tubridy, as they exactly describe the kind of consistency that has come to define her career. Among history’s overlooked heroes, perhaps there is a better analogy to be drawn. One thinks of the “Iron Horse” Lou Gehrig, who toiled for many years in the shadow of Babe Ruth before leaving his own indelible mark in the game by setting a consecutive games played streak that wouldn’t be broken for nearly half a century.

Tubridy’s stretch with the Crimson has been no less remarkable. As a freshman she played in every game and even started 10, a feat made all the more impressive by Delaney-Smith’s usual practice of keeping first-year’s minutes to a minimum. Despite her youth, the coach felt Tubridy possessed certain talents that she couldn’t afford to waste.

“She brought a level of poise to the team at a time when we really needed that,” Delaney-Smith says, “and when we made the decision to shift her into the starting line-up, I felt like it was a really positive addition.”

Over the next three years Tubridy became a permanent resident of the Crimson’s starting five. In her sophomore season, she started 27-28 contests, and as a junior or senior she has yet to miss a start.

Delaney-Smith believes Tubridy’s durability can be directly attributed to her no-nonsense attitude and work ethic.