“When we get the ball outside the perimeter, we’re looking inside to Keith,” says Oliver McNally, Wright’s co-captain. “He attracts so much attention, and I don’t think he gets enough credit; he’s an incredibly unselfish player.”
Casey, the 2009-10 Ivy Rookie of the Year, battled through a foot injury for most of last season but is fully healthy and ready to improve on a sophomore campaign in which he averaged 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest.
“Kyle’s competitive, he’s incredibly athletic, [and] he gives us a dimension that at times can be unique and different in our league,” Crimson coach Tommy Amaker said.
Freshmen Steve Mondou-Missi and Kenyatta Smith, seven-foot sophomore Ugo Okam, and junior Jeff Georgatos provide frontcourt depth.
At the wings, junior Christian Webster and sophomore Laurent Rivard look to build on seasons where both scored in double figures (13.0 and 11.0 points per game respectively) and shot 40 percent from beyond the arc.
“Laurent’s one of our hardest workers,” Amaker said. “[And] he’s just an absolutely terrific shooter. ... He knows we believe in him, and just as important, he believes in himself and his teammates believe in him.”
Freshmen Jonah Travis and Wesley Saunders—a top-100 national recruit according to Rivals—will provide versatility off the bench.
In the backcourt, junior Brandyn Curry returns after leading the Ancient Eight with 5.9 assists per game in 2010-11, and McNally provides veteran leadership and a 93 percent free-throw percentage (second-best in the nation). Sophomore Matt Brown proved to be a valuable substitute at both positions as a rookie last season.
“Towards the end of last year, Brandyn was a monster,” McNally says. “[In workouts] he’s been looking really good, I think he worked on his shot. ... We think he’s going to lead us to some pretty big things this year.”
That squad faces the Engineers tonight at Lavietes Pavilion, where it went 14-0 last season and where the Crimson has won 17 in a row total, the 10th-longest current home winning streak in the country.
Harvard blew out MIT, 84-58, last season, in a game in which Wright, Casey, Webster, Rivard, and McNally all scored in double figures. The Crimson also dominated the Engineers, 88-61, in 2009.
But the Crimson would be unwise to overlook MIT, which is ranked 10th in the Division III Top-25 and returns its six top scorers from a year ago, including center Noel Hollingsworth, who is a preseason All-American for the defending NEWMAC champions. Junior Mitchell Kates averaged 15.6 points per game last season, while classmate Will Tashman averaged 14.1 and scored 19 against the Crimson.
The Engineers have reached the Division III NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons, while the Crimson is still looking to get to the Division I tournament for just the second time ever.
“We have a bitter taste in our mouths after how last year ended,” McNally says. “We won the Ivy title but didn’t get to the tournament. ... [So] it’s not all there, and we all just want to get there.”
-Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu.