Word: szczerbiak
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...lacquer stinging the air, Lavietes packed and pulsating to the chants of “DEFENSE!” Harvard corrals a rebound and brings the ball up court. It’s passed around the perimeter until the ball ends up in the reliable hands of Wally Szczerbiak. The forward rises up and fires a high, arching three-pointer. The ball floats in the air, spinning like a rubber globe as it falls towards the hoop, kisses the back rim, and swishes gently through. Pandemonium. Unfortunately, although Harvard recruited Szczerbiak, the former NBA draft pick and Western Conference...
...decision came down to Harvard against Miami University of Ohio, and the lure of a full scholarship—something Harvard couldn’t offer—and the chance to play at an NCAA mid-major school won Szczerbiak over. In many ways, Szczerbiak’s decision to attend Miami was the sign of an increasing trend among top high school players, who due to increased media hyping of the NCAA tournament are looking for the school that offers them the best chance to make an impact on the national stage in March...
...would be huge, [but] it doesn’t happen as much,” Sullivan said of a player like Szczerbiak choosing an Ivy school. “You see more peer pressure than we’ve ever had to make decisions to go to the highest level of basketball. Ten years ago, it was a little bit different. Kids wanted to be pioneers—you weren’t as saturated with the big dance and the media attention that Division I college basketball has gotten...
...Szczerbiak got plenty of media attention while leading the RedHawks to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in 1999. After scoring 24 points a game in his senior season at Miami, he averaged 30 in the tournament to lead all scorers, and was selected by the Timberwolves with the sixth pick of the 1999 draft...
...cannot say whether Szczerbiak would have taken Harvard that deep into the NCAA tournament. It is likely, however, that just one tournament appearance would lead to higher profile recruits and greater goals. The Crimson narrowly missed out on a player who would have helped build a program strong enough to punch through the massive barrier separating Penn and Princeton from the rest of the league...