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Username Post: ESPN Shout Out to Cusworth        (Topic#4624)
mrjames 
Professor
Posts: 6062

Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
12-20-06 12:56 PM - Post#26339    

From the Weekly Watch:

"Brian Cusworth, Harvard: The 7-footer is off to a solid start, averaging 17.2 points and 8.7 boards. This past week, he led the upstart Crimson to a pair of road wins -- at Central Connecticut with 15 points and six blocks and then at Vermont in overtime with 25 points and 16 boards. The 7-4 Crimson have the look of one of Frank Sullivan's better teams, although they will have to play their final 10 Ivy games without Cusworth, whose eligibility ends after Harvard's first semester concludes in late January."

The interesting thing I see here is "one of Frank Sullivan's better teams." Are you kidding? This team is probably the third best (obviously depends on your definition of best) team the Crimson has boasted in the past five years -- with the five seniors of 02-03 and last year's team clearly being 1/2. Then there was the 96-97 10-4 Ivy team as well as some late 1990, early 2000 7-7 Ivy teams that could clearly give this year's rendition a run. Also, I'm still going to take up the cross that Housman's performance thus far has meant more to the team (remember how desperately this team has needed a PG since Prasse-Freeman left...) though Cusworth has had the best numbers by far.

 
cantab 
Freshman
Posts: 29

Loc: c-bridge
Reg: 11-28-04
Re: ESPN Shout Out to Cusworth
12-20-06 02:05 PM - Post#26340    
    In response to mrjames

i'm not convinced last year's team was better than this year's. sure, we had stehle last year, but this year's team has a much improved cusworth. and housman has really upped his game this year too. but the biggest difference is that this year's team has depth. pusar has been valuable as a fifth starter, lin has been great as a backup guard, and unger has me feeling better than i was a couple of months ago about cusworth leaving in february. plus evan harris has looked great at times this year and who knows what magnerelli can do if he gets healthy. should this team go on to have a better overall and ivy record than last year's team i don't think it will be an accident.

 
mrjames 
Professor
Posts: 6062

Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
Re: ESPN Shout Out to Cusworth
12-20-06 02:53 PM - Post#26341    
    In response to cantab

I think we're forgetting that last year's team was a 17 win talent team. The reason why it's tough to judge, which is something last year's team shares in common with the 02-03 squad, is that the team flat gave up down the stretch. But we're talking about a team last year that was a horrendous baseline banked three and a horrible collapse plus last-second baseline jumper from being something like 6-1 in the Ivies and 14-6 overall. If those seniors had something to play for down the stretch, we're talking a 17-10, 9-5 Ivy finish, at least. This year's squad will have much less reason to collapse, and probably will pick up a few more second half Ivy wins than last year's zombie squad, which makes the ultimate record a tough benchmark by which to judge. The same argument goes for the post-Pat Harvey 02-03 squad.

Here's a head-to-head, though:

Non-Conf
05-06 06-07
Cusworth < Cusworth
Stehle >>>> Harris
Beal >> Pusar
Goffredo = Goffredo
Housman << Housman

Bench
Darcy = Darcy
Harris = Unger
Martin < Lin

Conference
Cusworth >> Unger
Stehle >> Harris
Beal w/One Knee < Pusar
Goffredo = Goffredo
Housman < Housman

Bench
Darcy = Darcy
Harris > Churchwell
Martin < Lin

So, maybe it's not as bad as I thought. But I still feel this year's team doesn't have the talent of last year's.

 
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