JOHN H ARVARD'S JOURNAL five touchdowns, com- To receive weekly football pleting 16 of 22 passes for reports from “Cleat,” sign up at 296 yards and running http://harvardmag.com/email the ball 11 times on de- signed and improvised plays. T#$%#&'. For the record, Harvard has now “I saw a better Hempel won 13 consecutive home openers, is 8-0 in today than I did on film Stadium night games, and has taken 12 of of the San Diego game,” the last 14 contests with Brown. Brown coach Phil Estes Adios, Toreros: The San Diego victory said after the game. “He’s completed a two-game home-and-home a hell of a quarterback, series. Putting a West Coast team on the with great feet. Give him football schedule was in part a response time and he can make to changing demographics: more Har- plays.” Time will tell, but vard alumni now live in California than Hempel may run better in Massachusetts, and Southern Califor- than any Crimson quar- nia has become an important catchment Safety Jaron Wilson dove into the end terback since Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05, now of area for recruits in many varsity sports.… zone, vaulting over Bruin halfback Andrew the Tennessee Titans, whose old number USD is the defending co-champion of the Coke, to !nish off a 51-yard interception return in the Brown game. Cornerback (14) he wears. Like Fitzpatrick, Hempel 12-team Pioneer Football League, which Brian Owusu (6, at right) had thrown a can throw the ball, and like Fitzpatrick he has members on both coasts. The PFL crushing block on Coke just in front of the brings a steadying presence to the huddle. and the Ivies are the only NCAA Division goal line. “Conner never gets too high, and he never I conferences that still bar athletic schol- gets too low,” says coach Murphy. “His arships. with a resounding 41-23 victory. leadership style is very well received by the Papering the house: The Brown game was “The biggest thing we’re doing is play- coaching sta" and his teammates.” designated as “Harvard Night,” with free ing really hard,” coach Murphy would say Asked after the San Diego game if he’d admission for anyone with a Harvard ID. later. And making some really big plays. felt nervous before his first start, Hem- The attendance was 17, 256—more than Harvard’s 41 points came on a one-yard pel dismissed the question. “I don’t get double the average for an afternoon game, sweep by Hempel, two rushing touch- nervous in situations like this,” he said. but well short of the night-game high of downs by Stanton, a 51-yard interception “I remember starting as a sophomore in 21,704, set in 2010. return by defensive back Jaron Wilson, a high school and was never nervous. When Friendly rivalry: Preseason polls favored spectacular 63-yard pass play from Hem- you’re prepared and have confidence, Penn to repeat as Ivy champion, with Har- pel to Zorn, and two field goals and five you’re ready to play the game, and I was vard and Brown as runners-up.…Over the points-after by ultra-reliable placekicker ready to play the game.” past six seasons, Penn and Harvard have David Mothander. Great feet. Strong arm. Poised and confi- each won the Ivy title three times. This Brown had started the season with a 45-7 dent. All he needs now is a sobriquet. How year’s showdown comes on November 16, victory over Georgetown, with tailback about Cool Hand Hemp? at Harvard Stadium. !()*+,&- John Spooney, the Ivy titlist in the 100- and 200-meter dash, scoring three times. Em- ploying a three-man rush for much of the Roundball are fours. The or game, the Crimson defense had to hustle to three (, Julius Erving) is a versatile contain the speedy Spooney—who carried Quarterbacks athlete who can handle the ball, spring a va- 17 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns— The art of playing point guard riety of o"ensive attacks, and often draws while keeping pressure on Pat Donnelly, the fouls, pouring in points from the free-throw Bruin quarterback. He threw for 169 yards W#&.#/ the fast-moving controlled chaos line. The two or , like Michael and a touchdown, but was intercepted three of a game, the players nonetheless Jordan or Kobe Bryant, may be the team’s times by Crimson defenders. enact definite roles. The number-five player ace outside shooter and scorer; twos can Safety Jaron Wilson’s second-period is the , perhaps the tallest and most also handle the ball well or drive to the net. interception return was a brilliant feat prominent athlete (think Bill Russell, LL.D. Then there is the choreographer who di- of broken-field running through heavy ’07, Yao Ming): NBA fives patrol the baseline rects basketball’s quintet: the number one tra!c. End Zach Hodges and cornerback and the paint under the basket, rebounding, or point guard (, John Stock- Norman Hayes made the other intercep- blocking shots, and often scoring dunks and ton), normally the team’s best dribbler, ball tions. Hodges, a fiery competitor, was also layups. The power forward or four can score handler, and passer, as well as its shortest credited with three tackles-for-loss and a heavily from short or midrange positions member. The one runs the o"ense and de- quarterback sack. and is strong enough to defend against oth- fense on the floor, as “an extension of the Ringmaster Hempel accounted for 318 er “bigs” (tall players, a.k.a. “trees”) down head coach,” as Brandyn Curry ’13 (’14) puts yards of total o"ense and two of Harvard’s low—i.e., near the hoop. and it. Doing this is “about control,” adds Siyani

70 N01+2%+3 - D+)+2%+3 2013 www.gocrimson.com Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746 Chambers ’16. “Either the defense controls “You need to be mentally tough. Suppose We encourage him to do things that are the o!ense, or the o!ense controls the de- you’re running a late-clock play [a set play flashy or dynamic—to feel free to express fense.” Which way this falls will determine that develops quickly, for use with little himself.” Curry, in contrast, might be com- the outcome of the basketball game. time on the ] o! an in-bounds pared with point guard Curry and Chambers are two of the pass. You’ve got to make sure everyone is , who thinks of passing be- finest point guards in the college game. in the right position, call the play, throw fore shooting. “He’s got long arms and can Curry returns this season, having taken a the pass, and when the shot goes up, get get an o!ensive ,” Amaker says. year o! after being swept up in Harvard’s back on defense—you’re accountable for “Brandyn’s also a great defender and a ter- academic-misconduct scandal of last fall. all that, and it all happens in 10 seconds. rific three-point shooter.” He made the All-Ivy Second Team and Or less.” Point guards also must manage In college basketball, 90 to 95 percent of was an Academic All-Ivy Leaguer as both their emotions: a point guard who’s hav- the teams use man-to-man defense, mean- a sophomore and junior. With 424 career ing a poor game and begins to feel upset ing that each player guards a specific op- assists, Curry is already sixth in Harvard’s cannot start moping on the court, warns ponent, usually someone playing the same record books; as a sopho- position—a three guard- more, he led the Ivies ing another three, for ex- with 5.9 dishes per game. ample. (In zone defense, Last season, Chambers players defend an area of was not only Ivy League the court rather than a Rookie of the Year, but specific player.) The point also became the first guard communicates con- freshman ever named to stantly (“You want a lot of the All-Ivy First Team. chatter,” says Chambers), His 5.4 assists-per-game alerting teammates or average led the Ancient giving commands. “Ball Eight, and made him the pressure!” or just “Ball!” nation’s top freshman in urges close harassment of that category. Chambers the ball handler: moving also found time to score hands, arms, torso, and 13.7 points per contest, feet in ways that interfere good for third in the with shots or passes. The league. (Wesley Saunders related “Deny!” means ’15 led the league with 17.1 to deny the ball handler points per Ivy game.) the ability to pass, for ex- Harvard has won the last ample, by obstructing the three Ivy League Cham- potential passing lane. pionships, and last year “Pick coming!” signals a captured its first NCAA defender that an oppo- tournament game. nent—usually a “big”— “The point guard is has positioned himself the quarterback of a to screen, or block, the basketball team,” says defender, “picking” him head men’s coach Tommy o! the ball handler, and Amaker. “He needs to “Switch!” is a response be someone who can get to a successful pick: tell- outside of himself and ing a teammate to switch see the whole, bigger pic- o! his man and guard the Point-guard pair: ture. We have huddles in Siyani Chambers (left) ball handler. basketball, too, and with and Brandyn Curry The point guard initi- coaches. The point guard ates the transition game. has to deliver the messages that come from Chambers, as teammates will pick up the “First thing is, you look up the court and the coaches to the rest of the team. We mood and team spirit will sag. “You set the see how many players they have back on judge our post players on e!ort; we judge tone,” he explains. defense,” Chambers explains. “If there’s point guards on their decisions.” Amaker has encouraged Chambers to only one or two back, we go for a primary “You have to be comfortable telling study the game of Nate “Tiny” Archibald, break”—basketball’s classic “,” other people what to do,” Chambers says. the only player to lead the NBA in scoring whose goal is to get the ball up the court “And you’ve got to be vocal—very, very and assists in the same season. “He was a quickly for a layup or, failing that, foul loud, so that everybody can hear you magician with the ball,” Amaker says. “Si- shots. “If you see a big man streaking down over a screaming crowd.” Curry adds, yani also has a flair and can be wizardly. the court, you’ll throw up a big lob pass

Photograph by Jim Harrison H"#$"#% M"&"'()* 71 Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746 JOHN H ARVARD'S JOURNAL or whatever to get the ball to him imme- tempo play, always strives to move the ball improvises an attack in response to what diately. You want to reward the bigs for quickly up the court: “less dribbling, more the defense is doing. “We have some very running hard.” With four or five defensive passes” is the mantra. talented players on our team,” says Curry. players back, the choice will be a second- Although the Crimson has in reserve a “So our coach gives us a lot of freedom. He ary break—an o&ensive structure that dozen set o&ensive plays it can run, about trusts us to make great plays.” enables an attack. Harvard, which likes up- three-quarters of the time the point guard !*%$+- .$/01%#

A L UMNI Morehouse Man, Redux John S. Wilson Jr. takes a chance to realize his calling.

! "#$%# the new academic ness and political science programs, but The Morehouse motto, Et facta est lux year o& right, Morehouse Col- its curricular blend still carries an overt (“And then there was light”), promotes lege psychology professor Bryant Judeo-Christian ethos, and a rigorous ex- the power of enlightenment—an internal Marks o&ered students “some ploration of race relations. Martin Luther process of growth that “merges learning Tclarity” during Crown Forum, a weekly, King Jr., Maynard Jackson, Donn Clende- with the heart and the head”—he says, in all-campus assembly. “Hard work is sit- non, Spike Lee, and political analyst Jamal fighting the primordial battle “of dark ver- ting in an air-conditioned room pressing Simmons, M.P.P. ’98, are alumni, along with sus light, good versus evil” set up in Gen- buttons on a computer. ‘Oh, it’s so hard. generations of other influential black lead- esis and portrayed in most world religions. My eyes hurt. I’m tired,’” said Marks, in a ers, such as Wilson, who recently spent “And then,” he adds, “the question always friendly mimicking tone. “Hardship?” He nearly four years as executive director of is: Who is going to win?” paused, then flashed up on the auditori- the White House Initiative on Historically um’s screen a black and white photo of civ- Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). E()*$#+!, and religion are bound to Wil- il-rights protesters. “Can you imagine water At Morehouse—then and now a flag- son’s identity. Growing up in Philadelphia, being sprayed on your arm so hard it tears ship among HBCUs—he majored in busi- where his father and grandfather were min- the flesh o&, just ’cause you want the right ness, minored in religion and philosophy, isters, and his mother taught third grade, he to vote—the right to be fully human, not and enjoyed the political culture. Wilson reports, “The signal I got was: you must be three-fifths of a man?....Your education is recalls working on the push to name a a force for good.” Morehouse catalyzed his beginning. Dig deeper. Do your work. Find national holiday for King and winning move away from Jesus as the passive stan- out who you are.” honorable mention for his submission to a dard-bearer of personal conduct, toward “a In the audience of nearly 2,000 young campus essay contest on the best way for more empowering, active, and demanding black men was their new president, John black Americans to contribute to the re- Jesus,” he explains. And with that came the Silvanus Wilson Jr., M.T.S. ’81, Ed.M. ’82, vival of Africa. “We were still wearing da- wider social obligations of Christianity. Ed.D. ’85. He had heard this same mes- shikis my freshman year,” he says. “There At Harvard Divinity School, he studied sage—cultivate intellect, character, and was cause for protest, a counterculture. the mysticism of theologian and educator identity—as a Morehouse undergraduate But,” he adds, “things were already shift- Howard Thurman, a pioneering proponent in the late 1970s, and embraces it now in ing. We thought that if we got enough of nonviolent resistance. (His ashes are returning to revitalize the ailing Atlanta knowledge and credentials we could make buried on campus beneath a commemo- institution. “We need people who aspire progress by working in the system and, at rative obelisk near a looming statue of his to become not just a smart man, but a the same time, being a counterpoint to it.” spiritual protégé, Martin Luther King Jr.) ‘Morehouse man.’ And that’s something of Today, he acknowledges, “the justice Weighing a future in “the black church or a higher order,” says Wilson in a conversa- infrastructure for righting wrongs, to the the black college,” says Wilson, “I got my tion in his o'ce, shortly after the forum. extent that it is still there” through organi- calling to be in education.” He completed “Morehouse fosters an important obli- zations like the NAACP and the National his last graduate degrees in four years, gation in life to do well and do good,” he Urban League, “has lost its magnetism” for under the guidance of then-professor of adds. “It’s about finding a calling.” many college students. “But to suggest we education and urban studies Charles V. Morehouse was founded in a church are in a postracial culture, to me, would Willie, also a Morehouse alumnus. The basement in 1867 to prepare black men for have to mean that most of that inequality men are still in touch. “He cares about the ministry and teaching when white institu- and inequity are no longer significantly people around him,” says Willie, “and is a tions would not. It has evolved into a four- color-coded,” he says. “That’s not the case. gentleman who’s not always looking for year liberal-arts college with notable busi- Period.” his own next victory.” The next 16 years

72 N!21/01% - D1*1/01% 2013 Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746