As you may or may not already know, Harvard has a new coaching staff this year. With this change comes a lot of excitement, but everything is new. The drills are new, the plays are new, and the system is new. For returning players like me, adjusting is no easy task. But there is also a new pride and energy that helps us keep working, even when our bodies would prefer to stop. Playing under Coach Amaker and his staff is an amazing opportunity, and the team is ready to capitalize on it.

I suppose I am beyond the point of a formal ???introduction,??? so I think I???ll ???borrow??? an idea from my freshman roommate Carl (thanks bro), and share a bit about one of the players ??? Doug Miller, or ???Miller Time??? as Coach DeStefano likes to call him. Now that I think of it, Doug has many different nicknames; Dougie, Doug E. Fresh, Fresh, and Fresh de la Fresh, to name a few.

In all seriousness though, I spent part of this past summer in Boston training with Doug and Coach Fitzgerald. I can honestly say that Doug is one of the hardest working people that I have ever seen. Day in and day out, Doug would come in and work his tail off, rehabbing from a season-ending surgery last year, and preparing for this season. In our practices so far this year, Doug has more than held his own.

Doug is one of the most talented people around??? Other than being able to ???Crank That Soulja Boy??? with impeccable accuracy, he also has the distinction of being able to say that he has gotten dunked on by almost everyone on our team, and a couple of NBA players. This list of all-stars includes current Crimson members, Darryl Finkton and Pat Magnarelli and former players Kenyon Churchwell and Brian Cusworth. Even Gabe Pruitt of the Boston Celtics has flushed on Doug??? twice.

While it may seem somewhat sad that Doug gets dunked on almost every time we play, it actually speaks volumes about his character and dedication to the game. As basketball players, we have to have a short memory when it comes to negativity. If a play does not go your way, the great players forget about it and move on; and that???s exactly what Doug does. He challenges every shot - without reservation. The only thing he wants is to stop the opposing player from scoring. Doug???s tenacity and determination are immeasurable, and an excellent example of what we are all preparing ourselves to do on the hardwood this year.

I guess that???s it for post #1; stay tuned as we continue to get ready for our season opener at Stanford November 9th and our home opener against Mercer November 16th. Hopefully we will see a lot of friends and classmates in the stands!