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Harvard Basketball: Crimson primed for breakthrough 2019-20 season

By Jacob Zinkula

FULLERTON, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Tommy Amaker of the Harvard Crimson in the first half of the game against the Cal State Fullerton Titans at the Titan Gym on November 26, 2017 in Fullerton, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
FULLERTON, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Tommy Amaker of the Harvard Crimson in the first half of the game against the Cal State Fullerton Titans at the Titan Gym on November 26, 2017 in Fullerton, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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FULLERTON, CA – NOVEMBER 26: Chris Lewis #0 of the Harvard Crimson defends Austen Awosika #10 of the Cal State Fullerton Titans as he goes for a basket in the first half of the game at the Titan Gym on November 26, 2017 in Fullerton, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
FULLERTON, CA – NOVEMBER 26: Chris Lewis #0 of the Harvard Crimson defends Austen Awosika #10 of the Cal State Fullerton Titans as he goes for a basket in the first half of the game at the Titan Gym on November 26, 2017 in Fullerton, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Chris Lewis

Lewis was arguably the most heralded on of the Aiken-Towns-Lewis 2016 recruiting class, a 4-star recruit that was 68th in the ESPN100. At 6-9, the senior has been the team’s strongest interior presence.

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He shot 68.3% at the rim last season and most notably, ranked 38th in block percentage (1.9 per game). He’s a post-up threat as well, and the lefty has a nice baby-hook shot.

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Justin Bassey

At 6-5, the senior is likely the best athlete on the entire roster. His bounciness helped him have one the best defensive rebounding percentages on the roster (6.6. rebounds per game), and he shot a team-best 71.2% at the rim. His leaping ability comes in handy on the defensive end as well.

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Bassey only shot 32.9% from long-range last season but he’s demonstrated the ability to shoot much better throughout his career. A bounce-back shooting season would only help the Crimson offensively.

Noah Kirkwood

The 4-star recruit from Canada had a solid freshmen season, scoring efficiently from inside-and-out.

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If nothing else, he can be a very effective spot-up shooter (72.1% of threes assisted), but he’s capable of ball-handling and creation on the offensive end. He had some growing pains in this regard, as evidenced by his 2.9 turnovers per game, but this should improve naturally with more experience.