Rebound
Tommy Amaker came to Harvard from big-time college basketball. After playing and coaching at Duke University, one of the country’s top teams and a national champion, Amaker became the youngest head coach in the history of the Big East Conference, leading Seton Hall to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division I Tournament. At the University of Michigan, a Big Ten stalwart, Amaker’s squad won the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) in 2004. So how did he feel when he watched his team struggle through an 8-22 campaign during his first season at Harvard? “I was very pleased,” he says. “When we were 8-22, we were trying to establish a style that requires a lot from our players. They were willing to work and listen and give their best.” Two seasons later, Harvard men’s basketball has experienced a remarkable turnaround. After a 14-14 campaign in 2008-09 — during which the Crimson beat 17th-ranked Boston...