Ten years ago the Harvard Crimson weren't even relevant in the Ivy League, much less the national basketball scene, and now the Crimson have become one of country's premier mid-major programs. After a two year rebuild, Tommy Amaker has won 20 or more games in the past four seasons. The Crimson now have two straight (tied in 2011) Ivy League titles to show for their efforts and a NCAA tournament win over New Mexico this past year.
Over the past couple of years we've seen some mid-major guards grow into legitimate pro prospects. Floor generals from Shelvin Mack to CJ McCollum have caught the eye of NBA scouts and Harvard may have the next guard that draws their eyes in sophomore Siyani Chambers.
Entering the 2013-14 season Chambers will be the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year after a freshman campaign where he averaged over 12 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds per game. O yea... he also lead the Ivy Leagues in minutes per game averaging nearly 38 minutes.
Chambers has a game and basketball IQ that is wise beyond his years and will continue to develop over the next three years. What is most impressive about Chambers is that he wasn't slated to start last year and the way he reacted to his baptism by fire after an academic scandal that saw Brandyn Curry and Kyle Casey leave the program.
The biggest knock on Chambers, when it comes to pro prospects, will be his height at 6'0. You'll also likely hear a lot of unjust Jeremy Lin comparison because of their shared alma mater. Chambers is certainly not Lin, but he has an even higher ceiling as a college player then Lin did during his days in Cambridge.
Siyani Chambers just may be the next mid-major superstar you'll hear in the same breath as the likes of CJ McCollum a couple of years from now.