Ivy League hoopsters are Division I athletes on the court and exceptionally accomplished and eclectic humans off it. Ivy Hoops Online presents a new series, Off the Bench, that takes fans inside the stories that you might not otherwise know from the stands or through your screen.
Next up is Mary Hollensteiner ’27, a rising Harvard women’s basketball senior from Bethesda, Md. A psychology major with a minor in economics and a guard for the Crimson, Hollensteiner spoke with us as she prepared for a summer internship as a analyst at Hoffman & Associates in Washington, D.C. Hollensteiner reflects on legacy, leadership and laughter as the daughter of a former Harvard men’s basketball player and as a team leader making her own way at Lavietes Pavilion and beyond:
Mary Hollensteiner is clear about where she learned to love basketball.
“My dad was the one who got me into it,” Hollensteiner said. “He coached me growing up, and instilled the love of the game in me.”
She has enjoyed having her dad, Malcolm Hollensteiner ‘90, bring his teammates back to Lavietes. She smiles when she sees images of his team celebrated on the walls of the Coop.
Yet, as Hollensteiner clarifies, “Coming to Harvard was definitely a choice I made on my own. My parents gave me a lot of independence throughout the recruiting process. Harvard spoke for itself.”
Hollensteiner exemplifies the notion that Billie Jean King made famous in tennis – “pressure is a privilege” – and mostly, she embraces the expectations she inherited.
“If your parent went to the same school, it’s a great opportunity to tighten a bond,” Hollensteiner said.
But she cautions parents in the recruiting process “not to add pressure when high-achieving students and athletes already put intense pressure on themselves.”
Hollensteiner credits her parents for being supportive of her. She also credits her sister, Katie, who captained Middlebury’s women’s basketball team, and her brother, who was an offensive lineman for Georgetown football. She says her mom and dad “parented with a lot of grace” because they knew just how hard she and her siblings were working.
Hollensteiner is quick to note that the landscape of college sports right now is vastly different from when her dad was playing.
“The time and energy commitment, and the intensity at which coach [Carrie] Moore runs our program is just much more than what it was for him,” she said.
Along with Abigail Wright and Karlee White, Hollensteiner was a member of coach Moore’s first recruiting class.
“It’s been really special for our class — something we carry with a sense of pride,” Hollensteiner said. “It is also [our] responsibility to set a standard and culture that reflects coach Moore’s values and mission, a culture where you can work hard together on the court, push each other but always have each other’s backs. A place where you come to grow.”
Hollensteiner also is coming to her team culture out of a community known for its powerful combination of academic-athletic excellence: the “DMV” (D.C./Maryland/Virginia). Ivy hoops fans may enjoy knowing that while they are all business when the season rolls around, Hollensteiner played on a first-grade AAU team with Princeton’s Fadima Tall and played with and against the Tigers’ Nweke sisters for years before their college careers.
“I don’t know exactly what’s in our water,” Hollensteiner laughs, but I’m grateful to come from a place that places such an emphasis on sports and school, and it’s nice to connect with other Ivy athletes and hear their experiences when we go home.”
As Hollensteiner has learned from Moore, “Adversity reveals your character. You’re going to go through a lot, but it’s going to make you a better person, a better leader, a better teammate.”
Hollensteiner was forced to test that theory during her freshman season when she suffered a painful back injury, underwent major surgery and navigated a grueling rehab. She recalled that while sidelined, the hardest part was feeling she couldn’t contribute.
But Hollensteiner’s story is a study in resilience.
“Movement became essential. I started swimming again, and biking. I did anything to stay in shape and keep moving. I learned to have a ton of gratitude. I do not take any days for granted playing basketball anymore. Even on the days I don’t really want to do it, because there was a time when I couldn’t play. Days when I could barely walk. I learned that I’m a person first, even more than I am an athlete.”
Approaching her last season for the Crimson, Hollensteiner is a serious athlete, justifiably proud of how competitive her team is, confident they “can compete with any team at any level.” Yet what she is most proud of and thinks is most underappreciated by those who watch them play, is the team’s camaraderie.
“Everyone really loves each other,” Hollensteiner says. “We’re always trying to bring joy to places where there might not be joy. We love dancing. We love finding ways to have fun through the hard.”
Hollensteiner says her team is “funnier” than people think, and that Harvard is more fun than people assume.
Hollensteiner also revels in the diverse off-court opportunities that she and her teammates have been able to explore. When the season ends, they relish the moments that aren’t possible during the grind — grabbing coffee, hanging out in each other’s rooms, restoring their bodies through hot yoga and getting off campus to explore new parts of Boston.
She says teaching English and coaching basketball with young children in Vietnam through Coach for College in the summer of 2025 was one of the best experiences of her life.
Most recently, she joined a campus marketing group as a business development associate, securing a $5,000 deal for the Harvard Undergraduate Marketing Group (HUMG).
Hollensteiner counts herself lucky to be part of a dynamic moment for women’s basketball.
“It’s empowering to be in an environment that’s grown so much since I started playing, and important for young girls to have role models to look up to,” she reflects. “I’m really happy to be a part of it in this era, and I hope it only continues to grow.”