Harvard freshman Weisner Perez: Economics major, rebounding machine

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This past summer I had a chance to talk to Weisner Perez, a 6’6″ forward from Chicago who is one of six highly touted members of Harvard basketball’s class of 2019. This past spring, Perez graduated summa cum laude from Morton West High School, where he is the all-time leading scorer. A few months after leading his Morton squad to the Regional Championship his senior year, he played for the Dominican Republic U-19 National Team over the summer. Meet Weisner Perez.

Why did you choose Harvard, and what set it apart from the other schools recruiting you?

The first thing that set Harvard apart was the academics. It’s the best. If you go there, you’re set for life. But I actually got offered by every Ivy school. Harvard just gave me a better chance to be successful than anywhere else. I thought, I can go here and get a great education, and play basketball at a place where I’m going to get noticed. We have a good shot to make the NCAA Tournament, and I have a chance to play right away.

Was there a moment when you realized Harvard was the right place for you?

On my official visit, I knew. It was an amazing atmosphere and I loved it. A few weeks later, I committed.

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Brown all-time moment No. 6: Jason Forte named 2004 Ivy Player of the Year

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We’re counting down the top 10 moments in each Ivy school’s history as part of our Ivy League at 60 retrospective. Brown is next because Nice Slice is nice.

One of the most athletic players in the history of the Ivy League, Jason Forte was a three-time first-team All-Ivy guard who lit up opposing defenses on a nightly basis. Forte was as versatile as he was athletic. He led the Ivy League in steals as a sophomore, assists as a junior, points as a senior and free throws as a sophomore and senior.

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Brown all-time moment No. 7: Sean McGonagill scores 39 points with a smashed face

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We’re counting down the top 10 moments in each Ivy school’s history as part of our Ivy League at 60 retrospective. Brown is next because Sean McGonagill was also Stanley Ipkiss once.

Sean McGonagill solidified his place as one of the truly great players in Brown (and indeed, Ivy) history on Feb. 4, 2011. But what made the No. 10 entry in our countdown such an outstanding moment actually happened two days before.

In practice Feb. 2, McGonagill had his face smashed while grappling for a loose ball with teammates Dockery Walker and Josh Biber. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery and his upper lip had to be reattached to his gums. The accident resulted in 30-plus stitches and a visit to the plastic surgeon.

McGonagill was told not to play for roughly four weeks.

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Brown all-time moment No. 8: Glen Miller takes over Brown program

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We’re counting down the top 10 moments in each Ivy school’s history as part of our Ivy League at 60 retrospective. Brown is next because the bandleader plays on…

Glen Miller wouldn’t have had the opportunity to turn the Penn basketball program into a still unextinguished dumpster fire if he hadn’t done a solid job in Providence.

Before Miller became Brown head coach in 1999, the Bears had enjoyed just one winning season in 23 years (the 1986 Ivy title season) and 14 total wins in the previous three seasons. Under Miller, whose previous coaching stop was at Division III Connecticut College, Brown quadrupled that achievement, reeling off four straight winning seasons from 2000-01 through 2003-04, including the school’s only NIT appearance in 2003.

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Brown all-time moment No. 9: Earl Hunt pours 39 points on Harvard as freshman

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We’re counting down the top 10 moments in each Ivy school’s history as part of our Ivy League at 60 retrospective. Brown is next because we need a man like Earl Hunt to help us navigate these turbulent times for the global stock market.

Earl Hunt’s numbers speak for themselves. His 2,041 points make him Brown’s all-time scoring leader and No. 4 on the all-time Ivy League scoring list. He was named an All-Ivy selection all four years of his collegiate career, including three straight first-team selections from 2001 through 2003. The guard’s Bears finished second in the league in 2003, the school’s best finish in 17 seasons, not to mention three straight winning seasons for a program that had faltered for decades prior to his arrival. Hunt was inducted into the Brown Athletics Hall of Fame last November for his achievements.

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From Serbia to L.A. to Cambridge: Meet Harvard freshman Balsa Dragovic

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(insidesocal.com)
Balsa Dragovic’s stellar perimeter shooting should give him a chance to have an impactful freshman campaign at Harvard. (insidesocal.com)

Balsa Dragovic, a 6-foot-11 power forward, was born in Montenegro but moved to Serbia nine years ago. After attending grade school in Serbia, Balsa and his family decided that a U.S. high school would be the best choice for him. After enrolling at Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary in Montebello, Calif., Balsa was faced with not only the normal challenges of high school, but also a whole new language and culture.

Having to essentially be an adult at age 14, he adjusted well to these changes and thrived both in the classroom and on the basketball court. Basketball runs in the Dragovic family. Both of Balsa’s parents played professional basketball, and even his grandmother played basketball in her youth. Last fall, Balsa committed to continue his academic and basketball career at Harvard, where he will be a member of the Class of 2019. I had a chance to interview Balsa last month.

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Brown all-time moment No. 10: Arnie Berman sets free throw record

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We’re counting down the top 10 moments in each Ivy school’s history as part of our Ivy League at 60 retrospective. Brown is next because Arnie Berman is NOT a well-regarded contributor for The Nation magazine.

The first entry in our Brown countdown takes us back to Feb. 4, 1972, when an all-time Brown legend made serious bank  at the charity stripe – over and over and over again.

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Kyle Casey added to Phoenix Suns training camp roster

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Harvard 2014 graduate Kyle Casey has signed a training camp agreement with the Phoenix Suns, according to the Arizona Republic.

Casey averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds during his four-year Harvard career.

Casey has most recently played for Helios Domzale in Slovenia, averaging 12.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game. Casey also played for the Nets summer league team in 2014 after going undrafted.

Casey and teammate Brandyn Curry were involved in a 2012 cheating scandal involving 125 students, and both withdrew from the school for the 2012-13 season.

Columbia all-time moment No. 1: Lions defeat La Salle in NCAA Tournament

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We’re counting down the top 10 moments in each Ivy school’s history as part of our Ivy League at 60 retrospective. We did Columbia next because in 1968, a little light blue went a long way.

Today we celebrate the best moment in Columbia’s basketball history by celebrating the farthest the team has gone in NCAA Tournament play, as well as one more big win for the school’s best squad of the modern era.

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Columbia all-time moment No. 2: Jim McMillian’s third straight All-American selection

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We’re counting down the top 10 moments in each Ivy school’s history as part of our Ivy League at 60 retrospective. Columbia is next because you don’t mess around with Jim.

The man behind the best prolonged stretch of basketball in Columbia history receives his own honor in our countdown.

There are individual moments in Jim McMillian’s career one could point to, such as his 37-point effort against Princeton in 1968’s playoff, but nothing single-handedly sums up his career better than his postseason accolades. Since freshmen could not play varsity NCAA basketball, McMillian’s three-year run from 1967-68 through 1969-70 is unequaled in Columbia history and is unlikely to be repeated by anyone going forward. McMillian led Columbia to an incredible 63-14 record in his tenure, including the 1968 Ivy title and 20-4 and 20-5 records the next two years, finishing second in the league. Had the landscape of NCAA basketball looked in the late 1960s as it does today, McMillian likely would have had more than just one postseason opportunity as the Lions were ranked in the top 20 at points in each of his last two season with nothing to show for it. Nonetheless, his career on the court is unparalleled in Lions history.

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