CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men's basketball opens its 2024-25 season when it hosts Marist College on Monday, Nov. 4 at 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Lavietes Pavilion.

What to Know

• Harvard and Marist have met twice all-time with the Red Foxes taking both decisions – 87-82 during the 1999-2000 season and 72-55 in 1998-99.
• Senior guard Louis Lesmond averaged 9.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season, while shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point distance. He ranked fourth in the Ivy League in total 3-pointers made (64) and fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.4). Lesmond made three or more 3-pointers in each of 13 games on the year and scored in double figures 15 times. Lesmond netted a career-high 17 points and five made 3-pointers at Penn (Jan. 20) after scoring 16 points vs. Albany (Jan. 2). Lesmond posted 15 points and hit five treys at Dartmouth (Mar. 5). He notched 14 points and made 4-of-7 3-pointers at UMass (Nov. 17) and scored 14 points and hit 4-of-8 triples vs. Dartmouth (Feb. 10).
• Junior guard Chandler Piggé posted 8.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game last winter, while shooting 81.8 percent on free throws. In Ivy only play, he stood fifth in the league in steals per game (1.4) and 10^th in rebounds per game (5.2). He scored in double figures in each of eight games. Piggé posted his first collegiate double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds at Massachusetts (Nov. 17). He dropped a career-high 23 points on 8-of-12 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws with five rebounds at Rice (Nov. 10). He notched 14 points vs. Army (Dec. 8), 13 points vs. Yale (Jan. 27) and at Princeton (Jan. 6), and 12 points vs. Northeastern (Nov. 14). Piggé totaled 11 points, five rebounds, five steals, and four assists vs. Albany (Jan. 2).
• Sophomore forward Thomas Batties II registered 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on the 2023-24 season. Batties II totaled three double-doubles on the year and won Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Jan. 2. He notched back-to-back double-doubles with 11 points and 10 rebounds against both Iona (Dec. 30) and Albany (Jan. 2). He posted another double-double on 10 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana (Nov. 26). He scored a team-high 16 points vs. UMass Boston (Nov. 6), netted 15 points vs. Brown (Jan. 15), and added 13 points vs. Dartmouth (Feb. 10).
• Senior guard Evan Nelson returns for the Crimson after missing the 2023-24 season due to injury. Nelson played in all 28 games with 26 starts as a sophomore in 2022-23, starting the last 26 games of the season. He averaged 8.4 points, 3.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 28.9 minutes per game, while shooting 38.8 percent from 3-point distance and 81.0 percent from the free throw line. Nelson ranked third in the Ivy League in assists per game (3.4) and scored in double figures eight times.
• Sophomore forward Luca Ace-Nasteski compiled 2.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game a season ago. He notched 11 points in his collegiate debut vs. UMass Boston (Nov. 6). He went for eight points and six boards vs. Albany (Jan. 2).
• As a team, Harvard ranked 31^st in the NCAA in fewest fouls per game (14.8) and 58^th in blocks per game (4.3) in 2023-24. In the Ivy rankings, the Crimson stood first in blocks per game (4.33), second in field goal percentage defense (42.6), and third in scoring defense (71.7). In Ivy only play, the team ranked first in blocks per game (4.29), second in steals per game (6.86), and third in field goal percentage defense (43.8).
• Harvard welcomes seven first-years to the program this season. The Class of 2028 includes guard Tey Barbour (Manassas, Va.), forward Leo Byrne (Stockholm, Sweden), guard Dutch Dowdell (Holladay, Utah), guard Ben Eisendrath (Los Angeles, Calif.), guard Robert Hinton (Los Angeles, Calif.), guard Austin Hunt (Marlborough, Mass.), and forward Kenan Parrish (Pittsboro, N.C.).
• First-year guard Robert Hinton has collected multiple accolades in the preseason, including Blue Ribbon Ivy League Newcomer of the Year, a spot on Jon Rothstein's "20 Under the Radar Freshmen for the 2024-25 Season," and inclusion in ESPN's "newcomer impact rankings for 2024-25." In July 2024, Hinton helped the Chinese Taipei national team claim a silver medal at the William Jones Cup in New Taipei, Taiwan.
• Harvard Men's and Women's Basketball held its annual Crimson Madness preseason event on Friday, Oct. 18 at Lavietes Pavilion as the unofficial tip-off to the 2024-25 season. Throughout the evening, fans enjoyed their first opportunity to catch a glimpse of the 2024-25 edition of Harvard Basketball. The event began with a pre-party on the Lavietes Lawn and Dillon Quad before team introductions. From there, the night included team scrimmages, performances from cheer, dance, and band, player and fan contests, and a post-event autograph session.
• The Crimson tipped off the 18^th year of The Breakfast Club with three gatherings across September and October. The group's first meeting of the year featured Harvard President Alan Garber and two-time Olympic gold medalist in track Edwin Moses. October's first meeting included Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey '92, and NBA Champion Jaylen Brown while the month's second gathering featured tennis legend John McEnroe and Dallas Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison.
• Senior guard Evan Nelson and junior guard Chandler Piggé will serve the Crimson as captains during the 2024-25 season. Nelson will act as a team captain for the second straight year.
• Highlights from the Crimson's non-conference schedule include the season and home opener against Marist on Nov. 4, trips to the cities of Annapolis (at Navy on Nov. 8), Washington, D.C. (at American on Nov. 10), Boulder (at Colorado on Nov. 17), and New York (at St. John's on Nov. 30), and New England rivalry games at Northeastern (Nov. 13), at Holy Cross (Dec. 4), and at New Hampshire (Dec. 8).
• Tommy Amaker has earned the JOY Luminary Leader Award for his exceptional leadership with the Harvard Men's Basketball team and his profound contributions to the community in mentorship and service. As part of the recognition, Amaker will receive the award at the Sports, Entertainment, and Impact (SEI) Summit – a two-day event held at Harvard Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School from Nov. 15-16.
• Crimson student-athletes Chandler Piggé and Thomas Batties II took part in the 2024 USA-China College Basketball Team Exchange Activity from August 5-12 at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. The itinerary for the U.S. contingent on the exchange included cultural exploration and sightseeing, a campus tour, and educational business opportunities alongside practice and competition on the basketball side.
• Harvard welcomes back a familiar face to its coaching staff in 2024-25 as Seth Towns '20 returns as an assistant coach. Over a collegiate playing career that spanned eight years in which he made multiple comebacks from injuries, Towns provided an immediate impact for the Crimson during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, including earning AP Honorable Mention All-America honors and Ivy League Player of the Year accolades as a sophomore. After missing the 2018-20 seasons due to injury, Towns continued his playing career at Ohio State (2020-22) and Howard (2023-24).
• The Crimson captured the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for the 10^th straight season in 2023-24, marking the longest active streak in the Ivy League. Harvard's NABC Honors Court selections last year included Justice Ajogbor '24, Christian Rich '24, and Evan Nelson '25.
• In 2023-24, the Crimson posted a record of .500 or better for the 14^th time in the last 15 competitive seasons. 

Next Up

Harvard plays in the Veterans Classic at Navy on Friday, Nov. 8 at 8:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) before playing at American on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+).