Rollins, Harvard a nice fit

Friday, January 6, 2006

By GARY HAWKINS
Staff Writer

By GARY HAWKINS

Staff Writer

After mid-summer surgery and a lengthy recovery period, Katie Rollins is finally playing for the Harvard University basketball team.

"It's fantastic," said Rollins, who has played three games in the past eight days. "I never realized how much basketball meant to me until I wasn't playing."

Rollins, who led Cony High School to the Class A state title last season and was named Miss Maine Basketball, opted for surgery this summer to repair the torn labrum in her right shoulder.

The recommended recovery period was six to nine months but she returned in five.

The 6-foot-2 center is not in game shape yet, although she's in good condition after working out with the Crimson throughout preseason.

"She's right on target," said Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith, now in her 24th season at the Cambridge, Mass., school. "Every practice she's getting better. She's dying to play."

The Crimson have been devastated by injuries, losing not only Rollins but senior point guard Jessica Holsey with a broken hand, 6-3 freshman Liz Tindal to a knee injury and 6-1 sophomore Adrian Budischak with a broken foot.

Holsey could return for Saturday's Ivy League opener against Dartmouth while Tindal and Budischak are out for the season.

"We have wonderful potential but we're young," Delaney-Smith. "Even our seniors don't have much experience."

The Crimson are 4-9, losing more games so far than Rollins lost in her entire career at Cony. But they've won the last two and expect to improve as Rollins and Holsey work their way into the lineup. In the most recent win over Colgate, Rollins played 17 minutes, scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds. Her coach expects much more from her in the future, however.

"We haven't had a low post player like her since the mid-'80s," Delaney-Smith said. "She's a banger. "She came in here with height and power, but she brings more than that, she's smart."

Rollins was recruited by several Div. I schools but chose Harvard because of its prestigious academic reputation. An economics major, Rollins said the academic load has been challenging but not overwhelming.

"You get unbelievable amounts of help," she said. "They don't bring you in here to fail."

Her toughest course so far has been introductory Spanish, a subject she never took in high school.

"The entire class is spoken in Spanish," she said. "There's no English."

The Harvard experience has entailed more than academics, though. Rollins said she's met royalty from around the world, children of celebrities and number of fascinating individuals. And with 43 varsity sports on campus, athletics plays a greater role in the school than many suspect.

"Harvard's a scary place, but I don't think Katie was scared," Delaney-Smith said. "This is a great match for her."

Both Rollins and her coach want her to become a better rebounder.

She routinely faces bigger players on the floor and has to work much harder for position than she did in high school. It helps that she faces 6-7 freshman Emma Moretzsohn in practice every day,

And Rollins likes the physical aspect of the college game. In high school her physical play often worked against her.

"I don't mind that they don't call the fouls in college," she said. "It's a lot more fun."

Delaney-Smith, who coached the USA national team this summer, reminds Rollins of Cony coach Paul Vachon.

"She's so intense on the court," Rollins said. "She gets the best out of every one of her players. It's like playing for the same person at a different level."

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com