Brian Cusworth had an interesting evening Saturday night. It began with what has to be the only January Senior Night ceremony in college basketball in recent years, continued with another impressive performance on the court, and ended rather anticlimactically with his fifth personal foul going after a loose ball with 1:34 left in the contest. After receiving some nice cheers and hugs from his teammates and coaches on the sideline, Cusworth cheered on his team from the bench as it pulled out a narrow win over Brown.
An interview with the Harvard radio crew immediately followed the game, and then the big man patiently participated in pre-arranged autograph session for a group of excited youngsters. By the time Cusworth got back to the locker room, the rest of the Harvard players had cleared out. He emerged from the showers to find a group of reporters waiting for him, and got a taste of what life in the NBA would be like, giving an interview in a towel in front of his locker.
Asked whether the reality of the situation had set in, Cusworth referenced the name plate to his locker that had been taken down and was sticking out of a duffel bag on the floor. He said all the right things, reaffirming his decision to stick with Harvard despite some higher-level interest, and discussed his plans for preparing for the Portsmouth Invitational over the next few months. He talked about the experience of being a student-athlete at Harvard, and the sacrifices that are made socially to play a sport at the most prestigious university in the nation.
There was some question as to whether he could have exploited the new NCAA Bylaw 14.1.9.1 — recently overturned for next fall, but apparently still in effect for the rest of the academic year. The rule allows students-athletes who earn their baccaleaurate with athletic eligibility remaining to enroll in a graduate program elsewhere and be eligible to participate in athletics at the new institution immediately. But Cusworth didn’t express any interest in exploring that option, saying that he has a program set up for him back in Missouri with his trainers. He’ll also be looking at making a decision about an agent in the near future.
After answering questions for a while, and talking a bit more informally with the assembled media members after the recorders had been turned off, Cusworth met up with his waiting family members and walked out of Lavietes Pavilion into the chilly night one final time as a player.
