Can Harvard pull another upset?
Like so many other American workers, Brandyn Curry’s job productivity took a hit a year ago when the NCAA tournament cranked up. Suddenly, selling life insurance wasn’t a priority.
“It was definitely hard to concentrate (on work),” he said.
But it wasn’t difficult, Curry said, to cheer as his former Harvard teammates pulled off a huge upset of No. 3 seed New Mexico even if he couldn’t be there.
“It’s hard to (put into) words how great an experience that was,” he said.
Along with approximately 125 other Harvard students, Curry and teammate Kyle Casey were implicated in a cheating scandal in August 2012. The close friends withdrew from school, essentially postponing their senior seasons, while awaiting a second chance. It comes today, when the Crimson, the No. 12 seed in the East, take on No. 5 seed Cincinnati.
“Watching those guys get the win last year, that was a great moment,” Curry said. “But it’s definitely a lot better when you’re actually here, a part of it.”
Curry went home to Huntersville, N.C., and began selling life insurance, learning more about rejection, he said, than he’d ever wanted to know. Casey, from Medway, Mass., worked with a nonprofit organization for innercity boys.
Both players re-enrolled last fall and rejoined the team. They’ve been key contributors as Harvard (26-4) matched its school record for wins (set in 2011-12). Casey called the experience last year humbling and said it taught him “not to cut any corners … in everything.” Both players said the time away caused them to appreciate their second chance.
The goal is to deliver another upset — even if that’s not how the Crimson would describe a victory against Cincinnati.
“We all feel that as long as we come and play our game that we can beat anybody,” Curry said. “I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to come back and enjoy every moment.”