When greatness has been predicted for a young college basketball player, he can be burdened with high expectations and tremendous pressure before he ever steps on the court. And when that first moment in the spotlight arrives, many such players rise to the occasion immediately. Kareem Townes did not. People in Philadelphia had been talking about the talented La Salle guard for years by the time he was ready for his second collegiate game and Big 5 debut against Penn last season. After all, this was the kid who had averaged 41.2 points his senior year in high school, and had earned spots next to Lionel Simmons and Wilt Chamberlain in the Philly Public League record book. People were indeed watching December 8, 1992, when Townes faced another Philly hero, Jerome Allen, and the Quakers. But the heralded freshman was shutout, shooting a horrific 0 for 16 from the floor and 0 for 2 at the line in a 71-44 Penn thrashing at the Civic Center. In a few hours, Kareem Townes's coming-out party had become his worst nightmare. "I watched the tape of that game the other night, and it was just a horrible performance," La Salle coach Speedy Morris said. "It was only his second game, and he had been so highly touted coming in. But he was rusty and he was pressing too hard. I took him out with 9:53 left, and I never put him back in because he wouldn't have made any shots that night. But the important thing is that it was just his second game, and he wound up having a fantastic season and he's started this year out strong." Since that dismal performance, Townes has indeed been fantastic. He finished last season as La Salle's top scorer, averaging 22.5 points per game. The 6-3 junior began this season scoring 25 against Princeton and 39 at Illinois, and has continued to tear up the nets wherever he plays. He'll bring a gaudy 24.3 ppg average into the Spectrum tonight. When he's hot, he's going to score points in bunches -- that much is simple. The hard part for the Quakers will be not letting him get hot. "I've seen him now a number of times on T.V. and in person, and he's very much a streak shooter," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "There can be nights where he can be 0 for 16. That's not likely anymore, but that's what he did against us last year. But he also can be 12 for 16 and that will absolutely kill us if indeed he shoots that well." Anyone who has seen Townes play knows he can light up the scoreboard at an astonishing pace -- and that he accounts for the vast majority of La Salle's offense. But Morris still sees areas needing improvement, including concentration and shot selection. "Kareem is a scoring machine, and when he's shooting his shot right, he can be very difficult to stop," Morris said. "But he's his own worst enemy sometimes. If he misses a few shots, it gets to him and he'll start messing with his mechanics. He has a tendency to try too hard to create contact and not just go straight up. "His shot selection can be horrible, but I thought he did a pretty good job in his last game [a 76-71 win over Loyola-Chicago]. He's our best scorer, so I don't care if he takes 50 shots a game, but not when he's double-teamed or when he's forcing a shot." While no questions remain as to whether Townes can score, he has yet to prove he can act as an effective leader. And if La Salle is to enjoy significant success this year, then Townes will have to take on that added responsibility -- on and off the court. "I think he still has a long way to go in terms of leadership in that he has to develop a better work ethic," Morris said. "He's not a 'rah-rah' guy, so he has to lead by example, and there are things he can do more of. He can spend more time in the weight room or put in some extra shooting after practice." This is only his second season, and his numbers are good enough to merit recognition. But eventually Townes will have to step up as a leader. In recent years, several players have done so in a La Salle uniform -- Lionel Simmons, Doug Overton and Randy Woods come to mind immediately. Now the opportunity is there for Kareem Townes. He needs to jump at it. "For the team, it's frustrating because we don't have anyone to put in for him," Morris said. "But for him, it's that he's a good kid, and sooner or later he's going to wish he had done it. Some kids have terrific work ethic, and others don't. Every coach has to go through that. But if Kareem wants to, he can be a great player." In order for Townes to be a great player tonight, he'll need to show more patience than usual in trying to outplay the talented Quaker backcourt. "Penn plays a very aggressive and physical game, and Kareem will have to deal with that," Morris said. "He can't get frustrated quickly and needs to make solid decisions for us to play well." The Quakers will try to once again smother Townes by forcing him into bad shots. Allen and fellow junior Matt Maloney are more than capable of doing so, but Dunphy does realize how quickly Townes can change the course of a game with his offense. "He's a talented player," Dunphy said at Penn's practice yesterday. "He may be a streak shooter and I'm hopeful that the streak doesn't come to the front tomorrow night." Whatever happens, it is clear that Kareem Townes has turned things around since his first moment in the spotlight. He is rising to the occasion and meeting the expectations. And because of this turnaround, there will be many stellar moments for Kareem Townes.
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