M. Hoops prepares for No. 7 and No. 8

The Penn men's basketball team faces No. 7 Temple and No. 8 Kansas in games one and two. Less than two weeks before the start of the Penn men's basketball season, excitement and optimism reign throughout the hallowed hardcourts of the Palestra. With ten players returning from the team that ended last season second in the Ivy League, the Quakers (17-12, 10-4 Ivies in '97) are trying to make it into the post-season for the first time in four years. Official Quakers practice began on Saturday, October 17, and the team has been working out daily since. Combined with the annual Red and Blue Scrimmage during the ticket-line camp-out, the Penn team is well-prepared for their tough early-season schedule. "Practice is going well. Everyone realizes that we have the potential, but we still have to prove it," Quakers freshman forward Dan Solomito said. "We have a lot of talent, and now we have to go out there and show teams how well we can play. Right now, we have to step it up right away and be the best that we can as soon as we can, so we can challenge teams like Kansas and Temple, and let people know how good we really are." · Facing two nationally ranked teams -- No. 8 Kansas and No. 7 Temple -- back-to-back to start the '98-99 season is a huge change from the Quakers' early-season schedule of the last two seasons. The past two years, the Quakers hosted the likes of Rice, Lafayette, Towson State and Lehigh as early-season challengers. "I like our schedule; it's certainly a tremendous challenge for us," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "We'll certainly have our hands full, but we'll see what we can do by the end of the year." · The Quakers have chosen three captains for the '98-99 season -- senior forwards Paul Romanczuk and Jed Ryan, and junior point guard Michael Jordan. Each of the tri-captains is at least a two-year starter, and each has averaged double-digits in scoring the past two years. In addition, both Romanczuk and Jordan have tied up All-Ivy and All-Big 5 Honors for two years running. · The return of 6'11" junior center Geoff Owens, who blocked 40 shots as a freshman before sitting out last season due to a medical condition, has provided a big boost for the Red and Blue. With Owens back on the court, 6'7" forwards Romanczuk and Ryan can both move down into their more natural positions, giving the Quakers the ability to match up inside with almost any opponent on their schedule. "To have two big guys inside is going to help us out a lot," Ryan said. "It's good because Paul and I don't have to match up against 6'11" or 7'0" tall [opponents] anymore, and we have someone to give the ball to in the post other than Paul or myself." · A hopeful sign for the Quakers is that the injury bug has not flared up thus far in practice. Senior forwards Frank Brown and Ryan, who missed 16 and five games respectively a year ago, have each been practicing without much hindrance. Daily icing of sprained ankles and other early-season woes aside, almost every member of the Quakers squad has been able to give the team a full workout day-in and day-out. · Kansas, on the contrary, is trying its darndest to come into the season opener at the Palestra on November 17 with a depleted roster -- already two of their key players are out until at least December. Jayhawks (35-4 in 1997-98) senior forward T.J. Pugh will miss the first four weeks of '98 with a stress fracture in his left ankle, and junior forward Ashante Johnson -- a Utah transfer -- underwent surgery on a broken right kneecap last Friday and will be sidelined for six weeks. Both Johnson and Pugh are 6'8", and their absence could allow the Quakers more freedom under the net. In last season's 89-71 Jayhawks win over the Quakers, Pugh scored 13 points and picked up three rebounds and a block in his 28 minutes of play. Without the senior, Kansas only features five players who averaged over 10 minutes of action per game one year ago. · The Big 5 just got a little tougher this past week with word that La Salle (9-18 in 1997-98) freshman forward Rasual Butler -- out of Philadelphia's Roman Catholic High School -- had received a qualifying score and is be eligible to begin playing for the Explorers in mid-December. "That kid will make a difference," Dunphy said. "It'll be hard for him right away, but I think eventually he will be a very good player there. He'll probably play against us later in the year [January 14]." · As of yesterday, non-chairback season tickets were still available for only $40 to Penn students. In addition, single game tickets can still be had for both the home opener with Kansas and the November 23 matchup with Temple. Ticket office employees cautioned, however, that the Jayhawks matchup will probably sell out by mid-to-late next week.

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