European ties helped land duo

The recruitment of United Kingdom basketball standouts Keelan Cairns and Simeon Esprit began four months ago but, in a way, it extends as far back as 1997.

That year, Penn coach Jerome Allen began his 11-year European playing career with a basketball club in Limoges, France. By 2009, Allen’s experience had spanned five countries and equipped him with an esteemed reputation across the pond.

“Coach Allen has a tremendous reputation in European Basketball both on and off the court for his professional approach and attitude to playing and coaching,” Lloyd Gardner, director of basketball operations at Barking Abbey, a hoops academy in Essex, England, wrote in an email, adding that he is “sure that all European players would be interested in playing for Coach Allen.”

Those interested players include Cairns and Esprit, teammates at Barking Abbey for the past year. According to Gardner, Allen’s experience proved to be a “vital factor” for the pair, who hope to play professionally after college.

“I think his time spent playing overseas has had a massive influence into my commitment as it is clear there is much European influence in his coaching style,” Cairns wrote in an email.

But Allen isn’t the only Quakers coach with close ties to Europe.

Gardner shares a “mutual connection” with Penn assistant coach Mike Martin, stemming from Martin’s 2004-05 season with Dart Killester, a professional Irish hoops team in the country’s top division, the Irish Superleague.

Killester foe UCD Marian featured Damien Kennedy, who last year recruited Cairns to Barking Abbey in his first season on the coaching staff.

Gardner said Martin contacted him before this past Christmas to exchange playing tapes of Cairns and Esprit. After Martin spoke to both of their families, Allen traveled to London in February to watch them play.

Their March 21-22 visit to Penn — guided by Allen and Martin — sealed the deal.

“The trip over was fantastic,” Cairns said. “… the Palestra and history there was quite overwhelming.”

And Cairns’ connection to Philadelphia dates back as well. St. Malachy’s College in Belfast — where he won six national schools titles in the seven years he attended — has a well-established relationship with Drexel Hill, Pa., Catholic high school Monsignor Bonner.

The six degrees of separation in this case begins with legendary Palestra custodian Dan Harrell.

His brother in the Havertown division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians — a Catholic, Irish American organization — is Bonner basketball coach Tom Meakim. Harrell also knows Malachy’s principal and runners coach John Morrin from the Penn Relays, creating a mutual connection between the two schools.

The Malachy’s and Bonner hoops teams have made several visits to each other, including one in October of 2008, when Cairns scrimmaged against Bonner and attended classes there.

After a year playing together at Barking Abbey and drawing interest from Penn, Cairns said he and Esprit “made a deal” that either both or neither of them would join the Quakers.

Cairns passed on Florida International, Hartford, Illinois State and Tennessee-Chattanooga, while Esprit received interest from Davidson, Hartford, Maine and Valparaiso.

“All the indications I have had from the [Penn] coaching staff is that they are expecting both Simeon and Keelan to be able to compete right away,” Gardner said.

It’s been a long time coming.

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