OPPONENT SPOTLIGHT: After anonymity in Dallas, Lonergan is unlikely hero

It was not supposed to happen this way. Sea Lonergan was not supposed to be an impact player on a Division I college basketball team. Lonergan was not going to be on a Division I team at all. If it was not for Dartmouth coach Dave Faucher travelling through Dallas one fall day two years ago, Lonergan would now be playing at Rhodes, a Division III school in Tennessee. "I was down in Dallas and got a good look at him," Faucher recalled. "I thought he could help us. Obviously, I couldn't imagine the impact he'd have on the team and the league. I did think he'd be a decent Ivy League player, but I never expected this." What Faucher never expected was that Lonergan would blossom into one of the league's top players. After a slow start last year, Lonergan gradually improved and then exploded during the second half of the season. Last February, he scorched Penn for 20 points and seven rebounds on his way to earning Ivy Rookie of the Year honors. Lonergan's success has continued this season. He currently leads the Ivies in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game. He also ranks in the top 10 in the league in assists (3.8 apg), field goal percentage (47.9), three-point field goal percentage (42.7) and free throw percentage (77.5). Lonergan has proven this year he is not just a one-dimensional player. "At Dartmouth, I don't think we've ever had the case where our leading scorer was also our best defender," Faucher said. "He always draws the toughest defensive assignment, yet he's still our leading scorer. That shows that he's very, very special." But to keep up this intensity and level of play on both ends of the floor takes commitment. After he won the Rookie of the Year award last season, then had to replace one of the Big Green's all-time best players in Gregg Frame, expectations grew to monumental proportions. As the pressure mounted, Lonergan realized he would have to be Dartmouth's catalyst for the Big Green to contend in the Ivies. He would have to do just about everything -- score, pass and defend. Although his frail 6-foot-6 frame does not appear to be able to carry such a heavy burden, Lonergan has more than made up for the loss of Frame. Dartmouth is in second place with only two league losses. "He went home to Dallas and worked hard," Faucher said of Lonergan's summer regimen. "He works harder than anyone else on the team to improve. He stays in the gym longer than the other kids." It's this type of work ethic that has always attracted Faucher to Lonergan. With an athlete this naturally gifted willing to toil so hard, it is impossible to go wrong. And Lonergan is just a sophomore. "He's going to be even better," Faucher boasted. "He's going to be a tremendous and have a great career." After proving the doubters wrong before, there is no reason not to believe Lonergan will excel for years to come.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.