SCOTT KEGLER: Mr. Intangible

It was January 25, 1993. To most Philadelphia basketball fans, it was just another Big 5 matchup at the Spectrum. But to Scott Kegler, it was much more. It was not his first collegiate start. Nor was it a permanent promotion. Kegler knew Barry Pierce would return to his starting small forward role soon. The moment may have been fleeting, but the confidence would last forever. La Salle opened the contest in a partial zone, with man-to-man coverage on Penn's famed backcourt duo of Matt Maloney and Jerome Allen. It didn't take long for Kegler to exploit the Explorers' lack of respect for his shooting ability. "He came up big," Maloney recalls. "They were playing a triangle-and-two on Jerome and me. Kegs just shot them out of it. We knew he could do it. When those shots started falling, it looked just like practice." Maloney always had confidence in his teammate. Most colleges, however, did not express the same enthusiasm for Kegler. The Columbus, Ohio, native starred in high school at Upper Arlington. Even after being named the team's Most Valuable Player after his senior season, only Division III schools came calling. It was a harsh reality check for the kid who had always envisioned himself wearing the scarlet and grey of Ohio State. "Columbus doesn't have any professional teams, so Ohio State is pretty much it," Kegler says. "Everybody talks about it. Everybody watches it. You dream of playing in St. John Arena. You dream of playing for the Buckeyes." But Ohio State wanted one of Kegler's teammates, not him. So the search continued. Deciding he wanted a top education along with a basketball career in college, Kegler looked to the Ivy League. In the fall of his senior year, Kegler made an edited video tape of himself playing basketball. With the help of his father and a voice-over by Bill Hosket, a family friend and Buckeyes basketball legend in the late 1960s, Kegler was finally ready. He sent a copy of the tape to all the Ivy coaches. The phone finally rang. Pennsylvania liked what it saw. "He could shoot plus he was a pretty good athlete," Penn coach Fran Dunphy recalls of what he saw on that video tape. "We just saw something that was pretty impressive. It's difficult to scout and recruit off a film, but in this case, there was something there. He just seemed to be a kid you couldn't go wrong with." But Kegler did not immediately blossom with the Quakers. In his freshman season he struggled to overcome injuries and a lack of substantial playing time. He averaged less than a point per game. Although he saw more time as a sophomore, he still did not shine in the Penn system. "It's really frustrating not playing," Kegler says. "It's hard initially. I had never come off the bench in my career. I didn't like it a whole lot, but I adjusted to it. I sort of molded my game to it. By my junior year, I was comfortable with it." The team needed Kegler his junior year. He knocked down seemingly every open three-pointer he saw. He also led the Quakers in the intangibles as the guy who could do it all. Kegler occasionally helped with the ball handling duties. He played solid defense and was always able to draw the charge. But most importantly, he played with a contagious level of emotion and intensity. When Maloney was asked what Kegler adds to the Quakers, he sighed for a moment, then said it would probably be best to sit down since it was going to take a while. "Kegs is an integral part of our success," Maloney says. "He does more than just shoot the ball. He brings a lot of things to the table to help us win. Without him, I don't know what we'd do." Still, even as this season approached, Maloney did not know if Kegler would be in the starting lineup with him. Every major publication proclaimed Providence-transfer Ira Bowman the obvious choice to fill the void left by Pierce's graduation. Once again, people doubted Kegler's abilities. "It was a situation where I wanted to see how the first couple weeks of practice went and see what the best team was for us," Dunphy says. "There was no question Scott had earned the right to start. We decided to go with Scott in the starting lineup and see where it took us. Obviously, it's proven successful." The facts are undeniable. As Kegler's playing time increased, so did his performance. He has started every game this season and averages double figures. He's drained over 50 percent of his three-point attempts, placing him first in the Ivies and fifth nationally. He draws charges and consistently plays solid defense. He also leads the team from the free-throw line, connecting on 75 percent of his attempts. He even beat his old home-town idols Dec. 3, 1994 -- Penn 91, Ohio State 71. But all of these accolades may have never come if it weren't for that one display at the Spectrum last winter. "The La Salle game was certainly a time when he was recognized as being an excellent long-range shooter," Dunphy says. "He's always been a very good shooter, and he's got confidence in himself now. I think it's all part of the progression of Kegs."

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