COLUMN: In spite of adversity, Quakers and Dunphy have persevered

Commentary Michael Hasdy The clichZ about the difficulties of being a student-athlete is becoming a stark reality for Dunphy's program as several Quakers -- sophomore Vigor Kapetanovic and seniors Bill Guthrie and Cedric Laster -- have struggled to find the balance in dealing with the rigors of an Ivy League education and playing for the most high-profile team on Penn's campus. Kapetanovic left the team over winter break due to academic problems, and Guthrie was declared academically ineligible by the College of Arts and Sciences. Laster also missed time over break but has since returned to the team. "I think it's just basically up to the individual to take care of his academic work," said Dunphy, adding that he still monitored the academic performance of his players very closely. "There are so many avenues of help at Penn. I think that the athletic department has a great system in place, but they have to ask for help," he said. Adding to the Dunphy's woes, starting point guard Jamie Lyren is out with a season-ending foot injury, and forward Nat Graham, a much-needed big body for the Quakers, unexpectedly quit the team. And it is probable, to say the least, that Coach was none too pleased with freshman guard Jed Ryan, who spent the night at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania emergency room -- missing the last Saturday's La Salle game -- after attending an off-campus party with Sigma Chi brothers. Ryan and Laster have returned to the team. But Lyren, Graham, Kapetanovic and Guthrie will not be back this season. That leaves the Quakers with eight experienced players. The pressures on those remaining will only grow. "We'll continue to play and pick up the pieces," said Dunphy, adding the departures have been a main focus of the team's discussions. "No one is going to feel sorry for us, and I don't want them to feel sorry for us." Indeed, it would be hard to get condolences from the rest of the Ivy League schools, who have combined to go winless against the Quakers for over three years. And even now, the Quakers have arguably the two best players in the league in center Tim Krug and swingman Ira Bowman. Add the surprising Donald Moxley to the mix, fresh off Ivy League Player of the Week honors, and you've got a 1-2-3 combination that can still beat, if not knock out, the rest of the Ancient Eight. The remaining two spots on the starting five will consist of sophomore Garett Kreitz -- who started the season on the junior varsity squad and has performed superbly so far -- at shooting guard and 6-7 freshman Paul Romanczuk at power forward. The bench, never a strong point on the team, is even thinner now. Freshman Frankie Brown is the only real help on the perimeter, while Ryan and Laster will provide reinforcement up front. "It's a lot tougher now," said Moxley, conceding that the departures have been a big blow to the team and him personally. "But we're a close-knit group, and we're going to get through this adversity. It really hurts, but we have to pull together and everybody has to step up. I think we're going to get the job done." The Quakers have still won their first three Ivy League games, which included a close victory over arch-rival Princeton. And Penn, with only seven players getting minutes last Saturday, persevered over La Salle in an overtime thriller, 68-66. This season may, in fact, be Dunphy's best coaching job to date. Dunphy's reaction to his departed players is one of "disappointment." He is not disappointed in them, but rather for them. A former Big 5 player himself, Dunphy knows the thrill of playing at the Palestra and the excitement of playing college basketball in general. "In life, you only get a certain amount of windows of opportunities," Dunphy said.