Penn shorthanded for Exploreres, stretch run

The Penn basketball team, already suffering from a lack of depth, saw its problems get worse Wednesday when coach Fran Dunphy announced that three Quakers will miss the rest of the year. Point guard Jamie Lyren, center Bill Guthrie and forward Nat Graham will miss the rest of the season for a variety of reasons. Also, freshman forward Jed Ryan will miss tomorrow's 2 p.m. game against La Salle to deal with what Dunphy called "a personal issue." Lyren, a sophomore who has sat out Penn's last seven games after breaking a bone in his left foot against Penn State Dec. 9, will undergo surgery next Friday and miss the rest of the season. A pin will be inserted in Lyren's foot during the surgery, which will take place either at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania or Bryn Mawr Hospital. There had been hope that Lyren, who averaged 7.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, would be able to return sometime during the season, but x-rays revealed the bone was not healing properly. "It wasn't a clean break," Dunphy said. "It wasn't healing as well as it could have. This was the only option at this time." According to Dunphy, Lyren may apply for a medical redshirt after his senior season next year. The Ivy League would then decide whether or not to grant the request, which would give Lyren another year of eligibility. Guthrie, a 6-9 senior, has been suspended for the season due to academic problems. He had missed the last seven games to deal with academic difficulties. That absence was a decision made according to team policy, Dunphy said. The current suspension was handed down by the review board of the College of Arts and Sciences. "It was a team rule initially when I asked him to take care of his problems," Dunphy said. "Then the College of Arts and Sciences made the decision that he take this semester off." This year was to be Guthrie's return to the Quakers. He left the team five games into last season when he found both his playing time and grades suffering. This year he played in four games, averaging 2.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest. Penn lost another of its big men when Graham, a junior who had been the Quakers' starting power forward, decided to leave the team, saying he no longer had an interest in playing. "It just wasn't as much fun as it used to be for him," Dunphy said. There was no specific incident that led to Graham's decision, according to Dunphy. "It was just a culmination of the fact that it wasn't as much fun." Finally, Ryan will miss tomorrow's game. Dunphy would only say "It's a personal issue for him." But there are indications that Ryan's absence is due to health reasons. A HUP spokesman confirmed yesterday afternoon that Ryan had been admitted to the hospital Tuesday night. The spokesman added that Ryan was in good condition and was expected to be discharged yesterday. "He's going to rejoin us on Monday," Dunphy said. "Hopefully his problems will be solved." Dunphy added that Ryan's health is "very good," though he did not say if it was the reason for Ryan's absence. · With so many bodies missing from the lineup, Penn (5-6) will find itself in a bit of a jam in tomorrow's 2 p.m. game at the Spectrum. Only seven of the Quakers that will suit up have significant game experience heading into the contest with La Salle, which will be the second half of a Big Five doubleheader. The first game features Atlantic 10 rivals St. Joseph's and Temple. "There's nothing we can do about it," Dunphy said. "We just have to pick up the pieces and go on." Freshman forward Paul Romanczuk will move into Graham's starting spot. Senior forward Cedric Laster and freshman swingman Frankie Brown will be Penn's primary help off the bench. The Quakers could be especially hurt on the boards -- the loss of Graham, Guthrie and Ryan, coupled with 6-11 sophomore Vigor Kapetanovic's departure earlier this year to concentrate on academics, leaves 6-9 center Tim Krug as the only Penn player taller than 6-6. "We're going to have to be very position conscious," Dunphy said. "We'll have to hope all five help out on the defensive end and we can get to the basket on the offensive end."