JV BASKETBALL: Doing it for the love of the game

Two years ago, Adam Biggs graduated after four years of never playing a varsity men's hoops game. For Penn coach Fran Dunphy, the junior varsity basketball program is designed for the Adam Biggses of the world -- people who simply want to play, just for the love of the game. While the varsity players worked hard in practice at the Palestra yesterday, the JV players congregated in the locker room before heading off to a game -- changing into Penn uniforms consisting of last year's basketball shorts. One player spoke of the possibility of someday playing varsity hoops, but was quickly told he was "full of shit" by a teammate before he finished his sentence. For a few younger players, a spot on the varsity bench is a dream which helped in their decision to come to Penn. For others, the reality of being a full-time JV basketball player until graduation does not faze them -- they get geared up to play basketball just for the competition. The Penn men's JV team looks just like any varsity team, works as hard as any varsity team and pours out the same amount of energy in their games and practice just as any varsity team. While pick-up games at Gimbel and Hutchinson Gymnasiums are always an option, JV basketball gives players the competition, commitment and team camaraderie that is missing from the intramural leagues and those daily pick-up games. With a six-day a week practice and game schedule, JV players face almost as much of a time commitment as the varsity. With each players' talent level at least at the point where they have what it takes to play on the Division III level, the JV program at Penn is fine for them -- despite the lack of attention. For a lot of players, basketball and academics mesh perfectly at the JV level. And with a large part of their routine similar to the varsity players', the feeling of playing at a big Division I school is alive. None of the players were recruited by Penn, but some did have contact with Quakers varsity coach Fran Dunphy and the coaching staff while in high school. Dunphy was forthright in telling the recruits how good the varsity team was and how unlikely it would be for a JV player to work his way onto the varsity squad. Penn varsity assistant and JV head coach Dave Hooks feels the program could be stepped up a bit in terms of its interaction with the varsity, perhaps being used more as a farm system. "I'd like to try to upgrade it to a point so that one or two players would move up [every year]," Hooks said. The small hope of moving up combined with Penn's academic status, the choice to become a Quaker was not a difficult one for most of the JV players. "Academics come first," freshman Paul Smith said. "Penn was the best school academically. It has better scholastic opportunities and a great basketball program." Current starting varsity point guard Garett Kreitz can be described as a success story for the JV program. Kreitz was a member of the team last year, who stepped up in a big way after guard Jamie Lyren's season ended with a broken metatarsal. After centers Vigor Kapetanovic and Bill Guthrie and forward Nat Graham left the varsity squad for various reasons, two JV players, Jeff Goldstein and Phil Smith, were called up to fill the empty spots. Not surprisingly, their stories are virtually the same. Goldstein, a sophomore, was originally recruited by Division III schools, including Swarthmore, Muhlenberg and Haverford. At the time, Hooks was varsity head coach at Haverford. "I always wanted to go to Princeton," Goldstein admitted. "But I wasn't recruited by any of the Ivies." In his freshman year, Goldstein worked out with the varsity a little bit before permanently joining JV. Goldstein, however, has nothing but prais for the varsity program. "Varsity practice is just unbelievable -- it's just awesome," Goldstein said. "It's a real privilege just to be playing here." Phil Smith, a a 6-foot-4 freshman guard, was also recruited by other schools, including Division I Navy, Army and Lehigh. "Penn was the best school of the group," Smith said. "But I also like the fact that they have a JV and varsity." For Phil Smith, JV is where he fits in best -- for now. "JV is where my closest friends are, and I want to finish the season with them," he said. "Varsity is great, but I'm more comfortable on JV. I always expected to be there -- period. "[Dunphy] is giving me a chance right now, and I'm loving it. I'm doing anything I can to show Coach what I can do. But if I go back down, it's not the end of the world." Bit it's not always easy leading this dual life. Yesterday, Goldstein and Smith put in two hours of practice with the varsity unit. They then changed out of their practice jerseys and into their JV uniforms and caught a van to St. Joseph's, where they competed with the Hawk's JV team. "A lot of funny stuff happens to JV," Goldstein said. "For instance, we may be practicing in a gym, and the badminton team will come and kick us out because they reserved the court. "Or sometimes, our uniforms won't be washed on Monday, and people are still playing in sweaty uniforms."