Penn will call on freshmen immediately

Guards Michael Jordan and Matt Langel and center Geoff Owens will all be in coach Fran Dunphy's rotation. In recent seasons, the Fran Dunphy offense has been led by three types of players -- the penetrator, the long-range bomber and the inside presence. Those roles were filled to perfection by Jerome Allen, Matt Maloney and Shawn Trice from the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, when Penn earned consecutive NCAA bids. Last season, seniors Ira Bowman, Donald Moxley and Tim Krug took over the respective roles. The trio's combination of driving to the hoop, three-point shooting and tough offensive rebounding allowed the Quakers to recapture a share of the Ivy League title. Therefore, it should have come as no surprise that when Dunphy recruited the Class of 2000, he kept with tradition and brought the Quakers a penetrating guard, an accomplished outside shooter and a tall frontcourt presence -- namely Michael Jordan, Matt Langel and Geoff Owens. Leading Penn's recruiting class is the penetrator, Michael Jordan -- a six-foot local product from Abington Friends School -- whose ballhandling skills and quickness will allow him to contribute immediately at the point. Jordan's ability to drive to the basket made him not only Penn's No. 1 recruit, but also put him high on former head coach John Calipari's wish list at Massachusetts. "I wanted to stay in the city," Jordan said. "And Penn has the reputation for academics and Division I basketball. It seemed like the perfect fit for me." Like his namesake, Jordan wears No. 23 and more often than not enjoys the attention that comes along with sharing his name with the greatest basketball player of all-time. "My first year of high school I wore No. 13," Jordan said. "But sophomore year, the guys told me that I should wear 23, and ever since it's been my number." Jordan led Abington Friends to four consecutive league championships, averaging 19.6 points, six rebounds and seven assists per game. Last year, Jordan was named to the all-Pennsylvania, ending his high school career with a bang by recording his first career triple-double in Abington Friends's league championship victory. "In high school, I was quicker than a lot of my opponents," he said. "I guess that I just had more desire." For Jordan to continue his domination on the collegiate level, however, he will have to work on his inconsistent jump shot from medium range. Jordan will also need to adjust to Dunphy's style of play, which requires the point guard to be a vocal leader on the court and help out with the double-team on defense. While Jordan will see playing time at the guard position alongside senior Jamie Lyren, another freshman -- Matt Langel -- also figures to be in the backcourt mix. Langel, a 6-foot-5 guard from Moorestown, N.J., will provide instant offense with his consistent outside shot. At Moorestown High School, Langel averaged 23 points per game, showing ability to shoot both the medium-range jumper and from beyond the arc with consistency. "I like to think of myself as a good shooter and someone who makes my teammates better," Langel said. Besides a smooth outside touch, Langel also brings another adept ballhandler to the Penn lineup. Although Dunphy plans to use Langel primarily at the two and three spots, Langel is not unfamiliar to ballhandling duties, having played point guard all four years in high school. If Dunphy had not scouted Langel, the scoring guard would have likely landed in the backcourt at archrival Princeton -- the only other school he seriously considered. Langel, however, ultimately decided to attend Penn because of its strong mix of academics and basketball tradition. "Either Penn or Princeton is going to win it," Langel said. "But Penn seemed like the better program for me. There is great history and a winning tradition." The third freshman who will figure in the rotation this season is 6-foot-11 center, Geoff Owens. Defensively, Owens promises to be a shot-blocking force in the middle, though, offensively, he does not yet have the dominant inside game needed to play the traditional center role. "We've never really had that luxury of a center that is locked inside," Dunphy said. "These guys all want to step away from the basket." And Owens is no exception. At Bishop Eustace High School in Audubon, N.J., Owens averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game and surprised many an opposing center by stepping back behind the arc to drain a three-pointer. Not only will he be expected to replace Krug's inside presence, but he should also provide the Palestra faithful with the thunderous slams and energizing rejections that were a staple of Krug's play. But it will be a tough adjustment for Owens to go from playing against high school centers that were, on average, five inches shorter than him to competing against the taller collegiate pivot players. "I'm going to have to go out and play my game," Owens said. "I am not going to get intimidated by the fact that that is [Villanova center] Jason Lawson. My personal goal is just to achieve as much as I can in the minutes I get." Owens was also recruited by Penn State, Navy, Rider and Vermont. Owens chose Penn, however, after an enjoyable visit to the school where he met with the players and Dunphy. "I really like [Dunphy] so far," Owens said. "He's tough on you, but he's knowledgeable. If he tells you to do something, you know that it is probably the right way." Jordan, Langel and Owens have already earned themselves spots in Penn's eight-to-nine-man rotation. Each of the three will likely see 20 to 25 minutes per game. If swingman Frank Brown is not ready for the December 3 season opener, however, Dunphy may ask Jordan and Langel to play even more minutes. Also joining the Quakers this season is Mike Koller, a 6-foot-5 guard from Greybull, Wyo., who averaged 20 points and six rebounds per game in high school. Penn basketball is in Koller's blood. His father John played for the Quakers from 1966-71. When Lyren graduates, Koller may be able to work his way into the guard rotation. Dunphy, however, is not counting on him to make an immediate impact. "What Mike gives us will be icing on the cake," Dunphy said. It is the maturity of the big three -- Jordan, Langel, and Owens -- that will be essential if Penn is to return to the NCAA tournament this season.