At Courtside: Christmas gifts come early at the Palestra

The holiday season for most people is still two weeks away, but for the Penn basketball team, Christmas came a little early this winter. A 100-58 drubbing of Lehigh (0-6) not only showed Penn's versatile scoring, but also gave every screaming fan a free cheesesteak at Abner's for the first time in the promotion's history. Presents came in all shapes and sizes for Penn. For the second straight game, junior Garett Kreitz was unconscious from three-point land, nailing five-of-seven and finishing with 18 points to go along with six steals (just two shy of Ira Bowman's record of 8 set on Feb.17, 1995). It was Kreitz's five first-half steals that led to 11 Quaker points. "That is just something I have been doing my whole life," Kreitz said. "Playing defensive back in football you kind of acquire a knack for stealing long passes. It is just something I like to do if the ball is hung out there too long." Another Quaker doing the little things on defense was Paul Romanczuk who led the team in rebounds (9) and blocked shots (3). Romanczuk who also scored seven points on three-of-four shooting, feels his injured left wrist which required surgery six weeks ago is no longer a problem. "My wrist feels good," Romanczuk said. "I had a little trouble with my wind getting up and down the court sometimes. And it is tough battling inside right now but that is mostly a confidence thing for me." Even the younger Quakers, such as Matt Langel and Michael Jordan were rewarded for showing maturity well beyond their years in the first two games. Langel, who had a quiet game against Towson State in Penn's season opener finishing with only seven points on two-of-eight shooting (one-of-six from downtown), came back with a vengeance against the Engineers. The guard from Moorestown, N.J., had five-of-six bombs drop in on his way to scoring 18 points. Langel's three treys in the opening minutes of the second half helped Penn build a 36-point lead and snub any thought of an Engineers comeback. "Matt hit three key three-pointers right off the bat in the second half to keep us rolling," Kreitz said. Jordan revealed that his one-of-four shooting in the Towson State game was an aberration. He ended the game as Penn's leading scorer with 20 points, not to mention three steals and four rebounds. The Philadelphia native showed a plethora of fancy moves in the second half when he scored a bundle of points(14). From his double-pump moves on driving layups to his two-of-three shooting from the three-point arc, Jordan was a human highlight film. Acting as Santa's helper, senior captain Jamie Lyren dished out seven assists. His play through two games has given coach Fran Dunphy much to smile about. "His assist-to-turnovers ratio was pretty good tonight," Dunphy said. "He did make a couple of decisions with the ball that he can't do, but I think he is working hard and tightening things up. "He is still working into what is considered game shape after sitting out the final 25 games last season, and I am pleased with where he is. His leadership has been very good over the first two games." As for the young and inexperienced Lehigh team, it looks as if they will have to wait a couple more weeks before they can celebrate Christmas. Coach Sal Mentesana who was irate on the sidelines with the lackadaisical performance of his team in the first half, had a much calmer outlook after the game. "I was really disappointed in our competitive edge tonight," Mentesana said. "It was just a tough and difficult game for us. And I didn't feel we really came to play, which ultimately is my responsibility." Even Penn jacking up the score in the final minutes for cheesesteak crazed fans did not seem to bother Mentesana. With the Quakers' winning streak extended to two, the question now remains: Exactly how many presents does Santa have in his bag for the Penn basketball team with Villanova invading the Palestra tomorrow night?