COLUMN: For Penn, patience is a virtue

Scott Miller, Commentary With scoring down from the beginning of the season, the Penn offense has become almost Princetonian -- using much of the shot clock while the players run their routes and make their screens. But every time someone yells at Jamie Lyren or Michael Jordan for not taking a reasonably open shot with 25 seconds left on the shot clock, the result is often a much better look at the basket, often times from behind the three-point arc. Simply put, this kind of patience could pay off in the long run if the Quakers can find a balance between slowing the game down and scoring quickly. Looking back on previous, more successful seasons, the Quakers were usually able to put opponents away by nailing plenty of open treys. But with today's teams seeing Penn's three-point attack as more of a threat, it will require patience to get the kind of open shots that made Matt Maloney and Scott Kegler famous in West Philly. And with Penn's frontcourt still being outplayed on a nightly basis, it looks like the Red and Blue will need to be more dependent on the productivity of their guards. The situation usually plays itself out in the same fashion. Lyren or Jordan bring the ball up the court and either have a semi-open look at a trey or drive for a contested lay-up. Instead of shooting, the floor leaders dish the rock. Everyone in the south stands starts complaining, and while the fans are whining, Jordan's pass to Kreitz on the three-point line turns into a quick swing to Matt Langel who takes a wide-open trifecta. When whoever ends up with the ball on the arc misses the shot, the groans only become louder. When the shot gets bucketed, everyone seems to forget what they were complaining about. The point, however, is that the patience that the Penn offense shows is actually a blessing in disguise. The counter-argument could be made that the Quakers need the confidence to take the open shot. While that may be true plenty of times, those circumstances are a result of the team looking for one pass too many. But when Lyren or Jordan pass the ball with 20-some-odd seconds left, it does not count as looking for an extra pass, but more a settling down of the offense. The Quakers at this point need to dictate the tempo of a game to win. Without a quality transition game, consistent inside game or a solid defensive game, Penn needs to be in a rhythm to win at this point in the season. When next year rolls around, being able to find that rhythm can only help, as the transition and frontcourt games improve with experience. Dunphy has said that he tells Lyren to think "pass" first and "shoot" second, even though Lyren has demonstrated a decent three-point shot and the occasional ability to drive. Those same words, however, should be preached to Jordan. There is no question Jordan is the go-to man on the squad, but the more points Jordan racks up individually, the less the rest of the Quakers are involved and stay in rhythm. So when Jordan drives to the hole only to dish off, or Lyren has a somewhat-open look at a three-point shot, but makes two or three quick passes to make defenses react instead, realize that it is indeed a good coaching move by Fran Dunphy. The Quakers will succeed in getting a more open look at the basket, even if the points aren't put on the board this year.