COLUMN: Youth is the cause of losses

George Mboya, for bricking his two go-ahead foul shots with 2.9 seconds remaining? Paul Romanczuk, for fouling out only 13 seconds into overtime? Geoff Owens, for failing to do anything against Brian Gilpin, except get four personal fouls in 18 minutes on the hardwood? Garett Kreitz, for bucketing only two of his nine three-point attempts? The correct answer is as simple as inexperience. Besides being an excellent ball club, Dartmouth is the most senior-laden squad in the Ivy League, with four starters playing in their final seasons. The Quakers, however, are the youngest. To break down Saturday's matchup, it clearly was a game of young, raw talent versus an experienced ballclub. And when it came down to the wire, the veterans won out. The Quakers lack of experience has reared its ugly head in a number of ways this season. The most costly -- lack of a transition game. In past years, Penn has wowed audiences with no-look passes and fast-break points. More importantly, Penn's transition was crucial in building momentum and leads. While this year's squad is one step slower than last season's team, the Red and Blue's team chemistry has yet to develop to the level it was in the past. Case in point: last night in the second half, Penn had a four-on-two situation, Jamie Lyren kept the rock in traffic and failed to score. Meanwhile, Michael Jordan was wide open on the weak side running the court with Lyren. The Quakers have also shown their green nature by panicking in crunch-time situations. Penn has often been unable to get a respectable shot off, or even been able to look for one under the pressure of time. After Mboya missed his free throws and got his own rebound in the paint, he panicked. Instead of calling a timeout or putting the ball back up in the air, Mboya looked very confused, and only was able to dish the ball to Jed Ryan well beyond the three-point arc. The lack of experience shouldn't be that surprising with three freshmen and two sophomores starting the game. Kreitz and Lyren are the only legitimate basketball upperclassmen who receive playing time. What the Quakers do have, however, is a plethora of talent. The Ivy League is a conference where most success is a direct result of experience. While Penn and Princeton trade off championships, the rest of the best has traditionally been squads with juniors and seniors. The seniority of the Big Green was very apparent on Saturday. Seamus Lonergan was constantly grabbing his teammates to offer words of advice. Point guard Kenny Mitchell had some positive words for Jordan after the game. Both were prime examples of leadership -- leadership gained through experience. That is why Dartmouth and Harvard will come in third and fourth this year, but next year, after Dartmouth graduates four starters and Harvard graduates three, they will not be the teams trying to fend off the Tigers and the Quakers. The Quakers do not have an on-court leader. Despite being captain, Lyren does not see enough time anymore to act as a leader. Kreitz and Romanczuk are the closest the Red and Blue have to a leader who has the ability to get their teammates fired up during the course of a game. Princeton, on the other hand, is a unique team in that they do not get noticeably better with experience, the squad gets better as players enter and leave the program. This is due to the fact that the Tigers execute their slow-down game plan to perfection every year, and that game plan never changes -- even with a new coach. The Tigers are the same team this year that they were last year, and they will be the same team next year, even though Sydney Johnson will graduate. The Quakers, on the other hand, have no choice other than to improve with no one graduating. This is not a rebuilding year talent-wise, but it is a rebuilding year experience-wise. And next year, when the Quakers have twice the experience and improved talent, they will be in prime shape to make another run for the crown.

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