M. Hoops feels Brown's absence

The last three weeks have shown the Quakers' need for the injured sophomore forward. Caught in the frenzy about Penn's three new freshmen, it is certain that one critical loss earlier in the season was overlooked. The departure of sophomore Frank Brown after the Lehigh blowout appears now to be an even bigger loss than first expected. The hot start of freshman Matt Langel, who replaced Brown and his ailing knee in the Quakers rotation, temporarily glossed over the issue. But something everyone missed was that Brown was one of the few returning players who had lived through an entire Ivy League schedule. Since Lehigh, most Quakers, including the streaking freshman Michael Jordan, have experienced inconsistent shooting performances. The sweet touch of Brown's jump shot, plus his ability to go to the hole, could have helped the shooting-oriented Langel and junior Garett Kreitz. Brown's rookie number's were nothing to brag about at 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, but his minutes on the Palestra hardwood last winter would certainly have helped this years' green backcourt. "Yes we would have been helped by Frank's versatility, both offensively and defensively," Dunphy said. "Specifically we miss his rebounding and his aggressive defensive play." Since bowing out in mid-December, Brown has been following doctors' orders of resting his left knee, which had required surgery just five weeks before the beginning of Penn's schedule. The prescription for Brown was a combination of strengthening his knee and remaining in good physical shape. "He is at practice regularly," Dunphy said. "But he doesn't run much because the doctors have told him to rest it. Frank has been in a rehab program for the past few months and in the weight room strengthening the muscles around his knee." Dunphy believes that within the next two weeks Brown should be ready to begin running again. In the meantime, the eighth-year head coach commented that "we all will look forward to his return next year." · Earlier in the season, Paul Romanczuk's aggressive inside game helped Penn remain competitive in many games. The sophomore forward's low-post moves, combined with his ability to get to the line gave the Quakers that inside presence they so desperately needed. But on the recently completed homestand, shutting down Romanczuk has become a goal of opponents. Examples are his 1-for-10 shooting performance against Dartmouth and 1-for-5 effort versus Yale. "Teams around the league are now looking at Paul after the first go-around," Dunphy said. "They are seeing that Paul is an outstanding driver to the basket and they are trying to negate that." What Dunphy would like to happen is for Romanczuk to "develop a consistent 12- to 15-foot jump shoot that he can rely on." Dunphy even went as far as to say he would like Romanczuk to take a few threes if he is open. · There is no question that the Quakers will be up for this weekend's rematches against Dartmouth and Harvard. The real question will be whether Penn can shut down the the Big Green the second time around. In order for the Red and Blue to have a chance, Dunphy feels that the team must cut back on the number of turnovers committed. This particular facet of the game has been a royal pain in the neck to Dunphy and coaching staff all season. With the conclusion of the game against Yale, the Quakers were handing the ball off to the opponent nearly 14 times per contest. On the five-game homestand which wrapped up last weekend, Penn was consistent in turning the ball over 13.7 times a game. "We can not allow what happened this weekend against Yale were we turned the ball over 15 times to happen," Dunphy said. "We are not powerful enough offensively and we are not as strong and as tough as we need to be." Trying to minimize the turnover situation is Penn's goal at the moment. According to Dunphy, the coaching staff and fans are just going to have to live with some turnovers as his young team continues to learn and "play to their strengths and not force the ball as much."