Three new recruits join young M. Hoops Squad

Cleveland, Ohio The Quakers were a young team this past season, and all eight players in their rotation will be back next year. So will sophomore swingman Frank Brown, who missed almost all of last season while recovering from off-season surgery. But all of that youth didn't mean a break from the recruiting trails for Dunphy. There will be three more freshmen on the Quakers' squad next year -- Lamar Plummer, a 6'1" guard from nearby Abington Friends, Josh Sanger, a 6'8" forward from Harding High School in Charlotte, N.C., and Jonathan Tross, a 6'8" forward from Hamden Hall Country Day School in Hamden, Conn. Dunphy's strategy in recruiting the class of 2001 was to fill some of the gaps on the current team, with an eye toward the future. "We obviously need rebounding help," Dunphy said. "We needed at least two forwards. And when Garett [Kreitz] graduates next year, we'll obviously need someone who can play that one or two spot." Because he has everyone coming back, Dunphy doesn't expect this trio to make an immediate impact on the team the way Michael Jordan, Matt Langel and Geoff Owens did last season as freshmen. Instead, he expects the new crop to contribute more as sophomores. "It will be very difficult for any one of the three to be a significant factor immediately, unlike Michael, Matt and Geoff last year," Dunphy said. "The opportunity doesn't present itself as much." Leading the new class is Plummer, who for the last two years, participated in the prestigious Adidas/ABCD camp which annually draws many of the top prep players in the country. Plummer was primarily a shooting guard at Abington, but he occasionally played the point, and Dunphy sees him as a combination guard. "He's a good shooter, a good passer, and he has a nice feel for the game," Dunphy said. "I believe in time he'll be a good defender at this level, too." Penn fans will remember that Abington Friends was also the high school that produced Jordan, and the two of them played together there for a few years. "They're going to play real well together," said Steve Chadwin, their coach at Abington. "They played so much together, they have an idea of how to play off each other." Dunphy agrees that Jordan and Plummer work well together, but adds that Plummer will not be reunited on the floor with his former teammate unless he earns it. "He'll know Michael's game, but that's the only asset he'll have as a newcomer," Dunphy said. "There's no pressure on him to play right away and score points." Chadwin calls Plummer a good defender and finisher, but says his strength is his versatility. "He can mix up his game pretty well," Chadwin said. "If you leave him open he can knock it down, and he can get to the paint and cause problems there." Penn often had problems of its own in the paint last season, specifically on the boards. With that in mind, Dunphy went after Sanger and Tross. He expects both of them to help out with rebounding and, in time, add some scoring punch. Tross averaged 21.5 points and 13 rebounds a game as a senior at Hamden, while Sanger contributed 12 points and 10 boards per game as Harding's center. Sanger, who is the valedictorian of his class, also pitched for the Harding baseball team and was an all-conference tight end in football. "He's a team player," said Harding coach Myron Lowery of Sanger. "That's why Penn was attracted to him and he was attracted to Penn. He'll fit right into their system perfectly. He can do the little things that help a team." According to Lowery, Sanger is fundamentally sound, but rebounding is what he does best. In one game this season he pulled down 20 boards. Coach and player plan to spend the summer trying to improve Sanger's range. Plummer, Sanger and Tross knew that getting a lot of playing time as freshmen would be unlikely, but they also knew that they would get a shot to prove themselves in practice. "If it works out that they're one of the best in our rotation, they'll get their minutes," Dunphy said. "That's what I told them in the recruiting process."

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