M. BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: M. Hoops taking time to heal wounds

Paul Romanczuk and Jon Tross are nursing stress fractures, and Josh Sanger is recovering from an infected foot. Preseason is the time to get back in shape, perfect the jumper and build confidence as a team. But instead of using these last two weeks before the season begins to become a cohesive unit, the Penn men's basketball team is focusing on getting healthy. As a result of injuries to several players, the Quakers have not been able to build the chemistry necessary for success. The Quakers are still trying to cope with the devastating news that 6'11'' center Geoff Owens is out for the season with a still unresolved hypertension-related problem. Expected to step in for Owens are junior forward George Mboya, Jed Ryan and Paul Romanczuk. Ryan and Romanczuk are each 6'7'', four inches shorter than Owens, and Mboya is 6'6". "We've never been a really big team," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "And I don't expect height to come anytime soon. It's not like anyone's going to wake up tomorrow two inches taller." The lack of height on this year's team may pose a problem when the Quakers take on teams with dominant big men, such as George Washington's Alexander Koul and possibly Raef LaFrentz of Kansas, a preseason first-team All-American. The Quakers may be forced to double-team these big men when the time comes. "We're going to defend based upon their perimeter game," Dunphy said. "If they are good shooters, we can't double down on them." · On the mend for Penn is junior forward Paul Romanczuk, who has not yet been able to practice during the first three weeks of the preseason, due to a stress fracture. He is expecting to resume practice next week. However, he probably won't be ready for the opening game of the season on Sunday, November 22, against Rice. "I'm looking to start practicing again in one week," Romanczuk said. "I may not be ready for Rice, but we're definitely shooting for Puerto Rico [the next weekend]." Also hobbled for the Quakers are two freshman recruits. Jon Tross, a 6'7'' forward from Madison, Conn., is out up to three weeks with stress fractures in both legs. Josh Sanger, also a forward, is listed as day to day with an infected foot. Sanger sat out the Red and Blue Scrimmage Saturday, but was likely to resume practicing this week. · Despite the injuries, a bright spot for the Quakers thus far has been the play of freshman guard Lamar Plummer. Plummer has impressed coaches and his teammates with his speed, court intelligence and shooting ability. However, he is playing down his performance so far, anxious to start the season. "I'm still trying to make the necessary adjustments," Plummer said. "When you play against the same guys in practice, they know all about you." Plummer's play has been solid, but unlike last year's freshmen, his playing time will be limited. "He's young, and he's going to make freshman mistakes," Dunphy said. "He'll have the chance to sit back and watch the guys in front of him (upperclassmen Garett Kreitz, Jordan and Matt Langel) and learn from them." · Penn basketball fans had their first opportunity to see the hoopsters in action on Saturday, when the Quakers played the annual Red and Blue Scrimmage. About 300 fans saw the Penn team split up into two squads. The format of the game consisted of one 20-minute playing period, simulating the second half of a game. After the Red team (wearing white jerseys) got off to an early lead with great shooting by Plummer, the Blue team came back to win, 43-31. Plummer finished with 14 of his team's 31 points in less than 20 minutes of action. Jordan still looked rusty with only four points, being held in check by junior varsity guard Brendan Cody. Fans were also given a brief preview of the much anticipated backcourt matchup of sophomore Penn point guard Jordan and former Abington Friends teammate Plummer. On Sunday, the Quakers saw their first intercollegiate competition in two scrimmages with Division II Philadelphia Textile.