Sanni's size dangerous for Quakers

Jarvis Kelley Sanni could be a member of the defending NCAA champion Arizona Wildcats right now. Instead, the senior forward will take the floor for Rice against Penn tomorrow looking to help his team turn around an 0-2 start. The second-year Rice player, who transferred prior to last season after spending two years at Arizona, is currently the only senior in coach Willis Wilson's Owls' lineup. With senior guard Bobby Crawford out for the first few games of the season with a sprained ankle, Sanni, a power forward, is crucial player for the inexperienced Owls, who only return two starters. "Jarvis brings a multitude of experience to our team?. He's played in a Final Four [in 1994 with Arizona] and been through some wars in the [Western Athletic Conference]," Wilson said. "He knows a little more than the rest of the team, and possesses a great deal of maturity as a fifth-year senior. He's been a calming influence on the new players we have this year." Sanni has already faced two top-quality opponents this season. Sanni scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in an opening game 65-53 loss to Florida State, despite being plagued by early foul trouble. Against defending Big 12 champion Kansas, he came back to score 25 and pull down 11 rebounds, eight offensive, in Rice's 88-61 loss. He managed this while matching up inside against All-American candidates Paul Pierce and Raef Lafrentz. "Jarvis is extremely athletic and very strong," Owls coach Wilson said. "He's versatile, sets screen well and runs the floor." Other coaches have taken notice of the versatile forward skills as well. "Sanni is so quick to the ball," Quakers coach Fran Dunphy said. "He's dangerous and has a great knowledge of the game." During the 1996-97 season, his first in the Rice system, Sanni came through in a major way. He averaged 7.1 rebounds and 9.8 points a game while shooting 50 percent from the floor. Sanni added a single-season record for blocks with 29, while only starting 21 of 27 games. "We're hoping he shows consistency this year," Wilson said. "We've set a high benchmark for him as a screener, defender and rebounder. He recognizes these are all things he needs to do to be successful." Penn knows all too well how complete and developed a player Sanni is inside. He played a crucial role in last year's 70-63 home victory over Penn, coming off the bench to score seven points and lead the Owls with 12 rebounds, including six offensive, in only 25 minutes of play. Penn, which was unable to contain Sanni on the boards, had planned to use its experience to develop a game preventing the Owls' domination inside. With sophomore center Geoff Owens out for the year, and forward Paul Romanczuk battling preseason injuries, things do not look good for the Quakers in the paint. Sanni can look forward to having another forceful game inside. At 6'9" and 225 pounds he is larger than any active Quaker taking the floor tomorrow afternoon. "We're going to have to do a good job checking him off the boards," said Dunphy, adding that this will be difficult because "he's made a lot of his short turnaround shots so far this year. He played a good game the other night [against Kansas], and will be difficult to defend inside." Sanni undoubtedly learned some of his trade as a two-year letterman at Arizona under Lute Olson. Sanni averaged 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in his tenure there. In some ways, Sanni resembles the Rice program as a whole. Last year marked two shared firsts for Sanni and the Owls -- the first year for the team in the WAC and likewise his first year with the Rice. Now back as a fifth-year senior and returning letterman, Sanni hopes to once again be a major force inside for the Owls in their second year in the WAC Pacific Division. But first, he'd like to help Rice pick up one more win over the Quakers.