Quakers face off in hoops playoffs

Last February, Penn basketball fans packed the Palestra to watch their beloved Quakers take nationally-ranked Princeton to overtime. Princeton prevailed in overtime, completing a sweep of the Red and Blue for the 1997-98 season. Next year, the result may be a bit different. While Princeton lost several top players to graduation, the only significant loss for Penn was Garrett Kreitz. Penn will welcome back the core of last year's squad, as well as center Geoff Owens -- who sat out last season with a heart condition. "Obviously, the biggest issue for us is Geoff Owens' health," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "He seems to be progressing nicely, and we're grateful for that." Owens has had plenty of time to work on his inside game to make up for last year's missed season. In addition to playing for Doug Overton in the Hank Gathers Division of the Sonny Hill League, Owens has been participating in daily workouts, posting up the likes of Jason Lawson and Rasheed Wallace. During these workouts, Owens has shown no signs of any health problems. "Geoff has improved immensely," junior Michael Jordan said. "He runs the floor better than some of the NBA guys." While Owens has been running the floor in these workouts, two of his teammates have also been on the court with him. Jordan and Matt Langel have been participating in the sessions as well. Although the players have not taken part in every workout -- they missed several workouts while attending camps, and the Palestra is closed this week for repairs -- they have played with the pros for the majority of the summer. "I think it's the best thing you can do anywhere," Langel said. "It forces you to play at a higher level." The threesome have been taking the skills learned at this higher level and have been applying them in games in the Sonny Hill League. Sonny Hill, which is one of the premier summer basketball leagues in the nation, begins its playoffs on Saturday following several months of games. On Saturday, Langel's Pittman/Scott team will face off against Aaron McKie, a team that features Penn forward George Mboya. The winner of this contest will play Jordan's Camille Cosby team on Tuesday. Camille Cosby finished second in the standings, and thus earned a bye in the first round. First place finisher Jurin Distributing, Jed Ryan's team, also earned a bye. Since college teammates are not permitted to play together in the Sonny Hill League, each of the ten Quakers in the league plays for a different team. Langel has played against every one of his Penn teammates, except Jordan. Forwards Frank Brown and Josh Sanger are currently the only Quakers not participating in the Sonny Hill League. Brown and Sanger have returned to their respective homes in Beverly Hills, Calif., and Charlotte, N.C. However, they are expected to return before August 19, when the Penn basketball team will travel to Italy to take on professional Italian teams. They will play seven games as part of three tournaments. "I don't know a lot about the teams," Dunphy said. "You don't expect to win games. It's a learning experience." Eleven members of the Penn team will go to Italy, because NCAA rules prohibit incoming freshmen from making the trip. Before leaving, however, the Red and Blue will meet for five team practices. Although most of the team has been on campus this summer and the players have played many pick-up games, this will be the first chance the entire team will have to practice together officially. No one looks forward to start practicing with his teammates more than Owens. "I can't wait to get on the floor," he said. "It's been almost two years since I played with the team during my freshman year." "I think our expectations for the team are very high," Langel said. "We could be an exceptional team, but we have to go out and do it."

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