Big George hangs up high tops

Senior forward George Mboya has chosen not to play for the Penn men's basketball team this season. On March 3 of last basketball season the Palestra was packed, the crowd was screaming and excitement echoed throughout the arena as the Quakers took the nationally ranked Princeton Tigers to overtime before falling to the Ivy champs. Memories of that night has the returning Penn hoops players jumping at the chance to dethrone the Orange and Black and reclaim the Ivy title this season. The Quakers, however, will have to do it one man short. When the Quakers begin their trek that they hope will end in the NCAA tournament, George Mboya will not be along for the ride. Mboya has chosen not to play basketball during his senior year, deciding that he should concentrate on his studies. Although Mboya could not be reached for comment, his former teammates and Penn men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy respect his decision and say they have parted with Mboya on good terms. "I respect George greatly," Dunphy said. "While I am disappointed, I will support George in whatever he wants to do." Although it may surprise some people that a basketball player would quit before his final season, Mboya's decision was well thought out, according to his teammates. "George talked to everyone on the team," senior forward Jed Ryan said. "He evaluated himself, he spoke with his family, he spoke with his extended family -- the team, then he went to the coaching staff. It wasn't an isolated incident." Mboya had much time to think about his situation this summer while the Quakers toured Italy and scrimmaged professional teams. Unlike the pressure-filled season during the school year, the summer trip allowed the Penn players to talk about and concentrate on things not related to competition. "In Italy, we didn't talk much about basketball," Ryan said. "[George] talked about other things -- jobs and what the future held for him." What the future holds for Mboya is the possibility of graduating after first semester and entering the workforce. Had he continued to play basketball, it is unlikely the fifth-year senior could have completed his degree in the College before May. While Mboya may spend more time facing job interviewers than power forwards this year, the remaining Quakers will be enduring grueling practices at the Palestra, preparing to fight for Penn's first Ivy championship since 1995. The inside defense of the 6'6" Mboya could have been helpful to this cause. "Would George have seen playing time? Absolutely," Dunphy said. "How much time would depend on how well the other players were playing and how well George was playing." With the return of forwards Ryan and Paul Romanczuk and that of center Geoff Owens, Mboya would not have been a featured front court player. However, his defensive skills, which were on full display in the Princeton thriller last year, would have gotten him off the bench. His presence on the floor, though, may not be the aspect his teammates will miss most. Mboya, who only scored 2.3 points per game last season, made his presence known the most in informal settings. "We'll miss George. He brings a lot to the team -- he's a good guy," guard Michael Jordan said. "He's still a friend of ours," guard Matt Langel added. "We still see George around." The Quakers may run into Mboya on Locust Walk, but they will not see him at practice, in the locker room or in the weight room. And, unlike last season, the Red and Blue faithful will not get the chance to cheer the sight of Mboya coming off the bench.