Mboya is not likely to rejoin M. Hoops

Penn senior forward George Mboya is rumored to have left the team recently. Mboya was with the Red and Blue when they traveled through Italy and scrimaged Italian professional teams in August. But it is doubtful that he will be with the Quakers this season. The reason for his departure is unknown. Mboya, who transferred to Penn from Rice University two years ago, was called on by Penn coach Fran Dunphy for his defense several times in the second half of the 1997-98 season. The senior forward provided a spark from the bench with his hustle, which was surprising given his often apathetic play during the 1996-97 season and the first half of last year. For that year and a half, Mboya mostly spent his time sitting on the end of the bench. Although Mboya did display flashes of defensive brilliance, he often got into foul trouble on the floor. He finished third on the Quakers with 54 personal fouls while seeing limited time. Mboya was also never known as a threat on offense, as he only averaged 2.3 points per game in minimal action last season. The Nairobi, Kenya, native was not likely to see increased playing time this season either. Forwards Jed Ryan and Paul Romanczuk both return to a frontcourt that will also see the return of center Geoff Owens, who sat out last season with a heart condition. Sophomore Josh Sanger and freshman Dan Solomito would have also taken playing time away from Mboya. -- Rick Haggerty