Shooting stars shine at Palestra

The Quakers are sharing the court this summer with NBA players and college athletes. The Palestra has gotten a lot hotter this summer. And not just because of the weather. Ivy Leaguers like Princeton's Brian Earl and Dartmouth's Shaun Gee were the top visitors on the court during the winter. But as the mercury rises this summer, the level of competition on the Palestra floor also heats up. Now Michael Jordan, Geoff Owens and company are guarding the likes of New Jersey Nets guard Alvin Williams and probable NBA first-round draft picks Kenny Thomas and Jumaine Jones. Every day around 9 a.m., Jordan, Owens, Matt Langel and Ogie Kapetanovic head to the Palestra to join in the three-hour practices. The players start with drills, move on to two-on-two and three-on-three games and finally contest full-team scrimmages. "It's great to play pick-up, but this is just a level above," Owens said. "Every morning it's getting better." The talent pool at the summer Palestra workouts will get even deeper in a few weeks. Portland Blazers forward Rasheed Wallace will return to Philadelphia to practice after the playoffs end, and Charlotte Hornets guard Eddie Jones will join the workouts when his hand recovers from offseason surgery. NCAA regulations prohibit college players to practice during the summer, so Penn coach Fran Dunphy has no control over these workouts. But he is hardly concerned. "[My players] get themselves around enough," Dunphy said. "And also they need to spend some time recharging their battery as well. They don't need to be playing as much basketball in the summer as they do in the winter. They just need to be focusing on an area of their game that may need improvement." And that's just what the practices do for the players. "It's a process," Owens said. "You try to work on something every day. Like [on Tuesday], we worked on a lot of no-dribble post moves, so you try to take that to the games." The games played at the end of practice are a combination of polished Division I basketball and a street pick-up game -- a mixture of screens and jumpers accentuated by displays of creativity and athleticism. Don't be surprised to see Williams drive the lane, fake a kickout pass, take two steps and dish the ball off mid-air to a leaping Jumaine Jones for a powerful dunk -- and then have both get back on defense. But with NBA players and future draft picks the opposition, are the Penn basketball players outclassed on their home court? Surprisingly, no. Jordan still runs the point effectively. Owens still makes hooks in the lane. Langel still drains his outside shots. Sure, Jordan has the ball stolen from him more than usual, Owens' shots are blocked occasionally, and Langel sometimes gets abused in the post by bigger guards, but the Quakers hold their own on their home court. "We try to elevate our game to their level out here," Owens said. "So when we get to the summer league, when we get to the season, we're a level above everybody else." While the morning practices at the Palestra are an important part of the offseason conditioning for the Penn basketball players, the Quakers also practice on their own and lift weights three times a week. And they even read books on the mental aspect of the game -- such as a biography of former NBA star and current New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley. Many of the Quakers will also compete in the Sonny Hill summer league starting in two weeks, but the toughest competition for the Penn basketball players occurs in these workouts at the Palestra. "The guys we play in the Sonny Hill League are on our level," Kapetanovic said. "These guys here [at the Palestra] -- they're men." Williams, Wallace, Eddie Jones, Jumaine Jones, Thomas, Cuttino Mobley of the Houston Rockets, Richie Cunningham of the New Jersey Nets and former Penn star Jerome Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks will all play in the NBA next season. But, for now, they all play at the Palestra.

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