W. Hoops selected as Ivy preseason favorite

For the first time in its 25-year history, the Penn women's basketball team was picked in October as the preseason favorite to win the Ivy League title. Not bad for a team that only finished third in the league last year, not to mention one that has never won the Ancient Eight title in an entire quarter-century of play. But this isn't the same ol' Penn squad. This year, the Quakers have a new look and attitude that they hope will help them break from tradition and finally win that elusive Ivy crown. And it all starts with newly hired head coach Kelly Greenberg. Greenberg, who takes the helm for the Quakers after the end of Julie Soriero's 10-year term, is attempting to instill a very team-oriented mentality into her players in her first season as head coach. She made this intention known to her players in the preseason, when she had a special quote painted in the team's locker room for them to see and remember on a daily basis: "It's amazing what we can accomplish if nobody cares who gets the credit." Greenberg said that the message encapsulates the selfless attitude she wants her team to take in its quest for Ivy League glory. "It's so important that we can't get caught up as individuals," she said. "We need to understand that the focus is on not just who has the ball, but who is making the screen or doing the running to get open. "We're a much better team when everyone's involved, and a much more successful team, too. Lots of teams play with two [high-quality] players, but they're not as successful as we can be." Fortunately for Greenberg, the success of her full-team scheme may increase with two star players at her disposal to integrate into the system. Greenberg's first star, and arguably one of the best players to ever wear the Red and Blue, is forward Diana Caramanico, who returns for her junior season after earning both Ivy League and Big 5 Player of the Year honors in her 1998-99 campaign. With a scoring average of 22.7 points per game, Caramanico not only led the Quakers in points, but was also ranked seventh on the NCAA Division I scoring leaders list. She also ranked second nationally in rebounding, nabbing an average of 12.8 boards per game. Penn's other star is guard Mandy West, the lone senior on this talented Quakers team. West returns for her final season after being named first team All-Ivy and second team All-Big 5 last year. Second last year in team shooting with 19.9 points per game, the 5'7" guard will share the captain's role with both Caramanico and junior guard Erin Ladley, who led the team in assists last season. Greenberg, happy that she inherited this handful of marquee players from Soriero, is also confident in the skills of her remaining 10 players, including the team's six freshmen. "The energy level of the bench -- that's what's going to make us a good team," she said. "I don't feel anyone we put in there will pull our level of play down too much." Even if the Quakers' level of play remains high throughout the season, the Ivy League title will not be a sure thing for Penn. Greenberg cited '98-99 Ivy co-champions Dartmouth and Princeton and last season's runner-up Harvard as all being possible contenders with the Quakers for first place in the Ancient Eight this year. Dartmouth returns much of the roster that advanced to last year's NCAA tournament after defeating Princeton in a qualification game. With a pair of talented guards and a few quality freshmen additions, Greenberg said the Big Green will "average a lot of points and play some exciting basketball." The Penn-Princeton rivalry should be especially heated this year after the Quakers' 71-65 defeat of the Tigers in the final game of last season. The loss dropped Princeton out of sole possession of first place and ultimately cost the Tigers an NCAA berth. "They'll be gunning for us this year because we upset their chances for the tournament," Greenberg said. Harvard faltered last season after winning three straight Ivy titles from '96 through '98 but is surely a bigger foe this season after acquiring 6'5" junior Melissa Johnson from North Carolina and recruiting her little sister, 6'4" Sarah, in the Class of 2003. "They were a little down last year, but now they'll have a whole new look with these two out there," Greenberg said. To win their first league title, the Quakers will have to resist solely focusing in on these three challenging teams. Penn also can't allow underdog teams to topple its season over. "If we want to become the powerhouse this year, we have to win the games that we're supposed to win, like against Cornell and Columbia," Greenberg said. "We also can't allow ourselves to lose at home." The Quakers have already started following their coach's advice. They began their season Saturday with a 79-50 win over Temple at the Palestra. The win was also Penn's first against a Big 5 opponent in over four years. Today, Penn travels to Big 5 opponent La Salle, which Greenberg led as a player to three NCAA tournament appearances ('87, '88, '89). The Quakers will attempt to go 2-0 on the season for the first time since their '83-84 campaign when they tip off at 6 p.m. at Tom Gola Arena.