Analysis: Frosh forwards star for M. Hoops

Ugonna Onyekwe and Koko Archibong impressed the Palestra crowds this weekend. It almost would have been too much like the plot of a fairy tale if Ugonna Onyekwe's three-pointer had beaten the buzzer and the Penn men's basketball team had taken Penn State into overtime on Saturday. The story would have gone something like this: Quakers freshmen forwards Onyekwe and Koko Archibong receive the first starting nods of their collegiate careers in their very first home game. The duo proceeds to electrify the Palestra crowd for two consecutive nights, demonstrating offensive moves and defensive prowess that leads the Quakers to two consecutive non-league wins. Alas, this fairy-tale plot line was too much to ask for, as Penn defeated Army, 71-56, but fell to Penn State, 59-56. But this was no fault of Onyekwe and Archibong, who were the highlights of this past weekend's games. "It's hard to understand that those two guys are freshmen," Army coach Pat Harris said. "Those guys are going to do nothing but get better -- I'm glad we're playing them now and not at the end of the season when they're going to feel very comfortable." And Harris should know -- he had a front-row seat from which to watch Onyekwe's and Archibong's show. "I wish I had the ability to grab some of those ballplayers from other countries," Harris said in a reference to Onyekwe, who is from Nigeria. Due to its restrictive admissions policy, Army is unable to recruit foreign athletes. Against the Black Knights, Onyekwe had a team-high six rebounds to go with nine points and a block. The Penn freshman played a team-high 32 minutes. Archibong one-upped his classmate with 10 points, five boards, two steals and a crowd-stirring rejection of a Cadet's almost-wide-open layup. The highlight of the evening was turned in by Archibong just two minutes into the second half, when the lanky 6'7" swingman stole a Jonte Harrell pass at midcourt and ran in for a thunderous one-handed dunk. The crowd loved it, and judging from the beaming smile on his face after the jam, it was clear that Archibong did as well. "That's some pretty fun stuff," Archibong said when asked about his dunk and block. "I just wanted to go out and play my hardest and make the best of the situation I was in. "I didn't know if I was going to start today or not, but I just was trying to go out and play hard whether I'm coming off the bench or starting the game. And when the start came, I was just ready to play." In Saturday's hard-to-swallow loss to the Nittany Lions, both Archibong and Onyekwe tallied eight points -- second only to senior center Geoff Owens' 14 points for the most among Penn players. Onyekwe added seven rebounds, three steals and two authoritative blocks. Once again it was a freshman forward who led the Quakers in playing time, as Archibong logged 33 frenzied minutes. "This could be our lineup," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "I get asked that question all the time, who's going to start. And I can't really tell you that it matters very much to me. Who plays well is the critical piece, and if you play well, then you're going to start and you're going to be in the game a lot." If Archibong and Onyekwe continue to play the way they did this weekend, there is little doubt they will start and no doubt they will get significant minutes night in and night out. Both nights, Onyekwe scored the Quakers first basket, and Archibong sank the second. These two youngsters know plenty about starting fast. Beyond that, it was clear the duo gave opposing coaches headaches in the matchup department. On some occasions, Archibong and Onyekwe were in the game as power forward and center, respectively. On others, the pair were out on the perimeter or leading the Quakers charge up the floor on the fast break. Dunphy now has the luxury of depth in the frontcourt -- something he has not had in years past. "They're very good basketball players, and we expect a lot out of them," Dunphy said after the Army win. "They got an opportunity to start tonight and I thought they came through and played well." Aside from two 14-point efforts by Owens and two nights of efficient ball-handling by freshman David Klatsky, the only consistent Penn players were Onyekwe and Archibong. Defensively, the pair needs a bit more seasoning, as the starting forwards for Army and Penn State were able to combine for 55 points. But on the boards and in the paint, the presence of the duo was clearly felt. And, as a result of their accomplished play on the court, the freshmen became instant crowd favorites. Current Penn stars Michael Jordan, Matt Langel and Owens did not start in their first Palestra games, but this feldgling frontcourt duo did. Given the uncharacteristic opportunity Dunphy has given Onyekwe and Archibong, these two Quakers seem to be securely on the fast track to Penn success.

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