W. Hoops is hoping to bounce back in Baltimore

The Quakers will try to rebound from their recent loss to St. Joe's. Forget that they're playing .500 ball right now. Forget that they recently got thumped 76-47 by St. Joseph's and fell to 1-2 in the Big Five. The Penn women's basketball team is turning things around. Believe it. "I hear people reading the paper and talking in classes and stuff about 'Here we go again, just like last year,' and it's not just like last year," guard Jennifer Jones said. Although Jones -- a freshman -- wasn't even here last year, she knows things are different. She knows it because the Quakers kicked off their season with their first Big Five win in over four years. She knows it because they have a new head coach in Kelly Greenberg who has never been involved with a losing team. Most importantly, Jones knows it because she knows that the Quakers are going to win this weekend. "We will bounce back," Jones said. "Coach Greenberg is definitely trying to turn our program around. If people will come to the games they'll be able to see that it's a new program and that we're playing to win." Although finals week will doubtless make it difficult for diehard Quakers fans to trek to the Conference Challenge in Baltimore, Md., to cheer on the Quakers against Maryland-Baltimore County (2-3) and Drexel (2-2) this weekend, Jones has a point. Through six games last year, the Quakers were a miserable 1-5, with their lone win coming in overtime against St. Francis (N.Y.). This year, they are a respectable 3-3 heading into exams. Furthermore, they captured their first-ever tournament title in the Air Force Classic a week ago in Colorado. Greenberg found positives in unexpected ways after the Quakers most-recent defeat. "After that game, walking into the locker room, it was nice to see that they were really down about [the loss]," Greenberg said. "I think that three weeks ago they would not have been." Even though the loss to St. Joe's stung, Greenberg is ready to move on. "I think that if we get two big wins this weekend, it would erase that pit in our stomachs from the St. Joe's game," Greenberg said. "[Winning this weekend] is very important. It's important for the girls to feel good about themselves, everyone wants to go into finals with a positive attitude." "This weekend could be a good confidence-builder going into the Ivies," Jones said. The play of Jones and fellow freshman guard Tara Twomey will be an important factor in the games this weekend. Jones, who went to high school at nearby Germantown Friends, has started every game of her young Penn career and even scored six points in her collegiate debut against Temple. "That first game was a little bit nerve-wracking, but I've adjusted to it now," Jones said. Jones, who didn't know she would be a first-year starter until a few days before the Quakers first game, far from being intimidated, has played well enough to retain her starting role for the foreseeable future. "I'm really happy with the role that I've been placed in and that the coaches trust me at such an early point in my collegiate career," Jones said. Twomey, who serves as the Quakers backup point guard, also holds the respect of the coaches, as she has gotten her share of minutes off the bench. "I don't know if I was expecting [this amount of playing time]," Twomey said. "But, I have confidence in the way I play." Twomey's confidence and composure on the court have earned her a nickname not usually associated with freshmen. "On the court, we actually call her 'The General,'" Jones said. "Because, as a freshman, she's so confident and calm. The coaches really appreciate that she can do that as a freshman." When asked whether she was somewhat cowed by the pace of play and the amount of time involved in preparation in Division-I college basketball -- things that both freshmen noted as the biggest changes from high school -- Twomey said she took it all in stride. "I don't feel intimidated, no," Twomey said. "I can't feel intimidated if I'm going to play the best that I can. In D-I college ball, all the players are good quality, so you can't let down at all." Twomey also had only positive things to say about Jones. "I think Jen has a lot of potential," Twomey said. "It says a lot when coach Greenberg has the confidence to start her right away. I like playing with her and hanging out with her." The freshmen, who both said they chose Penn because of its blend of good academics and athletics, are natural friends because they spend so much time together on and off the court. "We go to practice, then we usually eat dinner together a lot and then we go to study hall," Twomey said. "We just hang out." Both young guards were enamored of their first-year coach. "I like the way she coaches," Twomey said. "I like her style of play and the fast-paced game."