Greenberg to square off with former coach

The Penn women's basketball team hosts Towson tonight. From 1982 to 1985, Kelly Greenberg was a star girls basketball player for Archbishop Wood High School in the suburbs of Philadelphia. For the first three of her four years playing for Wood, Ellen Fitzkee was her coach. Player and coach will be reunited on the hardwood of the Palestra tonight when Towson, coached by Fitzkee, travels north to take on the Greenberg-led Penn women's basketball team. The matchup will mark the first time that Fitzkee has ever coached against a team led by one of her former players. "The others that have stayed in basketball are assistant coaches or along those levels, but Kelly's the only player who's made it all the way to a head coaching position," Fitzkee said. "I'm really excited for this." The 12th-year Tigers coach and Philadelphia native is trying to use her personal excitement to spark her struggling team, which holds a dismal 4-10 record. "Many times for a non-conference game, the players don't get too fired up because they're not playing for the conference championship or anything like that," Fitzkee said. "I've tried to get them fired up because we're going back to Philly." Greenberg was in a similar situation at the beginning of the season when the Quakers took on her alma mater, La Salle, and her former college coach John Miller. She said, though, that the initial strange feelings before the La Salle game disappeared once the clock started on the floor. "After the ball was tipped, I didn't even notice we were playing La Salle," she said. "I would think the same thing will happen tonight." The entire Penn team (8-5) is hoping for more of the same tonight after going an impressive 4-1 over the winter break. This included a win at Princeton, which plays a slow, defense-oriented style similar to what Towson will bring to the Palestra. It is also a style completely different from the fast-paced play Penn prefers, and the Quakers want to force Towson into running. "The king of all slow-downs is Princeton, and we beat them," Penn co-captain Diana Caramanico said. "All we have to do against that type of team is rebound and kick out and we can play our game all day." Standing in the way of this strategy is Tigers' forward Shniece Perry, Towson's force in the paint who averages 10.3 rebounds per game. If Perry is allowed room underneath, especially on the offensive boards where she is known to put in many second-chance baskets, the brakes could be slammed on the Penn fast breaks. The Quakers forwards realize the impact that Perry could have on their game plan and are ready to take some extra precautions to keep her away from the glass. "Our goal is to limit her to seven [rebounds]," said Caramanico, who averages 11.0 rebounds per game. "It just takes a little bit more focus and concentration to know where she is all the time. She's really good on offensive rebounds, so even if she's not near the basket we need to make sure to box her out." If Perry is contained, the Quakers are confident they can pick up the tempo of the game, taking Towson out of its comfort zone while putting themselves in the driver's seat -- right where Penn likes to be. The high-pressure defense that Penn is planning to use should also put the slower, less-experienced Tigers into some uncomfortable situations, which Greenberg hopes will affect Towson's offensive rhythm and execution. "We'll look to keep up a full-court pressure," she said. "They're a team that averages less than 60 points a game, so our goal is to keep them under that average." With the Penn offense running at full speed, and the defense putting on a ton of pressure, Caramanico is very confident that the Quakers will come out on top tonight at the Palestra. "This is definitely a winnable game," she said. "A should-win, not a could-win." And if what Caramanico said should happen does in fact happen, the Quakers will be off to their best start in team history with just one game remaining before the Ivy League schedule gets into full swing. "The last few games before the Ivy season are extremely important," Penn co-captain Mandy West said. "It builds our confidence." The added confidence that would come from a Penn win will be even sweeter for Greenberg, who could show her old high school coach that she's been able to learn a thing or two over the past 15 years.