Notebook: Lucky Seven: Smaller rotation for M. Hoops

Over the course of the roller-coaster 1999-2000 campaign, Penn men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy has experimented with a variety of lineups and offensive sets. At different points this winter, 12 Quakers have seen significant playing time, but in Hanover, N.H., and in Boston this past weekend, Dunphy shortened his bench and went with a seven-man rotation. One of the beneficiaries of this move was freshman guard David Klatsky, who averaged 26 minutes per game on this road trip. "Klatsky has been in there -- you saw him a lot tonight," Dunphy said following Penn's 62-61 win at Harvard. "He's a good player, David is. We need him in there to run our offense like we need it to run." On the season, Klatsky has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.8-to-1 -- a better rate than seniors Michael Jordan or Matt Langel. · Late in Saturday's game at Harvard, Penn men's basketball forward Ugonna Onyekwe went down to the floor in pain after taking an inadvertent blow to the face from Harvard star Dan Clemente. The freshman kneeled on the floor for several minutes before heading to the bench to get his bearings. "Clemente was wearing goggles, and he dipped down and when he was coming up, it caught me right between my eyes," said Onyekwe, who is averaging 11.2 points per game. "It took me out for a little bit, but then I shook it off and I was OK. "I had to go back in anyways." But Penn fans need not have worried -- the 6'8" power forward returned just 41 seconds later and notched a dunk and a layup in the final minutes of play. · Penn is on course to clinch its second consecutive Ivy League title and NCAA berth this Saturday at home against Yale. While the Princeton game Tuesday at the Palestra will be packed, tickets are still available for what could be a pair of equally raucous celebrations this weekend. And the Quakers need all the fan support they can get. "I think it will give us a real good advantage and help us to push through these last few games if the fans are really vocal and intimidating the opposition," Onyekwe said. "We really want to focus and finish off strong these last few games. "So definitely that will be a big advantage to us if the fans are loud and come out in great large numbers to support us." Langel, who watched St. Joe's fans storm the Palestra floor after the Hawks defeated Temple last night, reflected on the response of Penn fans in big games of the recent past. "When we beat Temple last year, they stormed the court," Langel said. "And last year the fans celebrated on the floor after the Cornell game at home. As players, we didn't really feel like that was a time for us to celebrate, so we didn't celebrate -- but the fans do what the fans want to do." · Last night at a special halftime ceremony at the Palestra, seven former basketball players had their numbers inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame. The honorees included Penn's all-time leading scorer, Ernie Beck. And while Beck has been out of Penn basketball for almost five decades, he still keeps up on some aspects of Quakers hoops. "I know Fran [Dunphy] very well, and I'm pushing hard for them," Beck said. "They had a great weekend -- I know we had a close one last week -- but they're sitting on top. The only thing is now they have to win the last three. And Princeton will never be easy." Beck however, was unaware of the challenge to his scoring throne being posed by Quakers junior women's basketball player Diana Caramanico, who is closing in on several of Beck's records. She now has 1,741 points in her three years and seems a very safe bet to surpass Beck's career record of 1,827 points. "No, I don't really get a chance to follow the women, but I always said my records were made to be broken," Beck said. "It is unbelievable that my record has lasted [48 years]. It feels good to know that you're still remembered because of them, but hopefully in time somebody will break them, and that's the way it should be." · Penn is currently one of only three teams that has a chance to go undefeated in conference play. Cincinnati (26-2, 14-0 Conference USA) and Utah State (23-5, 14-0 Big West) are the others. And the Quakers 13-game winning streak ranks second in the nation -- trailing only the 14-game spell currently enjoyed by Utah State. · Today is 6'11" Penn center Geoff Owens' 22nd birthday. "You know, we really haven't discussed any plans for the big fella," Langel said. "But I'm sure he would be the first one to say that winning an Ivy League championship and going back to the tournament would be a great birthday gift for him."

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