Krikorian changes his spots

He's been on both sides and now, he's moving on.

Formerly a member of Penn's JV basketball team as an undergraduate, Penn men's basketball assistant coach John Krikorian opted to leave the Quakers coaching staff over the summer in his continual pursuit of his ultimate goal -- becoming a head coach at a Division I program.

And because it doesn't appear that Penn head coach Fran Dunphy is going anywhere, anytime soon, Krikorian changed his zip code and accepted a new assistant coaching position at Lafayette College.

The decision -- given Krikorian's allegiances to Penn -- was not any easy one to make.

"I love Penn - there's no place I'd rather be," Krikorian said. "This was the toughest decision I've had to make so far."

Although he never played varsity ball for the Quakers, Krikorian has been intimately involved in Penn's basketball program for over a decade.

While pursuing his undergraduate degree in Systems Engineering -- which he completed in 1996 -- Krikorian became interested in coaching largely due to his mentor, former JV coach Steve Donahue. Donahue is now the head coach of Cornell's varsity team.

Krikorian bounced around at Division II and Division III schools post-graduation until he received a call from Penn, with a little help from Donahue.

When Donahue accepted the job at Cornell, he pushed for Krikorian to act as his replacement.

Krikorian was all too happy to accept his new role.

In his two years as an assistant coach at Penn, Krikorian scheduled the Quakers' games, helped out with recruiting and worked with the players individually.

Krikorian will have similar responsibilities at Lafayette.

"This is a move up for me," he said. "I have more responsibility. I had to take a chance and step out. This way, down the road, more doors will hopefully open up for me."

And much like Penn, recruiting is a constant challenge at Lafayette because the coaches are always seeking players that can meet the academic requirements and are willing to give up a scholarship from other schools. The Patriot League -- of which Lafayette is a member -- does not allow programs to offer athletic scholarships.

"I'm out on the road all of the time," Krikorian said. "Everyday, we're trying to find the right fit for our program."

Despite the eventual payoff, it was still difficult for Krikorian to walk away, especially heading into such a promising season for the Penn men's basketball team.

With all five starters returning, the Quakers are hoping to repeat as champs and subsequently, improve upon last season's first-round loss in the NCAAs to California.

"I'm excited for them, just to know the chances that they have," Krikorian said. "Losing to Cal -- they're gonna be ready to go."

Although the date yet to be finalized, Penn and Lafayette will square off sometime in January.

"I hope they play really well," Krikorian said. "I just hope we play a little bit better."

Krikorian's career aspirations have steered him away from West Philadelphia for a time, but he hopes that won't last too long.

Nothing could make Krikorian happier than a return to the Red and Blue.

Until then, he'll be focusing on the Leopards.

"It's a great group of kids," he said. "It's a new challenge."

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