M. Hoops reloads with four recruits

For six players on the Penn men's basketball team, 2003 will mark the end of something special, the end of a magnificent run atop the Ivy League. But for four incoming freshmen -- Ryan Pettinella, Stephen Danley, Mark Zoller, and Ibrahim Jaaber -- this year marks the beginning of what hopefully will be an equally successful reign atop the Ancient Eight.

The four roundballers of Penn's Class of 2007 indeed have big shoes to fill -- including those of two-time Ivy Player of the Year Ugonna Onyekwe -- as they look to contribute to coach Fran Dunphy's squad, which returns two starters.

Dunphy has recruited a duo of big men -- the 6'9" Danley and the 6'8" Pettinella -- in an attempt to replace graduating seniors Onyekwe and Koko Archibong.

Pettinella will try to help the Quakers capture another Ancient Eight crown after leading his McQuaid Jesuit High School (Rochester, N.Y.) squad to a title of its own -- the New York Class A State Championship. McQuaid was ranked as high as third in the nation according to a USA Today poll.

"He's a big kid who is a tremendous athlete," McQuaid coach Joseph Marchese said. "He's the best big man I've ever had. He's extremely coachable and has a great work ethic."

Marchese notes that Pettinella's most impressive attribute is his ability to run up and down the floor.

"He can run like a deer," he said. "He is excellent at catching the ball and running the fast break."

Though he is a big man, Pettinella is also a good shooter around the floor, leading his team in field goal percentage this season by shooting almost 70 percent.

While Pettinella was lauded with awards for his play in high school -- a selection to the first team All-Greater Rochester, State All-Tournament teams and third team All-State -- he and his coach both note that there is significant room for improvement.

"His game in the post needs work. He tends to rush a little bit," Marchese said. "But he's got a world of potential. He is nowhere near his potential."

"I need to work on my strength and speed," Petinella said.

Turning down opportunities from such schools as Holy Cross, Davidson and Rice, Pettinella chose to come to Penn for its academics and notably, the Wharton School.

Danley, meanwhile, will come to Penn after graduating from DeMatha Catholic High School (Hyattsville, Md.) -- arguably home of the most storied high school basketball program of all time.

College basketball recruiting Web site TheInsiders.com says that Danley, who was also recruited by Princeton, "does the dirty work" and has "tremendous power in terms of getting himself in the mix, rebounding and throwing quick, accurate outlet passes."

In April, Danley participated in the Jordan Capital Classic Regional Game, where he scored three points and grabbed two rebounds off the bench. The game featured the 20 best players in the nation's capital region, including Daryl Strawberry's son D.J., who will be attending Maryland and Patrick Ewing's son, who has committed to Indiana.

In addition to his basketball merits, Danley also proved to be a star in the classroom in high school, as he was named a National Merit Commended Student and a Maryland Distinguished Scholar.

Dunphy believes that both Danley and Pettinella will help the Quakers, but in different ways.

"They are two guys who will help our program out," he told The Philadelphia Inquirer on April 29. "And they are two different types of players. Steve is more of an inside player, and I think Ryan can play inside or outside."

Attempting to replace departing backcourt members, particularly Andrew Toole and David Klatsky Dunphy has brought in the 6'2" guard Jaaber.

Jaaber -- who played for one year as a post-graduate at New Jersey's Peddie School after playing high school basketball in New Jersey -- averaged 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game this year.

"He can play both guard spots," Peddie head coach Chris Peddie said. "He is actually similar to Toole because he can play off the ball."

Nicknamed "Ibby", Jaaber ---who torched the Penn junior varsity squad with 28 points this season -- said he chose Penn for a variety of reasons instead of taking scholarships from Drexel or Lafayette.

"The academics are better," he said. "I also liked the [Penn-Princeton] game I went to at the Palestra. It was crazy."

However, Jaaber remembers that he was scared Dunphy would not be interested in him.

"I was worried at first," he said. "He hadn't come see me play, but then he finally did. When he came to see me, he made a point of letting me know he wanted me."

Potash noted that his star player, listed at 170 pounds, must "fill out a little bit" in order to "play at the level Penn is at."

The final member of this foursome is Zoller, the Philadelphia Daily News Co-Player of the Year. He averaged 21.4 points and 12 rebounds per game this season for St. Joseph's Preparatory School, which won the Philadelphia Catholic League and finished No. 22 nationally according to USA Today.

Zoller told The Daily Pennsylvanian on April 21 that he "just fell in love with Penn. The coach was really nice. All the players were really nice. I just loved the campus. I felt like I really belonged."

While Zoller -- recruited by Colgate, Boston University, Lafayette and Princeton -- played center in high school, he will have to switch to the small forward or guard position in college.

"I'll play more outside, shoot some threes," Zoller said on April 21. "[I'll play] more of an inside-outside game."

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