Freshman stars looking to prove worth in early part of season

Much of the talk surrounding the Penn men's basketball team this year has been about how its upperclassmen will cope with the numerous losses the Quakers have had to graduation. However, they need not cope alone.

This year's freshman class is comprised of four players who bring strong credentials to the Penn program -- and they may be used sooner than the last few groups of underclassmen have been.

Steve Danley, Ibrahim Jaaber, Ryan Pettinella and Mark Zoller make up the Quakers' Class of 2007. Penn coach Fran Dunphy is willing to test their skills early against not only the Ivy League but also some of the nation's elite teams.

"We like them a great deal," he said. "All four of them can make significant contributions."

And while Dunphy admits that the freshmen "are thrown to the wolves, essentially" with early games against national powers No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 3 Michigan State and No. 13 Saint Joseph's, he thinks that "they have an opportunity -- but how quickly that's going to present itself is hard to tell."

This year's class has a distinctly Northeastern flavor. Danley, a 6'8", 215-pound forward, comes to West Philadelphia by way of Germantown, Md., and DeMatha Catholic High School. While there, he spent time under the tutelage of Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten before the man with the most wins in high school basketball history retired in November 2002.

"It's just fantastic, to get the chance to play for [Wootten] for three years," Danley said. "I know he's a guy I can call up when I'm in trouble so he's really more than just a coach for me."

Dunphy is excited about Danley's physicality, especially close to the basket.

"Danley works very, very hard at the game," Dunphy said. "He's going to be banging around in there and be efficient whenever he gets his opportunities."

Although Danley says he "paid a lot of attention to all the Ivies," he admitted that he "wasn't really aware of the program" at Penn until he went through the recruiting process.

"Princeton gets a little more press sometimes," he added.

But that perceived prejudice has provided him motivation to perform better for Penn.

"I'm out here to prove we're a better program now," he said.

Jaaber, an Elizabeth, N.J., native and graduate of The Peddie School, has already been impressive in scrimmages, particularly because of his speed. The 6'2" and 170 pound guard may give Penn the depth in the backcourt to replace Andrew Toole, one of three starters who graduated last year.

Despite his quickness on the court, even Jaaber admits that bulk is not one of his strong suits. Still, he remains optimistic about his chances of getting time this season.

"The stronger I get, hopefully the more I'll play," he said.

"Jaaber, as a backcourt player, has got good skills," Dunphy said. "He can make shots, he can make people around him better defensively, he gets his hands on a lot of balls."

Pittsford, N.Y., native Pettinella comes to Penn having led McQuaid Jesuit High School to as high as a No. 3 ranking in the USA Today national high school poll last year.

He is a 6'9", 220-pound forward whom Dunphy labeled "as fast a post position player we've ever had, and as quick a post position player we've ever had."

Pettinella appreciates the rich history of the Penn program.

"I came from a high school that had a winning tradition, and I was really looking for a college that would put me in a similar situation," he said. "Penn definitely has one of the richest traditions in the nation, and the academics... it gave me the best of both worlds."

Zoller knows plenty about Penn's traditions as well. A native of Blue Bell, Pa., and graduate of Saint Joseph's Preparatory School, he was named the 2002-03 Philadelphia Daily News Co-Player of the Year, so he has plenty of experience with the local basketball scene.

"Growing up around here, I came to Big 5 games when I was a little kid," he said. "It's just an amazing place to play every day and watch games -- it has so much history."

Zoller is modest about the praise he has been given by the local media over the last year.

"I guess it's a good thing for Penn, to show that Penn's still a major threat in the Big 5," he said. "I'm just trying to work hard and get better each day. That's all I'm trying to do, and get a good education."

Dunphy thinks that Zoller doesn't quite fit the stereotype of a 6'6", 210-pound forward.

"You would look at him and say he's undersized as a 6'5 1/2", 6'6" forward-type guy, but he's a terrific basketball player," he said. "He just gets things done. He's a guy that can score. He will battle."

Dunphy said it is too early to try to compare this year's freshman class to some of the other great classes in Penn basketball history.

"I can only speak to the fact that I enjoy very much the fact that they are all here," he said. "I don't think we need to tag them yet but what we do know is that they have a great opportunity to make an impact, hopefully sooner rather than later."

And when sooner or later comes, the freshmen will be put into key situations.

"When they do get it, how do they handle it?" Dunphy said. "That will be the key. Are they nervous? Are they afraid? are they tentative? Well then maybe you're a little more tentative the next time the opportunity presents itself.

"If they go in there and are very poised and they maybe even miss a shot, but it looks like it was well done... well then you give him more of an effort, more of an opportunity."

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