With less than a week before its tipoff against Quinnipiac, several things are still up in the air for the Penn men's basketball team.
At the top of the list is who will be on the floor at the outset.
While Penn coach Fran Dunphy has kept his starting lineup relatively guarded, the picture is becoming clearer.
Dunphy has decided that sophomore Ibby Jaaber and senior Tim Begley will be the two starting swingmen when the season opens. "I would say that Jaaber and Begley will probably definitely start," he said.
This is no surprise. Begley, who hails from Freehold, N.J., has started throughout his career at Penn. Last year, Begley averaged 13.1 points per game and was named to the All-Ivy second team.
Jaaber, entering his second season as a member of the Quakers, was arguably the most exciting player on last year's squad. He averaged 6.5 points and 1.3 steals per game coming off the bench.
The rest of the starting lineup is still up in the air. "After [Begley and Jaaber], it could be a combination of guys," Dunphy said.
Injuries have made Dunphy's decision a bit more difficult, especially at the point guard spot.
Eric Osmundson, a senior from Carlsbad, Calif., is the obvious choice to start.
"He's a very good athlete and he's working on the pace of the game and seeing the game at a little slower speed," Dunphy said.
However, Osmundson is battling a mouth injury and may be unavailable for the opener. If he is not ready to go, Dunphy tabbed freshman Michael Kach as his replacement.
When asked about the point guard situation, Dunphy again was noncommital.
"Eric Osmundson, if he's healthy, or Mike Kach. But if Kach is in there, we're point guard by committee."
The situation in the frontcourt is even cloudier for the Red and Blue. The team's depth at forward has engendered a competition for minutes.
"The forwards, we're blessed with a lot of guys and a lot of depth," Dunphy said.
Figuring to play a lot of minutes is Mark Zoller, who saw significant time last season as a freshman. The Blue Bell, Pa., native averaged 8.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Quakers while becoming a force down the stretch. However, Dunphy has not guaranteed Zoller anything as several other players are vying for time.
Among those likely to receive significant minutes, according to Dunphy, are senior Jan Fikiel and sophomores Steve Danley and Ryan Pettinella.
Dunphy said, above all, he is looking for consistency from his forwards.
"Solid rebounding, solid defensively, run the floor, get easy baskets ... and overall just make great decisions when they have the basketball," Dunphy said when asked about his expectations.
While it seems that divvying up the minutes among the forwards will be Dunphy's most difficult task, the Penn coach believes it will be among the easiest.
"Whoever plays the best will be there in crunch time," Dunphy said. "And that to me is about a thousand times more important than who starts."
