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Coach Glen Miller is like a kid in a candy shop.

And with the wealth of talent at his fingertips, nobody should be surprised.

With several players capable of starting roles and the season rapidly approaching, deciding who would make the starting five was certainly difficult.

The next generation of starters would invariably be based on last season's prolific triumvirate of forwards Stephen Danley and Mark Zoller and guard Ibrahim Jaaber- all seniors.

"I think Steve, Mark and Ibby have done a terrific job up to this point," Miller said. "They're experienced players that had a lot of success here, and they have high expectations for this season, so I expect good leadership out of all three of them."

But while these three starting positions were filled by the three captains, two vacant spots remained. The graduation of Eric Osmundson left one opening in the backcourt, and David Whitehurst's dismissal from Penn for academic reasons left another.

And on Wednesday, Miller at last revealed who would fill those spots.

Junior Brian Grandieri snagged the fourth spot, due in large part to his impressive contribution as the team's sixth man last season. And despite a rough freshman campaign, sophomore Tommy McMahon has emerged as the fifth starter.

But make no mistake - this team belongs to the seniors.

After a tremendous season that earned a unanimous selection for Ivy League Player of the Year, Jaaber will be expected to contribute substantially this season.

Jaaber's success was critical to the team last season, and he has only gotten better since.

"As a basketball player, you want to improve every aspect of your game, any opportunity you have," Jaaber said. "I focused on the things I do well but also more detail as far as footwork and shot projection."

Bolstering Jaaber's leadership presence is fellow first-team All-Ivy pick Zoller, the team's second-leading scorer last year behind Jaaber, contributing 12.7 points per game.

Zoller's 20 blocks and team-leading 7.3 rebounds per contest showed his ability to be effective on both ends of the court.

But he still has much to improve.

"I've been working a little bit more on my outside shot and taking one, two dribbles and pulling up," Zoller said. "On the defensive aspect, I've been working on that any way I could, playing one-on-one over the summer and just trying to do things that would help my speed."

Danley showed much improvement and maturation over last season. While he will still look to be a low-post presence, Danley could see some time on the perimeter.

"Coach emphasizes that we have to be able to do things from a lot of different places on the floor," Danley said. "It's a matter of improving my inside game while working on my outside skills because I'm going to find myself outside a lot more this year."

Like the three seniors, Grandieri is no stranger to the starting lineup - he started four games at the beginning of last season while Zoller recovered from an ankle injury.

The crafty guard has a nose for the ball, and despite only starting those four games, he was third on the team in rebounds with 4.6 per game.

"Grandieri will be a key player for us because he does a little bit of everything well," Miller said. "You like guys that are involved in the action and do a lot of different things. I'm very pleased with Brian to this point."

One of his standout performances came in an overtime win over Brown in which he scored 13 points off the bench while grabbing eight boards, dishing three assists and tallying four steals.

The last starting position was less clear cut, with many players vying for the role. But ultimately, McMahon won out.

The sophomore played in 17 contests last year, averaging 10 minutes, before a back injury cut his season short.

The 6-foot-7 swingman relied mostly on his outside shot, taking nearly three-quarters of his attempts from behind the arc.

After playing through lingering back pain to have a solid preseason, McMahon's shot is looking good, according to Miller.

"I think he's building confidence as we go along, and he can really shoot it," Miller said. "His production force is really important to us, and he's going to be a key to our success."

The sophomore, though, has proved somewhat of a liability on the defensive end. In order to show he is worthy for the starting job, his defensive play is a weakness that he must address.

And if McMahon fails to address it, there are plenty of potential starters waiting in the wings.

Junior guard Mike Kach - returning to the team after taking his sophomore year off - has the talent to steal the spot. But a stress fracture in his foot will sideline him for the first few weeks of the season.

At least for now, it looks like McMahon will be the man joining Grandieri and the seniors as the opening whistle is blown tonight on the Quakers' season.

And with all of this talent at his beck and call, it sure seems like Miller has plenty to be excited about.

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