Basketball Preview | Seniority no synonym for experience this year

Darren Smith has been relegated to the sidelines, watching every game and every practice, merely wishing he could make some on-court contribution to his struggling team.

Now, finally healthy after a fractured kneecap in the 2007 season-opener and a roller-coaster rehab-gone-wrong, Smith has been thrust straight into a veteran leadership role after being elected as one of two captains on a young Penn team.

“It’s extremely difficult, being completely helpless basically,” the Elizabeth, N.J., native said of his two-year comeback. “I couldn’t contribute in any way, except by being a vocal leader, but that only goes so far without actually being on the court.”

Smith joins forwards Andreas Schreiber and Justin Reilly as Penn’s lone seniors, all of whom missed significant time due to various injuries last season.

Schreiber dislocated his shoulder, made it back to play in two December games, then was lost for the season when he dislocated it again. Meanwhile, Reilly played in only 11 games at the end of last season.

Due to yet another injury, Penn coach Glen Miller said he is still a long way from being able to contribute this year.

“You don’t know what you’ve lost until it’s gone,” Schreiber said of sitting on the sidelines last year. “It was crazy.”

While the missed playing time may make the seniors less experienced than some of their younger peers, the injuries could be a mixed blessing down the road.

Both Schreiber and Smith are applying for a fifth year of eligibility, but unlike in most other conferences, an extra year is only granted in the Ivy League based on demonstration of academic need.

The Swedish Schreiber wants two consecutive years to develop before, hopefully, playing overseas.

Miller said it appears his request will be granted since he has added a second major. Smith’s case may be murkier, but Miller is hopeful for a favorable conclusion.

“That’s a whole process that we don’t have any control over,” Miller said. “The further you get along with your education here, the harder it is to show a reason why you need a fifth year academically.”

By the end of his freshman year, Smith worked his way into the starting lineup, leaving him as the only player on the current roster to start for an Ivy championship squad. Miller commended Smith’s character and commitment and expects him to improve his rhythm throughout the season.

“He’s rusty right now, but I think he’s progressing every day,” Miller said. “He’s healthy, but he still needs to get that leg stronger. … That said, he’s a key contributor for us right now. He’s ready to play.”

Penn graduated frontcourt veterans Cam Lewis and Brennan Votel, which leaves a hole for the 6-foot-9 Schreiber to fill.

“It’s going to be one of the key things, for me to play a bigger role,” Schreiber said. “I’m going to make sure that I’ve done my job to make it easier for the guards to open up the outside shot.”

Miller expects the frontcourt to improve this season, but he will need Schreiber, along with sophomores Larry Loughery and Mike Howlett, to finally avoid the injury bug. After all of the injuries last year, Schreiber said the team is aware of the problem and isn’t counting on good luck to maintain its health.

“We had a couple freak accidents, a couple of surgeries, but people are just taking precautions — stretching, doing all the small things to get ready for the game,” said Schreiber, who added that many players are also using extra therapy like jacuzzis and ice baths.

Beyond filling on-court roles, the seniors will be particularly challenged to fill the void in senior leadership that was so evident last season. Miller said the problem occurred because so many veterans were thrown into their first significant game action.

While Miller is confident that there is experience on the team, leadership might not come exclusively from the seniors.

“Usually leaders are guys who are experienced, who are very confident in their own game, and then they can give themselves a leadership capacity,” Miller said. “If you are out there just trying to get your own game going and fit in and progress yourself, certainly you have something to contribute to the team, but it’s very difficult to be a leader.”

But the seniors are still cognizant of their roles as the elder statesmen; and they are on a mission to return Penn to its winning tradition.

“I think on any team, seniors are the ones looked to most to be leaders on and off the court,” Smith said. “I think that’s something that, as a group, we’re definitely trying to lead.”

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