Tydings | 2013-14 Penn basketball too similar to last year's frustrating season

On Saturday, Penn State struggled to contain Darien Nelson-Henry.

But that didn’t stop the Nittany Lions from taking an 83-71 victory at the Palestra.

And after the sophomore center put up 21 points to lead Penn, all he could see was one stat flashing in front of him after the postgame press conference.

Five.

“Five [bleeping] rebounds,” he muttered in frustration after peering down at the stat sheet.

Five rebounds.

Nelson-Henry led the team with those five boards but after getting run off the floor by the Lions, there was no way for Nelson-Henry – or anyone else on the Red and Blue squad – to be satisfied.

And that is becoming a common trend.

Frustration.

Nelson-Henry scores 21 points but can’t get more than five boards despite almost all of Penn State’s forwards dealing with foul trouble. Senior captain Fran Dougherty has just 10 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. And the Quakers as a whole have been atrocious rebounding the ball.

To top it off, the Red and Blue have seen little, if any, scoring from players not named Miles Cartwright, Tony Hicks, Nelson-Henry or Dougherty.

In other words, it seems like the results of the 2012-13 season bled into this year a little too much.

With Penn returning the entire team from last season, the Quakers were expected to learn from their mistakes and to turn from an inconsistent squad showing promise to an Ivy contender.

But the stats say it all. 2012-13’s Penn squad was seventh in the Ivies in scoring defense while ranking dead last in defensive rebounding percentage and overall rebounding margin.

This year? The exact same.

Sure, it is a small sample size, but just three games into this season, Penn is showing the same signs of concerns from last year’s 9-21 finish.

And while coach Jerome Allen stated that he knows his team “can’t guard the ball” and “cannot rebound the ball,” he needs to find answers to why Penn can’t do those things before the team begin to spiral like last season.

Because, quite frankly, the Quakers are better than 1-2. Penn has let two solid yet beatable opponents come into the Palestra and push the team around before a late fight from the Red and Blue.

So after Penn faces a tough Iowa squad on the road on Friday, they will have a one-month stretch featuring games against teams like Lafayette, Marist and Wagner.

With that soft stretch of schedule, it is time for the frustration from Penn’s press conferences to turn into energy and results on the floor. It is time to hear Allen be able to say his team can guard or rebound against an opponent. It is time for bad losses to turn into good wins.

Because until that turning point comes, until Nelson-Henry can walk away from the postgame presser without a longing stare at the stat sheet, it seems like 2013-14 may just be a replay of last year’s disappointment.

And if this season can be considered a success, that can’t happen.

STEVEN TYDINGS is a Wharton sophomore from Hopewell, N.J., and is a sports editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. He can be reached at tydings@thedp.com.

SEE ALSO

Three Up, Three Down | Beating Iowa will be tall order for Penn basketball

Ivy Basketball Roundup: November 21st

By the numbers: Penn basketball’s foul-filled loss to Penn State

Kasper | Both heart and strategy lacking for Penn basketball

Penn State handily defeats Penn basketball, 83-71

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