Positional Breakdown: Shooting Guard

In the days leading up to Friday's Penn basketball 2011-12 season opener at UMBC, the (newly redesigned) Buzz will break down how the Quakers are shaping up at each position. After taking a look at the floor general position yesterday, we predict what to expect out of the 2-guards.

THE PLAYERS:

Sophomore Miles Cartwright is easily the most dynamic player in Penn's backcourt. He is extremely crafty and his ability to penetrate the lane and finish at the cup makes him a uniquely talented player on this roster. His ball-handling ability as a combo-guard also allows point guard Zack Rosen to play more off the ball, making life a little bit easier for the senior captain.

Sophomore Dau Jok: The 6-4 two-man came in last year with the label of three-point shooter, but he did not see much action (35 minutes total over 12 games played). We've been told he's put a lot of work in the gym to bulk up his lithe frame, but it remains to be seen where he'll figure into the rotation.

Freshman Simeon Esprit: The London native has great size for an Ivy League shooting guard at a lanky 6'6. His height and length could prove to be a major advantage on the defensive end. From the little we've seen of him, he appears to have a smooth game on the offensive end with the ability to shoot the ball from the outside and penetrate.

Freshman Cam Crocker: The 6'3 combo-guard was previewed in our point guard piece, but as Brian said, the scoring lefty will likely play off the ball at the 2 as someone who, like Cartwright, can handle the ball when needed.

THE MINUTES:

Cartwright, having started the team's last 19 games a year ago (33.8 minutes per game on the season) will get the lion's share of minutes at the 2. A guy like Esprit could see some time if Coach Jerome Allen wants to throw a bigger lineup out there (Then again, a small forward like Tyler Bernardini or Rob Belcore could also slide to the 2). The competition between all three not named Cartwright will come down to who can most effectively provide that inside-outside threat to complement Rosen.

OUTLOOK:

This will be one of the more dynamic positions Penn has, just because of the depth in the backcourt. The combination of Rosen-Cartwright will obviously be the most potent, but with the ability of guys like Crocker and Lucas-Perry to handle the rock, each of these four guys could conceivably shuffle between the 1 and 2 (although given Lucas-Perry's size, he's going to fit more as a point). Cartwright provides the Quakers with a penetrator who can draw contact and get to the FT line when Penn needs to stop the bleeding (his 100 FT attempts ranked 2nd on the team last year). His speed and quickness also makes him a threat to get in the passing lanes defensively.