On Thursday, Penn basketball broke their eight-game losing streak in a close and admittedly ugly 54-53 victory over NJIT. Up next, the Quakers will (not really) go on the road for a Big 5 matchup against St. Joseph's at the Palestra, for which the Hawks are the official home team. Here are some predictions for the Quakers' third Big 5 contest of the season:
Three Up-
Darien Nelson-Henry: In his first career start on Thursday against NJIT, Nelson-Henry had somewhat of a coming out party. He recorded his first collegiate double-double and was a huge factor in Penn’s vast improvement on the boards. The turnover problems are still there, but the Quakers will need to rely on DNH to be a presence in the paint, especially if Henry Brooks finds himself in foul trouble again.
Penn's bench contribution: St. Joseph’s Halil Kanacevic will miss his third straight game due to a death in the family. With him out, the Hawks won’t have a single bench player who averages more than 10 minutes per game. The Red and Blue will look to take advantage of their much deeper bench, as coach Allen has 10 players fit who average double-digits in minutes per game.
Patrick Lucas-Perry: While just about everyone else on the team underperformed against NJIT, Lucas-Perry was a rare bright spot. PLP scored eight points in only nine minutes on the court, including Penn’s final five points to grab the victory. So Perry has now been a driving force in two of the three Penn wins of the season — NJIT and UMBC. Expect more minutes for the diminutive guard as the Quakers will need all the help they can get to shut down an explosive St. Joe’s backcourt.
Three Down-
Penn turnovers: At some point, there really is nowhere to go but up. Or down, in this case. The Quakers turned the ball over a ghastly 26 times against NJIT, but expect that number to be significantly lower on Saturday. St. Joe’s only causes its opponents to commit 10.9 turnovers per game this season, while hopefully coach Allen will have made some tweaks to who handles the ball for Penn and how they do it.
Jamal Lewis: With the recent emergence of Tony Hicks, Lewis has seen his minutes drop in the past few games. His performances have also dropped: 0 points off just two shots against Princeton and NJIT. This won’t have gone unnoticed by coach Allen, who should give emerging players like Lucas-Perry more minutes.
Penn rebounding deficiencies: Kanacevic’s absence for the Hawks also hurts them on the boards. St. Joe’s will miss his 7.2 rebounds per game, especially as Penn has been steadily improving in the rebounds department. Against NJIT, Quakers won the rebounding battle 41-24, the highest margin ever under coach Allen.
After starting out 0-2 in Big 5 play, Penn (3-13, 0-1 Ivy) will take on St. Joe’s (9-6) at the Palestra on Saturday evening. For this edition of Behind Enemy Lines, I caught up with Hawks’ assistant coach Mark Bass, a St. Joe’s alumnus and former player who competed against Jerome Allen and Penn during his playing days. During our conversation, we talked about coach Phil Martelli’s commitment to Big 5 tradition, the Hawks’ turnaround over the last three seasons and more.
Last year, this game was listed as a home game for Penn at the Palestra, but this year it’s listed as a home game for St. Joe’s, despite also being played at the Palestra. Do you get the sense that your team enjoys coming to the Palestra for these games?
I think coach Martelli — that’s a question for him to answer, because he likes playing at the Palestra. I think any opponent would love to play the game on their home floor … But I think in his point of view, Big 5 game, he thinks it should be played at the Palestra … But personally I would love this game on home field to give us all the advantages we can get.
In last year’s game between Penn and St. Joe’s, Zack Rosen, Tyler Bernardini and Rob Belcore combined for 52 points. How does their absence change your gameplan against Penn?
I think last year’s team with those three guys — they were seniors. They had senior leadership, and we were playing with sophomores and juniors.
And now, there’s this turn that we’re playing with juniors and seniors, and they’re playing with some underclassmen. So hopefully our upperclassmen can do the same things that their seniors did last year. Those three gentlemen dominated the game last year, and we didn’t have an answer for them.
What do you see about Jerome Allen as a player that is reflected in the teams he coaches?
His passion as a player and as a coach just boils over. You can see how much passion he has on the sidelines, and he played with that same passion. And of course it rubs off on his own players, and that’s what Jerome brought as a player and he’s bringing it as a coach — his passion for the game.
Just two seasons ago, St. Joe’s finished the year well below .500 at 11-22. What have been the keys to the program’s improvement since then?
I just think guys getting better — getting better in the offseason, working on their game, working on their body, just getting better.
And that’s basketball because now in a couple years you’re going to be saying the same thing about this young group of guys at Penn. They’re taking their bumps in the road right now …so next year they should be better. And that’s what happened with us. Two years ago, we won 11 games. Last year, we won 20.
So it’s about getting better, not getting down on yourself and getting better as an individual and as a team. I think if you look at our team and you look at the Penn team now, they were along similar lines. That’s what I see with our team, and I think this young core group of guys that Penn has are doing the same thing that we have. They’re going to get better just as we’ve gotten better and hopefully continue to get better.
Do you have any memorable moments from your playing days competing against Jerome Allen and Penn?
I just remember Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney — those two guys were a great backcourt — and just playing against those two and assistant coach Ira Bowman. It was just some good matchups and memorable moments playing in the Palestra against those guys.
I really can’t pick out a specific game or what-have-you. I just know matching up it was going to be a tough night for us guarding those three guys night in and night out.
Hall of Fame RB Gale Sayers interviews for vacant Athletic Director position
January 17, 1979
Just before one of the most iconic moments in Penn sports history, the university found itself without an athletic director. In the midst of a run to the men's basketball team's first and only Final Four appearance, the athletic department was in turmoil.
On to campus stepped Gale Sayers.
Throughout his NFL career with the Chicago Bears, Sayers compiled 4,956 yards rushing and 1,307 yards receiving in seven seasons. He also scored 56 touchdowns.
While his time playing professional football was cut short due to various knee injuries. After his retirement in 1972, Sayers spent time as athletic director at Southern Illinois University. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
In January 1979, a university search committee attempted to fill the AD position left vacant by Andy Geiger, who had accepted the same position at Stanford three months before.
Though university officials attempted to keep his visit to campus a secret, Sayers was the sixth candidate to be interviewed by the search committee.
The former running back was only 36 at the time of the interview.
In the end, Sayers was considered a finalist for the position. However, Charles Harris, an associate athletic director at the University of Michigan, was hired in September as the next Director of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics at Penn.
Follow along as Penn men's basketball takes on NJIT at Fleisher Athletic Center in Newark, N.J.
Thursday night, Penn (2-13) heads north to Newark, N.J., to take on NJIT (9-8) for the first time since the 2009-10 season (see preview). Former Highlanders and current Quakers assistant coach Ira Bowman will return to face the program for which he spent the previous four years coaching under Jim Engles (see story).
In this segment of Behind Enemy Lines, we spoke with Engles about turning around the program at NJIT, which set an all-time NCAA Division I worst record of 0-29 the season before he took over. In his first year, the Highlanders posted a 1-30 record but reached the 15-win threshold in his third and fourth seasons. Engles also has a connection to Penn — his uncle John Engles played for Penn from 1973-76 and landed in the Big 5 Hall of Fame in 1995.
What was it like to step into an environment as the head coach where the team had been 0-29 the season before?
I think the one thing that really helped me to understand the environment was when I went to Columbia, we took over a program that was very similar in a lot of different ways -- really good academic school, was 0-14 in the Ivy League at the time, I think was last in the RPI, the worst team in the country. And just seeing and working for Joe Jones, working with him for five years like I did, seeing how he was able to -- in college it's a process because you have to bring in players and they have to develop and it's not like you can go out and, especially in a place like ours and in the Ivy League, you can't go out and recruit anyone. There isn't a quick fix to it.
So I was able to do all the things around the program -- change the culture, get the guys to buy in, get the administration to buy in to what we were doing and all that stuff helps. And even though we only won one game our first year, I thought it really laid the ground work for us to continue to improve, and so I think my experience at Columbia was invaluable.
From no wins the year before you took over to one in your first season, your program reached 15 in your third and fourth seasons. What was the biggest contributing factor?
I think what it comes down to is when I took over the program we had no juniors or seniors in the program. We inherited a team and I thought it was fair to the guys in the program to give them a shot, because they had had such a bad year the year before, so we just needed some time to bring in new players.
And when you bring in new players at our level, I don't think you're recruiting the finished product. So they need some time to develop in the weight room, they need some time to develop on the court. And we're now in year five and I think all the guys on the roster right now have been through the program, and I have a good mix of seniors right now who have been through it and play a lot of quality minutes, and I've also got some freshmen now that'll learn how to play from them.
So I just think it's the natural progression of how the program's worked. I think we've been able to recruit a little bit better caliber a player every year, which has obviously helped. I'm excited where the program is going. I don't think we're at all close to where we need to be, but I think we've done a good job with what we've had and with the situation that we were presented with, and it's a day-to-day, game-to-game type of thing for us, but I'm really happy with how the program's progressed to this point.
Great West Conference has no automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Is that something that may change in the future? It obviously would help with recruiting if the school could qualify.
The next step for us is actually a lot of stuff outside the gym and the locker room. I think we need to get hopefully in the America East or Northeast Conference or a local conference, or any league with an automatic bid because that will help us with recruiting and allow us to continue our competitiveness and give us like opponents to compete against.
Our league is breaking up next year, so most of the teams in our league are going to the WAC. So there is a little bit of uncertainty right now from a league standpoint for us, but I know that we're doing everything we can to put us in a position to get into a league.
Haven't played Penn since your first season. Obviously they're having a down year but historically are a very good program. How big of a win would it be for NJIT to beat Penn?
Penn's tradition is one of the top 10 tradition-wise. Any time you can beat a program like that -- I know this sounds cliche, but we don't talk about winning. I really don't, because if you lose, what happens next? So I really talk about competing. If we can beat Penn that would be great. But we still have to continue to play our next game, so we have to minimize that.
Penn's a great program -- I know their record is a little bit down, and I haven't been able to watch them much yet since we play [Fairleigh Dickinson] on Monday, so I haven't been able to catch up on what they've done. But I know Penn is a good program and they'll be right up there in the Ivy League once it's all said and done. So I really don't go off their record.
In this week’s Mano-a-Mano, basketball writer John Phillips and Senior Sports Editor-elect Mike Tony debate who should take the reins at point guard for the Quakers.
John Phillips: I think that, as long as this team still wishes to compete in the Ivy League this season, Miles Cartwright should be the team’s point guard. In coach Allen’s mind, it seems as though the main choice is between Cartwright and Jamal Lewis, and Cartwright needs to be given the chance to be the leader that this team so severely needs.
He’s not a true point guard, no, but he does know the other Ivy teams better than any freshman (obviously), and so he gives the team the best shot. I’d spell him with Crocker, who has shown an ability to be a good point guard, but lacks the other attributes needed to be a consistent player.
Mike Tony: Why not try Tony Hicks at the point? Hicks is averaging 2.14 turnovers per game to Cartwright’s 3.36, and Hicks’ ballhandling has looked better as of late. Princeton coach Mitch Henderson was right when he complimented his ability to drive left after the Quakers’ loss to the Tigers.
Without a go-to offensive big man at the moment, Penn needs aggressiveness at point guard. It shouldn’t be his position alone, but give the keys to the guy who’s driving things right now.
JP: If we’re going to talk about aggressiveness, then Cartwright is still your guy. Opponents are shooting five more free throws per game than the Quakers, and when the team is losing games by close margins, those five shots add up.
While Hicks has been better of late, he’s still only gotten to the line 20 times this season. Cartwright is the most aggressive player on the team, having gotten to the line 81 times. In addition, he’s shooting 84 percent from the stripe, the second-highest percentage on the team.
Since the assist-to-turnover ratios of both players are basically equal, being able to produce in any way possible becomes of the utmost importance, and if that’s the case, then it has to be Cartwright.
MT: First of all, Hicks wasn’t the guard who attempted just seven field goals at Princeton. Cartwright was. But it’s not just about aggressiveness. It’s about position fluidity.
Miles came in to this season ready to take over the point. Cartwright’s dad told me before the season started that blossoming into a complete point guard was the development he wanted to see the most from his son this season.
That hasn’t quite materialized, and it’s time to give Hicks a shot at the wheel. Maybe Miles will step up his aggressiveness even more as the team’s primary wing option, because he’s clearly still the Quakers’ most valuable offensive asset at this time. I would agree that we need to see more court time for Crocker as well.
JP: Hicks showed that he can get to the basket against Princeton on a night when shots weren’t falling for Cartwright. But I can’t help but think that Hicks plays best when he’s able to focus on scoring rather than also needing to worry about distributing.
MT: It’s the freshman factor that works in Hicks’ favor in terms of who should be starting at the point. Hicks needs his freshman confidence bolstered right now. He spoke of nerves and playing tentatively on the team’s behalf after the Princeton game, which suggests he could benefit from a starting role and greater offensive control, which he’s increasingly earning. Put the ball in his hands at the start of every possession so he can blossom into Penn’s playmaker for years to come. Hicks can still run the point on Cartwright’s team.
Verdict: Even though Hicks will surely become a great player in years to come, this one goes to John. This season, from the outset, belonged to Cartwright, and the season hinged on his ability to produce. Until the season is officially in the tubes, Cartwright has to be the one steering the ship.
My name is Kristi Edleson and I am both a member of the women’s varsity swim and dive team as well as a DP Sports staff writer. Beginning today I will be bringing you a weekly splash about what’s going on at Sheerr Pool, located in our very own Pottruck Fitness center.
This past weekend the men’s and women’s teams faced Yale and Dartmouth in our annual tri-meet. Luckily this year it was home and we did not have to trek nine hours north to Hanover, N.H. – a surefire way to be exhausted and swim far from our best. The women beat Dartmouth but lost to Yale, as was expected. However, our male counterparts lost to both teams.
Though we don’t go into a dual meet or tri-meet under the impression that we are going to lose, we do tend to put a lot more emphasis on our end of season league championship meet, which may cost us a win or two over the course of the season.
Next weekend, our teams head up to swim at the brand new pool just built at Brown. Us ladies will face both Brown and Harvard, while the men will only swim Brown.
Currently practices are really tough as we prepare for the Ivy League championships in eight weeks (nine weeks for the men). Our head coach Mike Schnur told us every day for the next few weeks is a “try-out” for the Ivy team. Then men’s and women's team each have over 30 members, but only 18 can go to Ivies – so as always there will be DRAMA.
From the dark and deep
of the Ivy hoops basement
Cartwright plots revenge
In sleep, the Quaker
dreams of silencing Jadwin.
Please sit down, Princeton.
We all know you've had ample basketball coverage this weekend, but you can only read so much about Penn's basketball struggles at Princeton. So what about the members of the Red and Blue? For recaps of Penn's other squads, look no further than this week's edition of Weekend Wrap.
Women's squash
The women's squash team hadn't seen live action for six weeks before taking the court this weekend. Matched up against the top-ranked Harvard Crimson squad, the Quakers fell 6-3. On Sunday, the ladies defeated Dartmouth, 9-0, and were led in large part by freshman Yan Xin.
Penn women's squash splits weekend slate
Men's squash Hosting Harvard on Saturday, the Quakers struggled mightily and ultimately were swept by the Crimson. After falling 9-0 the day before, the Red and Blue managed to win only once on Sunday, and fell to Dartmouth 8-1. Though the long holiday layoff may be to blame, Penn will need better performances from its No.1 and No. 2 positions if it hopes to improve its Ivy League record.
Penn men's squash falls twice to Ivy foes
Wrestling
Ranked No. 20, the Quakers hoped to begin 2013 on a high note. Against Iowa State, though, Penn fell for the second time this season, 23-9. The Quakers had won four consecutive matches, and senior Mark Rappo helped the team take an early lead against the Cyclones. Nevertheless, Rappo's teammates couldn't sustain the momentum, and now sit at 4-2 on the season.
No. 20 Quakers outwrestled by underrated Cyclones
Gymnastics
At the Lindsey Ferris Invitational at George Washington University in Washington D.C., the Quakers posted the team's highest score ever at the tournament. With a score of 189.575, Penn passed its previous record point total at the invitational, a score of 189.025 set last year. Still, the Quakers finished a disappointing fourth at the Invitational, even after a strong performance by senior Dana Bonincontri. The team will head to Rutgers University next weekend to take on the Scarlet Knights, Bridgeport and Ursinus.
Penn's gymnasts inconsistent in season debut
Track & Field
At the New York Road Runners’ College Night at the Armory in New York on Saturday, the Quakers track and field team continued its momentum from the early season. Aided by strong performances from sophomore sprinter Tom Timmins, freshman Tim Hamlett and senior Allante Keels, Penn finished second out of 14 teams. Timmins, Hamlett and Keels all qualified for for the IC4A Championships. The trio, along with freshman Brandon Senior, won the 4 X 400m relay to conclude the night.
Penn track & field picks up the pace
Women's basketball
Against Princeton in its Ivy League opener, the women's basketball team was demolished by the Tigers, falling 77-47. While the Tigers are favorites to win the conference title this season, Penn failed to challenge its opponent from the opening tip. After falling behind 17-2, the Quakers could not mount a comeback, and eventually dropped to 7-6 overall, 0-1 in the Ivy League.
Princeton blows out Penn women's basketball, 77-47
Swimming
Both of Penn's swimming teams dove into Sheerr pool this weekend to face a pair of Ivy League opponents. While the women were able to take down Dartmouth on Saturday, the team fell to Yale 176-121. The men, on the other hand, dropped both matchups this weekend, losing to Dartmouth 124-176 and Yale 139-161. Both teams will travel to Providence next weekend to compete against Brown and Harvard in a tri-meet on Saturday.
Penn men's and women's swimming earn mixed results at Sheerr Pool
In first game since the passing away of Fran Dunphy's father, Penn defeats La Salle, 62-58
January 14, 1999
Emotions can sometimes distract a team from the true goal. And for the Penn team and coaching staff on mithis week, there was no shortage of emotion. But instead, they used that emotion as motivation to beat La Salle at Tom Gola Arena and remain perfect in the Big 5.
Fran Dunphy, Sr., father of legendary coach Fran Dunphy, passed away the Sunday morning before the game against the Explorers. Dunphy Sr. attended most Penn basketball games, sitting just two rows behind the bench. Despite the heavy hearts, the Red and Blue kept their composure and won the game in memory of their "No. 1 fan".
La Salle's defense frustrated the Quakers all night by shutting down their perimeter shooting and holding Penn's leading scorer Michael Jordan to just 10 points. But this gave other players the chance to step up.
Power forward Paul Romanczuk led the Quakers with a stellar performance, nearly tripling his season average to finish with 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting and 8 rebounds.
The Red and Blue's offense stalled with less than five minutes remaining in the game, as they went over three minutes without scoring. The team's hustle, credited by the players as the desire to win one for Dunphy, Sr., was the only thing that prevented La Salle from taking the lead. A long jumper from Jordan with just 18 seconds left sealed the Quakers' victory.
La Salle's freshman sensation Rasual Butler had a career night, scoring 21 points and hitting five three-pointers. The Explorers were also boosted by senior K'Zell Wesson, who scored 19 points.
Dunphy continued to coach at Penn until 2006, amassing an astounding 310-163 record during his tenure. He accepted the head coaching job at Temple, becoming the first head coach ever to lead two Big 5 teams. Dunphy will face Penn at the Liacouras Center on Jan. 23.
This win was part of another strong season for the Red and Blue, as the team rode its 21-6 record to one of Dunphy's 10 Ivy League titles, losing to the University of Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Miles Cartwright is coming off one of his worst games of the season — a 1-7 shooting performance against Princeton at Jadwin Gymnasium. Meanwhile, his younger brother Parker Jackson-Cartwright is tearing up the high school circuit, despite being listed as just 5-7.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTVF-UIP3Ws
City League Hoops TV recently spotlighted the diminutive junior point guard from Los Angeles, who ESPN calls "the best point guard . . . [it has] seen since Baron Davis laced them up at Crossroads High School." Validating this high praise, Jackson-Cartwright has already reeled in offers from virtually every Pac-12 school, including Arizona, Washington and UCLA.
Unlike his brother, however, Jackson-Cartwright's unlikely to come knocking at Penn's door anytime soon. In addition to having storied basketball programs, Arizona and UCLA are both currently on the rise in college hoops, and it goes without saying that the Quakers have gone anywhere but up since last season.
Still, it's nice to dream.
Penn had a rough start to the Ivy season with a 65-53 loss at Princeton. The Quakers (2-13) never found an offensive rhythm as they fell for the fourth straight time at Jadwin Gym. The Tigers (7-7) have now won seven of the last eight games against the Red and Blue.
THE GOOD: Tony Hicks getting more playing time. Though there was not much good to come out of this game, the freshman guard played a career-high 30 minutes against Princeton. Though there is still a lot of room for improvement in Hicks' game, he was the only player able to gain some momentum for the Quakers. He scored a career-high and team-high 16 points, 12 of which came in the second half. His continuous improvement is something Penn fans can be excited about.
THE BAD: Miles Cartwright's shooting. The junior captain had just six points against the Tigers, as he went 1-for-7 from the floor. As Princeton extended its lead in the second half, Cartwright tried to do too much on his own and took some bad shots. This is the second consecutive game in which Cartwright hasn't hit double digits.
THE UGLY: Penn's perimeter defense. Princeton shot 11-for-22 from beyond the arc behind junior guard T.J. Bray's six threes. The Tigers' quick ball movement had the Red and Blue chasing and time and time again, Princeton players were wide open on the perimeter. Bray led all scorers with 23 points, and the Tigers are now 5-0 when he reaches double-digits.
Follow along as Penn men's basketball takes on Princeton at Jadwin Gym.
With Penn-Princeton imminent, James Harden of the Houston Rockets stopped by the Palestra earlier today. Penn assistant coach Jason Polykoff posted a photo to his Twitter account earlier today showing Harden posing with the men's basketball team.
"Special visit today from Houston Rocket James Harden. Helping provide some motivation for our @ The Palestra," Polykoff also wrote on Twitter.
Of course, the connection with Harden is Penn assistant coach Scott Pera, who coached and mentored Harden at southern California powerhouse Artesia High School and Arizona State.
Penn heads to the unfriendly confines of Jadwin Gym to take on rival Princeton. Here are some predictions for the Quakers’ first Ivy League game of the season.
Three Up-
Miles Cartwright- Cartwright was held to just six shot attempts against Lafayette and while Penn’s bench helped lead a strong comeback with him on the bench, he will need to be front and center if the Quakers have the chance of pulling the upset at Jadwin. He went 4-11 in last year’s season-ending loss to the Tigers, so expect the junior captain to have extra motivation heading into Saturday’s game.
Tony Hicks- Hicks has taken off in Penn’s last three games, scoring in double figures in each game despite coming off the bench. His performance against Lafayette may have been his finest of the season, as he not only tied a career high with four assists, but coach Allen trusted Hicks with the ball in his hands in the final seconds. With his recent performance, Hicks has the opportunity to increase his minutes and continue his recent success.
Penn's defense- Heading into Tuesday’s matchup with Lafayette, the highest field goal percentage for any Quakers opponent this season had been 46 percent. The Leopards shattered that by shooting 61 percent from the field and posting 85 points. Yes, Penn is facing the Ivy League’s leading scorer in Ian Hummer playing within the famous Princeton offense. However, with three days off to prepare, it is very unlikely the Quakers struggle as much defensively against a Princeton team averaging 61.1 points per game.
Three Down-
Offensive output- You didn’t expect the Quakers to start averaging 80+ points a game after the Lafayette game, did you? The start of Ivy League play often signals the start of some lower scoring contests and this Princeton game should be no different. It also doesn’t help the Red and Blue that Princeton leads the Ancient Eight with lowest points allowed per game.
Henry Brooks' scoring- Henry Brooks has averaged nine points a game in his last four games and provided the Red and Blue with some of his best offensive performances of the year. But Brooks will likely have to focus his energy defensively on Saturday since he will be one of Penn’s forwards charged with the tough task of guarding Ian Hummer. A sound defensive effort will be a tall order for any of Penn’s big men, especially for the foul prone Brooks. If his foul trouble flares up again, Brooks figures to play fewer minutes against the Tigers.
Penn's turnover margin- While Penn allowed 85 points to Lafayette on Tuesday, it still had just 11 turnovers compared to 15 for the Leopards. While the Quakers have done a solid job of forcing opponents turnovers this season, it will be tough to do so against Princeton on Saturday. The Tigers are second in the Ivy League in both turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio, including point guard T.J Bray, who has a 1.8 assist to turnover ratio on the season.
Today, I was able to interview Princeton women’s basketball head coach Courtney Banghart. In her six seasons as head coach for the Tigers, the program has undergone a complete reversal of fortune. In her first season, the team went 7-23 and won just four Ivy League games. However, in the past three seasons, the Tigers have gone 41-1 in the Ivy League and entered the national rankings, a first for an Ivy League women’s program. Before coming to Princeton, she was an assistant for four years at Dartmouth. She also played at Dartmouth from 1996 to 2000 and won two Ivy League titles.
Your team has started out the season 9-5. How satisfied are you with the team’s beginning to the season in non-conference play?
Banghart: I think more than the record, you look at the quality of your opponents and the fact that we’ve played eight teams in the top 80 in RPI and played 10 teams with winning records, with all of our losses have been on the road. I think that says what it’s supposed to say with strength of schedule at 19 in the country and an RPI of 21. Considering we lost three 1,000 point scorers in the last two years, two starters out with injury, I couldn’t be prouder of this group.
With the fact that you went to and coached at Dartmouth, what is your perspective on the Penn-Princeton rivalry?
Banghart: The Penn-Princeton rivalry was actually more on the men’s side. When I was at Dartmouth, it was Dartmouth-Harvard since those were the two teams with the most Ivy titles, but since we’ve come down here, now we are a piece of the Penn-Princeton rivalry in all sports and it is special. To add to that, we genuinely respect Mike McLaughlin and his staff and what they’re doing at Penn, which makes it that much more special.
For the Quakers, Keiera Ray leads all Ivy League freshmen in points and assists per game. What have you seen from her this season?
Banghart: Keiera is having a great start. We saw her play at the Bolingbrook program. Keiera is just fearless. She can score on a dribble. She can score midrange. She can score from three. And she’s actually getting time. What holds freshmen back from their statistics is their playing time but due to their injuries, she has been into the starting lineup and she is making a good use of that time.
With Princeton, you have only lost three times in the last four seasons at home. How has Jadwin become such a large home court advantage for you?
Banghart: Is that true? Three games in four years at Princeton? Whoa, that’s pretty great. I didn’t even know that. I know that when you have an experienced team, which we do, it is nice to play at home because the cozy confines of your home gym takes away a little bit of the anxiety and the pressure. We have been fortunate with this group of seniors that we have won a lot of places, not just at home.
You currently have Niveen Rasheed, who is the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year. What kind of ability has she provided the team both offensively and defensively?
Banghart: Niveen Rasheed is probably the best player to ever play in the Ivy League. She is unbelievable. She’s got her motor, she’s relentless, she plays on both ends. She will probably be drafted into the WNBA for example, so she obviously makes a very good team better. I can’t say enough about Niveen. I’m very proud that she is in our league and I am obviously grateful that she is at Princeton. What she does is literally everything. She sets the tone with her effort, she’s tough, she’s a scorer, she’s a defender and she is our leader. She is a leader on the best team in the league and that’s pretty special.
What have you seen from the Penn team that you are going to be facing on Saturday?
Banghart: What makes Penn such an improved program in Mike’s tenure is how hard they play. They are better when they play together and [Mike] is such a great coach at playing to their strengths. They are playing hard for him and they are kind of where we were a few years ago: building to where they want to be. They aren’t there yet but they are building their confident and their base on a daily basis. And there aren’t a lot of people I would say this about, but I have enormous respect for Mike McLaughlin and his staff, so I’m looking forward to [the game].
Win for Penn – UNDER
For the first time this season, Over/Under is debating not how many points the Quakers will lose by, but rather whether Penn can actually win this game. The beginning of the Ivy League schedule and matchups against common opponents for Penn and Princeton signal fresh hope for the Quakers. Against common opponents, Penn is 0-4. But Princeton hasn’t fared much better, going just 1-3. That lone victory came over Lafayette by a score of 72-53 on Nov. 24. Penn lost to Lafayette by two points its last time on the court.
Although Penn scores 63 points per game compared to Princeton’s 61, the biggest difference in their head-to-head matchup will be in its field goal percentage. This season, Princeton ranks 114th in the nation, shooting 44.9 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Penn has shot just 41.5 percent, good for 247th nationally. The Tigers' shooters will simply make more of their opportunities and eventually deny the Quakers their first win since Nov. 28.
Seventh place Ivy League finish for Penn – OVER
The current DPOSTM Power Rankings have Penn seventh in the Ivy League. The Quakers had a nonconference record of 9-10 last season before going 11-3 in Ivy League play. This year’s 2-12 record should get better in 2013. Look for coach Jerome Allen to use the experience of losses to teams like Villanova, Delaware and Butler to teach the Red and Blue what winning basketball looks like in time for Ivy play.
5 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists for Ian Hummer – OVER
The man who last season ended Penn’s chance at an Ivy League title is back for more. After tying a career-high 28 points against Elon and earning Ivy Player of the Week for the fourth time this season, Hummer may be able to do better than the 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and three steals he put up against Penn on Mar. 6 of last year. Points and rebounds should be no problem since Hummer averages 16.2 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. However, reaching five assists may prove more difficult. Although he has averaged 4.5 per game over the season, look for Hummer to step up the production playing against an Ivy League foe and Princeton’s rival opponent.
Second-place Ivy League finish for Princeton – PUSH
Harvard has looked like the class of the Ivy League yet again this season with wins over Boston College, Boston University, California and Holy Cross. Perhaps more impressive was the one-point loss at St. Mary’s on New Year’s Eve. Princeton will have a tough time dethroning the reigning champions, but Hummer alone may be talented enough to see Princeton through the rest of the season in the No. 2 spot in the standings. We'll learn about both Princeton and Penn when they finally meet on the court.
In the Palestra I find myself blistering under Jerome's stare
Thick as a foxtail bristling with promise, Scott Hartnell's lockout beard
The Cooperstown votes return, and in his study Pete Rose chuckles, once.
In this week’s Mano-a-Mano, basketball writer John Phillips and Senior Sports Editor-elect Mike Tony debate who should have stepped up with the game on the line on Tuesday night against Lafayette.
John Phillips: This is a new year for Penn basketball. Zack Rosen isn’t coming in to take that last shot, to be the clutch player that the team needs. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to forget about seniority, and more importantly, about closing experience.
Miles Cartwright is the leader of this team. The only other player an argument could be made for is Fran Dougherty, who wasn’t on the floor Tuesday night. Cartwright has been in tough games throughout his career, especially during last year’s Ivy League run, when every game was a must-win. He watched Rosen, and more importantly, he learned from him.
And while Penn coach Jerome Allen said last night that Tony Hicks made the right call by dishing the rock to a wide open Steve Rennard, if Cartwright drove that hard to the hole, he would have finished the job himself.
Mike Tony: Unfortunately, though, Cartwright’s experience in closing games this season hasn’t been acceptable. He literally fumbled a game-winning opportunity against Drexel and has only led the Quakers in scoring in five out of 14 games this season.
You dance with who brung you, and in this case, Allen was right to ride the lineup that brought Penn back from the dead against Lafayette. You say he would have finished the job if he had drove hard to the hole, but where has that killer instinct been? Not at Wagner, where he froze up in the closing seconds and had to heave up a desperation trey at the end of regulation that had no chance.
You’re right, this is a new year for Penn basketball. So for a team that can’t buy a win, you reward those who are at least getting you close to one. Against Lafayette, that was Darien Nelson-Henry and Dau Jok, not Cartwright.
JP: After the team’s loss to La Salle, it became clear (or clearer) that this team needs a player to step up, take care of the ball and make players better.
During the first half against Lafayette, that was Cartwright. He was attacking the hole with the veracity that he lacked early in the season. Sure, Nelson-Henry’s ability to run the pick and roll effectively can’t be denied, but it takes two to tango, and Cartwright was handling the Leopards in the same fashion that Tony Johnson was picking apart the Quakers on the other side of the floor.
If it had just been on gamewinning opportunity, then allowing Hicks to have that last chance is okay. But when you have two possessions under 35 seconds remaining and Hicks has already failed to convert the first, you have to consider giving the ball to Cartwright, who has clearly learned from his previous mistakes.
MT: This offense needs to be more aggressive, so it’s great that role players like Nelson-Henry and Hicks stepped up to take a combined 19 shots from the field, and most importantly, make 11 of them.
When your go-to guy only shoots six times from the field, someone else needs to pick it up, and that tandem did. Why go to the same player that has let you down multiple times this season with the game on the line when there are other hot hands to go to?
JP: Nelson-Henry cooled off as time went on, and though Hicks shot the ball well (who didn’t?), his decision-making instinct hasn’t been honed. Choosing to pass to Rennard, who was one of only three players who shot under 50 percent for the game, was not the right choice if, as you say, the offense needs to be more aggressive. Cartwright showed he knew when to attack and when to defer last night.
MT: Rennard was wide open in that situation; it’s hard to fault Hicks there for finding the open guy. Just go with what’s working when nothing else is. At that point, it was Hicks, Nelson-Henry, Jok and Louis who were working. Cartwright will have more opportunities to shine in late-game situations, but the future is now. It’s time to embrace it.
Verdict? Mike wins this one. The Quakers came into 2012-13 eager to embrace a new identity as an ensemble rather than the Zack Rosen Show. And it’s only as an ensemble that Penn will start winning games again.
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