The Quakers comeback take down an undefeated No. 15 Temple squad, 79-74
January 10, 1979
In front of a sold out Palestra crowd numbering 9,208, Penn improved to 2-0 in Big 5 play, including a win over La Salle.
The season continued to be a special one for the Quakers, ending in Penn’s first and only Final Four appearance.
Wins over Iona, North Carolina, Syracuse, and St. John’s brought the ninth-seeded Quakers into a Final Four matchup with the Magic Johnson-led Michigan State Spartans.
Michigan State then took down the previously undefeated and No. 1 ranked Indiana State, 75-64, to win the national championship. The matchup between Indiana State’s Larry Bird and Magic Johnson remains the highest-rated game in the history of televised college basketball.
Temple earned a No. 7 seed for the East region at season’s end. But the Owls suffered a disappointing finale to their season in the first round of the NCAA tournament to No. 10 seeded St. John’s, 75-70.
The 1978-79 team, coached by Bob Weinhauer, shot 73.3 percent from the free throw line and fouled opponents 708 times over the span of 32 games. The free throw percentage and games played are second in program history, and the fouls are a team record. (Stats found at: http://www.pennathletics.com/pdf8/748241.pdf?DP_OEM_ID=1700 )
Against Temple, the Quakers shot 30-for-45 from the floor in a game in which Penn never trailed. The tone of the game was set early with Tony Price slamming home a put-back jam to increase Penn’s lead to 6-2.
James “Booney” Salters led the Quakers offense with 21 points, Price added 19 points and Tim Smith had 18.
The Owls and Quakers split the Big 5 title with matching 3-1 records, giving Temple its sixth Big 5 title and Penn its eighth.
The season ended with the Quakers boasting a 127-13 record in its previous 140 Ivy League games.
On Jan. 10, 1979, Penn was quietly confident. Following the upset victory, Weinhauer felt that the Quakers could not be playing any better at that moment. He also voiced a sentiment that has been lost as the success of the team has diminished over the years.
“We played well over the vacation, but we missed the fans," Weinhauer said. "We’re looking forward to having the entire student body behind us again"
The Palestra and Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse are two of the oldest college basketball arenas in the country and thus have often been compared to one another. The Palestra (opened in 1927) has hosted more college games than any other venue in the country, and Hinkle (opened in 1928) served as the largest arena until 1950, holding 15,000. (It now seats 10,000.)
In today's Daily Pennsylvanian, I compared the experiences of watching a game in both places after witnessing the Bulldogs beat the Quakers in Indianapolis on Jan. 2 (see column). Here, I'll give you a side-by-side visual comparison:
View from the nosebleeds, or the furthest seats from the action in each arena:
Two of the most noticeable features each showcases are its majestic rafters and skylights. Unfortunately, the Penn-Butler game was at night and Hinkle's skylight isn't easily discernible:
The scoreboard of each arena. The Palestra did add a new videoboard on the opposite end, but the original remains behind the student section. At Hinkle, the scoreboard hangs over the court:
Literally the worst seat in each place, though neither is actually terrible!
Even from the outside, the Palestra and Hinkle have their similarities -- though it must be noted that Hinkle is a mammoth building that stands out in the middle of a small Indianapolis neighborhood, while the Palestra is somewhat overshadowed by its surroundings, particularly Franklin Field, and is significantly smaller in size anyway:
FULL RECAP // BOX SCORE
THE GOOD - Darien Nelson-Henry
In Fran Dougherty's absence, the Quakers have needed a big man to step up in each contest, and tonight, Nelson-Henry took advantage of the opportunity. He scored 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, and he became the go-to player on offense as Penn rallied back late in the fourth quarter.
THE BAD - Offensive defense
The Quakers weren't able to stop the Leopards on defense, especially in the first half, when Penn allowed Lafayette to shoot 61 percent from the field, and over 40 percent from downtown. The Red and Blue's defense was so atrocious that the Leopards' field goal percentage was closer to their free throw percentage (69 percent) than it was from behind the arc. This would be the Ugly, if Lafayette hadn't allowed Penn to shoot 59 percent in its own right.
THE UGLY - Missed clutch free throws
There's an episode of Hey Arnold, a beloved Nickelodeon TV show, where Arnold joins a basketball team, and the coach rails his son Tucker constantly because he expects him to be the star. Tucker's biggest flaw was his free throw shooting, and whenever he would missed, the coach would yell, hysterical, "YOU DON'T MISS YOUR FREE THROWS WHEN THE GAME IS ON THE LINE."
Keeping that in mind, Nelson-Henry, who had a great night otherwise, went to the line with the game tied and just over two minutes remaining. Just one free throw would give Penn the lead for the first time since the first half. He steps up for the first -- it barely hits rim. His next is closer but still doesn't fall. And the whole time, I'm hearing coach Jack Wittenberg, fictional as he may be, screaming his head off.
Follow along as Penn Men's Hoops takes on Lafayette at the Palestra.
After being absent for over a month, No. 7 Micah Burak (197 pounds) returned to action for No. 22 Penn on Sunday as the Quakers faced both Stanford and Arizona State in a doubleheader. Unsurprisingly, the returning All-American won both of his bouts in a convincing manner, proving that he is back in form and ready to take on the rest of the season.
First, Burak defeated Stanford's Michael Sojka, 6-1, to help the Quakers post a 27-6 victory over the Cardinal. Later, Burak scored two takedowns on his way to a 5-2 decision over No. 8 Jake Meredith of Arizona State — coach Rob Eiter's alma mater. Thanks in part to Burak's victorious comeback, the Quakers defeated the Sun Devils, 27-10, avenging Penn's 21-20 loss to Arizona State at last year's Northeast Duals.
The Quakers (2-10, 0-1 Big 5) have dropped five straight as they head into their second Big 5 game of the year. Penn is coming off a 70-57 loss to No. 17 Butler, while La Salle (9-3, 1-0) recently fell to Miami, 76-59. Follow all the action here:
In their second Big 5 game of the year, the Quakers will look to break a five-game losing streak at La Salle. Here is our first Three Up, Three Down of 2013:
Three Up-
Henry Brooks: The sophomore forward has seen more floor time with the recent absence of Fran Dougherty. Brooks has averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds in the past two games, nearly doubling his season averages. Dougherty is unlikely to play Saturday, so if Brooks can stay out of foul trouble, expect a big game from him.
Second-half shooting: Penn’s shooting percentages have been poor in the second half of recent games. Against Butler, the Quakers' field-goal percentage dropped a whole 16.5 percent from the first half to the second. But La Salle has a tendency to allow its opponents to shoot better as the game goes on, as its last three opponents have shot the same or better from the floor in the second half.
Jamal Lewis: Recently named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, the freshman guard averaged a combined 11.5 points and 5.0 assists at Wagner and Butler. The Quakers will need another solid contribution from Lewis to help make up for the absence of Dougherty and contain La Salle’s outside shooters on the defensive end of the floor.
Three Down-
Penn fouling troubles: The Explorers’ last two opponents have only been called for a combined 21 fouls. Meanwhile, the Quakers have averaged nearly 23 fouls per game this season. Penn’s well-documented foul troubles shouldn’t be as significant against a team like La Salle that prefers to play more on the perimeter.
Home court advantage: Although La Salle is 5-1 at home this season, it will be a very short trip for the Quakers to Tom Gola Arena. Central Connecticut, which is only 4-8 on the season, came away with a win at La Salle back in November, which should give hope to this young Quaker team.
La Salle shooting: The Explorers are a great offensive team, as they have several talented perimeter players who shoot the ball well. But La Salle’s shooting percentages should take a hit against a stingy Quakers defense. Penn's 'D' leads the Ivy League in field goal percentage defense (.410) and ranks second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.319).
When Penn takes on La Salle on Saturday, the Explorers’ senior center Garvin Hunt may give the Quakers at least a glimpse of what might have been for them.
That’s because Hunt was once a highly touted recruit of former Penn head coach Glen Miller’s. Hunt got attention from Miami, Florida and Harvard before choosing to play for Miller in Oct. 2007. But after appearing in just six games his freshman season, Hunt decided that academics were more important than athletics, leaving the program. He told CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman in September that he contented himself with playing pickup basketball three or four times a week against fellow student-athletes.
But Hunt decided to take advantage of the fifth-year graduate transfer rule after getting his degree in architecture in May 2012, joining the La Salle basketball program. Since then, Hunt has played just 18 total minutes in seven games for the Explorers.
Hunt may be a rarely used reserve for La Salle, but he’s a good excuse to think about just a couple of other players that left under Miller or openly because of Miller who are still playing college basketball.
Brian Fitzpatrick, Bucknell: Fitzpatrick played in 17 games off the bench as a freshman for Penn in 2009-10, averaging 9.2 minutes per game. But Fitzpatrick didn’t see room for himself on Penn’s roster and questioned Miller’s recruiting discretion, bolting for Bucknell in the summer of 2010.
Now a senior forward for the Bison, Fitzpatrick also played in all 35 games for Bucknell last year, when he averaged 11.8 minutes per contest. In 15 games this season, he has averaged 1.7 points and grabbed 1.1 rebounds per contest.
Kevin Panzer, Nevada: Panzer was one of Miller’s most heralded recruits for the class of 2014 beforehe decommitted four games into the 2009-10 season (and three games before Miller got canned). He would have provided a much needed offensive big man for the Quakers.
Panzer played in all 32 games in 2010-11 as a freshman for Nevada, earning 10 starts within the first 13 games of the season and averaging 2.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game. He was Nevada’s leading scorer off the bench as a sophomore and as a junior this season, is now averaging 5.6 points per game.
So even 1117 days after Miller was fired by Penn, his recruits are still out there. So keep an eye peeled out for Garvin Hunt on Saturday.
Here's what coach Jerome Allen, Miles Cartwright and Butler coach Brad Stevens had to say following Wednesday night's game in which the No. 17 Bulldogs topped Penn, 70-57 (see recap):
JEROME ALLEN:
Anytime you play on the road in Division I basketball, there's a couple things that you gotta make sure you cover if you expect to win, and that's rebounding the ball and taking care of the ball. And Butler's an extremely good team because they don't beat themselves and they play hard, and they cover the little things, they cover the details better than most teams, and for us it couldn't be about a function of effort and enthusiasm and not competing on the backboard, and not taking care of the ball are things we talked about as being essential in us having an opportunity to win and we didn't get it done.
On the defensive strategy and being smaller, missing Fran Dougherty --
Fran's not a tall player in terms of our roster -- I think he may be the third tallest. And it's not about just his absence, I think it's a team sport. Other guys had an opportunity to step up and contribute, and for the most part we got it in spurts. We didn't get it consistently over the course of 40 minutes, and I just think rebounding the basketball on the defensive end is a function of will. I think there are a number of players who have played this game I can document that it's not always about size.
Penn made half its three-pointers, how'd you play offensively?
Offensively I wasn't overly upset, but just an inability to execute... Butler plays the gaps and non-passing lanes, so we knew we were going to be able to get ball reversals, but really the game just came down to just us not having unforced turnovers, not catching the ball and dribbling it off our foot, and rebounding the ball. And I just think with 19 turnovers and giving up 13 offensive rebounds, you're not going to win too many games at Division I college basketball.
On Butler's Roosevelt Jones, who scored a career-high 24 points, getting to the rim --
One thing he does well is he stays within himself, and we talked about -- he had 24 or 25 points, I don't think he took one jump shot, just tried to close out short and make you shoot over the top of us. And it wasn't necessarily the person guarding him, but we defend with five guys in action. So you can't put that on one player per se, just say he did a good job of being physical and picking his spots and doing what he was capable of doing.
On if Penn did anything special to slow down Rotnei Clarke (season low 6 points) --
No, we played the way we play whether we're playing at Butler, whether we're playing at Kentucky, whether we're playing in the Palestra. It doesn't really make a difference who we're playing against, we're going to play pressure defense and halfcourt and get up in guys, hedge ball screens. And I thought their motion offense really didn't hurt us, their pick and roll, misdirections didn't hurt us. They missed shots and they went and got them, and when you give up 13 offensive rebounds, outrebounded by 15, and you have 19 turnovers, it's tough to win.
Still within two points at 42-40, is there something you could've done differently?
I think we came down and took quick shots and then they came back down and hit a three to take it to 45-40. It's all about just having poise and patience and not trying to hit a home run every time right off the bat. I think that comes with time, and we're starting to get there as far as our overall chemistry. At times we play four freshmen, or three freshmen and Greg Louis, and this is really his freshman year because he was out all of last year. So just their overall understanding of the tempo of the game and rhythm, when teams make runs, has to improve.
Offensive rebounds and second-chance points -- what's the game plan to remedy that going forward?
It's like a broken record, with the needle scratch: I told these guys I want us to lose a game because a team is just more talented than us, or just flat-out superior. But we keep losing games because we don't rebound, we don't value the ball. It's not -- I refuse to believe -- that it's a tall task. Rebounding is a function of effort and will -- from Charles Barkley to Anthony Mason to Rob Belcore -- it's just being tough and wanting to be physical and wanting to have a sense of urgency about yourself that you just won't surrender, and that's something that we don't have yet.
MILES CARTWRIGHT:
Rebounding's a problem, what are you guys lacking?
It's obviously been a problem the whole year. I don't think it's a strategical effort, that's all offensive rebounding is about. [It's] just teams are obviously seeing that they can beat us on the boards, but we just got to have more pride and battle more early and make sure we don't get in such an early rebounding deficit.
Keys against Rotnei Clarke --
We just wanted to be there on the catch. He shoots it from deep and he has a great stroke, and we just try to crowd him as much as we can and try to limit his open looks.
No moral victories, but Butler never ran away until the very end --
We're not into moral victories either as a team, from a players' standpoint we really believe that we can win this game. So we felt that even though they did have those leads that we shouldn't have been in those kinds of deficits. Butler is obviously a great team, we played a great team at home. They had their crowd behind them. So there were a lot of positives from this game that we're going to take away, so we're just going to try and put together as many 40-minute efforts as we can, and that's what it's going to take to win a game, especially against a team like Butler.
How tough was Hinkle?
It's always tough to win on the road, especially for us being such a young team, but I thought in tough spots we tried to stay together as much as possible. And you know there were a lot of positives from this and we're going to try to move forward and get better.
BRAD STEVENS:
I thought we won the game because of power, the interior guys -- Roosevelt, Kyhle in particular, Andrew as well -- our guards didn't produce the way they normally do. But I thought our guys, three through fives, played really well and kind of carried us tonight.
Anything Penn was doing to get Rotnei [Clarke] off, or was he just missing?
They're a good defensive team. He did a good job with them, but it's the same level of attention that he's gotten every other game. He wasn't as good tonight as he's been, that doesn't mean he won't be great tomorrow, that doesn't mean he won't be great the next day. But he just had one of those days when he wasn't as good as he usually is, and that was pretty evident when he missed those two wide-open ones at the start of the second half right in front of our bench. And obviously we're a little spoiled thinking one of them's gonna go in -- it's got to.
On his team's performance defensively --
Great in the second half. We weren't very good in the first, but that being said if you go back and watch the film, which we will, there will be eight points that were hard shots by Penn in the first half. The one where Hicks shook up Kellen [Dunham] one time, raised up and shot a three, Kellen was right in his face. They had a couple of contested shots right on the baseline that are tough in-between shots, and credit to them, I knew it was gonna be hard tonight because they're really well coached, and those guys run a lot of great stuff. They're getting better every game, and also they've been in most every game, and that's usually the sign of a team that's ready to break through.
On if he expected his team to dominate the boards so much --
The first thing I looked at when I saw Dougherty was out, and I hope he gets better soon because mono -- if it's mono, I don't know -- but it's not an easy thing to recover from midseason, but I think the thing that you notice is that they were getting outrebounded by 8 and then he averaged 8. And so that was certainly an emphasis for us to get to the glass, and I thought it was the difference in the game, the power inside. Not only those guys -- the four and the five -- but also posting rows and just finding different ways to score around the basket.
FULL RECAP // BOX SCORE
THE GOOD - Penn's three-point shooting
After coming in shooting just 30 percent from beyond the arc on the season, the Quakers drilled eight of 15 three-pointers at Butler. Miles Cartwright hit three of his four trey attempts as well, keeping Penn in the thick of things until well into the second half. In contrast, the Quakers held the Bulldogs to just 21.1 percent shooting from three-point land on 4-for-19 shooting.
THE BAD - Penn's interior defense
While the Quakers held Butler's second-leading scorer, center Andrew Smith, to just 1-for-7 shooting from the field, their downfall was forward Roosevelt Jones, whose career-high 24 points absolutely killed Penn in the second half. Most of Jones' buckets came from five to seven feet away from the basket. Penn also had trouble containing forward Khyle Marshall, who went 7-for-10 from the field en route to a 14-point performance, higher than his 10.8 points per game average this season. The Quakers also gave up 13 offensive rebounds, most of which also came in the paint for the Bulldogs.
THE UGLY - The second half
Penn's impressive 52.2 percent first-half shooting performance gave way to an ugly 35.7 percent clip in the second stanza, and so went everything else for the Quakers. Flat-footed defense and an increasing lack of patience on offense for the Red and Blue fueled the Bulldogs' 21-5 run to end the game.
For the first time in program history, Penn basketball visits Butler at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Quakers (2-9), who haven't won since Nov. 28, may face their toughest test of the year in the No. 17 Bulldogs (10-2), who are riding a seven-game winning streak.
90 points for Butler – Over
Penn (2-9) has already allowed 80+ points in both games against Delaware, a team with a losing record at 5-8. Now facing a top-20 opponent and likely the toughest opponent on the schedule, expect the Quakers defense to break down yet again. No. 17 Butler (10-2) averages just under 75 points per game but has already reached the upper 80s in a couple of games so far this season. Top scorers Rotnei Clarke, Andrew Smith, Kellen Dunham and Khyle Marshall all average over 10 points per game. This offensive firepower will wear down the Quaker defense and allow the Bulldog bench to get in on the action as well.
30 point win for Butler – Over
Butler is 5-0 at home this season and has only lost 25 times at Hinkle Fieldhouse in the past 12 seasons. Penn is winless away from home this year with an 0-7 combined record in neutral and true road games. Penn comes in riding a four-game losing streak during which the average defeat has been 13 points. Butler, in contrast, has won its last seven by an average margin of victory of 15.4 points. But considering that Indiana, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt were three of those Butler victories, look for Butler to get over that 30-point cushion.
Two Quakers in double-digits – Push
Fran Dougherty and Miles Cartwright are the only two Quakers to average double figures. In fact, no other scorer for Penn averages even six points per game. Butler has been a tough team defensively, allowing fewer than 60 points in three of their last seven contests, including its most recent game at Vanderbilt. With so few options for Penn offensively, it is tough to imagine that a third scorer emerges against a top-20 opponent. In Dougherty's absence, Cartwright and another emerging scorer will probably be able to get to his season average once this game is out of reach and Butler empties the bench.
I'm here with senior basketball beat writer David Greenbaum at the Spiro Sports Center in Staten Island, N.Y., as the 2-8 Penn Quakers take on the 5-5 Wagner Seahawks. Join us as we take you through the action.
Yesterday we reported that a highly reputable source told the Daily Pennsylvanian that Miles Cartwright, Henry Brooks, Tony Hicks, Darien Nelson-Henry and Steve Rennard were all suspended for Penn basketball’s game at Delaware on Dec. 21 after failing random drug tests. Now the Daily Pennsylvanian is hearing from various sources that alcohol may have played a role in the suspensions. Our original sources, though, maintain that positive drug tests triggered the suspensions.
However, alcohol is still a banned drug according to the NCAA Banned Drug List. As reported yesterday, the Penn Athletics Compliance Office's 2012-13 Review of Rules and Regulations Governing Intercollegiate Athletics states that “those found to have used banned or street drugs "shall be declared ineligible for further participation in regular-season and postseason competition," but does not clarify whether this is a University or NCAA policy. The guide also states that “Student-athletes who abuse alcohol or who possess or consume alcohol illegally may have their eligibility suspended.”
Alcohol would constitute a drug violation that would force Penn to follow NCAA Bylaw 10.2, which, as noted yesterday, requires schools to follow their own institutional policies and protocols for drug violations if they have them. Penn Director of Athletic Communications Mike Mahoney told the Daily Pennsylvanian yesterday that the suspensions were coach Jerome Allen’s decision, and it is this NCAA Bylaw that would allow him the latitude to decide the penalty for the players’ use of banned drugs. Mahoney also neither contested nor confirmed yesterday’s report.
We’ll continue to report on the suspensions as more news breaks.
Megan Soisson also contributed to the writing and reporting in this article.
Our second Over/Under focuses on Penn's battle with Wagner. Who's over and who's under?
15 bench points for Penn – Over
Penn has had fewer that 15 points from its bench just three times this season. But Penn's 83-60 loss at Delaware marked the lowest total of the season with just nine. This was due to the fact that Penn lacked three starters and dressed just seven players. The key to bench contribution will be based on how many players are back in uniform. If all three of the suspended starters return, Jamal Lewis, Dau Jok, and Camryn Crocker can move back to the bench where they provide a combined 10.3 points per game. Freshman Tony Hicks, averaging another 5.1 points per contest, would be an important addition to the bench should he be allowed to return. Even if all the suspended players plus the injured Simeon Esprit are again unable to play, Penn needs more of a contribution from the reserves in order to compete and improve upon its average of 62.2 points per game, good for 285th nationally.
16 Points for Jonathon Williams – Under
The leading scorer for Wagner, senior guard Jonathon Williams, averages 15.9 points per contest. Although Penn has allowed nine players to score more than 16 points against them, this team tries to make its mark on the defensive end of the court. Coach Jerome Allen will have his players ready to defend after giving up more than 80 for the second time this season in their last game. No other Seahawk averages double-digit scoring, so it is reasonable to expect a heavy focus on stopping Williams. The biggest concern for Penn could be if Williams gets to the free throw line, where he has made 82.6 percent of his shots this year. Although Williams is averaging just 4.6 free throws per game, Penn ranks 344 of 345 teams nationally in the foul department at 23.8 per game. But there's almost nowhere to go but up for Penn’s foul trouble so expect some improvement in that area.
10-point loss for Penn – Over
Wagner has won three of its last four and is 2-0 at home this season. One of those wins was an eight-point victory over Princeton, a team that has looked more competitive than Penn so far this season. The Quakers are 0-6 when playing outside The Palestra and five players will be a coach’s decision after violating team rules. If all five players are forced to sit this game, this game could be the fourth straight double-digit loss for Penn. Last season marked the first time these two programs met. Wagner came away with a six- point win at The Palestra against a much stronger Penn squad. Additionally, Penn is already 0-3 when playing on Saturday this year. With players' fates up in the air and playing on the road, this game will be tough to win for the Red and Blue, let alone keep close.
Two more non-conference wins for Penn – Under
Not much has gone right this season for the program trying to become the 11th nationally to reach 1700 wins. After being denied that milestone on three consecutive occasions, having five players suspended for what may have been failed drug tests, and coming into the season with no seniors on the roster, there is not much hope for the Red and Blue to turn the ship around. The Quakers have seven more contests outside of the Ivy League. Three of those are Big 5 opponents and a fourth contest is against Butler (9-2), who already knocked off previously No. 1-ranked Indiana. That leaves Wagner, Lafayette and NJIT as the best opportunities for wins. With so many disappointing losses already, chances are two more non-conference wins is not going to happen.
Continuing to struggle with non-conference opponents, Penn looks to end its 3-game skid with a road win against Wagner. Here's our final Three Up, Three Down of 2012:
Three Up-
Greg Louis: Louis put 19 points on the board in Penn's last game against Delaware, the first time he scored in double-digits this season. Although Louis's minutes have varied this season, his ability to score is much needed on a team shooting just 40.4 percent from the field. Louis may need to play a larger role in the next few games even if the five suspended players return. Louis's minutes have increased in each of the last three games, so look for his large presence to continue against Wagner.
Fran Dougherty: The junior forward leads the Quakers in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Second in minutes to Miles Cartwright --one of the five Quakers currently suspended-- Dougherty will need to continue to lead the team if they hope to end their current three-game losing streak. Against Delaware, Dougherty scored 18 points, while also tallying 9 rebounds. He has scored 10 or more points in seven of Penn's 10 games this season. With the Quakers' in flux regardless of who starts Saturday, Dougherty will likely continue to lead the team in minutes.
Wagner's rebounding: The Seahawks rank 72nd in Division I with 38.4 rebounds per game, 6.2 more than the Quakers' average. Senior guard Jonathon Williams leads Wagner in both scoring and rebounding, with 15.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He logged 17 boards in an overtime win against Coppin State on Dec. 15. Sophomore forward Mario Moody also brings a strong rebounding presence off the bench for Wagner, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game. Penn gave up a whopping 50 rebounds to Delaware in its last game, a stat that could spell even greater danger against Wagner.
Three Down-
Penn's Rotation: Against UD, Penn coach Jerome Allen went with a seven-man rotation as a result of the recent suspension of five players. The seven-man rotation was unable to keep it going, and eventually lost by 23 to the Blue Hens. It would be surprising to see anything different against Wagner, especially because of the team's collective inexperience. If the Quakers can limit their turnovers and somehow keep the Seahawks off the boards, the team could carry at least some momentum into 2013.
Penn's second-half defense: The Quakers gave up 51 points in the second half to the Blue Hens in their last game. To keep that in perspective, against Penn State on Dec. 1, the Quakers scored 47 points for the entire game. If this squad wants to start turning its season around, it will need to limit the Seahawks' scoring in the second half. Against Delaware, Penn had some early success but was outscored 51-34 in the second half. To beat Wagner, the Quakers will need to play a full 40 minutes for the first time this season and limit Wagner's scoring chances as the game continues on.
Turnovers: The Quakers turned the ball over 17 times against Delaware, on par with the team's season average, even without Miles Cartwright and his team-leading 3.1 turnovers per game. Wagner has now held two teams under 30 percent shooting this season and is limiting the opposition to just 38.5 percent shooting, including 24.7 percent from long range. Both totals lead the Northeast Conference (NEC). If the Quakers struggle again from the field, turnovers will surely follow.
A highly reputable source has told the Daily Pennsylvanian that Miles Cartwright, Henry Brooks, Tony Hicks, Darien Nelson-Henry and Steve Rennard were all suspended for Penn basketball’s game at Delaware on Dec. 21 after failing random drug tests. The official word after the game was that these five players were suspended for violating team rules, which Penn coach Jerome Allen did not elaborate on in his postgame press conference.
Two sources close to the team did not comment specifically on the reports that five players failed drug tests, citing that Allen had told those with knowledge of the incident to say only that "it was a disciplinary action that [Allen] took due to them not following a team rule." Penn Director of Athletic Communications Mike Mahoney also did not comment on the reports of failed drug tests.
Many unknowns still remain, including when the tests were administered, what drug(s) or masking agent(s) were identified from the test, when Allen notified the players of their suspensions and whether the tests were administered by Penn or the NCAA. A failed drug test administered by the NCAA would result in the players losing one full year of eligibility effective on the date the urine sample was given. The NCAA does not require schools to drug test their players, nor are those schools required to report the results of drug tests to the NCAA.
However, 90 percent of Division I schools have their own drug-testing programs independent from the NCAA. Additionally, NCAA Bylaw 10.2 requires schools to follow their own institutional policies and protocols for drug violations if they have them.
The Penn Athletics Compliance Office's 2012-13 Review of Rules and Regulations Governing Intercollegiate Athletics states that Penn "does not promote drug-testing of its student-athletes except when there is cause or suspicion of abuse." The guide does state that those found to have used banned or street drugs "shall be declared ineligible for further participation in regular-season and postseason competition," but does not clarify whether this is a University or NCAA policy.
Mahoney told the Daily Pennsylvanian that he assumes the drug policy being enforced is "at University-level," and he does not think the NCAA has authority to decide what punishments are given on alcohol or drug-related matters. Mahoney added that coach Allen "has been in touch with his superiors," who "are aware of the reasons for the suspension and support him on his decision."
Penn Assistant Director of Athletics/Compliance D. Elton Cochran-Fikes was not available via phone and did not immediately return an email asking to clarify Penn's policy.
Two sources close to the team have also said that they expect the suspensions to be lifted for all five players for Penn’s next game at Wagner on Saturday. The matchup would mark the suspended group’s first game action since the Quakers’ 68-55 home loss to Villanova on Dec. 8. The decision to play the five after a one-game suspension would suggest that the reported drug tests were not administered by the NCAA.
We’ll continue to report on the suspensions as more news breaks.
Megan Soisson also contributed to the writing and reporting of this article.
The DP Sports staff wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. As 2012 becomes 2013, a curtain call for those who made Fall 2012 a memorable semester for DP Sports and our readers:
Ethan "Bodybuilding Beat" Alter
Karl "NFL.com" Bagherzadeh
Allison "More Quotable Than You Know" Bart
Danielle "PR" Chuang
Todd "Hutch" Costa
Will "More French?" Dossett
Kristi "Swimming Blog?" Edelson
Ellen "Oh Henry!" Frierson
Tim "Stepwise" Ghosh
Ben "The Legend" Golombek
David "It's In the Game" Greenbaum
Nick "Above or Below" Greiner
Reuben T. "Penn Sports Beat" Hampton
Mars "Head Beat" Jacobson
Steven "Fink" Jaffe
Kenny "Kant" Kasper
Alyssa "Penn's Next Andrea Mitchell" Kress
Sushaan "Globetrotter" Modi
Ike "The Spike" Onyeador
Alex "Bouton" Ott
John "Liveblogger Extraordinaire" Phillips
Megan "Dejan" Soisson
Evan "Comedy" Spiller
Riley "Becoming XXX" Steele
Anna "SP Gristle" Strong
Habeeb "Super Squash Beater" Suara
Joe "Ya Gotta Regatta" Sykes
Mike "Still XXX" Tony
Brette "DPOSTM's Secret Weapon" Trost
Steven "Less Fassel, More Wassel" Tydings
Ian "Even Less Fassel, More Simms" Wenik
Mike "Big Game" Wisniewski
Alexis "Mechina" Ziebelman
In this installment of Mano-a-Mano, men's hoops beat writer John Phillips and Senior Sports Editor-elect Mike Tony debate whether it's time for sophomore forward Greg Louis to crack the starting lineup after his 19-point, 11-rebound performance at Delaware.
John Phillips: The best argument for why Louis should start is the same argument against sophomore forward Henry Brooks. Both guys are talented, and Brooks does have experience at the collegiate level. Yet, a lot of the same mistakes that he made in his freshman year continue to pop up. He gets in foul trouble far too early during contests, putting coach Allen in a bind before the first half even ends. In addition, when he's on the floor, he doesn't put up the points that the Quakers need from the center position.
While Brooks' biggest attribute is his defensive prowess, Louis is no slouch on the defensive end, and also has bigger upside offensively. Surely, he needs to take less shots from downtown and more midrange jumpers, but he showed the ability to attack the basket against Delaware, putting in a performance that, had Miles Cartwright been on the floor, would have given the Quakers three threats offensively, something this team desperately needs.
Mike Tony: You're definitely right about Brooks' foul woes. It's outrageous how quickly he accumulates fouls, averaging just 15.1 minutes per game directly because of his 3.56 fouls per game average. But he's earned coach Allen's trust more than Louis up to this point because he's been a more polished piece in Allen's offensive and defensive schemes. Earlier this season, Louis showed flashes of raw athleticism but was clearly lost on both ends of the floor, missing defensive assignments and taking the ill-advised shots you mentioned. His 34.8 percent field goal shooting this season is proof that his shot selection is suspect.
And that didn't change Friday night, with Louis shooting 7-of-17 from the field and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. What we know is that Brooks is significantly more efficient down low than Louis. What we don't know is whether Louis is the real deal based on one game. Was Patrick Lucas-Perry the real deal after his 15-point performance in the season opener? Was Tony Hicks the real deal after reaching the 10-point mark at Penn State? Not necessarily, and their play had dipped in the meantime. Louis is clearly on the right track, but he needs to prove himself further to justify supplanting someone who has accumulated 32 starts in the last two seasons, as Brooks has.
JP: Coach Allen's trust of Brooks can't be denied. He's the staple of Penn's defense, and in a lot of ways, one could point the finger directly at him for why the Quakers fade late in games. If he can't be on the floor and aggressive, then the Red and Blue's scheme fails to work like the fine-tuned machine that it has seemed to be at times.
That having been said, Brooks' career high was 13 points last season against Marist, and he averages just under five points per game, while taking only an average of 3.8 shots each contest. He hasn't shown the offensive flair that Louis did last night. Sure, the five three-balls probably shouldn't have been taken, but in a way, that flaw is also what I like the most about him. This Penn offense is crying out for a third guy who is not afraid to take shots. Brooks has shown that he isn't that guy, and while hope remains that Tony Hicks can take on more of a role, Louis' aggression should be valued by Allen.
MT: It's true that Brooks will never be that third offensive threat, but he's the necessary defensive presence on a team that struggles to get second-chance points, fouls a lot across the board and constantly puts pressure on its defense with poor shooting from the field. Louis is a potential source of progress for this team, but once Brooks returns, he shouldn't remain on the bench in favor of a guy who had one good game when nearly half the team was missing anyway.
Verdict: Chalk this one up as a win for John. Even though Allen swore that he was not looking at last night's game as an audition, Louis clearly differentiated himself on the offensive end of the floor. While it may seem that Brooks is necessary to the team's defensive presence, he hasn't grabbed onto that role with much authority this year, getting into foul trouble too often to help his team when they really need it. At this point in the season, with the Ivy slate closing in, Louis has earned the opportunity to start and get significant minutes, if only to see whether his production can be sustained.
FULL RECAP // BOX SCORE
THE GOOD – Greg Louis’ performance
After playing very few minutes throughout the season’s first nine games, the redshirt freshman put up a double-double by halftime, eventually finishing the game with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Louis served as a nice complement to Fran Dougherty, helping establish a nice flow for an offensive attack that allowed Penn to jump out to a strong start despite some of its top producers sitting on the bench.
THE BAD– Delaware’s second-chance points
Delaware took 81 shots (that's more than two per minute), and 22 more than the Quakers, with most of those attempts coming as second-chance opportunities. With 24 offensive rebounds on the game, the Blue Hens outscored Penn 33-9 in second-chance points, a difference that proved to be the game. The Blue Hens shot basically the same percentage as the Quakers on the night, but due to the amount of chances they were provided, the Blue Hens took this one quite easily.
THE UGLY – Five suspended Quakers
Little is known as to what Miles Cartwright, Tony Hicks, Henry Brooks, Steve Rennard and Darien Nelson-Henry did to justify an indefinite suspension from the squad. Coach Jerome Allen said following the game that he had known “for a while” and that he’d take the suspensions “one game at a time.” Whatever did occur, the incident doesn’t bode well for an already struggling Quakers squad as it transitions into Ivy League play after the break.
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