Young Quakers Have Potential During Slow Start
PHILADELPHIA – Before the season, much was said about this year’s Penn team not being the Penn team we’ve known over the years. Much has been said about how wide-open the Ivy League appears to be and how this could be the first time in 19 years that a team other than Penn or Princeton took home the Ivy League title.
The Quakers are off to a 2-4 start with a lineup that includes two freshmen guards. Harrison Gaines and Tyler Bernardini both look impressive and have a chance to be excellent players, but it’s not going to happen right away although Bernardini was quite effective in the Quakers’ 71-67 win over Navy on Saturday. He was very active and showed some good ball skills. Gaines has the physical tools to be a good player, but looks a bit erratic right now, although no more than your average freshman point guard.
Although the youth is visible in the backcourt, it’s up front that one would find the biggest questions entering the season. Departed starters Mark Zoller and Steve Danley were major keys to the team’s success last season, and the holdovers were unproven. The early games haven’t answered many questions, save for the Quakers being out-rebounded by more than four per game.
Over a week ago, the Quakers sure looked the part of a vulnerable team in losing at home to Howard, coached by former long time Penn assistant Gil Jackson. That dropped the Quakers to 0-3, an unthinkable start for a program that has played tough non-conference schedules but has had a great deal of success over the years in non-conference play.
A look at statistics shows that the defensive end has some troubling numbers. Entering Saturday’s game, opponents were shooting 47 percent from the field against the Quakers, including an astonishing 49 percent from three-point range. Opponents were averaging over 82 points per game against them, with Virginia dropping 100 on them Friday night.
Those numbers are a big reason why Saturday’s effort against Navy could be a key step forward for them. They held the Midshipmen to 30.6 percent shooting, including 5-28 from long range. They also got some run-outs from misses and turnovers, which led to a few easy baskets that helped them take the lead in the second half.
“I was very satisfied because they’re a very difficult team to defend,” said head coach Glen Miller of their defensive effort. “I thought our guys paid attention in practice today, paid attention in the pregame talk and carried that on the floor and executed it to perfection.”
The Quakers have talent, notably the aforementioned freshmen guards. Senior Brian Grandieri is the veteran leader who has been through the wars and has the look of a go-to guy, as the Quakers at times seemed to make a concerted effort to get him the ball to try and score. The key for this team will be the young players growing up and dependable players emerging in the frontcourt. The intangibles will take a little time to fully come around, but Saturday’s win might be a step in the right direction.
“It was an ugly game, but it’s nice to win one of those ugly games because there’s a certain amount of toughness that’s required to win those games,” said Miller. “We need to be a tougher team physically and mentally, so there’s progress in those areas.”
Since the Howard loss, the Quakers have played some better basketball, winning two of the three games thus far. There are still concerning points, like the 22 turnovers they committed against Navy, and defense won’t become a strength overnight. The young players, particularly the guards, have talent, but need experience and to learn from their experience.
“They’ve really grown up in the stretch of the last two or three games. They’re not hesitating to shoot, they’re giving the ball up when guys are open,” said Grandieri of the freshmen. “The two times that we’ve played as a team and given that extra pass, we’ve been able to get a win.”
The big question is if they will develop well enough by the time Ivy League play rolls around. They will be tested plenty, as the remainder of non-conference play includes a home date with North Carolina, a road date with Miami and their Big Five opponents – Villanova and Temple on the road, La Salle and Saint Joseph’s at home. And the rest of the Ivy League hasn’t exactly set the world on fire in non-conference play, as only Cornell has a winning record and Brown is the only other team with a .500 record. So the Quakers are in good company, and they might be in a much better place once Ivy League play rolls around.
