Penn Quakers (9-22 overall, 6-8 league)
Projected starting five:
Sr. G Miles Jackson-Cartwright
So. G Tony Hicks
Sr. G Steve Rennard
Sr. F Fran Dougherty
Jr. F Henry Brooks
Important departures:
None
Returning:
100 percent of scoring and 100 percent of rebounding
Additions:
Fr. G Tony Bagtas
Fr. G Matt Howard
Fr. F Dylan Jones
Fr. G Preston Troutt
Fr. C David Winfield, Jr.
Schedule Highlights:
The Quakers have a very challenging non-league slate with seven home games, including Big 5 matchups against Temple, La Salle and Saint Joseph’s, and they also have a visit from Penn State. They will also challenge themselves at Iowa, Villanova, MAAC contender Rider and George Mason. Ivy League play starts with a test of where this team is, as the first three games will be against Princeton and at Dartmouth and Harvard.
Projected finish and outlook:
If Penn can get through their non-league slate in a good place, they could make a leap in the standings. This is a team with good talent and lineup flexibility, allowing them to play several ways. They bring back everyone from last season and add good newcomers led by Bagtas, who could see a lot of minutes right away, and having a healthy Dougherty again will be a welcome sight. The backcourt is solid and won’t garner many headlines, but gives Jerome Allen a lot of options for combinations and ways to play, while Brooks and sophomore Darien Nelson-Henry are solid role players alongside Dougherty. The Quakers got better as the season went along last year, and the first way they can keep that up will be in the possession battle from taking better care of the ball as the Quakers led the league in turnovers last season and rebounding better as they had the worst margin in the league as well.
