What: UMBC at Penn
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Palestra
Radio: 88.5-FM
The Penn Quakers finished the 2011-12 season with a 21-13 record. Although the Quakers missed out on their ultimate goal of capturing an Ivy League title that would have solidified them with an NCAA tournament bid, the season can be considered somewhat of a success.
Last season marked the first time the Quakers won 20 games since the 2006-07 campaign. From 2007-2011 the team that was once a consistent force inside the Ivy League went a combined 42-73.
Under head coach Jerome Allen, things are looking up and the basketball program is looking to once again build upon their rich history.
Although their two top players have moved on in Zack Rosen and Tyler Bernardini, the Quakers have a plethora of young talent on this year’s team that will have to step up and play big roles for Allen.
The Quakers will begin to find out about themselves when they open the 2012-13 season by hosting UMBC at 7 p.m. Friday at the Palestra.
“I think this is a very interesting group to say the least,” Allen told Philahoops on Wednesday. “It’s a talented team and I think for the most part they’ve worked hard. I’m excited for them. For some guys it’s the first chance to compete at the collegiate level. It’s just an opportunity for a fairly young group to come together and we’re trying to see if they can pass the test. “
Among some of the young talent is freshman guard Tony Hicks, who highlights one of the Ivy League’s best recruiting classes.
Hicks was a Parade All-American last year and the ESPN Illinois Player of the Year.
“Tony is a great scorer,” Penn junior guard Miles Cartwright said. “What impressed me the most about him and all the freshmen are they just work really hard and they want to win and they work hard every day.”
With so many young players, the Quakers may have to lean on the veteran Cartwright for direction. But he says every Penn player must lead in his own way.
“I think we all are (a leader),” Cartwright said. “Everyone is looking to me and Fran (Dougherty) because we have to most game experience but I think everybody is a leader in their own way. I’m just trying to lead by just guiding the young guys when we’re in game situations and stuff, but everybody’s been taking a leadership role as much as they could.”
Cartwright is the only returning player on the Quakers roster who averaged double-digit scoring figures last season, and the only player that returns to University City having played at least 30 minutes per game. A lot of Penn’s success lies on the shoulders of the 6-foot-3 native of Van Nuys, Calif.
“I’m just gonna play,” he said. “I mean whatever coach calls I’m gonna to be ready and whatever he needs me to do I’m gonna be ready. If he needs me to score the ball, I think I worked really hard in the summer to prepare myself for that. And if he needs me to distribute, I think I’m just as capable.”
Allen knows how important Cartwright is to the squad, but isn’t putting any pressure on him whatsoever.
“We’re just asking Miles to be Miles and contribute in ways that he can and embrace the natural progression, which is to get better each and every year,” Allen said. “Whether it be his overall IQ, his strength, his ball-handling, his shooting ability, you know, just get better at one aspect of your game compared to last year to make us a better team.”
Cartwright will begin to have that opportunity on Friday on what Allen hopes will be an exciting evening.
“It’s the first game of the year,” Allen said. “There’s a little buzz on campus, a little excitement. I think these guys have been great ambassadors throughout campus and supporting other teams and other entities on campus and hopefully that gets reciprocated on Friday night.”
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Scouting Penn: The Quakers finished the 2011 season with a 21-13 record and a CBI win over Quinnipiac. Zack Rosen, Tyler Bernardini and Rob Belcore all graduated, leaving Miles Cartwright and Fran Dougherty as the key returning players. Steve Rennard, Dau Jok, andHenry Brooks join them in Penn’s starting lineup. …
Coach Jerome Allen preaches defense, however the Quakers gave up 14 3-pointers and nearly 80 points in their preseason scrimmage. Allen said that “they aren’t good enough to play games in the 80′s and expect to win.” … Jok impressed fans at Penn’s Red and Blue scrimmage, with six 3-pointers and a game-high 18 points in a 20-minute game. He saw very limited playing time in 2011-2012, but the co-captain looks to be in the starting lineup for the season opener. …
The Quakers defeated UMBC in their season opener last season 59-45 in a defensive showdown. Rosen scored a game-high 26 points.
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Scouting UMBC: UMBC returns four starters from last season’s team that finished 4-26 and 3-13 in the America East. Their only wins came against Binghamton (twice), Towson, and New Hampshire. Don’t give Penn the win already, as forward Chase Plummer (15.4 points per game), guard Ryan Cook (12.5 points per game), and guard Brian Neller (11.4 ppg) are back. The Retrievers lose only one starter to graduation, Jake Wasco, who averaged 4.3 points per game. …
Plummer is their go-to-guy, and it will be up to Henry Brooks and Dougherty to shut him down. Penn will have the height advantage as Plummer is only 6-6, compared to the 6-8 Brooks and Dougherty. … In UMBC’s wins last season, they scored the majority of points in the paint. They had trouble shooting from beyond the arc, at 27 percent (Compared to Penn’s 38 percent). If the Quakers can stop Plummer and Adrian Satchell in the paint, they should be fine. …
Aki Thomas will be the acting head coach for UMBC this season. Previous coach Randy Monroeresigned two days before the start of practice. Monroe was the Retrievers’ head coach for eight seasons, leading them to their only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008. This situation may affect the first few games of the season.
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Sound off:
Which freshmen will step up?
Coach Jerome Allen had a quality class this past offseason, bringing in Darien Nelson-Henry,Jamal Lewis, Julian Harrell, and Tony Hicks. Friday’s game will give us an idea on which freshmen will play, and potentially be a factor off the bench.
Nelson-Henry is just under 7-feet tall and is listed at 265 pounds. He worked on his conditioning and endurance in the offseason and lost some weight. Lewis is a physical guard who averaged 17 points per game at Sidwell Friends in Springdale, Md. Harrell and Hicks are speedy guards who have a solid mid-range game.
-Philahops staff writer Teddy Bailey contributed to this report.
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