Penn men’s basketball goes undefeated in Croatia

Rule 10, Section XIII of the National Basketball Association rulebook defines traveling as a violation that involves a player taking too many steps without dribbling the ball. To kick off this summer, Penn men’s basketball did plenty of traveling — 9,246 miles of it, to be exact. 

Coming off a lackluster season that saw the team finish 11-18 and end up second-to-last in the Ancient Eight, a change of scenery was much-needed for the Red and Blue. Under NCAA policies, Division I teams are allowed to travel abroad once every four years. The last time the Quakers took advantage of this was in May 2019, when the team took its talents to Italy. 

This time, the destination was Croatia. The Land of a Thousand Islands was the perfect place for the team to rediscover its identity. The three-game series against three of Croatia’s various professional teams ended with the Quakers going undefeated. 

“It's one of the countries, personally, I haven't been to,” coach Steve Donahue said. “I also think it's really great in terms of basketball … Basketball is really a sport there that they love and respect, and I wanted that aspect of the trip, as well.”

The traveling mileage started with the 4,573-mile flight from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik. There, the Red and Blue took the court against KK Dubrovnik, a member of the 12-team Croatian Premijer Liga that finished seventh this season. Rising junior guard Cam Thrower paved the way, with a team-leading 19 points, to a 72-61 come-back-from-behind win. Rising senior forward/center Nick Spinoso also put together a solid performance, finishing the game with 13 points and nine rebounds — just one rebound shy of a double-double. 

Next up on the Quakers’ 10-day trek of Croatia was Split, around 143 miles out from Dubrovnik. There, the Red and Blue took on a member of Prva Hrvatska Košarkaška Liga’s KK Kastela. Spinoso’s 18 points and rising senior George Smith’s 13 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals were enough to guide the group to a hard-fought 95-87 win.

To wrap things up, Penn traveled another 161 miles to Zagreb, where it put on its most dominating performance yet, routing Premijer Liga’s KK Dubrava Furnir Zagreb 100-57. Penn had six players score in the double figures, led by Smith’s 18. Not far behind him were rising sophomore guard/forward Niklas Polonowski and rising senior guard/forward Ed Holland III with 15 points apiece. All that was left after the game was the 4,369-mile journey back to Philadelphia to officially conclude the team’s foreign traveling plans this year. 

With the recent transfer of freshman guard Tyler Perkins and graduation of senior guard Clark Slajchert, a lot of starting lineup and roster shakeup has ensued. As the more experienced leaders and veterans of the team, Spinoso and Smith have used the trip as a chance to emphasize the importance of having a “next man up” and “next play” mentality. 

“I saw a lot of maturity and growth from the guys mentally, emotionally, and physically,” Smith said. “Being a guy that's had probably the most experience on the team aside from [Spinoso], just being able to lead those guys and show them that it's next play mentality … it's what we need for next year.”

As such, the trip became a chance for players with limited previous playing experience to show out and solidify their spots on the team. Given the opportunity, rising sophomore forward Augustus Gerhart, rising junior forward Johnnie Walter, and Polonowski were just some of the younger players who capitalized with strong performances across all three games. 

“I like to do [the trip] right after exams in the spring,” Donahue said. “I think it makes for really good spring workouts. The guys are motivated and then you get to see where you improved and who's gotten better since the season ended. And for us, we had a lot of young — mostly frontcourt — guys that we were hoping to see [improve].”

And while a major part of the trip was focused on regaining the team’s confidence and identity, the trip wasn’t all business. The cross-country journey presented a unique team bonding opportunity for the team that allowed the players to form deeper connections — not just with each other, but also with the coaches.

“We had some time here to just hang out with each other,” Spinoso said. “And everybody was together for the whole trip, so it was great. I thought it was a great way to get the guys closer.”

Free from the stressors of school and in-season gameplay, the team was allowed to relax and explore. Across the 10 days, the Quakers had plenty of excursions unrelated to basketball planned. A favorite among the players and coaching staff was going whitewater rafting on the way to Split. 

“We were in wetsuits and full gear and helmets,” Donahue said. “There were no pictures of course, but we all looked a little goofy, so we had a blast. That was like two hours of laughs and fun down the water. It was really cool.”

The 2024 men’s basketball season is still a ways in the distance, but Penn men’s basketball is more than eager to retake the court to get the taste of what was ultimately a frustrating and disappointing season out of its mouth. And if the trip to Croatia is a sign of things to come, then the Quakers’ return to the Palestra this upcoming winter could be one for the history books. 

“We have a lot of work to do,” Smith said. “I'm not gonna say we're ready and prepared, but I think we've taken huge strides … we're a really close team and we all have the same goal in mind. There's no individuals on the team and we're really excited to show everyone that we've improved a lot.”