M. Hoops faces Penn St. in A.C.

Quakers need Lyren to produce When the men's basketball team takes on Penn State in the nationally-televised Atlantic City Shootout tomorrow (6 p.m., ESPN2), Quakers coach Fran Dunphy will be counting on junior guard Jamie Lyren to provide leadership. "I'm expecting near-flawless play from Jamie as our point guard," Dunphy says. "I expect him to effectively run things for us on offense, to take good care of the basketball, and to always be in the right spot defensively. I expect him to lead us in the half-court game, and to get loose balls and his share of rebounds. As point guard, he has to run the show." It sounds like a lot to ask of one player. But Jamie Lyren should be up to the task. It may have been over two years ago, but he has been a leader before. In his senior year at Wadsworth High School in Wadsworth, Ohio, the hard-nosed point guard averaged 19 points and seven assists per game. He earned McDonald's all-American recognition en route to becoming Wadsworth' second-leading scorer all-time. He then chose to play college ball at Penn. With constantly earning national recognition, Lyren spent two seasons as the quiet and patient understudy. "We haven't had to expect things from Jamie before this year," explains Dunphy. "There were two professional-caliber players in the backcourt, so it was tough to always find him playing time." This season, the understudy is up on the stage. In Penn's first three games, the 6-foot, 3-inch guard has averaged 36 minutes, seven points, three assists, and five rebounds per contest. Along with senior co-captains Ira Bowman and Tim Krug, he is essential in helping this Quakers team find an identity. "I haven't been too nervous," Lyren says. "So far, I feel I've adjusted pretty well to the situation. As our point guard, I'll always look to get better at certain things, like lowering my turnovers and finding people open. Personally, there are little goals like shooting over 80 percent from the line and 50 percent from the floor." Against first-year coach Jerry Dunn's Nittany Lions (4-0) tomorrow, Lyren should again be critical to Penn's efforts. He will be matched up against junior Dan Earl, one of the Big Ten's best floor generals. Earl, whose younger brother is a freshman at Princeton, averaged nearly six assists per game last season and was instrumental in Penn State's postseason run to the NIT semifinals. "He's an integral part of our team," Dunn said. "We can't initiate any of our offense if he's not on." Lyren, of course, has seen his share of Dan Earl. Over the summer, the two guards worked out together with an assortment of Philadelphia talent from Penn, Drexel, and La Salle. The Quakers guard is eager to renew the rivalry under the ESPN2 spotlight. "We all look forward to playing against good competition," Lyren says. "Not that we worry about criticism, but it's a good chance to prove something. It's always more fun playing against people you know -- that's what the game is all about." Aside from holding their own in the Lyren-Earl matchup, the Quakers (1-2) will have plenty of other things to worry about tomorrow. Nittany Lions senior forward Glenn Sakunda is averaging nearly 15 points per game and has excellent range on his jump shot. Sophomore guard Pete Lisicky is also a deep threat -- connecting on nine of his first 17 treys this season. Penn will also need an especially strong effort on the boards from its frontcourt. Rebounding is not a strength of this Quakers team, and Penn State is more than capable of exploiting this weakness. In their first three games this season, the Nittany Lions outrebounded their opponents 151-79. "Their rebounding differential is extraordinary," Dunphy says. "We're going to have to keep them off the boards and limit the number of second-chance opportunities they get." If Krug and Nat Graham can do that, then the backcourts may end up as the deciding factor in Atlantic City. Then, on national television, Jamie Lyren, the understudy, will have the chance to finally assume his leading role.

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