"Isn't it Romanczuk?"

At the end of an incredible sophomore season, "the other recruit" has everybody asking? Paul Romanczuk had seen it before -- the packed Palestra, the wild fans, the cutting of the nets after a league championship. And he knew he wanted another four years of the same. The senior forward from Archbishop Carroll could have gone elsewhere. The offers were there -- from Princeton and a number of other Ivy League and Patriot League schools, from Delaware, from Drexel, where his father played college ball. But he had experienced the raucous atmosphere of championship basketball at the Palestra, and he was hungry for more. As a senior all-league forward averaging 14 points and eight rebounds per game, Romanczuk watched the Palestra clock tick down to zero as his team claimed the 1995 Philadelphia Catholic League championship. Almost exactly one year later, Romanczuk again waited for the final buzzer to sound, as he and his new Penn teammates topped Princeton, 63-59, in front of a sold-out Palestra crowd. The victory earned the Quakers a share of the 1996 Ivy League title. Of course, it was never supposed to happen that way -- not for Frank Brown, not for Jed Ryan and certainly not for Paul Romanczuk. Brown and Ryan arrived on Penn's campus 1 1/2 years ago as highly touted freshmen expected to carry on the Quakers' domination of the Ivy League. Romanczuk was a sort of throw-in recruit, expected to perhaps provide coach Fran Dunphy with an effective seventh man a couple of years down the road. As a senior at Beverly Hills (Calif.) High School, Brown was ranked among the nation's top 100 recruits by Blue Chip Illustrated. Ryan, the leading scorer for Pennsylvania powerhouse Erie Cathedral Prep, earned all-state honors and the interest of numerous Division I schools. Romanczuk's play for Archbishop Carroll impressed the Penn coaches, but his career statistics failed to wow the Penn faithful, who focused most of their hype on Brown and Ryan. But nearly one year later, it was Romanczuk who was starting at power forward in Penn's most important regular-season game of the 1990s. And now, nearly two years after leading Archbishop Carroll to the Catholic League title, Romanczuk has blossomed into one of the most unlikely All-Ivy candidates. By most accounts, Brown or Ryan should be the established stars by now -- not Romanczuk. But during the offseason between his freshman and sophomore years, Brown underwent surgery on his left knee. The injury never fully healed, and after one cameo appearance in Penn's second game, Brown gave up on the 1996-97 season and began rehabbing for next year. Ryan got off on the wrong foot with the Quakers -- literally. A pair of sprained ankles led to Ryan missing most of his freshman preseason. He spent the rest of his rookie year trying to catch up but ended up watching most of the action from the Penn bench. This year, Ryan has begun fulfilling some of his celebrated potential, earning a spot in the Quakers' starting lineup. In spite of -- or perhaps due to -- his original status as Penn's "other freshman," Romanczuk was the first of the three rookies to crack the starting lineup. After a number of midseason player defections, Romanczuk moved into Dunphy's seven-man rotation, filling the role of the inside banger. He quickly earned a reputation as a hard-nosed grinder who wasn't afraid to battle underneath for a rebound or dive to the hardwood for a loose ball. "I thought I'd have to work hard, maybe get a little time as a freshman, but I didn't set my goals all that high," Romanczuk said. "But then when it came to practice, I thought I had as good a chance as anybody playing here." Romanczuk's big break came when starting power forward Nat Graham, frustrated over dwindling playing time and citing his loss of love for the game, decided to leave the team last January. Desperate, Dunphy plugged Romanczuk into Graham's spot, where he started 15 of Penn's final 16 games. The move marked the first time a freshman started regularly for Dunphy since Shawn Trice did so for the 1991-92 squad. "Coach Dunphy isn't one to really start freshmen that quickly," Romanczuk said. "I was surprised, but I just took that opportunity and ran with it." All Romanczuk has done this season is establish himself as one of the Ivy League's most complete forwards. After averaging a modest 6.2 points per game last season, Romanczuk has become the Quakers' low-post go-to man this year. He is averaging 11.6 points and a team-best 5.0 rebounds and is shooting 52.7 percent from the field. If there is one sore spot for Romanczuk, though, it is his performance in Penn's February 1 loss to Cornell. In that game, Romanczuk was matched up with Big Red forward John McCord for most of the game. McCord, playing in his first season for Cornell since transferring from Monroe Junior College, put together what was arguably the most dominating performance of the Ivy season. He scored 23 points, pulled down 20 rebounds and held Romanczuk to just eight points. "After we played John McCord the first time, my immediate reaction was he may be the best player in the league," Dunphy said. Romanczuk will get his rematch with McCord tonight when Penn (10-13, 6-5 Ivy) takes on Cornell (15-9, 7-5) at 7 p.m. at the Palestra. Tomorrow, the Quakers will host Columbia (6-18, 1-11) at 7 p.m. Romanczuk's take-it-strong offensive philosophy and aggressive defense have recently drawn the attention of the officials. Against Harvard last Saturday, Romanczuk had a stellar first half, going 4-for-4 from the field, scoring nine points and holding Crimson All-Ivy forward Kyle Snowden to just two points. But Romanczuk found himself in foul trouble early in the second half and eventually fouled out with over six minutes remaining in regulation. Snowden proceeded to tear Penn for 17 second-half points and 12 second-half rebounds. The previous week, Romanczuk was called for two fouls in the first two minutes against Yale and sat out most of the first half. The Elis' Daniel Okonkwo -- another All-Ivy candidate -- torched Penn for 16 points and 11 boards. The Quakers lost both games. "Paul's got to realize that for Pennsylvania to win, he's got to be on the floor," Quakers captain Jamie Lyren said. "That may mean giving up a basket or two on the defensive end in some situations." Dunphy believes if Romanczuk can get a better mental grasp on the game and avoid his recent foul troubles, he can make the jump to that top echelon of All-Ivy players. "I hope that Paul can get to the level of Snowden, McCord and Okonkwo," Dunphy said. "I think there's a lot of similarities in all of their games. I think, in all honesty, Paul can be the best perimeter shooter of all of those guys. And as I've said before, if there's somebody better taking the ball to the basket, I haven't seem him." Paul Romanczuk may not have gotten the hype as a freshman, but he's certainly getting the respect now.

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