Penn alums chasing hoop dreams

Gone are the days of being cheered on the hallowed floor of the Palestra. No more will Ivy League opponents fret over how to stop them.

But while the days of donning the Red and Blue may be over for the recent graduates of the Penn basketball program, some of the Quakers' star alums are still chasing their hoop dreams with professional teams both at home and abroad.

Michael Jordan, the former Ivy League player of the year who led Penn to consecutive Ivy titles in 1999 and 2000, is now with his third European team since graduating in 2000.

Jordan is the starting point guard for second-division C.B. Murcia in the southeastern Spanish city of Murcia. His team is currently 3-0 in preseason play.

With stints playing in France in late 2000 and Germany earlier this year, Jordan has grown accustomed to the subtle differences of the European game.

"The game is pretty much the same except for the three steps [traveling rule]," he said. "And the refs let you get fouled a little more if you're the American. It's just a matter of adjusting."

Although he's spent much time playing in Europe and said his current situation is "very good, and can only get better," Jordan still has his eye on making it into the NBA after experiences with the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics in 2000 and the International Basketball League's Trenton Stars earlier this summer.

"I don't know what the future holds," he said. "Of course I want to play in the NBA, but Spain is beautiful and I'm having a great time here."

Fellow 2000 graduate Matt Langel, who made up the other side of the Quakers' vaunted backcourt, returned to the states this summer to attend the 76ers' three-day camp in early July.

"It was a pretty good experience," Langel said. "It was good to hear what NBA coaches had to say."

He then played in the Del-Val Pro Am, a Philadelphia league comprised of former college and pro players, including NBA players Malik Rose and Alvin Williams.

Langel, who played for teams in Switzerland and France before returning to America, is now entertaining offers from other European teams.

Recently acquiring Italian citizenship should help the shooting guard's cause in leagues where only two Americans are allowed on each roster.

Two of the Quakers' most recent graduates, men's center Geoff Owens and women's forward Diana Caramanico, are also currently abroad.

The 6'11" Owens is with a team in Poland. Caramanico, who was invited to a pre-draft WNBA camp earlier this summer, is now playing in Strasbourg, France.

In a small act of redemption, Caramanico scored 28 points against Texas Tech -- the team that eliminated the Quakers from the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament -- during a recent exhibition game.

Back stateside, Lamar Plummer has continued to work on his outside scoring prowess since graduating in May.

Although the shooting guard's stint with the Philadelphia Force of the National Rookie League was cut a little short after suffering a dislocated pinky finger on his shooting hand in late July, Plummer is back in the gym training for the October tryouts of the first-year National Basketball Development League.

He said that if he does not get picked up by the NBDL, he will head to Washington, D.C., to pursue a job at Fannie Mae.

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