Europe's newest exports: M. Hoops' Tolan and Fikiel

The play had gone horribly awry, and the backboard was going to pay for it.

Conor Tolan, whose seven-foot frame makes up one-third of the "21 feet of freshmen" on the Penn men's basketball team (Jan Fikiel and Nameir Majette provide the other 168 inches), swung his lanky arm up and slapped the glass with the palm of his hand.

No harm, however, and no foul. This was practice, after all, and no plays would count for another two weeks, not until the Quakers' season opener at Georgia Tech.

No harm, except maybe to the pride of the big man from Dublin, Ireland, who, along with German native and fellow center Fikiel, is an Old World newcomer to the Penn basketball team.

"Slapping the backboard -- that just shows me that he's trying real hard and got a little frustrated," Penn point guard David Klatsky said. "That's a good thing. It shows a little emotion. It shows he cares."

He cares -- rarely have so few words said so much.

Like teammate Ugonna Onyekwe before them, both Tolan and Fikiel crossed an ocean and left their homes thousands of miles behind to get an American education in life, school and basketball.

They've done too much not to care.

"I think the fact that they can come over here and just be as adjusted as they are really says a lot about who they are as people," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said.

As such, a thirst for improvement and a smooth transition into the college game motivates them on the hardwood.

Fikiel, who hails from Ulm, Germany, and played high school basketball for two years at Westminster Academy in Florida, is an offensive talent who works hard to improve his game on the defensive end of the floor.

"I would like to get minutes, and coach told me the only way I am going to get minutes is if I improve my defense," the amicable forward said. "I try to work on that."

At Westminster, Fikiel found it hard to adjust to the American hoops style his first year, but adapted well in his second year.

"I think any adjustment which was real difficult, he probably got that experience out of the way last year," Dunphy said. "He should be in pretty good shape now."

Fikiel admits that the transition from high school to college is similar in terms of difficulty to the transition from Europe to Westminster, a fact he recognizes when he has to guard players like Onyekwe and forward Koko Archibong in practice.

"In Europe, the game's not as intense," he said. "It's more skill. In the States, it's a lot [more] physical, a lot tougher. They play a lot faster."

Tolan, who played in high school last year at the Berkshire School in Massachusetts, displays a work ethic similar to his German comrade.

"One thing about Conor, he wants to improve," Klatsky said. "He's coming along well, he's listening well and he's showing great strides."

Skilled in rebounding and blocking shots, Tolan has the tools necessary to become a physical force in the Ivy League.

"He's a big man," Dunphy said. "We can certainly use his size and strength."

Another transition the two young ballers have had to make is the one to American college life. While such a change is potentially harrowing for any college studentÿ-- domestic or foreign -- the pair has done well.

"Jan's been in Florida for a couple years now, so he knows what America's all about," Klatsky said. "Conor, living in Ireland, coming over here, he's adjusting all right. Some things probably give him a little culture shock, but he's doing fine."

The two friends, who both live in the Quad, enjoy Penn. And for Tolan, Philadelphia was an important factor in choosing Penn.

"I picked the basketball team because they win, and I picked the school because of the city," the unassuming Irishman said.

To Tolan, the City of Brotherly Love reminds him a bit of home.

"The style of the city is a lot like Dublin," he said. "Of course, this is a lot bigger than back home, but it's the same sort of setup."

Fikiel, who has only ventured downtown two or three times and hasn't experienced much of the rest of the city, chose Penn over the other schools that courted him -- such as American and Fairfield -- because it offered him both the academic and athletic programs he was looking for.

"[Penn plays] an awesome schedule every year, and the academics are incredible," the Wharton student said. "That was a great package."

Tolan and Fikiel also said that the lure of the Palestra was a factor in choosing to spend four years in Philly.

"I watched Villanova against St. Joe's in the Palestra," Fikiel said, referring to last December's Big Five game, a 78-75 Wildcats victory. "It was great, I mean, it was unbelievable. It was crazy. So I'm definitely looking forward to playing in the Palestra."

Tolan attended Penn's home games versus Yale and Brown last season, enjoyed the ambiance and was awed by the immensity of the historic arena.

"It was a good atmosphere. I enjoyed it," he said. "When I first went into the Palestra, I just looked up and stood there, turning around."

Joining Tolan and Fikiel in the Palestra will be fellow newcomer Majette, who is the final third of what Klatsky and the rest of the team calls the "21 feet of freshmen."

"I know they're not seven feet [each], but that's what we like to call the three seven-footers -- 21 feet of freshmen," Klatsky said.

"It's funny, when we all wear the same gear, and we walk down the street, it's just like a big wall," Tolan said of he and his fellow 14 feet, laughing.

The three freshmen have begun to eschew the silence that often comes with being the newcomers in any social situation and are integrating themselves into the dynamic of the team.

"[Now], a couple months in, they're getting a little more comfortable with us," Klatsky said. "We hear their voices every now and then. That's a good thing."

So far, all indications point to nothing but good things coming in the future from the trio.

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