Before advancing to the NCAA Tournament last season, the Penn men's basketball team started 1-2, losing to both Delaware and Drexel after an uninspired win over Penn State to open the season. Should the Quakers have similar troubles to start this year, they will not be able to write it off to lack of game experience.
Penn went 4-2 in its six exhibition games in Spain, played between Aug. 23 and Aug. 29.
"I would think when October comes along, it will be easier," senior guard Jeff Schiffner said.
Penn's entire starting lineup, save Schiffner and junior guard Tim Begley, will be new this season. In Europe, the Quakers used guard Charlie Copp and forwards Jan Fikiel and Adam Chubb to replace the graduated Andrew Toole, Koko Archibong and Ugonna Onyekwe.
It was Schiffner -- a returning first-team All-Ivy performer -- who stole the show in Europe, averaging 16 points per game over the six games. Begley was second on the team, averaging 13.5 ppg.
Schiffner "did very well," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "I would hope that we could spread the wealth around more."
Schiffner agrees that the Quakers should not have to lean too heavily on him or Begley.
"We're a very system-oriented team," Schiffner said.
Penn went 3-0 in the first half of the trip but lost two of its last three games. The Quakers dropped an 86-82 decision to CB Granada on Aug. 27 and, in their final outing on Aug. 29, were routed by CB Tarragona, 89-63. All of the games were played under the rules of international competition.
In the loss to Granada, former Oklahoma star Aaron McGhee scored 22 as his team led throughout the contest. Penn trailed, 83-68, with just over two minutes remaining, but went on a 13-2 run over the next minute-and-a-half to trim the lead to four. A missed Copp three and a stolen inbound pass would seal the defeat. Schiffner and Begley had 22 points apiece.
The next day, Penn ran away from Unicaja Malaga, winning 83-59, despite Schiffner being held to seven points, his lowest total of the trip. Begley, Chubb, Fikiel and sophomore guard Friedrich Ebede each scored in double figures as the Quakers cruised to victory.
In its next outing, Penn was crushed by former North Carolina State center Todd Fuller and Tarragona, 89-63. With five minutes to play in the first half, Penn trailed, 41-11, and would never seriously challenge during the game. Schiffner and Begley led the Quakers with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
"We got up at 4 a.m. and traveled all day," Dunphy said. "But those are excuses -- we shot ourselves in the foot early."
Despite the result of the last game, the Quakers' leading scorer felt Penn was playing better at the end of the trip than the beginning.
"We all came together by the end of the trip," Schiffner said. "We had a better feel for each other."
Also encouraging was the play of two transfers, Eric Heil from Lehigh and Eric Osmundson from Utah. As transfers, each sat out all of last season.
Heil, a 6'8" forward, averaged 6.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in 17 minutes per contest. Osmundson only recorded 2.2 ppg and played in five games, but the junior guard's coach said he is recovering well from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
"Osmundson's knee held up well and will only get better as the season progresses," Dunphy said.
Penn hopes much the same could be said about the whole team.
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