Expectations not the same as last year for new-look Quakers

As the buzzer sounded last year at the Fleet Center in Boston, the collegiate careers of Ugonna Onyekwe, Koko Archibong, Andrew Toole and David Klatsky came to an end.

For the talented group of Quakers who, after grabbing a first-half lead, could not muster the strength to withstand Oklahoma State's second-half run, it was their final chance to win a game in the NCAA Tournament -- something many believed they could and would do.

But with over 60 percent of its scoring production lost to graduation, the expectations for this year's team are not as lofty.

"On paper we're probably not going to be looked at the same way we were looked at last year," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "The expectations are not the same. But honestly, that's OK. This team now has a chance to make its own mark led by three seniors that I think are just great guys. I hope they have terrific years."

While expectations may not be quite as towering this year, they remain high.

Penn's goals -- winning the Ivy League and competing in the NCAA Tournament -- are no different than in most years.

"As far as our goals are concerned, every year I think we maintain the same ones -- that Ivy Championship, that NCAA Tournament berth," senior guard Jeff Schiffner said.

This year, however, that goal could prove more difficult to attain.

Released last week, the Ivy League preseason media poll picked the Quakers to finish first, despite the voids left by graduation. Still, according to Dunphy, there is more parity in this year's league than in years past when Penn and Princeton were the only legitimate contenders.

Yale and Brown have been challenging the hegemony of Penn and Princeton as of late, and Cornell has been steadily improving with former Penn assistant Steve Donahue at the helm.

"As I look at the league as a whole, it's going to be a battle, and I hope we're right there in the last weekend," Dunphy said. "It's probably closer together, top to bottom, than it has been."

Led by seniors Schiffner, Adam Chubb and Charlie Copp in their quest for an Ivy League Championship, the Quakers hope that by combining experience with youth, they can replace the seemingly irreplaceable losses of last year's seniors.

"It's their team," Dunphy said of the Class of 2004.

Schiffner, Penn's only returning first-team All-Ivy selection, is the most experienced of the group. The senior averaged 32.9 minutes and 11.4 points per game last year, shooting 49.3 percent from the three-point arc--the best percentage in the nation.

Chubb -- the likely starter at center -- averaged 12.2 minutes and 4.0 points per game. The 6'9" center displayed his potential in a crucial game at Yale last year, netting 14 points and collecting eight rebounds.

"My expectations [for Chubb] are that he would play every game like he did against Yale last year," Dunphy said. "Without him at Yale last year, we would not have won that game. He did just about everything he could possibly do to drag his team to victory. I would love that to happen 27 regular season times this year."

Copp, who will be vying for the starting point guard position, is an excellent perimeter defender and gives Penn an added three-point shooting threat.

Juniors Tim Begley, an honorable mention All-Ivy selection last year, and Jan Fikiel will join the senior trio in the starting five in the opener against Wisconsin and likely will be together for at least the first part of the season.

"We'll see how it all plays out," Dunphy said. "If they start against Wisconsin, hopefully they'll play very well. I would have no problem if that was the starting lineup in all 27 games, and we were victorious in most."

And to help offset graduation losses, Dunphy has added six newcomers to the roster, including transfers Eric Osmundson from Utah and Eric Heil from Lehigh.

Both are expected to see significant court action if they can stay healthy.

This year's freshman class, comprised of frontcourt players Ryan Pettinella, Steve Danley and Mark Zoller and guard Ibrahim Jaaber, could get an abrupt introduction to the rigors of Division I college basketball.

The Quakers open up against a No. 14-ranked Wisconsin team at the Palestra tonight, and after a game against Drexel, will travel to East Lansing, Mich., to take on Michigan State --ESPN/USA Today's No. 3 team -- in a replay of the 1979 Final Four.

It will not get any easier from there. Saint Joseph's -- ranked No. 13 by The Associated Press after an upset win over No. 10 Gonzaga -- and Villanova will visit the Palestra for Big Five action before the Quakers get a short breather against Bucknell on Dec. 20.

The competition will stiffen again when the Quakers travel to New York to take on the Big East's St. John's at Madison Square Garden in the first round of the ECAC Holiday Festival -- a tournament which also features Manhattan and Holy Cross.

"I've had some people say to me, 'You must be crazy to do what you're doing,'" Dunphy said. "The fact is that I think that's a lot of the reason kids come to our program -- because of the quality of the opponent we play.

"I think my job is to present these guys that come to our program with the best challenge they can find. I don't want to overburden them and make it too tough, but at the same time, to have the opportunity to play Wisconsin home and home -- they're not coming into our level gym every year."

Schiffner echoed Dunphy's sentiments, also pointing out that the tough schedule will help the team to gel before Ivy competition begins in January.

"We have a tremendous schedule," he said. "It's going to really test us.

"We've got some experienced guys, some inexperienced guys. Those early games are really going to help us as a team. We're going to be able to come together. All those teams are going to be really tough."

Chemistry could be one of the main questions facing this year's team.

Aside from the projected starting five, the majority of Penn's players, including the transfers and freshmen, have seen little on-court action together -- but will likely have to this season.

"It's immeasurable in many ways," Dunphy said. "Chemistry and success -- you just can't measure a lot of the ways that those things take shape.

"I just hope we get off to a good start, we play well, and the winning will take care of itself. But we certainly have presented ourselves with as great a challenge as we could possibly have."

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