Danley, Pettinella turn in strong showings in opener

While Penn coach Fran Dunphy was disappointed with his team's effort over the final 15 minutes of the Quakers' 74-60 win over Quinnipiac, he had to be encouraged by the play of two sophomore forwards.

Steve Danley and Ryan Pettinella will have to play expanded roles this year for Penn to maintain its traditional place at or near the top of the Ivy League. And although Quinnipiac's front line was less than stellar, the early returns suggest that the pair has come a long way since freshman year.

Danley and Pettinella essentially split the minutes down low, with Danley starting and logging 21 minutes and Pettinella playing the remaining 19.

With both teams coming out flat to begin the game, Danley gave the Quakers a much-needed spark, providing rebounding and scoring punch as the Quakers went on a 22-3 run in the first half to give themselves a 17-point lead. The Germantown, Md., native finished with a career-high 11 points.

Danley appeared more polished on the offensive end, scoring Penn's second basket of the game on a beautifully executed inbounds play. Danley lost his defender by spinning away from the hoop, then spun back toward the baseline to receive the pass for an easy score.

During the middle of the run, Dunphy replaced Danley with Pettinella. The Pittsford, N.Y., native turned in perhaps his best effort in a Quakers uniform, finishing with seven points, nine rebounds (five offensive) and two blocks.

But it was not just the numbers that Pettinella put up, it was how he was able to do it. He was a dominant force on the glass and showed good moves in the post. He even created a tie-ball situation on a nice hustle play.

All in all, the sophomore seemed vastly improved from the player who averaged 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in his limited playing time last season.

But while many Penn fans may have been pleasantly surprised by the play of both Pettinella and Danley, Dunphy seemingly expected this type of performance from his sophomores.

"They're just experienced," Dunphy said. "They're a year older, they're stronger, they're ready to go. We'll need them both. It was nice that they split the time almost evenly tonight, and that's probably what will happen in a lot of games."

With an improved Danley and an improved Pettinella to go along with a more established frontcourt player in sophomore Mark Zoller, Dunphy now feels that the frontcourt is a position of strength for his team.

"I think [the frontcourt] already is" a strong part of the team, Dunphy said. "It's unfortunate that Jan [Fikiel] got himself into some foul trouble tonight, but he'll be fine. Ryan and Steven can still split time. And hopefully Jan and Mark can split the time at the four spot ... that's one of the strengths of our team."

While some observers, including Yale coach James Jones, are impressed with the frontcourt depth that Dunphy can trot out onto the floor, others were not convinced. They saw a team that was solid at the guard position with senior Tim Begley and sophomore Ibby Jaaber, but also a team that had yet to define itself in the frontcourt.

It would be a mistake to draw too many conclusions from one game. It was Quinnipiac the Quakers were playing and not Providence or Wisconsin. But, in last night's game, Penn's young forwards began to put their stamp on the team.

Last season marked a transition year from the Ugonna Onyekwe and Koko Archibong-led Quakers to the new generation. Now Penn fans are beginning to see what that new generation might be like. In a couple of seasons, the Red and Blue should be very experienced with Jaaber and freshman Michael Kach at the guards, and Zoller, Danley and Pettinella providing a strong inside presence.

After one game, the signs are encouraging that Begley and Jaaber will be getting some help down low.

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