Ruscoe succeeds in all aspects of game

Penn men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy knows from experience that there is more to Brown's offense than Ivy League Player of the Year Jason Forte.

Dunphy discovered that last season when he got a look at then-sophomore Luke Ruscoe, a guard for the Bears.

In addition to Forte, Brown had three senior scoring threats on last year's team that the Quakers had to worry about: Patrick Powers, Jaime Kilburn and Mike Martin.

Taking advantage of the defensive pressure collapsing on these players, Ruscoe lit up the Red and Blue with a 17-point performance that helped the Bears edge out the Quakers in overtime, 92-88. Ruscoe made 6-of-7 field goals and 4-of-5 from three-point land.

When Penn and Brown take the court tomorrow night, Dunphy will not make the same mistake twice.

"He hurt us inside and out," Dunphy said. "We have to put a body on him and not let him get too many easy baskets."

Ruscoe's development has come as somewhat of a surprise to Brown coach Glen Miller, who did not see significant potential the first time he heard from Ruscoe.

"He wasn't a guy that scored a lot of points at Brewster [Academy, Wolfeboro, N.H.], so he was not recruited that heavily," Miller said. "But it worked out for us. He is a very versatile player."

Now that Powers, Kilburn and Martin have graduated, Ruscoe has had to shoulder more of the scoring load, which he has done with ease. He is second on the team in scoring, with 12.8 points per game, and he has already had three 20-point performances.

Miller said that Ruscoe has improved his game in order to help become a more prominent scoring threat.

"He is much more aggressive in looking for his own offense this year," Miller said. "He has been a stationary shooter, but now he is developing into a player who doesn't need anyone to create his own shot for him."

"Forte can help him get some good opportunities, but I do think he's capable of scoring down inside and making moves on the perimeter," Dunphy said.

Ruscoe's rebounding stats are more startling. Despite only being a 6-foot-7, the Nelson, New Zealand, native leads his team and is eighth in the Ivies in boards per game with 5.9.

"He pursues a lot of basketballs and rebounds the ball outside of his zone," Miller said. "He is in and around the basket defensively because he has been in situations where he is guarding more front-court players."

Brown fans have seen Ruscoe's versatility in his ability to play all five positions and his inside-outside dynamic on the court.

Though he leads the team in rebounding, he will also sink trifectas over smaller defenders. Ruscoe is tied with Forte for the team lead with 27 three-pointers made this season and has a 42.2 percent average from behind the arc. He also leads his team in steals with 26.

Ruscoe has excelled as a team leader this season -- he and Forte are co-captains and the lone upperclassmen on this baby-faced Brown squad.

"He is a very positive captain with his teammates," Miller said. "They respect him and take his advice because he gives it in a positive way."

Despite Ruscoe's progression as a player, the Quakers will probably be forced to leave him open on occasion while trying to guard Forte, whom Dunphy calls "the toughest guy to defend in the league." Forte scored 52 points in his two games against Penn last year.

The difference this season is that Dunphy and the Quakers will know exactly what to expect.

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