Do I Know You?

In the winter of 2002, the men's basketball team set out to defend Ivy League and Philadelphia Big 5 titles. The team returned 14 players, including all five starters from the group of conference champions. Only two seniors had graduated the year before.

That winter enthusiastic Red and Blue fans met the newest addition to the Quakers: the Class of 2006.

Patrick Haddan and Friedrich Ebede, the only two recruits that year, joined defending Ivy champs with plans to leave their mark on Penn basketball.

Now, four years later, that 2002 duo is a thing of the past.

So, what happened to the Class of 2006?

Of the original two recruits for 2006, Haddan's name is absent from the current roster. The point guard from Irvine, Calif., left the team after his freshman season.

But despite Haddan's absence, the current senior class has experienced a net growth since 2002-03.

Adam Franklin, who transferred from North Carolina last year, will be eligible to play for the Quakers this season. And the team will look to captain Eric Osmundson to lead the group in defending its 2004-05 Ivy League title. However, like Franklin, Osmundson did not begin his college career at Penn, rather at Utah in 2002.

Ebede remains as the sole survivor from the original Class of 2006.

But the Quakers still have high expectations for this makeshift senior class.

-- Lily Katz

Eric Osmundson

You might remember Eric Osmundson for his late-game heroics against Princeton last season. Trailing by 18 with just over seven minutes remaining, Osmundson scored seven points in 20 seconds, including an incredibly rare four-point play, to spark the Quakers' improbable comeback victory.

You might also remember Osmundson for his ability to get red-hot. Last season, he nailed six treys against Temple, and hit four more against Lafayette.

But if you only remember the good, you would be ignoring a lot of bad too.

You would forget that Osmundson struggled in 2003-04 -- his first season in red and blue -- averaging 2.2 points, .9 rebounds and .5 assists, while shooting 3

You would forget that in the miracle win over Princeton, Osmundson played poorly for the first 33 minutes. He did not have a field goal until his seven-point run began.

Either way, though, the past is the past. It's irrelevant for Osmundson.

This year, his senior season, is the only thing that matters for him now.

"You have to keep it fun out there. You never want to forget why you're playing the game of basketball, and that was one of the things this summer I realized," he said.

Osmundson transferred to Penn as a seldom-used guard from Utah. Three years later, "Oz" is the starting point guard and captain, leading Penn on the floor and off.

The graduation of last year's captain, Tim Begley, has left a void in Penn's lineup, particularly because of the loss of Begley's deadly three-point shooting ability.

Coach Fran Dunphy believes that Osmundson will have to play a major role in filling that void.

"Oz needs to have a good year for us, and I think that he will, but it's important for him to really play well and to lead us on the court," Dunphy said. "He can absolutely get red-hot on occasion, and now those occasions have to be more frequent than they've ever been before.

Osmundson not only understands his new leadership role. He embraces it.

"I look up to Coach Dunphy, and as the point guard, I have to be him out on the court," he said. "I need to be his extension."

While Begley was more of a leader by example, Osmundson plans to make his voice heard more.

"I'm more vocal than Begs is; I like to express my feelings," he said. "If I can see something I can improve on, and something that someone else can improve on, I try my best to show them through it the best I can."

Once this season ends, Osmundson plans to continue playing professionally. But for now, the senior guard is content being in college. He looks forward to living it up in his swan song.

"I definitely want to continue; I'd love to go overseas and play," he said. "But I'm just taking it day by day, and thinking about this year, and trying not to let it go by too fast."

In three years, Osmundson has emerged from being a benchwarmer to a starting point guard and Penn's leader. Needless to say, he does not regret his decision to transfer.

"I have a lot of good memories from Utah," he said. "I played for a great coach in Rick Majerus. But I was fortunate enough to come to another great coach, Coach Dunphy."

"It's been a great experience overall, getting to know these guys, becoming best friends with 15 guys on the team, and the guys before who graduated," he added. "Being in Philadelphia, playing in front of sellouts in Big 5 games.

"I couldn't be happier."

-- Josh Pollick

Friedrich Ebede

While all eyes will be Osmundson this season, another of Penn's returning seniors is looking to put forth a major contribution in his final year with the Quakers.

Ebede is likely to see a significant increase in minutes with the loss of key players to graduation and injuries.

The 6-foot-6 swingman has shown sparks of talent at times, but has not received enough minutes to be considered a dependable scoring option.

"He's grown immensely in his four years here at Penn," Dunphy said. "I think he's got some great attributes to his game, and now he's working at those things that allow him to be consistent on the court."

Ebede maintains that this season he will have only one goal in mind -- to help return Penn to the NCAA Tournament.

"For me, I just want to win the Ivy League again and win the automatic bid to the Tournament," Ebede said. "And I'll do anything to help the team get that goal."

Born in Cameroon, he went to Wilmington (Del.) Friends School before transferring to the prestigious Massachusetts prep school Northfield Mount Hermon.

While at NMH, Ebede played in a league against teams with several Division I prospects, including current NBA players Francisco Garcia and Rashad McCants.

As a junior, Ebede displayed his athleticism in several games, including a dramatic dunk against Temple. He also scored a career-high seven points in 21 minutes of action against Siena, but in Ivy play, he saw limited action, often subbing in fairly late in the game or when Penn's big men were in foul trouble.

Ebede's tall frame and athleticism allow him to attack both in the paint and from the outside.

But for now, the extent of his ability remains as much a mystery to the Quakers as it does to other teams that might have to scout the swingman for the first time.

"Personally, this year, stats and points don't mean that much to me," Ebede said. "I just want to go out and do what I can do to help the team win."

One thing that Ebede realizes is that he might be called upon to provide veteran leadership, especially with the Begley's graduation.

"It's going to be tough to replace Tim," he said. "Me and Eric are going to have to step up."

-- Michael Gertner

Adam Franklin

Franklin is listed as a senior, but the guard has never played a second for the Quakers.

That is because he transferred from North Carolina and sat out last year due to NCAA regulations.

Though he is listed as a senior on the roster, he also may have an extra year of eligibility because of his hiatus during the 2004-05 season.

But what was it that brought Franklin from playing junior-varsity basketball at Chapel Hill to West Philadelphia?

Penn is "a great school, great basketball program. I'm from the area," Franklin said. "It's the total package."

Dunphy said that he gave Franklin a look after the 6-foot-6 then-sophomore contacted him about transferring and that Franklin played well enough to earn a spot on the squad.

Since he has never stepped on the Palestra floor during a game, the question still remains -- what can Franklin do?

Franklin believes his energy and tenacity will allow him to see some playing time.

"I think I can contribute on both the offensive and defensive end," he said. "I bring a lot of intensity, lead by example, play hard."

Dunphy cited Franklin's quickness as his greatest asset but added he must overcome his relative inexperience.

"He's very athletic and strong and fast, and he's still learning the game," Dunphy said. "He's learning to be in the right spots, to play defense in a team concept."

The coach said that when he does give Franklin floor time -- which could be soon, due to injuries and the lack of veteran depth in the frontcourt -- he will want Franklin playing solid team defense.

"As far as [his abilities as] a defender, I wouldn't want him hounding me," Dunphy said.

Franklin will make a decision after the season about his future in the Penn basketball program, which is still up in the air.

-- Andrew Jamieson

Greg Kuchinski

He was recruited to play in the Class of 2005, but he has not played a single minute of varsity basketball.

Greg Kuchinski, a fifth-year senior from Wall, N.J., is trying to join the team that he never played for.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward left the team as a freshman because there were too many players at his position.

The 2001-02 team had 18 players on it initially, and had a very deep frontcourt. Ugonna Onyekwe and Koko Archibong were already in the lineup, and recruits Conor Tolan, Jan Fikiel and Nameir Majette were coming in, so Kuchinski just did not have a spot.

But now, the script has been flipped.

With the graduation of Fikiel and Majette, as well as the transfer of junior forward Ryan Pettinella, the once-deep frontcourt is down to juniors Mark Zoller and Steve Danley, both of whom started in 2004-05, and two freshmen, Cameron Lewis and Brennan Votel.

Over the summer, Zoller and Osmundson encouraged Kuchinski, who had been playing pickup games with players on the team, to try to join the team.

Zoller wanted a veteran body to go up against in practice, and both Osmundson and Zoller thought that Kuchinski could be a valuable leader both on and off the court.

But Kuchinski suffered a stress fracture in his left leg early in the practice season, and his status is still up in the air.

Dunphy said that once the injury is healed -- which may be sometime in the next week -- he will give Kuchinski a final tryout.

Kuchinski is optimistic that Dunphy will stick with him "as long as he can."

Despite not playing varsity basketball, Kuchinski is no stranger to his potential teammates. He and 2005 graduate Tim Begley have a relationship going back to their AAU basketball days in New Jersey, and he has been friends with the other players.

He played junior varsity basketball for two years, but took the second semester of his sophomore year off for personal reasons.

But now, Kuchinski will try to concentrate once again on basketball.

While he knows that he would not be a star on the team, he hopes to contribute "10 to 15 minutes a night of defense, rebounds and energy."

He also looks at himself as a mentor to the other players, and the feeling is mutual.

"He's great to have on and off the court," Zoller said. "He's almost like a father figure."

"All the guys have known him for a while," Osmundson added. "He just brings another added guy that the younger guys can look up to."

-- Josh Hirsch

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