M. Hoops | Gaines a chink in Big Red's armor

He is the only Penn basketball player worthy of such a distinction: Harrison Gaines has Cornell's number.

After dropping 19 points in each of the Quakers' two games against the Big Red in his freshman season, Gaines responded to a spot start Saturday with gusto, leaving Cornell coach Steve Donahue searching for answers.

The sophomore guard from Southern California dropped a career-high 20 points in 27 minutes, providing just the spark Penn coach Glen Miller was looking for in response to Friday's loss to Columbia.

Fortunately for Cornell, Gaines was Penn's only real bright spot.

"I wish I knew," Donahue said when asked for an explanation about the sophomore guard's success against the Big Red in the past three games. "He plays with great confidence against us. When we see him we're like, 'Holy cow, he's such an explosive scorer.'"

Indeed, it was an important game for Gaines, who looked rusty against Columbia after missing two weeks with the flu. Though the sophomore guard controlled the point as a rookie last season, the arrival of a purer point guard in Zack Rosen has left Gaines' role on the team a bit less certain.

Yet the intensity and athleticism of the 6-foot guard cannot be ignored. On several occasions Saturday, Gaines turned on his motor and accelerated past the Big Red defense. Late in the second half, he forced a steal, then drove the length of the court and finished strong to score a basket, drawing a foul and hitting his free throw to convert the three-point play.

He put together a few more coast-to-coast drives in that game and skillfully managed to create his own mid-range jumpers off the dribble.

Gaines also tried to push his teammates up the floor with him. Late in the first half, he grabbed a loose ball and raced down the floor, dishing a pretty pass on the break to Jack Eggleston, who missed the easy layup.

It was just the kind of spirited play Miller was looking for in his unusual rotation against Cornell.

"Today I just came out and tried to be aggressive from the start," Gaines said, noting that he thought the team had been "a little soft" in recent weeks. "I kept my aggressiveness, and it all came together."

With the emergence of Rosen at point guard, Gaines has more freedom to create scoring chances for himself off the dribble - and that's what he does best.

And if he improves other facets of his game, he could serve as a very valuable backcourt mate for Rosen and add a consistent offensive threat to Penn's rotation.

"He's the one guy on our team that can create off the dribble," Miller said.

But according to Miller, in order for Gaines to be more effective he needs to do a better job of playing without the ball.

"He's got to learn to score without the ball, use screens and read screens," Miller said.

As Gaines' game matures, he should be able to carve out a unique role on this team - a role that suits his style of play.

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