It’s been a pressing issue facing the Quakers over the past two seasons.
Who is going to be the Go-to Guy?
That player who can sink those in-your-face buckets come crunch time.
That player that can score even when the opposing team knows he is getting the ball.
That player that will make all the right decisions when the pressure is on.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Zack Rosen, Version Two.
Penn dropped to 1-12 last night at the Palestra but not without a valiant effort from its point guard. With the way Rosen played against La Salle, though, point guard doesn’t do his role on this Quakers team justice.
He’s their singular deadly offensive weapon, their alpha dog.
Despite defending Explorers’ star Rodney Green for much of the night, Rosen put up 29 points on the offensive end, making five three-pointers in 11 tries.
For a second-year player who shot just 28 percent from deep last season, Rosen’s dramatically improved shooting stroke (44 percent after last night’s game) is one aspect of his game that stands out.
But his emergence involves much more than that.
Rosen has become a player that even Atlantic 10 teams (i.e., La Salle and Temple) lose sleep over.
“We knew he was ‘The Guy’ and he still produced, so he deserves a ton of credit.” La Salle coach John Gianninni said.
Tyler Bernardini provides a contrast to what Rosen is doing for Penn this season. Bernardini struggled to carry the scoring load — shooting just 40 percent from the field last season — and remain healthy with the beating that comes with it, playing just two games this season.
Rosen, on the other hand, has thrived in the alpha dog role.
Not since — dare I say — Ibrahim Jaaber graced the Palestra floor has Penn had a player like the red-headed assassin.
The fact that Rosen has essentially been forced to shoulder the load —due to injuries and the lack of a supporting cast — makes his development even more impressive. No longer is he the pure point guard that arrived at Penn in 2008 and took just six shots a game.
Instead, that player has evolved into a dynamic guard that can bring up the ball and distribute to teammates or play off the ball and shoot with pinpoint accuracy.
“He’s taken on a lot more scoring responsibility, which isn’t always an easy thing for a point guard who’s been bred to run a team,” Gianninni said.
Rosen played off the ball for much of the La Salle game. Weaving through a bevy of screens, the constantly moving guard scored or assisted on 16 consecutive points for the Quakers over a seven-and-a-half minute stretch in the second half. Penn cut the lead to as little as five, 53-48, with 8:59 remaining.
“I know a lot of teams are really trying to key in on him,” said Penn coach Jerome Allen, a major figure in Rosen’s development. ”To get him off the ball and get the defense moving, it’s a lot easier as opposed to him dribbling the ball down and trying to be aggressive right off the bat.”
Over eight minutes into the second half, one of Gianninni’s defenders was knocked down, freeing up Rosen in the corner. The coach let out a loud “No!” and held his breath.
Do I even need to tell you that Rosen sank the three?
That’s the type of killer shooter the Colonia, N.J., native has become after a long summer’s work.
What I witnessed last night was a sophomore attempting to will his team to victory. Yet this was not a Kobe Bryant-esque lone-wolf type of effort.
Rosen tried to get his teammates involved and make the right plays.
“I’m not looking to score 30 or 10 or whatever,” Rosen said. “It’s just if I see opportunities out there, I just try to take it.”
In addition to stepping up offensively, he acted like a leader should, diving for loose balls, patting his teammates on the back even when they made mistakes and gathering them after crushing La Salle baskets.
He just couldn’t beat the Explorers all by himself.
After the game, the clearly exhausted sophomore stared intently at the box score.
The stare continued as he struggled to gather the words to answer a question.
After expending all the energy he had to play one of the best games of his blossoming career, Zack Rosen was still thinking through the wasted opportunities.
“We just had a couple possessions where we were right there,” he said before pausing for a moment. “Coulda’ driven it home.”
While its leader may not have been satisfied, Penn should be elated that a go-to guy has finally emerged.
BRIAN KOTLOFF is a sophomore communications major from Elkins Park, Pa. He can be contacted at dpsports@dailypennsylvanian.com.
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