Penn takes talents down South

Junior point guard and team co-captain Zack Rosen has no fear on the basketball court.

Even the top basketball programs in the country don’t scare Rosen, including upcoming opponent No. 16 Kentucky.

“I expect a win,” he said. “We’re not taking a plane and getting dressed up in shirt, tie and jacket and packing bags to go and take pictures at Rupp Arena.”

Penn (4-4) will play three road games during winter break — against Delaware Dec. 22, at Marist Dec. 29 and a final one, at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena.

First on the Quakers’ agenda is avenging a heartbreaking double-overtime loss against Delaware (5-2) last season. The Red and Blue will enter the game against the Blue Hens after two weeks off — their longest break of the season.

Just after Christmas, they will head to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to take on the Marist Red Foxes (2-8). Marist has suffered big losses this season at the hands of Villanova, Boston University, Rutgers and Wake Forest.

After ringing in the New Year, Penn heads to Kentucky (7-2). While formidable, the Wildcats are not the same team as last season, following the departures of five players to the NBA Draft — all first-round picks.

Though Rosen is satisfied with his team’s progress so far, he still thinks there’s ample room for improvement.

“I think we’ve gotten closer to really establishing our roles in terms of who gives what,” he said. “We have established a little bit of identity on both the offensive and defensive sides. We’re close to knowing a lot about ourselves.”

Part of the team’s identity is a versatile offensive attack.

“We try to get a lot of ball and body movement,” he said. “We do a good job of playing between set offense and motion offense. I think we’re opportunistic in transition.”

However, the key for the Quakers has been to set their own pace, especially against nationally ranked teams like No. 12 Villanova.

“Every game is different, and we try to pace the game to our liking,” Rosen explained. “In the Villanova game, we did an okay job of getting them to play our pace.”

The three-week winter break allows the players on the team to focus more on basketball and spend more time together as the Ivy League season approaches.

“After Dec. 21st, there are no exams,” Rosen said. “This practice time right now is really crucial for us to improve as a team. The winter break is always a good time for team chemistry.”

The junior spoke highly of his teammates, specifically citing freshman guard Miles Cartwright and junior center Mike Howlett, who Rosen expects will return over break.

“I think Miles has done a really good job stepping in right away, with a great attitude.” Rosen said. “The return of Mike Howlett will give us some improved rebounding production right off the bat.”

Rosen looks forward to the next three games as Penn strives to move above .500 on the season — a striking difference from last year when the Quakers were still looking for their first win of the season.

“We’ve got to take this time to practice really hard, get ourselves together,” Rosen said. “We want to come out with a lot of energy with these games coming up. It’s an exciting time for us.”

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