Penn basketball seeks revenge over Thanksgiving holiday

For most of Penn’s student body, Thanksgiving break provides an opportunity for rest, relaxation and reconciliation.

For the Quakers’ basketball program, however, the week is all about revenge.

Arriving back on the East Coast after a 104-67 setback at Washington, the Red and Blue (3-1) will look to snap an eight-year losing streak to local rival La Salle on Wednesday night, before heading to Easton, Pa., to try and break a three-game skid against Lafayette on Sunday.

“Even in a defeat like that, there were a lot of positives,” first-year coach Steve Donahue said about Saturday’s loss, which represented Penn’s largest margin of defeat since a 59-point setback to eventual national champion Duke in 2009. “Unfortunately, we buried ourselves so early that there was no chance of pulling out a victory.”

The Quakers’ first opportunity for redemption will come against La Salle (3-0), which topped Penn, 84-67, a year ago. The contest is the Big 5 opener for both teams.

“I think any time you go on the court and you don’t play as well as you hoped, you’re chomping at the bit to get back out there,” Donahue said. “The guys are excited to get back on the floor.”

While the Explorers lost three of five starters from last year’s team, they do return junior shooting guard Jordan Price, a 2014-15 second team All-Atlantic 10 selection who led La Salle with 18 points the last time these two foes met.

Price has taken his game to a new level in 2015-16. He currently ranked third in NCAA Division I with 27.5 points per game, and Penn’s youthful backcourt will have its hands full with the 6-foot-5 veteran.

“He’s really dominant, so we have to do it so many different phases,” Donahue said. “In the half court, ball screen defense, transition defense ... We have to be ready to mix it up, because if we give him one look over and over again, he’s going to score.”

Although La Salle — ranked 141st in the Pomeroy Rankings — has the edge in perimeter experience, the Explorers may have trouble dealing with the Red and Blue’s 6-foot-10 senior center Darien-Nelson Henry, who holds career-best averages of 12.8 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game this year.

La Salle has no starters listed taller than 6-foot-6, so Penn’s captain could be primed for yet another big performance for the Quakers.

“We haven’t done a lot of game-planning for them yet, but I know they lost [Steve] Zack and Jerrell [Wright],” Nelson-Henry said. “Being able to take advantage of how young they are will be good for us.”

After hosting the Explorers, Penn will travel 70 miles north to take on the Leopards (1-3), who have struggled after a surprising run to a Patriot League championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2015.

Although Lafayette, like La Salle, lost three starters — players that combined for 50 points and 15 rebounds in last year’s 83-77 win at Penn — the Red and Blue know they can’t take their in-state foes lightly.

“They’re very skilled with a great offense, and we’re going have to do a great job guarding them,” Donahue said. “They’re a lot different than La Salle, but both are really good challenges.”

Although Saturday’s matchup won’t feature the same Big 5 intimacy as Wednesday’s showdown, the familiarity between coaches will still provide some extra emotion for the latter game.

The Leopards are led by former Villanova guard Fran O’Hanlon, who was an assistant at Penn from 1989-95. O’Hanlon coached with Donahue under Fran Dunphy for five seasons, teaming up to win three Ivy League titles before leaving for Lafayette.

“He’s been a mentor for me since high school. I’ve known him forever and worked with him for numerous years, so it’s great that we understand what they do,” Donahue said. “But games usually come down to the players and their execution.”

Adding to Penn’s insider knowledge is the fact that its two upcoming foes happened to play each other on Monday, as Lafayette was defeated at La Salle, 83-75, to give the Quakers the opportunity for some last-minute scouting.

“We’re not allowed to go in person, but we’ll see the tape,” Donahue said. “[It’s] always a good help to see your next two opponents play in one game.”

Ultimately, although Penn remains weeks away from opening conference play, the intensity is still building in Donahue’s first year at the helm.

“Big 5 games are huge. You always step it up a whole another notch, because it’s kind of inherent in Philadelphia basketball culture,” Nelson-Henry said. “Beyond that, we want to win every game that we play, so it’s going to be fun to get two big wins.”

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