THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 6-7
Who is the men's point guard? Cole Jacobson
Photo Gallery: Highlights from 2017 Chase Sutton
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It's the most wonderful time of the year
Moving on from Michelle and Anna Will DiGrande
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Michael Wang headlines freshman class
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018
Michael Landau
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Eleah Parker steps into the spotlight
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Ryan Betley: The quiet assassin
Sam Mitchell
Jonathan Pollack
12-13
Steve Donahue brings Penn back
14-15
The Quakers' lunch pail mentality
16-17
Ashley Russell takes the leadership reins
18-19
The making of Antonio Woods
20-21
Meet the Ivy League contenders
William Snow
Theodoros Papazekos
Marc Margolis
Yosef Weitzman
Jonathan Pollack
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Women's freshmen ready to contribute
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Max and AJ: The engines of the team
Danny Chiarodit
Carter Thompson
CREDITS SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR:
REPORTERS:
SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR:
Jonathan Pollack
Teia Ross Isaac Spear
Chase Sutton
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SPORTS EDITORS: Yosef Weitzman Theodoros Papazekos Marc Margolis
ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Carter Thompson Sam Mitchell Danny Chiarodit Will DiGrande Michael Landau
SENIOR REPORTERS: William Snow Cole Jacobson
SENIOR DESIGN EDITOR: Lucy Ferry
DESIGN EDITORS: Gillian Diebold Christine Lam Ben Zhao
DESIGN ASSOCIATES: Tamara Wurman Winnie Xu Linda Ting Emily Saperstein Georgia Ray Jackie Lou
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ananya Chandra Zach Sheldon
PRINT DIRECTOR: Chris Muracca
DIGITAL DIRECTOR: Julia Schorr
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Rebecca Tan
JONATHAN POLLACK
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, I’m not talking about Christmas. I’m talking about the start of the college basketball season, because this year is going to be so, so exciting for Penn basketball. Both the men’s and women’s squads will be in the thick of the title hunt, and never in the last decade have both teams been simultaneously this good. The men's return to the top of the Ivy League last season was one of the biggest stories in all of Penn Athletics. Riding one of the most cohesive starting fives in the conference and a deep and ever-changing rotation of bench players, the Quakers won their first league title in 11 seasons and took down Harvard in an all-time classic to earn the Ancient Eight’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Once there, as one of the best No. 16 seeds ever, the Quakers gave Kansas a run for its money before eventually bowing out. As for the women’s team, the only obstacle it could not overcome last season was Princeton. The Quakers finished the regular season solidly in second place with a 11-3 Ivy record, but lost to the Tigers twice in the regular season and again in the tournament championship. Much like Penn’s two programs, the Ivy League itself has seen a huge uptick in the quality of play. 12 of the 14 All-Ivy selections for the men’s side are returning this year, meaning that the league’s best players already have a wealth of experience. And that doesn’t even include the recruiting classes that both men’s and women’s teams brought in — a top 50 class nationally, a bevy of four-star recruits, and the 34th overall women’s recruit all play at Ivy
schools. Both of Penn’s teams have their stars. The men’s squad returns four of five starters from last season, led by juniors AJ Brodeur and Ryan Betley, and has the depth necessary to make another run at the Ivy title. Meanwhile, reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year Eleah Parker will look to take that next step to become one of the best players in the league, while senior guard Ashley Russell will fill the leadership void, both on and off the court. Yet the beginning of both teams’ seasons will be defined by replacing program legends. The men’s position battle centers on the point guard, where Darnell Foreman’s graduation leaves a hole not just in the starting lineup, but in the heart of the team. For the women, the loss of a trio of starters, including former Ivy League Player of the Year Michelle Nwokedi and all-time assists leader Anna Ross, has left the roster wide open for younger players to make the most of their opportunities. But more than just the players and the stats, we look at the cultures surrounding Penn’s two basketball programs. How did coach Steve Donahue bring the men’s team back to its former Ivy glory? And how does the women’s team rebrand itself after losing a historic senior class? The stories that answer those questions are just the beginning. Players will fight their way into the rotation, break school records, and continue to grow, both on and off the court and we’ll be there to share their stories with you along the way. Last year was an incredibly exciting ride for Penn basketball, filled with triumphant highs and gutwrenching lows. Don’t expect anything less this season.
"Never in the last decade have both teams been simultaneously this good"
JONATHAN POLLACK is a College senior from Stamford, Conn., and is Senior Sports Editor for The Daily Pennsylvanian. He can be reached at pollack@thedp.com.
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Who will take Foreman's spot at point guard? Foreman's spot is the only starting position left open COLE JACOBSON Senior Sports Reporter
With seven of its top nine scorers returning from an Ivy championship team, it’s fair to say there aren’t too many personnel questions for Penn men’s basketball. But even with such a veteran group coming back, there’s one spot that still needs to be filled — a spot responsible for 19 first-half points in last year’s epic Ivy title game. So, now that former captain Darnell Foreman has graduated, the natural question is: who’s going to be filling that point guard spot? The most obvious answer seems to be junior Devon Goodman. After coming off the bench for 3.8 points and 14.0 minutes per game last season, coach Steve Donahue plans to at least open the season with Goodman in the starting five, joining returners Antonio Woods, Ryan Betley, AJ Brodeur, and Max Rothschild. “At this point, he’s earned it,” Donahue said. “Dev is a different type of point guard; in some ways, he makes us
a better offensive basketball team.” But if you spend even a few minutes around the Penn men’s basketball program, one theme is apparent: This group does not rely on solely one guy for anything. And the point guard position personifies this concept as well as anything else could. Goodman isn’t even one of the two returning players who have started at point guard extensively before. Antonio Woods (in 2014-15) and Jake Silpe (2015-16) have each spent the majority of an individual season as the starter, in addition to spot duty in the years since. Combine those two with freshman combo guard Bryce Washington — whom Donahue says has already “jumped into the picture” — and it’s clear that Penn’s notoriously deep squad has no shortage of options. “What’s special about our team is that we have guards who bring something a little different to the table. We have guys who are flat-out scorers, ones who are playmakers, ones who can defend,” Silpe said. “With these back-to-back weekends, guys get tired, so that depth is important. And it’s really big
that a lot of our guards have valuable experience; we’ve been in big games in crucial minutes.” The concept of spreading the wealth doesn’t end there. Donahue’s offense is predicated on constant ball movement and reads, and the
box scores reflect this. Six players averaged at least 7.5 points per game, but none hit 15. Four players averaged at least two assists per game, including both Rothschild and Brodeur, but none hit four. The team strives to play positionless basketball. If no one person is solely relied on as “the” point guard, that means anyone is capable of being “a” point guard when needed. “One big thing about us is that anyone can push the ball up,” Goodman said. “All of us can play like every position, and all of us can shoot. So that’s what makes us very hard to guard.” Off the floor, though, Foreman’s impact was a bit harder to quantify. One of three captains last year, he was the heart and soul of last year’s championship run, dominating down the stretch even with a stress fracture. But just like with their basketball schemes, the Quakers have a plan to fill the void, and it’s exactly what you would expect: running things by committee. “I’m not worried about our
leadership this year; I might be worried about it next year, to be honest. Because this group is phenomenal, with Jake, and Jackson [Donahue], and Antonio, and Max — some of the best leaders I’ve ever been around,” Steve Donahue said. “[For them], nothing’s too small, and nothing’s too big.” When opening tip-off comes around, Goodman and his fellow point men will have some work to do. Goodman’s shooting percentages of .379/.250/.538 were all the worst on the team among those with at least 20 field goal, three-point, and free throw attempts, respectively. But if Goodman takes his game to a new level, and the depth behind him is as strong as expected, the Quakers might just have what it takes to take down favored Harvard for the second straight season. “Darnell was definitely a great leader for us, and I don’t exactly have to be him,” Goodman said. “I’m ready to lead the team by example, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
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Highlights from the 2017-2018 season There were many standout players and memorable moments for the Penn men's and women's basketball teams during the 2017-2018 season. Looking to defend their title, Penn women's basketball featured both returning veterans and Ivy Rookie of the Year Eleah Parker, only to be dominated by Princeton in the championship game. On the men's side, senior captain Darnell Foreman led the team to their first Ivy League championship in 11 years, celebrating on the Palestra floor. They entered the NCAA tournament against Kansas, where they took a doubledigit lead before falling to the Jayhawks, 76-60.
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Graduation of historic senior class leaves holes in lineup WILL DiGRANDE Associate Sports Editor
Seniors are hard to replace every year, but last year’s senior class for Penn women's basketball was one of a kind. Michelle Nwokedi, Anna Ross, and Lauren Whitlatch are three names that Red and Blue fans are very used to hearing. Following the graduation of these three stars for the Red and Blue, this year’s team will face the daunting challenge of filling the sizable gaps they left behind.
All three started in every game for Penn last season, meaning more than half of the team’s starting lineup this season will be players new to that role. But the Quakers won’t be losing everyone from that Ivy League runner-up team last season. Senior captain and guard Ashley Russell started all but two games as a junior, and sophomore center Eleah Parker is returning after earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year for her breakout freshman season. “It was very different in the beginning, but I think we’ve meshed well moving on from the identity we had last year with them,” Russell said. “We’re forming a new identity this year, building it every day,
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Quakers must replace three program greats
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and finding new people to fill their roles.” Although each member of the departed trio contributed in different ways, they all left a deep legacy with the team. While Ross might not have been known for her scoring, she knew how to share the ball. Playing as point guard and starting every Penn game in her four years, she smashed the program record assists in her final season, with a total of 491 over her college career. In her absence, Penn needs a new point guard capable of controlling the pace of play and knowing where and to whom the ball needs to go. Sophomore Katie Kinum and junior Kendall Grasela, who both got minutes as guards last year while Ross
was out, look to be the leading candidates, while freshman Mia Lakstigala also figures to crack the rotation. The loss of Nwokedi will be a big one for the Red and Blue. As 2016-17 Ivy League Player of the Year and three-time first team All-Ivy selection, she was a game-changing presence whenever she stepped on the court. Last year, she led the team in points, rebounds, and blocks with game averages of 12.2, 8.7, and 2.3, respectively. Luckily for the Quakers, Parker seems to be the one up for the job, already putting up impressive numbers herself last season. Second on the team with 11.5 points per game and posting a team-high field goal percentage of .473, the sophomore has clearly shown her ability and will look to play a larger role this time around. “I did look up to them a lot last year as a new freshman coming in, and I still have some of my upperclassmen teammates who I can look to for help, but it definitely is more of a step from me being a freshman to stepping into more of a leadership position on the court and advising
my younger teammates,” Parker said of the upcoming season. Senior forward Princess Aghayere could also take up some of the responsibility in Nwokedi’s absence, as she played in all 31 games for Penn last year as well and notched a double-double in two of them. From beyond the arc, Lauren Whitlatch was the Red and Blue’s go-to shooter. With 75 made threes last year, she moved into third place in all-time program history for total treys. Whitlatch also limited mistakes, allowing just 21 turnovers, the lowest of any regular starter last season. With her gone, look for Kinum, Russell, and junior guard Phoebe Sterba to continue last season’s dominance from distance for the Quakers. Perhaps the biggest adjustment will be losing three leaders both on and off the court. Besides taking charge in gameplay, they also often served as mentors to their younger teammates. “It’s been a real adjustment playing without them,” Russell said. “I’ve been able to lean on them my past three years, so if I wasn’t really sure of something, I knew I could look to them. But they’ve taught me a lot, so this year I feel a lot more comfortable and confident in my role.” “They’re going to be difficult to replace,” coach Mike McLaughlin agreed. “But I like to look at it as them setting the groundwork for these younger players to seize an opportunity. They left a legacy and really inspired these kids to play basketball.” It certainly won’t be easy to replace the missing players from last season’s team, but this year’s Quakers have the pieces to make it happen.
Forward is most touted recruit of Donahue's tenure MICHAEL LANDAU Associate Sports Editor
CHASE SUTTON | SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR
(Left to right) Bryce Washington, Alex Imegwu, Michael Wang, and Griffin Ryan make up another talented group of freshmen.
ing skills stem from his commitment and passion for the game. “He’s just a sponge in terms of wanting to learn about the game and also picks it up so fast,” Donahue said. “He picks up exactly what I’m talking about at all five positions, which is rare.” Despite excelling in a number of areas offensively, there are still some improvements that he needs to make if he wants to see the floor more. “He’s an inconsistent shooter right now, and he should be a great shooter because he doesn’t do anything mechanical that’s wrong,” Donahue said. “He has a real ways to go like most freshmen on the defensive end. I’m trying to push that along because I think that if we get that he could really help us on the other end.”
A large part of Wang’s challenge on defense is a position change. He mostly had experience playing power forward in high school, but at Penn he will likely be expected to play small forward, which will force him to guard a different type of player. “I think the hardest part for me right now is being able to guard guys who are smaller than me because they move faster,” Wang said. As Wang adapts to a new environment at Penn, other freshmen are also preparing to start their college basketball careers for the Red and Blue. Here are the other first-year players who are projected to make an impact on the team this year: Bryce Washington With Darnell Foreman gone,
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Alex Imegwu Like Wang, Alex Imegwu is also going under a positional change. “Playing multiple positions in high school, we’ll probably ask him to be more of a straight perimeter guy,” Donahue said. “He’s going to have to continue to get better on defense guarding different positions, but he’s a confident shooter, he plays hard, he rebounds, and he has a pretty good feel for the game.” Like Washington, Imegwu has immediately felt at home on the team. “It’s been great,” he said. “The team’s been really welcoming. It’s really a family already.”
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Michael Wang The highest rated recruit of the Donahue era has played on a variety of stages across the world in his young career, gaining valuable experience each and every step of the way. Wang played for nationally renown Mater Dei High School for four seasons, earning first team AllSection honors his senior year. He also played high-level AAU in the offseason, and competed for China in the FIBA U18 Asian Championship in Thailand this past summer. “My high school played a similar way as here, and this summer I played for the junior national team in China and we played similar styles of basketball,” he said. Wang has lived up to his impressive pedigree thus far in the preseason, frequently displaying his immense talent in practices and scrimmages. “He has a feel for the game that you just can’t teach, particularly on the offensive end,” Donahue said. “He makes two or three [passes] a day where you go, ‘I didn’t see that one coming.’ According to Donahue, his pass-
multiple Quakers will likely have to fill the void. Freshman Bryce Washington figures to be one of those key players. “He has been very steady,” Donahue said. “He’s a really good competitor, plays a really good feel, has shot the ball very well, has a chance to be an elite defender in this league.” Washington’s transition to college basketball has not been easy, but he has gotten great support every step of the way. “It has definitely been a lot to learn but nothing I’m not enjoying,” Washington said. “It has been great connecting with my teammates and learning from my coaches.
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Michael Wang leads promising rookie class
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Eleah Parker steps up into the spotlight Reigning Rookie of the Year is now the go-to option SAM MITCHELL Associate Sports Editor
Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Big 5 Rookie of the Year. 2018 second team All-Ivy. Eight-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week. Two-time Ivy League Player of the Week. Most players would be thankful to accomplish in a career what sophomore center Eleah Parker did in just her freshman season. Still, for Penn women’s basketball to succeed, she’ll need to get even better. Parker was one of the best players in the league as a freshman. Last year, she took the Ivy League by storm, averaging 11.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game. She put up these numbers despite sharing a front court with one of the greatest players in Penn basketball history, 2018 graduate Michelle Nwokedi. Now, Nwokedi is gone, along with Anna Ross, the all-time program leader in assists, Lauren Whitlatch, the team's best three-point shooter, and Beth Brzozowski, one of the teams top reserves. This offseason, the
Quakers got a whole lot younger and less experienced, and that will put a burden on some players who will be asked to step up earlier than usual. “[Parker’s] leadership has been great, has really grown [in the] six months since the season ended last year to now,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “There’s steps to being a good leader, and I think she’s taking them, I don’t think she’s quite where she wants to be or where we want her to be but maybe a month from now, two months from now we’ll see even a bigger step.” On the court, Parker has already shown that she can be a great player, but now she’ll be required to do even more. While sharing the post with Nwokedi meant fewer chances to increase both players’ stats, it also took some of the pressure off. Now, the Penn offense — and opposing defenses — will target Parker even more heavily than they used to. On top of this, teams have seen what Parker can do — opposing Ivy coaches were able to scout her twice in the regular season last year, and may be better equipped to try and stop her. For Eleah, though, this is more of a blessing than a curse. “[Being the target of opposing
ZACH SHELDON | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
With Michelle Nwokedi gone, sophomore center Eleah Parker will take over as the Quakers' primary scorer. Last season, Parker led all freshmen in the Ivy League with 11.5 points per game.
defenses] will be a challenge, I feel like a lot of teams will scout me,” Parker said. “I’m gonna draw a lot of the attention, but I think that it'll open up the floor for my teammates. If [the other team is] all gathered around me, paying attention to me, somebody else is open for a shot, so I feel like within our team it'll benefit us.”
Leadership on the court is obviously critical; there’s no question that the ability of Nwokedi and Ross to run the offense, produce baskets, and anchor the team’s defense was a major part of their success the past four years. However, losing so many seniors also means that someone will need to fill the off-court leadership void left by the graduation of all four of the team’s captains. The new 2018-19 team will have to make due without that leadership. With such a young team and so few upperclassmen, Parker will be asked to step up in this role as well, although it’s one she doesn’t have much experience in. “She gained so much last year, she played with a really experienced group of players, so she was able to sit behind them and watch and learn from afar as she played,” McLaughlin said. “She’s someone that we’re always going to be talking about — you’re here today to talk about her — so she’s got to embrace that, and she’s going to be required to always do more.” In her first year at Penn, Parker wasn’t exactly known for seeking out the spotlight. Her off-court demeanor doesn’t mirror her powerful, commanding play on the court. When talking to reporters, she’s always quick to defer to her teammates and de-emphasize her own impact. For someone
who values being a team player, there might be some challenges in becoming more of a leader. On the other hand, that’s just part of who Eleah Parker is; her humility and ability to defer praise and accept criticism is what has made her such a great player. Being able to quickly learn from mistakes and support every member of the team might just make her a great leader, too. “From being a freshman to being a sophomore, I’m still learning things and growing, but I do have that experience from last year,” Parker said. “I always know it’s not just me, I know it takes a village. I have my teammates and my coaches always supporting me, guiding me, teaching me when I make mistakes, and encouraging me so I always know it’s not me. Everything I have I’ve been given, so I’m extremely blessed and nothing’s gonna change between last year and this year; I’m the same person, I’m gonna keep the same values and always be humble.” In order to continue their dominant play from the past several years, the Quakers will need to answer a lot of questions stemming from the changing composition of the team. Whether their humble, superstar sophomore center can improve even more than she already has should be at the top of the list.
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We We We Penn Penn Penn students students students dles dles aren’t aren’t aren’t seven esseven seven mov m The second regular season match- and 21 points were the story, despite 30 points. that of his teammates do when es es thansome than onethan option. oneone option. option. 0 0 0 are are are too too too busy busy busy procrastinating procrastinating procrastinating that that that bad, bad, bad, I I I every every every semester semes sem up between the Quakers and Harvard the fact that Betley led all players That's not to say that Betley never they go off. describes that situation perfectly. In a onwith 26 points. Against Columbia, So when he puts up 20guess. points in tictic on Penn onPenn Penn InTouch InTouch InTouch and and and designdesigndesign- scores loudly. His first half in the Ivy guess. guess. proves ticproves proves that four-minute span at the beginning ingBetley dropped 20 points, including League opener last season against game this season, keep an eye out to to ing ing funny funny funny lacrosse lacrosse lacrosse pinnies pinnies pinnies forforforentertainment entertainment entertainment accessible accessible accessible and and and aThe The The average average average Penn Penn Penn student student student watch towatch watch said sas of the game, Betley knocked down the15 inclubs the second half to closeinout the Princeton, when he scored 19with points for it.isIt'sanything the first he's done the the clubs clubs we’re we’re we’re involved involved involved in toin totoinexpensive inexpensive inexpensive to to anyone toanyone anyone with with ananan(who (who (who isnot isanything anything buttime but but average, average, average, if if ifthan than than at at the atthe th R three treys and added a free throw game. But AJ Brodeur dominated on 7 of 9 from the field, including 3 it, and it definitely won’t be the last. leave leave leave thethe comfort thecomfort comfort of of our ofour our beds beds beds to totoAirPennNet AirPennNet AirPennNet account. account. account. Wouldn’t Wouldn’t Wouldn’tyou you you askask Amy askAmy Amy Gutmann) Gutmann) Gutmann) watchwatchwatch-tional tional tional $20 $20 $20 les to score 10 of Penn’s first 17 points. of of popcorn ofpopcorn popcor an But then he made just one other basnot not not included includ inclu ket and a trio of free throws the rest tions). tions). tions). The The Th lo of the game. He finished the day with 16 inging seven ingseven seven mov m points, second-most on the team. lessless less than than than 3030 b But because his scoring was conmany many many conven conv con centrated in a short spurt towards the paid paid paid services service servi beginning of the game, it didn’t stick ing ing ing interrupt interru inter in memories after it. buffering buffering buffering and a “I don’t find it surprising when immunity immunity immunity to he has like a quiet 25,” senior guard Antonio Woods said. “He’s going to and and and most most most imp im take so much attention off of everyinging ing to towait towai w one else. He takes it and makes a lot watching watching watching 7272 m of shots.” onon Megavideo onMegavid Megav There were plenty of other games Not Not Not to to me tom like that last season. In the quadrupleprice price price to to pay to pa pw overtime epic against Monmouth, Dine-In, Dine-In, Dine-In, Catering Catering Catering &&Delivery &Delivery Delivery thethe big thebig picture bigpict pic savings savings savings of of the of Happy Happy Happy Hour: Hour: Hour: Mon-Fri Mon-Fri Mon-Fri 5-7 5-7 5-7 students students students who wh wp services services services rather rath ra Lunch Lunch Lunch Special: Special: Special: Mon-Fri Mon-Fri Mon-Fri $8.95 $8.95 $8.95 movie movie movie theater thea the tween tween tween $196,1 $196 $19 Early Early Early Bird: Bird: Bird: Sun-Thur Sun-Thur Sun-Thur $10.95 $10.95 $10.95 depending depending dependin on Netfl Netfl Netfl ix ix orixor iT or Moral Moral Moral of of the ofth judge judge judge if you if ifyou yo ju MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018
What do you remember from the Ivy Tournament Championship last year? Darnell Foreman’s iconic three pointer that capped off a first half where he willed the Quakers into the lead comes to mind first. Caleb Wood’s and-one three pointer at the last TV timeout sticks out as well. As does AJ Brodeur’s dominant start to the second half. What doesn’t stick out, and what is surprising every time you look at the box score, is that Ryan Betley finished second on the team with 17 points. 17 points? Really? When did he score those? Those questions capture precisely how Betley operates as one of the top scorers on the team and in the Ivy League. He’s the quiet assassin, the sharpshooter who slowly but surely racks up points while staying under the radar. A lot of that just has to do with the nature of Betley’s game as a perimeter shooter. When he gets hot, he scores in droves. “I think I tend to score in bunches, so I’ll go on a three-minute run where I’ll hit three threes, and then I won’t score for a little while. Over the course of the game, you can forget about that type of stuff.” The Downington, Pa. native also gets to the free throw line more than the typical perimeter guard. He finished second on the team last year with 113 free throw attempts, and made them at a team-high .773 clip. And that fits into a common theme of his game: threes and free throws scattered about throughout the game leading to points adding up but not a
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Junior guard Ryan Betley was the team's leading scorer last season, but there were plenty of times when his output flew under the radar. 8 88
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34TH STREET Magazine December 1, 2011 34TH STREET Magazine December 1, 2011 34TH STREET Magazine December 1, 2011
Junior guard casually racks up large point totals each game
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With an old-school mentality and a newschool methods, coach Steve Donahue has revitalized Penn men's basketball and returned the program to Ivy glory
ANANYA CHANDRA | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER ZACH SHELDON | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
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"I Want Them To Play Free" “There’s definitely a lot of coaches that micromanage everything. But he doesn’t do that.” Graham has worked as an assistant under Donahue for almost 15 year from stints at Penn, Boston College, and Cornell. He even played for Donahue at Penn in the mid-90s when Donahue was an assistant coach for the Quakers. He described how Donahue takes a somewhat hands-off approach to coaching: instead of micromanaging, Donahue tends to challenge coaching staff and players alike to become their best and contribute to the team in the best ways possible. Rather than draw up plays and run a regimented system, Donahue prefers to teach his players how to think quick and react on the fly, whether it be to a change made by the other team, a change in the flow of the game, or a new matchup. The results of this strategy often see the type of free-flowing basketball Graham and Donahue alike love to play. “I want them to play free,” Donahue said. “I want them to play with fun and joy.” Off the court, the coaching style remains. Donahue leaves most of the individual man-management to his assistant coaches, especially given his trust in Graham, a longtime loyalist. But if he needs to intervene, he never hesitates. “He knows exactly when we need to be put in line,” Betley said. “There’s no goofing around in film, but SEE DONAHUE PAGE 17
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“A Student of the Game” “Very strategic. VERY strategic.” The words flowed out of Max Rothschild’s mouth without hesitation when prompted to describe Donahue. “The dude watches more film than most Americans watch TV, or anything,” fellow big man AJ Brodeur added. “He’s the definition of when you call someone a student of the game.” One thing no one at Penn has questioned of Donahue is his dedication to the game. Players and coaches alike consistently cited his passion and diligence as central characteristics to his success. Though he wasn’t a star when he played college ball at Ursinus in the early 1980s, his passion carried him into the profession of coaching. And whenever his career has hit road bumps, his passion is what kept him going. “That’s what I respect about him,” Rothschild said. Donahue seems to eat, sleep, and breathe basketball,
“He Knows What He’s Doing” It took the Quakers a while to learn, but Donahue’s previous stint in the Ivy League suggested they were always going to. After working at Penn as an assistant coach in the 90s, Donahue moved to Cornell for his first head coaching job. The program was at a low point in 2000, but by the end of his decade in Ithaca, he had led the Big Red to three straight Ivy League championships and a trip to the Sweet 16 in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. But six games into the 2017 Ivy League campaign, the situation could not have looked more different from Cornell seven years earlier. The Quakers had lost their way and needed a fresh start. “Mental toughness — Princeton has it. We’re trying to get it,” Donahue lamented after that fateful defeat. His reaction to that moment has found its way into folklore around the Palestra. Donahue looked his players in the eyes and told them that they were an 0-6 team. Indeed, they had lost their first six conference games — but he meant more than that. They were playing like losers. Things looked desperate.
So he told them to play with desperation. And when that desperation resulted in a pair of wins, he told them to play with desperation and confidence. That resulted in another three. The team completed its run of the table when Jackson Donahue (no relation to Steve) drained a three with just a few seconds left in the final regular season game to send the Palestra into pandemonium and Penn into the Ivy League Tournament. Between the Princeton loss in February 2017 and the Ivy League Tournament in 2018, Penn went 18-4 in Ivy League play. Two wins in the 2018 Ivy championship and a trip to Kansas for the NCAA Tournament closed the fairytale that will live on the walls of the Palestra forever. No longer are the Quakers the laughing stock. Now, they’re feared. “He’s proven that he’s had great success in this league,” Betley said. “He knows what he’s doing. He’s great.” Ahead of his fourth season at Penn, Donahue appears to have taken full control of the program. Yet that paradoxically doesn’t mean he is in full control — because that’s not how Donahue operates.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018
BY WILLIAM SNOW
F
ebruary 7, 2017. The first three years of the Donahue era revolve around just one game. At the final buzzer, Penn men’s basketball sulked off its home court a dismal 0-6 in Ivy League play. Losing in a deflated Palestra to archrivals Princeton — and barely putting up a fight, at that — was only the latest in a series of dismal moments that spanned the Quakers’ second season under their new coach. Critics declared their season dead that night — something the Quakers would later mock by calling themselves ‘zombies.’ But in that moment, you couldn’t blame the critics for drawing such a conclusion. 47 games into coach Steve Donahue’s tenure at the helm of the Red and Blue, their record stood at a disappointing 18-29. Penn’s 64-49 loss to Princeton was its seventh defeat in eight games, and the team looked well on its way to another season in the bottom half of the conference. Following a four-year stint at Boston College that Donahue himself called a “failure,” doubts were growing whether Dr. M. Grace Calhoun had picked the right man to replace Jerome Allen as head coach. 42 games since Feb. 7, 2017, those doubts feel more than misplaced — they seem ridiculous. 3 wins, an Ivy League Tournament Championship, a trip to the NCAA Tournament as the strongest No. 16 seed in NCAA history that gave top-seeded Kansas a real scare, and a 10-point swing in average scoring margin show that Donahue has put his stamp on a program that now looks a bare mirage of its former self. It took him a while to recruit the right personnel to fit his system as well as get his players to buy in, but heading into his fourth season in charge of the Red and Blue, all signs point towards another run at an Ivy League title and a potential trip to March Madness. And even more, if Donahue has his way. No longer is he thinking about stabilizing a program left in turmoil after three straight seasons with single-digit win totals under Allen. Now, he’s thinking about something bigger.
"He's the definition of when you call someone a student of the game"
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THE JOURNEY BACK
per multiple people on the team. Associate head coach Nat Graham said that no one thinks about the game more than he does. But it’s not just how much he thinks about basketball that makes him special, everyone said. It’s the way he thinks. “He’s very analytical,” Rothschild said. “He’s an old-school guy with a new-school mentality.” The new-school mentality Rothschild referenced has exploded into the world of basketball in recent years, though Donahue has long been a proponent of it, teammates said. The key to that “analytical” mentality? Well, analytics. “He’s a numbers guy,” Brodeur said. “He is probably one of the most analytically-driven people in basketball. We have two shots that we’re trying to get every possession — either lay-ups, or open, catch-and-shoot threes. Anything else, like a long two-pointer or contested threes, are last resorts.” Donahue has been seen and heard a million times behind the scenes poring over numbers and statistics to crack new codes for his team and unlock players’ potential. Those analytics have allowed him to construct a highpowered offense at Penn that plays the high-intensity, fast-passing, free-flowing basketball that the Palestra faithful had sorely missed for the better part of a decade. A high-octane offense and a lockdown defense are the trademarks of Donahue’s best teams over his career. “I think he’s been very ahead of his time, from an offensive standpoint. You see the evolution of the game a lot more in the NBA right now, in the way that he sees the game. And he was probably ahead of that,” Graham said. Graham also called the “egalitarianism” of a no-ego, pass-friendly offense a key to success that the Quakers have enjoyed since that fateful Princeton game a year and a half ago. “Everyone has bought into the system,” said senior Antonio Woods, the only player on the team to have played under Allen before Donahue. “It takes a while to learn, but once you have, it’s just instinct.”
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Lunch pail symbolizes the team's hard-working ethos THEODOROS PAPAZEKOS Sports Editor
ALL PHOTOS BY CHASE SUTTON | SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR
At the end of each day of practice, Penn men's basketball awards the lunch pail to the day's hardest working player. The team then tweets a photo to announce the winner and publicize the updated lunch pail standings.
ebrating winning it in the last preseason workout. The public boast forced a policy change. “We awarded it on the last day heading into the season, and [Brodeur] won it. He posted something on Twitter,” Fadem said. “So I told him, ‘Ok, if you’re going to post when you win it, we’re going to post when
funny: He only refers to it as that when he loses,” Fadem said. “There’s zero politics. … Now [that it’s become popular], we really stick to who has the best practice from beginning to end that embodying all the things we’re looking for.” Politics or not, the pail has become popular both among the team and on Twitter. With that popularity has come an increased focus on the competition and the values the pail represents. “It’s supposed to symbolize a gritty day, someone who gets their hands dirty,” Brodeur said. “We use that word a lot, in our practice, in our locker room. We love the word grit, because it’s a great word to encompass a lot of what our identity is.” “We were successful last year, and the reason was because we did work really hard. We were very selfless. We competed against each other, and I still see that with this group,” Donahue said. “The level is really high in terms of intensity, competing against each other, to the point that you wouldn’t know they’re friends. “If the lunch pail motivates these guys … to exhibit those behaviors — I’d like to think that’s a reason why we’re successful.” The original $75 investment has paid off, and the dividends are paid in sweat.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW 1 5
Penn men's basketball junior AJ Brodeur has made it his personal mission to win the lunch pail every day. The forward has not been shy, boasting about his lunch pail successes on social media.
you don’t win it.’ “I really just thought we would do it for a couple days, just to rub it in [Brodeur's] skin. We got feedback after that first week, and people we’re like, ‘That’s so cool! We can’t wait to see who’s going to win it!’ So I kind of dug my own grave on that one in terms of having to do it every day.” Brodeur seems to be the consensus favorite to win the award on a daily basis. He has made it his mission to claim the lunch pail, especially after Fadem’s public challenge. Twitter fame is on the line. “We all know that at the end of the day it’s just a fun little thing we do, but also it does mean a lot to a lot of people,” Brodeur said. “Me especially. I’m trying to win that every day.” “I do like that they care about it,” Donahue said. “They obviously complain when they don’t win it, but it means something.” Brodeur complained that the pail had taken on a political dimension with players campaigning and pestering coaches to win it. Of course, on days he is the winner, Brodeur dismisses claims of politicking as jealousy. For his part, Fadem thinks the complaints are completely unwarranted. “[Brodeur] likes to refer to it as the ‘political pail,’ but it’s
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018
Grit is an intangible. It also costs $75 with Amazon Prime. “It’s the real deal. It’s not a knockoff — that was probably a nice coal miner’s lunch box right there.” Director of men’s basketball operations Brad Fadem's assurance of the quality of the lunch pail matched a cursory observation. The lunch pail — a heavy, steel container with P-E-N-N stickered to the front over the Stanley logo — was dreamt up by Fadem and coach Steve Donahue early in their tenures at Penn. The pail evokes imagery of coal miners, steel workers, smoky cityscapes, and sooty men sitting on cranes. Or at least, those were the images Fadem, Donahue, and junior forward AJ Brodeur supplied. The idea was to motivate the team to embody the grit and hard work of the blue-collar mentality through the symbol of the lunch pail. Donahue, with the help of Fadem and the rest of his staff, awards the lunch pail
to the hardest working, grittiest player of that day of practice. At some point after its original introduction, Fadem put an empty container of Quaker brand grits in the lunch pail just to drive the point home. Donahue’s goal was to instill in his new team a culture of pride, grit, hard work, and fun. The pail was a way to represent those goals and motivate the team while keeping the work light-hearted and fun. It was important to him to reward hard work with something tangible. “I want the guys to take pride in practice — who comes every day ready to go — and reward that person,” Donahue said. “We talked about what do we want our identity to be: ‘Go To Work.' It was all about putting in the work, and I thought the lunch pail was a great symbol of that. And the guys really bought into it. “This was just another way to make it fun. Work extremely hard, but reward with a goofy lunch pail.” The lunch pail had quietly been awarded inconsistently for the first few years after its conception, but this fall it has become a phenomenon. Brodeur tweeted a photo of the pail cel-
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Quakers go to work with 'lunch pail mentality'
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The making of veteran leader Antonio Woods Woods overcame significant extent of the injury until he got obstacles to become captain an MRI the day after the chamYOSEF WEITZMAN Sports Editor
It was March 22, 2012 — Antonio Woods was a sophomore in high school. His Cincinnati school, Summit Country Day, had just advanced to the Ohio Division III State Championship basketball game by beating Bedford St. Peter 49-41 in Ohio State’s Value City Arena. But all was not well for Woods and his team, even as they moved within one win of the school’s first-ever state championship. No one knew exactly how bad it was at the time — all Woods knew was the sharp pain he felt every time he tried to run — but later, it would be discovered that a fall he took in the final minutes of the semifinals resulted in a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL), a knee ligament injury that typically takes several weeks to heal. The championship game was only two days away. “We told Antonio and his mom that he was just not going to be able to play,” remembered Woods’ high school coach Michael Bradley. “It was just too much of an injury risk.” Woods tried to give it a go anyway. He spent all of the team’s day off before the championship icing his knee, but the reality sank in hard when he wasn’t even able to jog on the morning of the game. As tip-off approached, Woods dressed in his uniform anyway — he said he told his trainer that he wanted to try to give it another go. As he walked out the tunnel to join his teammates warming up, his trainer stopped him. “She comes up with a wide array of pills. Like her hand was filled with a lot of pills,” Woods said. “She was like ‘take these’. I’m like ‘take all of them?’. She’s like, ‘yes, take all of them.’ “So I took all of them. To this day I have no idea what they were.” The pills worked — or at least they worked enough. Woods limped his way to eight points in 20 minutes off the bench, and Summit defeated Portsmouth 5337. He did not even learn the true
pionship. “I was really shocked to even think he was going to gamble and play,” Bradley said. “I don’t think it was just for himself. I think he wanted to be a part of the team.” After spending much of the spring of 2012 rehabbing his torn MCL, he returned in his junior year to lead Summit to another championship — this time as the quarterback of the school’s football team. Woods lettered in both basketball and football in all four years of high school. In fact, he wanted to continue his career in both so much that he spurned multiple Big Ten football scholarship offers to try to play both at Penn. But after Woods redshirted his freshman football season and Penn’s basketball and football programs both made coaching changes later that year, he decided to focus only on basketball. “I didn’t want coach [Steve] Donahue coming in and thinking I’m not committed to the basketball team,” he said. Woods proved his commitment to the team then — and he would again a few months later when his future with the Red and Blue was put in serious doubt. ... Midway through his sophomore year, Woods was academically suspended for two semesters, starting with the spring of 2016. The suspension left Woods feeling “helpless” and like he had “nowhere to go”, according to an open letter to his younger self he would write later. Bradley was concerned about how Woods would be able to come back. He said he texted Woods after he learned about the suspension and didn’t hear back for a couple weeks. Even during those first weeks of the suspension, though, Woods was beginning to put his plan for the year off in motion. Through Donahue, Woods quickly connected with Kenny Holdsman, the President and CEO of Philadelphia Youth Basketball (PYB), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Philadelphia youth. Holdsman agreed to mentor and employ Woods at PYB. Needing to support himself, Woods also found work at Temple University
Hospital, where he'd spend his nights transporting patients and the deceased. When Woods first told Bradley about his plan for the year over lunch, Bradley thought it sounded so challenging that he was “concerned if [Woods] was going to make it.” But by the end of their lunch, Woods convinced Bradley he could do it. And by the end of the year, he had. ... Woods re-enrolled at Penn and rejoined the team for practices in January of 2017, although it wouldn’t be until the start of the next season in November of 2017 that he’d play in a game again. When Woods finally did get the chance to play again — 22 months after he had last appeared in a collegiate game — his opportunities were limited. In Penn’s season-opener against Fairfield last season, Woods started the game but failed to score in only eight minutes of action. His team didn’t fare much better, losing on the road 80-72. At the time, it was fair to wonder whether Woods simply wasn’t in good enough shape to return to his prominent role in the rotation. In the team’s next game, however, Woods logged 41 minutes as the Quakers lost a heartbreaker in double-overtime to La Salle. A couple weeks later, he played even longer, 50 minutes, in a thrilling quadruple-overtime victory over Monmouth, scoring
a career-high 23 points. By the time Penn’s season ended in March against Kansas, there was little doubt about what Woods could bring to the floor this upcoming season as a senior. “He’s physical, he’s smart defensively, he always knows where to be. He was good from day one and he’s just gotten better,” assistant coach Nat Graham said, the only member of Penn’s coaching staff who has been with the team since Woods’ freshman year in 2014. “Now he’s as strong and as physical a guard as you’ll find in the NCAA.” “He’s definitely our best defender,” junior guard Ryan Betley said. But perhaps Woods’ impact on the team will be felt even more strongly off the court, where he’s
established himself as a “leadby-example” type of leader. Especially compared to the team's more outgoing captains, Woods can come off as an introvert — and Donahue doesn’t see any reason for that to change. “[Donahue] told me all leaders don’t have to be vocal,” Woods said. “You can still be a leader as long as you be yourself, like don’t change for anyone, just continue to be your best self.” In the eyes of his coaches, being his best self has been more than enough throughout Woods’ career. “You’re not supposed to have favorites as a coach, but he’s one of them for sure,” Bradley said. “I just admire his perseverance," Donahue said. “To me he’s why you coach.”
CHASE SUTTON | SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR
Senior guard Antonio Woods is more of a lead-by-example type.
>> PAGE 13
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he has a sense of humor like everyone else. He understands that we’re college kids, and we like to have fun, but when you’re in between the lines, it’s all business.” That all-business mentality was echoed by a number of fellow players. In a number of ways, they said he stays above the fray so that he can keep his mind on the important decisions that keep the team ticking. After all, executives have a number of key choices to make — like who gets play time, how they practice, and how they play, for starters. But that’s not to say he doesn’t understand that his players are college students, and should be treated as such. Consistently, his players said they felt well-treated by their coaching staff and empowered to make the team their own. “This Is Your Team” Whether it’s a function of Donahue, or a function of coaching in the Ivy League, where studentathletes tend to come to college more mature than in the power conferences, the fact stands that Donahue plays a surprisingly backseat role in team-building. Graham recognized this notion and expressed relief at how easy it is to work with bright studentathletes at Penn. “We just don’t have bad guys. For us [coaches], it’s not like we’re having to walk around and make sure they go to class. You get to sit down and have conversations and enjoy them as people, who go from 18 year-old kids and walk out of here as young men.” Helping to shape young men was a theme Graham harped on as one of the key jobs of all the coaches, including Donahue. That sentiment was something some players expressly appreciated. Matt MacDonald, a captain of the last two years’ teams, praised Donahue for stressing how he wanted the players first and foremost to develop lifelong memories and a strong culture that made them better men. Ultimately, they could then build their legacy on the floor of the Palestra. “He really emphasized it being our team," MacDonald said. "He would always say that at the beginning of the year, like, ‘This is not my team or the coaches’ team; this is your team. You’re running the show.’ That’s pretty rare, especially at the college level.” But for Donahue, that’s standard practice.
Penn’s coach has consistently shied from the limelight during his team’s recent success — and he bore the brunt of the blame during its early failures. Most of the quotes and anecdotes for this story come from other people, primarily because of how hesitant Donahue is to talk about himself when credit could be given to his players. “I would rather focus on our program,” he said. “He’s not someone that spends any effort with his personal public relations,” Graham noted. “So I think coaches’ opinions are higher than what maybe general opinion is of him.” Instead, he’s all business. And on the eve of his fourth season at the helm of the Red and Blue, his mind is focused on much more than a simple narrative of his first three. Year Four The Quakers have just come off their best season in recent memory. But the time for celebration is over, Donahue said. It’s time to look ahead at the next campaign. “When we first got here, coach Donahue emphasized the fact that we’re not here to defend a championship. We already won — there’s no need to defend it,” Brodeur said. “He just keeps emphasizing that we need to play every game that desperate and with that sense of urgency, like every game could be our last. We’re hungry. We want to chase another championship.” “I want us to have that 0-6 mentality,” Donahue added. “But we need to have confidence at the same time.” If they can keep that mentality that drove them through the last season and a half, then fans should look forward to seeing them playing in the postseason. But Donahue thinks that postseason basketball alone isn’t ambitious enough. “We can compete at the top level nationally,” he said. “We should be thinking Sweet 16s, Elite Eights, Final Fours. There’s no reason why not.” Given the example of LoyolaChicago’s Cinderella run last year, he added that Penn could do the same thing come March. Deep inside Donahue’s head, the numbers and the analytics and the tactics and the vision were all swirling around at fever pitch. An Election Day trip to George Mason to open the fourth year of the Donahue era is just about all he can think about. The season is here. And Penn men’s basketball has its man on the bench working overdrive.
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Bolstered by experience, Ashley Russell is ready to lead Senior captain brings hustle and energy to team MARC MARGOLIS Sports Editor
Nobody does the little things better than Penn women’s basketball guard Ashley Russell. The senior has carved a career out of making small plays that don't show up on the stat sheet. Whether it's sacrificing her body to dive for a loose ball, setting a screen to get her teammates an open shot, or mentoring younger, less-experienced players, Russell’s willingness to do the dirty work is one of the many reasons the Massachusetts native was elected as a captain for the 20182019 season. “I put the team’s success way farther ahead than my individual success,” Russell said. “As long as the team wins, I don’t really care about my stat line. … It would be nice to have that, but as long as the team comes out with a
win, I’m happy.” Last year, she enjoyed her best season statistically, starting 29 of the 30 games she played in — only coming off the bench on senior night — while putting up career-highs in minutes (24.3), points (7.5), rebounds (3.7), and assists (1.7) per game. Still, with last year's historically great senior class, which featured two AllIvy players in forward Michelle Nwokedi and guard Anna Ross in addition to three-year starter Lauren Whitlatch, Russell primarily played a complementary role. Now, Russell, the only captain projected to be in the starting lineup, will be forced to take on additional leadership responsibilities in her final season. “I was kind of behind them in the leadership role, so moving into senior year, I knew I had to step out of that shell rather than being able to sit behind seniors,” she said. However, Russell does not find it necessary to be the loudest person in the gym.
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Senior guard Ashley Russell has set the standard of hustle and effort last season. This year, her leadership role will be elevated to captain.
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With the graduation of the program's all-time leader in assists in Ross, that position could be filled by a number of different players. Russell is likely to spend much of her time in her usual positions, but will also absorb some of Ross' responsibilities. Having an experienced senior as a ball-handling guard should help the Quakers settle in. “With me having a lot of experience playing in games, as well as [sophomore center] Eleah [Parker] from last year, I think it’d be beneficial for us to set the tone in the beginning of the year,” Russell said. “If we're getting caught up and have a lot of turnovers in a row and we don’t have a fast break, to [tell the team], ‘hey, let's slow down here and run a play,’ I think that will help us moving forward to control the pace of the game rather than being controlled.” From becoming the predominant senior leader, to taking freshmen under her wing, to learning a new position, Penn women’s basketball’s gritty leader will have her hands full this season. But if her first three years are any indication of how this year will turn out, Russell will do it all with a smile as long as it helps the team win games.
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“I’ve kinda been just trying to lead by example on the court so far.” With four rotation players graduating from last season, more underclassmen will be forced to step up earlier in the year compared to prior years. One of the players Russell has taken under her wing is freshman guard Mia Lakstigala, whom coach Mike McLaughlin indicated is likely to see extended minutes for a rookie. “Just because of how practices have been working out, I’ve been on her team a lot,” Russell said. “I’ve been able to talk her through things like certain movements on screens or where she should go on certain plays, and where she can look to move off the ball to get open threes. She’s been doing a really good job.” On the court, Russell will be tasked not only with guarding the opposing team's best perimeter threat, but also with playing multiple positions within the offense. In her first three years on campus, Russell has played predominantly shooting guard and occasionally small forward. In the offseason, Russell worked on her ball handling and shooting to prepare for increased point guard responsibilities.
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WOMEN
PRINCETON 2017-2018 Record: (24-6, 12-2 Ivy) Biggest loss: Leslie Robinson Player to watch: Bella Alarie Outlook: Princeton comes into the season as the defending champs and the favorites to repeat. Much of that is due to the star power of junior forward Bella Alarie, the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year. Alarie was absolutely unstoppable last year, posting a stat line of 13.3 points, 9.4 rebound, 2.3 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game. She was especially impressive against Penn, nearly recording a triple-double in the first game between the two teams. Princeton will definitely miss the steady hand of guard and 2018 WNBA draft pick Leslie Robinson, who paced the team with 4.3 assists per game and was the only other player to average double-digit points. But the Tigers aren’t as formidable as they were imagined to be a month ago: Alarie is starting the year on the sideline with a broken wrist, while sophomore Abby Meyers, the team’s third-leading scorer, is taking a year off from the school after an academic violation. Much like the Quakers, Princeton has several important returning pieces, but a lot of questions to answer.
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2017-2018 Record: (18-11, 10-4 Ivy) Biggest loss: Taylor Rooks Player to watch: Katie Benzan Outlook: Third-place Harvard brings most of the pieces back from last year. Leading the way is unanimous first team All-Ivy junior guard Katie Benzan, a lights-out three point shooter and the league's best point guard. Benzan led the team with 13.5 points and 4.1 assists per game, but her true talent is beyond the arc; she posted a ridiculous .449 three-point shooting percentage last season, better than her overall shooting percentage. Beyond her, sophomore forward Jeannie Boehm will look to build on a successful freshman campaign, in which she finished sixth in the league in rebounding and third in blocks. Harvard does have a pair of starting spots to fill, due to the graduation of second team AllIvy guard Taylor Rooks and guard Kirby Porter. But with many key players back, expect the Crimson to be just as good, if not better, than last season.
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2017-2018 Record: (19-13, 8-6 Ivy) Biggest loss: Tamara Simpson Best player: Camilla Emsbo Outlook: Yale was the league’s surprise team last year, with its first winning record in conference play since the 2012-2013 season. But a lot of that was due to the dynamic duo of Jen Berkowitz and Tamara Simpson, who have both graduated. Berkowitz was first team All-Ivy last season, posting the league’s best shooting percentage, while Simpson was the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. With the two of them gone, the mantle falls to junior guard Roxy Barahman, the team’s only other double-digit scorer. Barahman was the team’s primary ball handler last year, finishing fourth in the league with 4.1 assists per game, but contributes in several other ways, racking up 2.0 steals per game. The Bulldogs also brought in forward Camilla Emsbo, a five-star recruit ranked as the nation’s 34th-best by ESPN, who figures to be the early favorite for Rookie of the Year. If the right people step up, the Elis could be competing for an Ivy tournament title on their home court come March.
Along with both of Penn's teams, the six squads here round out the top half of the Ivy League's preseason polls JONATHAN POLLACK Senior Sports Editor
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2017-2018 Record: (18-14, 12-2 Ivy) Biggest loss: None Player to watch: Bryce Aiken Outlook: On paper, Harvard has the best roster in the Ivy League, which is why it was picked to repeat as Ivy champs in the preseason poll. Not only do the Crimson return every key player from last year's co-championship team — they also get dynamic guard Bryce Aiken, the 2016-2017 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, back from an injury that sidelined him for much of last year. Reigning Ivy Player of the Year Seth Towns established himself as one of the premier scoring threats last season and helped to anchor the best defense in the Ivy League. Big man Chris Lewis was an absolute nightmare down low, especially against Penn, which he gashed for 25 points in one of the Quakers’ two Ivy losses. Guards Christian Juzang and Justin Bassey will likely round out the starting five; both played above average and were serviceable change-of-pace options. And that doesn’t even include another stellar freshman class that coach Tommy Amaker brought in. This is a deep and dangerous squad, and as long as the Crimson can stay healthy, they will only get better.
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A look at the Ivy League's preseason favorites
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PRINCETON
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2017-2018 Record: (13-16, 5-9 Ivy) Biggest loss: Amir Bell Player to watch: Jaelin Llewellyn Outlook: What can Princeton do to bounce back from last year’s disappointment? After looking like one of the best teams in the league in non-conference play and a solid start in Ivy play, the Tigers lost seven straight league contests and fell out of contention for the postseason. The two main pieces coming back for them are seniors guards Devin Cannady and Myles Stephens. Cannady and Stephens, who were both named second team All-Ivy, averaged 16.7 and 15.3 points per game, respectively, and are both threats to score from anywhere on the floor. Princeton did lose the conference’s best defensive guard, Amir Bell, to graduation. In his place, the Tigers now have freshman Jaelin Llewellyn, a four-star recruit who figures to play a big role both as a scorer and a facilitator from the start of the season. With the pieces they have, the Tigers have a very good chance to make last season an outlier and return to the top echelon of the league.
2017-2018 Record: (16-15, 9-5 Ivy) Biggest loss: Noah Yates Player to watch: Miye Oni Outlook: Yale was a step down from Penn and Harvard last year, but still finished comfortably in the top half of the standings. With all five starters returning, the Bulldogs figure to be right in the mix this year as well. The team is undoubtedly led by Oni, a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection last season, who had one of the most well-rounded years of any player in the league. He posted a stat line of 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, and was only one of two players to finish in the top 10 in the Ancient Eight in all three stats. Like Harvard, the Bulldogs get a big piece back from injury in Jordan Bruner. The junior forward is a force in the paint on defense, as he finished second in the league with 55 blocks his freshman year. The Elis have both the offensive firepower and overall experience to remain one of the best teams in the conference.
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Rookies have chance to make instant impact Graduation of seniors give freshmen openings to fill DANNY CHIARODIT Associate Sports Editor
This year, Penn women’s basketball looks much different than it did last season. Gone are the days of dominance from Michelle Nwokedi and Anna Ross, two alltime greats who graduated after last season. Now, though, the Quakers have the opportunity to write a new chapter. That chapter, Penn hopes, will feature the five freshmen who have joined the squad ahead of the 201819 season. None are coming in as highly touted as now-sophomore center Eleah Parker was last year, but that doesn’t mean they won’t make an immediate impact. Of the five, coach Mike McLaughlin has pointed to Mia Lakstigala, Meg Hair, and Kennedy Suttle as players that could be in the mix right away. Lakstigala, a guard from Naperville, Ill., scored the second-most points in her high school’s history, behind all-time leading scorer and
WNBA legend Candace Parker. Hair, also a guard, was the New York State Basketball Player of the Year in 2016, 2017, and 2018 and won state championships with her Syracuse team those same three years. The forward Suttle comes from Atlanta, Ga., and was a state champion in 2016, while setting a school record for most career rebounds. “On the court, they’re doing well,” McLaughlin said. “I think Mia Lakstigala’s really looking good. She’s going to be somebody who’s in the mix to play for us right away. Kennedy Suttle has battled some nagging injuries but is someone that’s going to perhaps be in the mix to play. I think Hair has been really great. She’s tied up in a league with some competition there, but I think she’s someone that’s going to have a really good career here.” While these three freshmen will likely see the most playing time in the group, center Noelle Cahill and guard Sereena Weledji each have the potential to be key contributors in the future. “Noelle’s giving us size, gives us great effort, so she gives us that
presence to her,” McLaughlin said. “And Sereena’s the one that’s trying to fill in. She’s transferring positions from high school to college; it’s a little bit of a transition for her,
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but she’s doing well.” Much of the adjustment period for any freshman class involves getting used to life off of the court. So far, things have been going smoothly for the five new players. And in doing things like giving advice about quiet study spots on campus and recommending great places to eat before practice, their teammates have made that transition even easier “It’s been really cool. Penn’s a great place, and off the court, I feel like the community is really great,” Weledji said. “The professors are awesome, and our teammates were really helpful in telling us how to get places and how to get through stuff. So it’s been a great transition so far.” And while these first-year players are grateful to the upperclassmen for showing them the ropes, they are not afraid to take them on in practice. “In practice, we all are very competitive, and when we play with the older [players], I think we do really well,” Hair said. “I see a lot of potential with these girls. I feel like we’d be getting a lot of playing time; I hope so,” Suttle added. The Red and Blue Scrimmage on Oct. 20 was another step toward getting the freshmen to be more comfortable in the spotlight. The game was an exciting and nervewracking experience for this group
of young players. “It was nice to get back into a game routine,” Cahill said. “That’s where I’m personally most comfortable: being in a game, score on the board, time running down. So I was actually really comfortable, more comfortable than I thought I would be. Lakstigala had a solid performance in the scrimmage but took a while to get fully acclimated to the situation. “I was really nervous before the game because it was my first college game, but it was really fun,” she said. “As I started to play, I got less nervous and I just settled into the game, and it was just really fun seeing people in the crowd, and then everybody was cheering for each other. So it was a really great atmosphere in general.” McLaughlin and the Quakers are in a relatively unfamiliar position this year, as they have to strike the right balance between easing the freshmen into action and getting them into the rotation when necessary. According to McLaughlin, the first few weeks of the season will give the team some clarity as to how ready the freshmen are in helping fill the big shoes of last year’s seniors. Typically, the Red and Blue have been able to afford waiting a while before throwing the new players into the fire — but this year, they might not have that luxury.
Big man relationship is crucial to team's success CARTER THOMPSON Associate Sports Editor
While Brodeur and Rothschild certainly make the offense run more efficiently, their emotional impact on the court cannot be overlooked. If you’ve seen Rothschild and Brodeur play, you know their high-motor style: they are simply relentless on the court. And it helps drive the rest of the team. “I try to lead with passion. I try to go there and give it my all and put my full heart into it," Rothschild said. "[AJ] is the only person I could ever say went harder than I ever did. I go hard every play. But he would go harder.” Brodeur describes Rothschild as the team’s emotional leader, the one who gets everyone fired up. Coach Steve Donahue views both as players that embody the spirit of the program in their mentality and how they compete. Betley said their motor and the passion with which they play gives them an advantage over the other bigs they face in the Ivy League. The now-teammates were actually once high school foes, going against one another on the New England prep circuit in January 2015, when Roth-
schild’s New Hampton Prep played against Brodeur’s Pennheavy Northfield Mount Hermon. Rothschild isn’t afraid to admit Brodeur got the better of him that day, a 72-61 win for Brodeur's Mount Hermon squad. “He was totally working me out!” Rothschild laughed. “I
was definitely pissed. But when he committed to Penn I was like, ‘thank God.’” Now that they’re on the same team, Brodeur and Rothschild work together to be the engines that power the Red and Blue. With Brodeur and Rothschild firing on all cylinders, you’ll be sure to see a lot of their signature handshake — even if you don’t know what it is.
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“It’s totally unique. People don’t know what it is; we don’t even know what it is.” What started out as a joke between senior Max Rothschild and junior AJ Brodeur has become somewhat of a sensation for those who know about “the handshake.” The infamous handshake, brought to life during a team workout, features a high-five between Brodeur and Rothschild, but with one massive twist: they don’t touch hands. “Other teams, you see the faces they make, they are just so confused,” junior guard Ryan Betley laughed. “I have a handshake with Max; it’s not as elaborate and AJ and Max’s.” “They have that handshake going which there’s a lot of hype around, we think it’s kind of foolish,” senior guard Jackson Donahue smiled. “I think it’s really just a testament to how close they are.” Rothschild and Brodeur are close — how can you not be when you share such an iconic signature handshake? But just as their handshake is unique, so too is the relationship they have with one another. While not carbon copies, it is hard to look past their many similarities on the court. Although they are both capable of playing the five, they do not fit the traditional big-man mold. Both fit the more evolved version of a big man who can do it all, the stretch four.
This allows Rothschild and Brodeur to complement one another on the floor, each one’s strengths feeding the other's. “We play off of each other really well,” Brodeur said. “We’ve both gotten to the point where we’re comfortable playing under the basket or around the perimeter and letting the other guy go to work in the post while still being an outside threat. Having that kind of compatibility and interchangeability is a big asset for us as a team.” “I love playing with [AJ] because it makes it easy for me,” Rothschild said. “He’s just a total problem [to guard] out there and that lightens it up for me. I think it’s really good for our offense when we have two skilled bigs with high [basketball] IQs.” Their views are shared by many on the team. It comes as no surprise that having two big men with such diverse skill sets makes it easier on the rest of the team to score. “[Our offense] is more relying on them to be able to read space,” Donahue said. “They know which one is supposed to be in the paint, which one is cutting, and which one is spacing. And they’re some of the best bigs that I’ve seen do that in this kind of offense.” “It makes a world of difference having guys who are threats [in the post],” Betley explained. “It takes pressure off the shooters and gives us more opportunities when they get offensive rebounds. Having two guys like that, who want to go get rebounds and want to do the dirty work like the linemen in the NFL, that’s who those guys are. They represent the grit that we preach as a team.”
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Max and AJ: the motors of the team
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