Coach Steve Donahue speaks with the men’s basketball team during their game against Cornell in Palestra on Jan. 7. credit: Sukhmani Kaur
With the Penn men’s basketball season nearing its start, expectations are high for the Quaker team. First place Ivy League preseason media poll. Last season, Penn shattered a conference record of 9-5 en route to the Ivy Tournament, with Penn returning all but one major contributor from its roster.
With Penn’s opening contest in Iona just days away, The Daily Pennsylvanian asked coach Steve Donahue to assess his thoughts on this year’s team.
last season you It pointed out About how Penn was literally the least experienced team in the country. Now that you’ve qualified for the Ivy Tournament and gained more experience this year, how do you think that will translate into the season?
First, I think it’s how the preseason went. We’re really just jumping where we left off. You don’t have to go into all the details of why you do something. everyone understands it. Now we have two freshmen of hers and can start thinking about how to win the game as well as what you need to do to survive in this level. And I think it’s something that will come in handy soon.
You mentioned two new students joining the team. What do you expect from them every few minutes and what have you seen from them so far?
I think they are both doing really well. I think a lot of it has to do with the competition at hand.In a sense, cam [Thrower] He can come in and help us on the perimeter. We have bigger players up front, and we have Christian. [Ubochi] He had some injury issues during the preseason, but he’s really working on it, so at some point he’s the one to help us out, whether it’s this year or next year. I hope that
Last season, eight men broke 450 minutes on the season. The season before that, there were only five. Is it going to be a team that takes advantage of the depth and changes according to the situation, or will it gain experience and increase the set rotation?
It’s a few things. The first is to play more matches this year. We were able to play against more players than we did, but maybe nine of him or ten of him and he’s closer to 400. I think we’ll be able to play Fours and Fives as a group and Perimeter as a group. And whoever plays well will play. I think as the season progresses we’ll probably start as early as 10 or 11. 8 or 9 as we get closer to the league, and 6 or 7 later in the game.
Max Lorca-Lloyd is back from injury. He was the starter last season before his injury. What have we seen of him so far? What can we expect from him in terms of roles this season?
I think Max showed early on what he could do on defense. So I think he’s gotten bigger, stronger and faster. He’s more experienced and a very good defender. He can defend multiple positions for a big man and he also defends the rim. He’s now on the offensive side and has really come into play on the grass. he is a very good passer And I think he’s done better than ever. I think he’ll tell you it’s the next step in his progress, just moving down a block he feels comfortable with and can be consistent.
there was little rebound problem Especially for the team last season, without Max. What have you tried to improve in that area?
Part of our strategy is to play two bigger guys pretty consistently and really emphasize that. … It’s part defense, it’s part attack. And in terms of taking responsibility for the glass, we’re very important.
Every year, across the roster, there are different people stepping into the rotation. Who do you think has a bigger role than last season?
Well, we’ve had a few injured players, so Max is back and the young guys are stepping up. I think especially Nick Spinoso and Gus Larson in that class. I think they’re both, so we’re playing bigger, and I think it’s safe to say that the two will be a big part of the rotation.
How much will your loss at the Ivy Tournament last season help motivate you this season?
I think it’s all about developing the habits that make us champions. Life lessons like losing to a champion in a game with one possession and one minute left on neutral courts are hard pills to swallow. And I thought that was my motivation for the whole year. We want to go back there, and we want to go back to the NCAA Tournament.
Jordan Dingle averaged the most points per game in the Ivy League last season and was arguably the team’s most valuable player. What have you seen from him this offseason? What do you think we can expect from him this season?
Most of the time, what we see from Jordan is a better defender, a better all-around rebounder. And offensively, I think he knows he can trust his teammates. He doesn’t have to score 30 points every game. There will be times when he has to score and do what he does. But it will be defensively based. And if he can be a better distributor, I think he is who he is. To me, he’s very talented and I think he can lead the league in assists. Because we think it’s more than we need. And from threes he’ll be a catch-and-shoot guy who shoots 40%.
Jelani Williams and four other players graduated last season. Can you talk about the team and their legacy?
I have so much respect for them because they’ve been through a lot in the pandemic and essentially robbed them of two of their championship seasons. It was a rough road: Sure enough, we were 8 to 2, but he got hurt. I strongly believe that if he hadn’t been injured he would have really been in contention for the championship and we should be proud that he positioned us now that we are ready to challenge for the championship. I think.
Penn ranked #1 in Ivy League preseason polls. With so much to look forward to for the season, what can fans expect from this team?
I hope they do well on the court and find an identity to be proud of. They play really hard, are very gritty, guard and rebound. At the same time, there is a level of skill and talent they enjoy watching. And hopefully, if you keep building these habits every day, it will lead you to championships.
