Brown looks for shot against Quakers

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Coming off two tough losses to Harvard and Dartmouth last weekend, the men's basketball team is looking to exact a little revenge this weekend when the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton visit the Pizzitola Center. Penn defeated the Bears earlier this season 83-60, while the Bears already own a 57-52 victory over the Tigers.

Brown has struggled since opening Ivy play against Princeton Jan. 28, with a 1-4 record in league play. A win over the Quakers Friday night would mark a major turning point in the Bears' season.

"A win this weekend will really help us bounce back and instill some confidence back in the team," said co-captain Luke Ruscoe '06.

In the Bears' last two losses, the team has combined to shoot only 28 percent. The shooting percentage was uncharacteristically low for a team that had previously been pacing the Ivy League in points-per-game and boasts the league's leading scorer, co-captain Jason Forte '05.

"Defense is always a key," Ruscoe said. "However, it is strange that our offense, which is usually so good, is what has been struggling. We really need to be able to put some points on the board like the Brown teams of old."

While Penn and Princeton perennially represent the elite of Ivy League basketball, Harvard and Dartmouth have typically been sure wins for the Bears the past couple of years. The last two seasons Brown swept the season series with both Harvard and Dartmouth, averaging 88 points per game in the four victories.

Ruscoe summed up the team's disappointment with the past weekend.

"Although Harvard and Dartmouth haven't been in the upper echelon of the teams in the league, they have improved a lot," Ruscoe said. "But it is still very disappointing to lose to them. I have had many past players ask me how we lost to them."

This weekend's contests represent the Bears' toughest test of the season. In the past, Brown struggled against the squads from Penn and Princeton, but recently has discovered some strategies that seem to work. Last season, the Bears beat both teams at home, the Quakers succumbing in overtime 92-88. They also defeated Penn in Philadelphia.

The Quakers (14-7, 7-0 Ivy) boast the league's reigning Player of the Week in senior guard Tim Begley. Begley scored 24 points against Cornell Saturday, and is a threat from long range. With 60 three-pointers made, Begley has made 11 more than anybody else in the Ivy League.

And, despite Princeton's (11-10, 2-5 Ivy) struggles, it still plays the stingiest defense in the league, allowing only 54.3 ppg. Making this weekend's test even tougher, the Tigers lead the league in free-throw percentage as well, connecting on nearly 75 percent of their attempts.

The Bears are going into the games in the right mindset after what could have been a disastrous weekend for morale.

"This week has been really good practice-wise," Ruscoe said. "People have been playing harder, and I think we are in good shape to give Penn their first loss."

While Penn brings its unblemished record to Providence, Princeton is scuffling at 2-5, good for last place in the league. Two years ago, Bruno swept Princeton for the first time in school history. This year, the Bears are hoping to match that feat.

"I am not accustomed to losing this much in the Ivies, and neither is Jason (Forte)," Ruscoe said. "We want people to think that Brown is one of the better teams in the league like it always has been while I have been here."

 

[IE]

Penn streaks to New England

Quakers go up to Brown seeking 11th straight win

February 18, 2005

There are no such things as secret weapons in Ivy League men's basketball.

All eight teams know even the benchwarmers because they recruit from the same select group of student-athletes who can stay afloat in an Ivy League university environment.

"Everybody recruits the same guys because there's such a small pool who are able to play, meet admissions standards and able for it not to be a burden to their family financially," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said.

So even though Jan. 29 was the first time Penn saw Brown's nine-man freshman class on together on the court, the Red and Blue was not surprised by their talent.

That might be one of the reasons that Penn (14-7, 7-0 Ivy) was able to easily defeat Brown (9-11, 2-4), 83-60. The Bears beat Princeton the night before they were in Philadelphia, but since their loss to the Quakers they have dropped three of four.

"Unlike the last few years, at this point, we have kind of hit a wall," Brown coach Glen Miller said. "We are definitely a struggling basketball team and not playing with confidence."

This is a change of pace for the Bears, who finished in second place in the Ivies in three of the last four years. After three key seniors graduated in 2004, they have had to rebuild -- and they began by recruiting eight new players and giving another a spot on the team as a walk-on.

Instead of taking their time to get acclimated to the pressures of Division I basketball, the Brown freshmen have been thrown into a role of collective importance far greater than any other Ivy rookie class this season -- primary support to Ivy League Player of the Year Jason Forte.

Brown's only other offensive weapon outside of the explosive senior is guard Luke Ruscoe, who is little more than a spot-shooter. Beyond that, the well has run dry for Miller, which is why he is giving his freshmen a baptism by fire.

With seven rookies logging significant minutes each game, the Bears are showing their inexperience -- they have lost four of their last five games.

"You cannot expect that much success with that little experience," Miller said. "This freshman class has talent but in the history of this league, you don't win relying on freshmen."

Leading the Brown rookies is guard Damon Huffman. The lanky, 6-foot-2 180-pounder has tallied big minutes thanks to his shooting touch and leads the freshman class in points, rebounds and assists.

"Right from the get-go, it was Huffman," Miller said. "He is getting a little worn down right now, but we had to play him. He has certainly earned his minutes."

Huffman contributed 32 minutes off the bench against Penn, finishing with eight points.

"He definitely played very well," sophomore guard Ibby Jaaber said. "He made a couple big shots and big assists, so we have to watch out for him."

Though Huffman is excelling, Forte and Ruscoe have not been able to find the basket. Forte has shot a combined 8-for-38 in the last three games and Ruscoe has shot 10-for-38 in his last four.

Miller said that part of their struggles -- especially Forte's -- can be attributed to the pressure of playing on a young team.

The freshmen "have relied and tried to defer to [Forte] too much, and in turn he has probably tried to do too much," Miller said. "Last year, I think he had more trust in his teammates since they could score the ball."

Another freshman filling the void is McDonald's All-American nominee Mark MacDonald, whose 6-foot-9, 220-pound frame will have an imposing presence down low against Penn's undersized forwards.

Last month, MacDonald scored six points in 11 minutes against Penn.

"I went to see MacDonald play a couple times [in high school]," Dunphy said. "He is giving them some good minutes and can really hurt us."

Next in his class is guard Mark McAndrew, who has been turning heads coming off the bench. He has had his biggest impact from behind the arc -- he is shooting 42 percent from three-point land.

Combine all these different skill sets and you get a team that is tough to beat -- once it has one or two years of league experience under its belt.

Though the Brown rookies will not be able to wipe the floor with Penn tonight, they will play well and give fans a taste of the future of Ivy League basketball.

"When next year rolls around, these guys are going to be [experienced] like juniors," Miller said. "Their struggles will help them propel to success in the future.

"Sometimes you don't learn unless you have some failures."