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  • There won’t be a Villanova-St. Joe’s Big 5 title game this season, but Penn earned its final berth

    There won’t be a Villanova-St. Joe’s Big 5 title game this season, but Penn earned its final berth

    The scene Friday at Drexel was one that wasn’t supposed to happen, at least for some people.

    When the Big 5’s organizers rearranged the pods for this season, they knew they were taking a risk. Splitting St. Joseph’s and Villanova took away a guaranteed contest of the city’s most famous rivalry for the first time since the 1997-98 season, but opened the door for an even bigger matchup in the title game.

    At the time the decision was made — and that time was before last season’s Big 5 Classic, when the word first got out — there were enough reasons to believe the title game clash would happen.

    Sure, Villanova was down, but not far enough down to not be favored against Temple and La Salle. Steve Donahue wasn’t gone from Penn yet, Billy Lange was far from gone from St. Joe’s, TJ Power was still at Virginia, and Xzayvier Brown was still on Hawk Hill.

    Shuffling the pods really felt like two things at the time. A St. Joe’s-Penn-Drexel pod made the Hawks clear favorites on paper, while a Villanova-Temple-La Salle pod guaranteed the schools with the two biggest fan bases would face off. As long as the Hawks made the final, a matchup with Villanova or Temple would be intriguing — and good for the box office, too.

    By the time the season tipped off, the scene looked totally different. And when the Hawks walked out of the Palestra on Monday on the losing end, the dream final was halfway to going up in smoke.

    With Matt Hodge and Duke Brennan, Villanova’s versatility in the frontcourt is showing

    A new player learns an old lesson

    St. Joe’s needed a Drexel win, which would have left all three teams at 1-1. The tiebreaker is the NCAA’s NET rating, the first edition of which lands on Dec. 1 — the day Villanova hosts Temple in the last pod game of the season — and the Hawks would presumably have taken it. At Friday’s tipoff, they were No. 151 in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings to Drexel’s 249 and Penn’s 265.

    Now the die is officially cast. Led by Power and Ethan Roberts, Penn never trailed against Drexel and ended up rolling to an 84-68 win at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Roberts scored 30 points for his third 20-plus game of the year, and his second straight with 30; and Power continued to show his talents with 18.

    Penn’s TJ Power shoots over Drexel’s Villiam Garcia Adsten during the first half.

    The crowd on Market Street was lively and bipartisan, announced as 1,984 — a few hundred short of a full house, and not far from the lowly 2,384 crowd at St. Joe’s-Penn on Monday. Drexel’s student section turned out well, and at one point unfurled an old-fashioned rollout mocking Penn’s students for not showing up at the Palestra.

    They had a point, and would have in many past years, too. But for this night, the atmosphere felt real.

    “I think coming in as a transfer, you don’t completely understand the Big 5 hype until you play in those games,” said Power, whose former Duke teammate Jared McCain was in the stands with the Sixers off. “These past two games have been some of the most intense games I’ve played in, and for us to get to that championship [final] in coach’s first year, it’s a real feeling, I think. I’m looking forward to playing in that championship game.”

    Meet Temple guard Gavin Griffiths, who got the nickname ‘LeBron Frames.’ Here’s why.

    The action was not just intense, but good quality for two teams still getting to know themselves. Penn shot 50% from the floor and Drexel shot 42.2%. That doesn’t always happen in the City Series, a fact some long-timers might not want to admit while reminiscing about the old days.

    (This writer, for example, has been scarred for 21 years by the 2004 Temple-Villanova game at the Palestra: a 53-52 Owls win where the teams missed a combined 80 of 120 shots.)

    “Jared’s my best friend since my freshman year at Duke, and to have him in the city has been really cool,” Penn’s TJ Power (right) said of the Sixers’ Jared McCain (left).

    The big picture

    Does missing out on a St. Joe’s-Villanova final mean the risk wasn’t worth taking? The ticket sales for the Big 5 Classic on Dec. 6 will offer one verdict, and fans can decide if they want to offer another.

    If there isn’t going to be a full round-robin, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with the principle of changing up the pods from time to time. This season was the first time that happened, and it’s expected that the new groups will run for two years as the first set did.

    Shayla Smith is adjusting to college basketball at Penn State after record-setting high school career

    Was there a way to keep St. Joe’s and Villanova together in the first change? There weren’t many moves to make, since St. Joe’s and La Salle have to stay separate being in the same conference.

    A St. Joe’s-Temple-Villanova pod obviously would not make sense. So the only other option besides the move they settled on — swapping Villanova and Drexel — would have put Villanova, St. Joe’s, and Drexel together. That would have sent the Wildcats to the city’s smallest gym in one of the two years, which felt unlikely this early in the pod system.

    Drexel’s Ralph Akuta (right) dove for a loose ball in front of the Dragons’ student section as they held up a banner mocking Penn students for not showing up to their team’s games.

    So it was understandable that the people in charge tried. A little uncertainty is no bad thing anyway, as it livens up the early-season slate. And though the Big 5 still feels stratified, the pod format also heightens the stakes of each game. One loss can tip the whole thing, as just happened to the Hawks.

    It could happen again if Temple upsets Villanova on the Main Line. That would give us a ‘Nova-St. Joe’s game after all, just in the third-place game.

    ‘She’s a force’: How King of Prussia’s Megan Griffith built Columbia into an Ivy League powerhouse

    What the final will look like is a different question, but that’s not Penn’s problem for now. Coach Fran McCaffery, Power, and the rest can celebrate just getting there — and laying down a strong marker to start McCaffery’s tenure at his alma mater.

    “When you come into a season, there are certain things that you hope to be able to accomplish collectively, and that clearly is one,” he said. “I think everybody knows the respect I have for the Big 5 and its history, and also for the level of talent and coaching in all the teams. We just beat two really good teams, two really well-coached teams, and then we’ll get to play another one.”

    This time, it will be on the city’s biggest stage.

    What Big 5 pods work? Reality limits the answer.

    St. Joe's and La Salle can't be in the same pod since they're in the same conference.

    It doesn't make sense to have Villanova, St. Joe's and Temple all on the same side.

    That leaves only six possible combinations.

    www.inquirer.com/college-spor…

    [image or embed]

    — Jonathan Tannenwald (@jtannenwald.bsky.social) November 22, 2025 at 11:18 AM

  • Penn takes down St. Joe’s in Steve Donahue’s return to the Palestra

    Penn takes down St. Joe’s in Steve Donahue’s return to the Palestra

    Penn spoiled former coach Steve Donahue’s return to the Palestra on Monday as the Quakers beat St. Joseph’s for the first time since 2019.

    Penn kept the pressure on St. Joe’s to secure an 83-74 victory, the first big win of the Fran McCaffery era. Led by Ethan Roberts’ 31 points, with 22 coming in the second half, Penn moved one win away from earning a spot in the Big 5 Classic championship.

    “I mean, amazing,” Roberts said after the Quakers improved to 2-2. “I don’t really know the words to [describe] it yet, but I’m grateful I did it with this group and Coach McCaffery.”

    Penn forward TJ Power (12) is interviewed alongside Ethan Roberts after the win against St. Joseph’s.

    With the Quakers leading by four, point guard AJ Levine forced two air balls from St. Joe’s guard Deuce Jones II, who led the Hawks (2-2) with 24 points. On the final possession, Levine drew a technical foul against Jones to seal the win before a packed crowd at the Palestra.

    “Let’s … go,” Levine said to the fans. “I can’t hear you.”

    Taking the emotions out

    Penn snapped St. Joe’s seven-game Big 5 winning streak, as the Hawks had not lost in pod play since the inception of the Big 5 Classic in 2023.

    The hiring of Donahue by St. Joe’s added a new twist to the rivalry. However, Donahue, who spent nine seasons as Quakers coach before his firing in March, said he didn’t plan on letting his emotions affect the game.

    St. Joe’s coach Steve Donahue directing the Hawks during the first half Monday.

    “I tried to work on the emotional side of this and take it out,” Donahue said. “I told myself, it’s just a blue and white scrimmage, no other guys coaching this group — took the emotion out of it.”

    McCaffery also discounted any rumblings.

    “We have tremendous respect for anybody in the Big 5,” the Quakers coach said. “The respect I have for Steve, and for some of the guys on that team — you knew it was going to be this kind of game.”

    Power up

    After scoring a career-high 15 points against Providence last week, TJ Power had 23 points — 18 in the first half — and 15 rebounds to help lead the Quakers. He made 7 of 15 shots, including 4 of 8 three-pointers. The former Duke and Virginia forward took a moment to appreciate his first 20-point performance since high school.

    TJ Power shoots a three-pointer against the Hawks on Monday.

    “Each game, I feel I’ve been getting more comfortable,” Power said. “Coach just stayed on me to stay confident and shooting, playing the way I know how to play.”

    Power also contained Jones and Derek Simpson (16 points).

    “I hugged him after the game,” McCaffery said. “I said, ‘This is what I’m talking about — you can be the best player in the league, and I love you.’”

    Villanova still has work to do on defense, Kevin Willard says

    Center of discussion

    The starting center position is still up in the air for Penn.

    Augustus Gerhart, who struggled last week, underperformed against St. Joe’s — while freshman Dalton Scantlebury scored eight points in 17 minutes off the bench.

    The Hawks’ Anthony Finkley shoots a three-pointer against the Quakers’ Augustus Gerhart.

    “I think Auggie is better than he’s played in the last two games,” McCaffery said. “I really believe that.”

    Up next

    Penn will play for a chance to secure its first berth in the Big 5 championship when it visits Drexel on Friday (7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia). St. Joe’s will play at UNLV on Thursday at 10 p.m.

  • Against Yale, Penn suffers its first Ivy League loss, as penalties and turnovers take over

    Against Yale, Penn suffers its first Ivy League loss, as penalties and turnovers take over

    Penn’s offense sputtered and stalled in New Haven, Conn., and with it went the Quakers’ unbeaten Ivy League run.

    A pair of turnovers and missed chances doomed Penn in a 35-13 loss to Yale on Saturday, the team’s first conference defeat of the season.

    Penn (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) repeatedly hurt itself with penalties and failed conversions and struggled to finish drives despite controlling the ball for more than 36 minutes. The Quakers scored fewer than 24 points for the first time this season.

    Yale (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) capitalized on nearly every opportunity. Quarterback Dante Reno threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Josh Pitsenberger powered the Bulldogs’ ground game with 149 yards and a score as they cruised to their third straight win.

    Penn quarterback Liam O’Brien threw for 220 yards and a touchdown.

    “We had too many undisciplined problems with the penalties,” Penn coach Ray Priore said. “It’s just some missed things that our kids wouldn’t have normally done.”

    Self-inflicted wounds

    The Quakers entered the game second in the Ivy League in penalties committed, and their mistakes finally caught up to them, starting from their first offensive drive.

    Following a recovered fumble by linebacker John Lista to give Penn possession in the red zone, an illegal formation penalty killed the momentum and forced a field goal.

    “We got to convert that,” Priore said. “That’s got to be seven points. That’s one of our mottos.”

    Yale responded with a 10-yard touchdown run by Nico Brown to close the first quarter, then took control after two second-quarter fumbles by O’Brien. The first was recovered and returned for a score by Yale defensive end Abu Kamara, an Interboro High School graduate.

    The Quakers trailed, 28-10, at halftime and continued to struggle.

    They finished with two turnovers, 110 penalty yards, and just one scoring drive, despite the defense forcing two turnovers and multiple three-and-outs.

    “We put our defense in tough situations early,” Priore said. “ … When you win, you win as a team, when you lose, you lose as a team.”

    Missing the ‘Juice’

    Julien “Juice” Stokes, Penn’s leading rusher and the national leader in punt return yards, could be out for the season after suffering a broken fibula against Columbia, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian.

    Looking to make up for Stokes’ absence, offensive coordinator Greg Chimera relied on O’Brien, who finished with 22 rushing attempts for 45 yards.

    Despite mixing in star receiver Jared Richardson in the backfield alongside backup running back Donte West, Penn’s rushing attack never found traction, averaging just 2.8 yards on 33 carries, though it outrushed Yale, 202-92.

    Penn shakes off a tough start against Columbia to remain undefeated in Ivy play

    “I think we know we can play a lot better football than that,” Priore said regarding the run game. “We have to learn from this, take every game as a learning experience.”

    On special teams, Stokes was equally missed.

    Cornerback Jayden Drayton took over kickoff and punt returns but couldn’t match Stokes’ production and fumbled to start the third quarter.

    Around the league

    Harvard (6-0, 3-0) dominated Princeton (3-3, 2-1), 35-14, to take sole possession of first place in the Ivy League through three games.

    The Crimson were ranked 17th in the FCS entering Saturday’s matchup and led the Ivy League in total offense, total defense, scoring offense, and scoring defense.

    Penn finds is a four-way tie for second place.

    Up next

    Penn will host Brown (3-3, 0-3), which lost to Cornell (2-4, 1-2) in overtime, 30-24, on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN+) at Franklin Field.

  • For these Olympic squash hopefuls, here’s how Philly kick-started their path to LA 2028

    For these Olympic squash hopefuls, here’s how Philly kick-started their path to LA 2028

    When the Olympics come knocking, you drop everything to answer the door.

    And by the time squash standouts Marina Stefanoni and Aly Abou Eleinen learned that their sport would be included in the Olympics for the first time in 2028, they already were a step ahead.

    Stefanoni, the 25th-ranked women’s player in the world, moved to Philadelphia after graduating from Harvard last year to be closer to West Philadelphia’s Arlen Specter U.S. Squash Center — the home of the U.S. national squash team.

    Before joining the pro ranks, ninth-ranked squash player Aly Abou Eleinen competed for Penn.

    Eleinen is the 11th-ranked men’s player in the world. A 2022 Penn graduate, Eleinen moved to his native Egypt a year after graduating to train at the national squash center in Cairo.

    This week, both competed at the U.S. Open Squash Championships in University City and are continuing to put in the hard work on the professional circuit in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

    “I am looking at it as ‘If I happen to make the Olympics, then I’ve probably achieved what I want to on the timeline that I want on the pro tour,’” Stefanoni said.

    Added Eleinen: “[The Olympics] line up well with my [Professional Squash Association] World Tour goals. If I keep focusing on myself, keep focusing on my body, keep trying to rise up the rankings on the TSA World Tour, that’ll put me in a good position for the Olympics.”

    Daunting tasks

    Stefanoni is part of the Big Four of American women’s squash, along with No. 5 Olivia Weaver, No. 9 Amanda Sobhy, and Sobhy’s sister, Sabrina, who’s ranked 89th. The youngest of all four, Stefanoni feels a bond with her USA team members despite having less experience in the PSA.

    What the other three have in experience, Stefanoni makes up for in youth — and fully expects to get her shot at Los Angeles come 2028.

    “We are at very different stages of our career, which makes it extra interesting,” Stefanoni said. “… As you get deeper into your 30s every year, it’s massively more difficult to maintain that high level of squash.”

    Aly Abou Eleinen returns the ball during the U.S. Open Squash Championships this week at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.

    Eleinen, having to earn his spot against an Egyptian field that holds seven of the top 20 men’s players in the world, knows that any chance of playing in the Olympics must come through dethroning the nation’s top talents, a plan made more difficult following recent ACL and MCL injuries that ended his 2024-25 season early.

    With a burning need to get back on track, Eleinen knows there’s no better time than the present to begin improving.

    “In Egypt, it is a bit more challenging than other countries,” he said. “But it is what it is. That’s the reality of the situation. And for me, yes, I’m competing with the guys that I’m training with, but that’s also helpful, because you get to raise the level, which also helps on the PSA World Tour.”

    Love-hate relationship

    Stefanoni calls Philly home, but it’s taken a while for her to come around.

    “I hated Philly before coming here,” Stefanoni said. “I was like, ‘This city is the worst.’ Cities are just so hectic … but I’ve slowly been becoming a fan.”

    As the youngest-ever winner of the under-19 U.S. Junior Squash Championship at 13 years old, Stefanoni has been a star in the making since before she could remember. But as she continues her rise, she hopes to enjoy the ride more often on her way to the top.

    “Sometimes I need to take a step back and realize that this is actually a big deal, and what I’m doing is pretty cool,” Stefanoni said.

    On the other hand, Eleinen fell in love with the city during his time at Penn, and he said he frequently misses the area.

    “I still have family in Philly, and every year since graduating, I’ve been coming [back] to Philly over and over,” Eleinen said. “… Philly’s always had a special place in my heart.”

    Despite his fondness for the city, his career and family come first.

    With his parents, coaches, and fiancée in Cairo, the Egyptian star says that’s the best place for him to prepare for 2028.

    “Cairo has been amazing for me,” Eleinen said. “I see myself staying in Cairo for a while. I’m getting married next summer, in July, which is just so exciting. We’re going to have our wedding in Cairo; we’re going to settle in Cairo. So for me, Cairo is the place to be right now.”

  • Temple’s 1-0 approach, more drama at Penn State, and have you heard about Eastern U?

    Temple’s 1-0 approach, more drama at Penn State, and have you heard about Eastern U?

    It’s starting to get really fun keeping track of Temple football again.

    While it might be a bit too soon to suggest that head coach K.C. Keeler has revitalized the program, it’d be unfair to suggest that he hasn’t brought in a fresh perspective bolstered by a new coaching staff and a belief that his roster can deliver results.

    It’s worth noting that Keeler, who could pick up his 276th win as a head coach this weekend with a road matchup against Tulsa on Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN+), has been honest with his team — and the media — on his expectations.

    K.C. Keeler earned his 275th career win. The first-year Temple coach recounts how he got there.

    But it also seems like he’s put the right people in place — on the field and off — to deliver.

    “I feel like they are just starting to figure out that they are a good football team,” Keeler said this week. “That’s what showed when we played Charlotte. When we played them, I think it finally came out that we’re a good football team.”

    The Owls (4-3, 2-1 American) have a winning record at this juncture of the season for the first time since 2019. Now, they are eyeing a real possibility of being bowl eligible in Keeler’s first season.

    After Tulsa, the road doesn’t get any easier as teams like East Carolina (Nov. 1) and Tulane (Nov. 22) await. But both of those matchups are at home, where the Owls are 2-2 and could be 3-1 if not for a late flop against Navy two weeks ago on homecoming weekend.

    It appears that Temple is applying the same mentality to its season that Penn State has vowed to employ. Each week, the Owls say they are going into games trying to be “1-0.” Defensive end Allan Haye says that approach is motivating them ahead of this weekend’s game.

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Temple athletics right here!

    “Just 1-0,” Haye said during Monday’s press conference. “Last week, we went 1-0, so now it’s 0-0 coming into this week. We’re coming into this game like it’s a clean slate; and every game from now on is our Super Bowl. Every game is very important because it’s the next game. That’s just how we move and how we think.”

    Who would have believed that mindset would be working better for the Owls than the Nittany Lions?

    Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki can’t put a finger on what’s plaguing the Nittany Lions’ offense.

    Choice of words

    Speaking of Penn State, Andy Kotelnicki might’ve wanted to use more time to think about his response when asked about what’s plaguing the Nittany Lions’ offense.

    “I don’t really have a good explanation,” he said when asked Wednesday.

    Now, more was said in context, which is available on the team’s website, but that’s not what fans want to hear about a team that currently ranks 97th in the FBS in total offense with around 355 yards per game.

    Temple, meanwhile, is 72rd with 381.4 yards per game. And while playing UMass and Howard isn’t the same as playing Oregon and Iowa, we’re talking about a team that went from No. 2 in the nation to an afterthought in two months.

    ‘We all failed Coach Franklin:’ Penn State enacts some of the philosophies of its former coach

    Needless to say, Kotelnicki’s response is getting the business on social media forums from irate Penn State fans who are looking for a little more insight into the collapse of a team that reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff just a season ago.

    Fortunately, Kotelnicki and the Nittany Lions have some time to figure it out as a bye week provides a few more days before a showdown with No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 (noon, Fox29).

    In one week …

    Lincoln Financial Field becomes the home to one of the most anticipated HBCU college football games of the season when former Eagles Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson go head-to-head as coaches on Oct. 30 (7 p.m., ESPNU, tickets).

    Vick’s Norfolk State will take on Jackson’s Delaware State on the same field where the two made memories for themselves and Eagles fans alike.

    But arguably the most memorable moment didn’t happen at the Linc; it happened in 2010 against Washington at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., when Vick threw an 88-yard pass to Jackson on the first play of the game, part of a six-touchdown outburst by Vick.

    Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide threw five touchdowns on just 13 passing attempts against Hampton last Saturday.

    Three questions

    🏈 How the heck did Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide throw five touchdowns on just 13 pass attempts in a rout of Hampton last week, and can he do it again against Albany at home on Saturday (3:30 p.m., FloSports)?

    🏈 Will Penn pick up its first 3-0 start in conference play after knocking off last season’s co-champs in Dartmouth and Columbia in the last three weeks? This week, a road trip to Yale (noon, ESPN+) will answer that question.

    🏈 How come no one told us about how good the football is over at Eastern University? The Division III Eagles, who play on the campus of Valley Forge Military Academy, are off to a 5-1 start to their season and are on a three-game winning streak. They’ll look to make it four in a row when they travel to take on Misericordia University on Saturday (1 p.m., watch live).

    Saquon Barkley says Penn State firing his former coach James Franklin ‘definitely hurts’

    The BIG number

    20: That’s the number of consecutive home victories Villanova would have with a win over Albany this week. The Wildcats already own the second-longest active home winning streak in college football and are coming off a 56-14 win over Hampton last weekend at Villanova Stadium.

    Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed will lead the Aggies into Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., to take on No. 20 LSU on Saturday.

    Game of the week

    No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 20 LSU (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., 6ABC)

    LSU’s fall to No. 20 is considered surprising, but there’s a real chance to prove naysayers wrong against SEC opponent Texas A&M, the No. 3 team in the nation. Vegas only has the Tigers as a 2.5-point underdog, and that’s because LSU boasts a 4-0 record at Tiger Stadium this season.

    Looking for a channel flipper? Consider No. 25 Michigan at cross-state rival Michigan State happening at the same time (7:30 p.m., NBC10).

  • Penn believes that behind its young women’s basketball roster, ‘anything can happen’

    Penn believes that behind its young women’s basketball roster, ‘anything can happen’

    Penn believes it has all the right pieces to be a competitive women’s basketball program in the Ivy League.

    Now the Quakers just have to put it all together.

    After a season in which Penn lost in the first round of the conference tournament for the third straight year, the Quakers find themselves only a month away from opening tip at the Palestra with plenty of questions still left to answer.

    Having to reinvent the offense to make up for the loss of first-team All-Ivy forward Stina Almqvist — who led the team in total minutes, points, and rebounds — coach Mike McLaughlin recognizes that the starting rotation needs a lot of ironing out .

    Penn will miss the production of Stina Almqvist, who led the team in total minutes, points, and rebounds.

    “I think we need a little more in the post. … We need to see who’s going to be three, four, and five in that rotation,” McLaughlin said. “ … That is the area that I need to see more of because that’s been inconsistent so far.”

    Penn men’s hoops unveil throwback jerseys that pay homage the program’s winning ‘era’

    Big shoes to fill

    Katie Collins, last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, is the only other front court player to log significant minutes for Penn — and is preparing to adapt to playing next to a more traditional center in Tina Njike.

    “Little different from last year with Katie and Stina,” McLaughlin said. “They could both play inside and out. Katie is going to need to adapt a bit because Tina’s ball skills away from the basket are not where Stina’s were.”

    With McLaughlin believing Njike to be capable of playing only 20 minutes a game because of her physical style of play, the team will have to find valuable minutes from players eager to make an impact.

    Katie Collins (center), last season’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, will be relied on even more in her sophomore season.

    Kate Lipatova, a 6-foot-3 stretch forward from Moscow, rounds out the frontcourt group alongside fellow international freshman Ari Paraskevopoulou (Greece).

    “[Lipatova] hasn’t played, unfortunately, she got hurt 10 minutes into practice, and will be out at least a couple more weeks, which is going to impede her growth,” McLaughlin said. “She had a nice preseason. … This is definitely a setback.”

    Figuring out the rotation

    Point guard Mataya Gayle is set to take center stage for the first time with the Quakers. After being a strong No. 2 to Almqvist in 2024 and former first-team All-Ivy forward Jordan Obi in 2023, Gayle will be Penn’s go-to player when it comes to scoring.

    “This kid is ready,” McLaughlin said. “She’s going to have a huge year. She’s going to score it, she’s going to assist it, you’re going to see her rebound the ball better, you’re going to see her in big spots being significantly further along.

    “I think for someone with her stature after the first two years, she’s taken massive growth, [and] I just love where the kid is mentally — I just think she’s doing it the right way.”

    Which players get to fill out the rotation, besides Gayle and Collins, is still up in the air. Stalwart guards Saniah Caldwell and Abby Sharpe, who played significant minutes last year, are battling injuries already — leaving the door open to establish a larger rotation of guards.

    “If we can add 10 players that can actually get out there and play at our level every day, I think this team has a chance” of competing for a championship, McLaughlin said.

    Penn men’s basketball gives a first glimpse of its new era in a preseason scrimmage

    Confidence through it all

    Roster overturn and injuries will always lead to uncertainty. Gayle, though, is confident that this is the roster that will bring Ivy glory back to the Palestra.

    “This is the most excited I’ve been about a season — I see us taking this to the next level,” Gayle said. “We’ve had a lot of team conversations, internal work, and I think we are all on the same page this year, which is obviously winning an Ivy League championship.”

    Penn guard Mataya Gayle (right) enters as one of the team’s leaders on offense.

    With the season growing closer by the day, McLaughlin feels as though this squad has the ability to rise to the occasion by the end of the season.

    “If a couple of these kids take a bigger step before we get to league play, anything can happen from there,” McLaughlin said. “ … We have a ways to go to get to where we were last year, but our ceiling couldn’t be higher.”

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Penn athletics right here!