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Username Post: The Steve Donahue Era        (Topic#21543)
UPIA1968 
PhD Student
Posts: 1116
UPIA1968
Loc: Cornwall, PA
Reg: 11-20-06
05-09-18 10:25 PM - Post#256633    

As we consider 2018-2019 prospects it is obvious that Harvard is the pre-season favorite. Only two buckets in their two away games with Penn separated them from a championship and a trip to the dance. Penn was the better team in 2017-2018, they lost two of their top six while Harvard lost no one and regains their excellent point guard from 2016-2017. Yale will clearly be improved, losing nobody important and brining into two good recruits. Princeton did lose Amir Bell, but they also have a good recruit. However, neither are close enough to challenge Harvard seriously, if things go according to form.

As to the Quackers – they will need significant help from first year players to content – always a chancy thing. So, they are not a good bet – still likely to be in the tournament, but no 12-2 Ivy record, especially with the improved status of most of the teams. That said, this year could be a ground-breaking year for the Donahue program. Due to injuries only one of last year’s strong recruiting class played much. This means that the three injured people involved, Williams, Scott and Jackson will join this year’s strong recruiting class to provide six credible players joining the team. Assuming that the last year’s trio qualify for an extra year, Steve will have them together for four full years. This class on paper is one of the very best Ivy classes in many years, rivaled only by the Harvard class of two years ago. If lightening strikes and we get two difference markers as freshmen, as we did with Brodeur and Betley a year ago, this group could win four consecutive titles. Here’s the point. With the two strong adds to this year’s recruits, Steve has pushed the incoming talent well beyond Ivy norms. There is reason from strong hopes looking ahead, even if they don’t top Harvard in the coming season.

Beyond that, 2019-2020 should be a very strong year with Brodeur and Betley as seniors, Simmons contributing as a Junior, two or three from this group as Sophs, and perhaps one from next year’s recruits. 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 could easily be a repeat of 1972 when the Corky bunch kept winning even after Wohl, Bilsky and Wolf left. What a change in prospects after the recent lost decade!

Here’s another way to look at it. There are three ways to win in the Ivy’s: The rarest way is to get one or two extraordinary recruits like Havard did two years ago. But that is a blue snow, even for Harvard not matter how much anguish is on this board. Amaker has done it once during his tenure and is unlikely to do it again. Oh, bye the way, his super class is 0-2 so far, including finishing second to a Penn team with a decidedly patch-work recruiting profile.

The second way is available to Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Penn. That is to bring in one or two 3-star recruits each year and hope that one turns into an Ivy-caliber star. It might not fly in the Dance, but Franny rode that horse to dominance within the league. I write this piece primarily to point out that Penn adds four three-star talents this year.

The final way is available to all programs who feature excellent coaching. That is to recruit a bunch of two-star talent knowing that one has a sleeper or two each year. Penn won last year due to star level play from two such players in Betley and Foreman. Good coaching also develops a player or two from each such class into useful players – I give you Max from this year’s champs. So, Steve appears ready to move into the same exalted class as the sainted Francis as an Ivy recruiter and talent developer.

Three years ago, I accepted his appointment as a safe, practical bet, but was disappointed that they didn’t find a more interesting, even risky choice. Well, here we are still giddy from an unexpected championship, at least a year early, and with incoming talent well above the norms for Ivy benches. Okay, maybe the return of Aiken will send Lewis, Towns et al. into the stratosphere. But the talent on the Penn bench should make us very happy puppies for the foreseeable future. One can’t expect more from a non-scholarship league where the players actually are students. I for one am very satisfied.


P.S. My son, DPerry on this board had cancer surgery today. It went well and his prospects look good. Please keep him in your prayers.

 
palestra38 
Professor
Posts: 32680

Reg: 11-21-04
Re: The Steve Donahue Era
05-10-18 07:15 AM - Post#256635    
    In response to UPIA1968

Give David the best from everyone here. That is a shock and kind of puts the rest of what you said in deep background.

 
TheLine 
Professor
Posts: 5597

Age: 60
Reg: 07-07-09
05-10-18 07:53 AM - Post#256637    
    In response to palestra38

My prayers are with you, David.



 
91Quake 
PhD Student
Posts: 1123

Reg: 11-22-04
05-10-18 08:11 AM - Post#256638    
    In response to TheLine

Best wishes to your son. The rest of this stuff is not so important. Hopes for a speedy and full recovery.

 
rbg 
Postdoc
Posts: 3044

Reg: 10-20-14
05-10-18 08:15 AM - Post#256639    
    In response to TheLine

Dear UPIA1968 -

It was shocking to read the end of your post, but I'm glad that David's procedure went well and that the prognosis is positive.

You both are valued members of this community and it would not be the same without both of your passionate and informed comments about the men's and women's teams.

I will certainly keep David in my thoughts and prayers.

Please keep us informed on his recovery.

 
weinhauers_ghost 
Postdoc
Posts: 2125

Age: 64
Loc: New York City
Reg: 12-14-09
05-10-18 09:19 AM - Post#256642    
    In response to rbg

UPIA, please pass on my hope that David's recovery is swift and uneventful as well.

 
penn nation 
Professor
Posts: 21081

Reg: 12-02-04
05-10-18 09:28 AM - Post#256643    
    In response to weinhauers_ghost

Same. Life is too short.

 
AsiaSunset 
Postdoc
Posts: 4350

Reg: 11-21-04
05-10-18 10:15 AM - Post#256649    
    In response to penn nation

Get well David. We are all family.

 
Penn7277 
PhD Student
Posts: 1365

Loc: Lancaster, PA
Reg: 11-21-04
05-10-18 10:33 AM - Post#256651    
    In response to AsiaSunset

Get well soon, David.

 
AsiaSunset 
Postdoc
Posts: 4350

Reg: 11-21-04
05-10-18 11:36 AM - Post#256654    
    In response to Penn7277

Responding to the other issues raised by UPIA, I think it's too early to make judgements about the coming season. Certainly we saw a different season last year than one might have predicted. Dartmouth got hit with the transfer out of its star player, Yale was heavily impacted by injuries to two key pieces and Princeton had some front court and team chemistry issues that were not easy to foresee. And then of course there was our team which performed better than expected.

As for Harvard, I thought they were a disappointment even before Bryce Aiken got hurt and he clearly provided no guarantee that they lost the league because he wasn't there based on his early season stats. But - it's definitely a possibility. And what about Towns, their returning MVP. We don't know yet what kind of recovery he'll make from that injury. On paper they should be the league favorite and will likely be projected as such. But then again - were they not projected to kick our butt last year?

And Penn has question marks. We all have heard good things about Jelani, but we lose a lot in Darnell and Caleb Wood. Is Jelani our guy or will Devon get the majority of PG minutes?

Clearly AJ and Max will need some support up front from our young, promising, but not really tested players like Simmons, Scott and Wang. Can Bryce Washington be a first year contributor at the 2/3 and what might we expect from a returning Tyler Hamilton? Finally can this be the year Jackson Donahue fully emerges rather than being an occasional spark off the bench?

We just don't know right now.



 
Jeff2sf 
Postdoc
Posts: 4466

Reg: 11-22-04
05-10-18 12:24 PM - Post#256669    
    In response to AsiaSunset

I disagree with a ton of what you wrote but it's not worth it given the note on dperry. good luck to him.

 
Streamers 
Professor
Posts: 8141
Streamers
Loc: NW Philadelphia
Reg: 11-21-04
05-10-18 01:01 PM - Post#256679    
    In response to 91Quake

Best wishes for a speedy recovery from me as well

 
Penndemonium 
PhD Student
Posts: 1877

Reg: 11-29-04
05-10-18 03:19 PM - Post#256712    
    In response to Streamers

Wishing DPerry the best in his recovery.

Before this season, I didn't think that losing Foreman and Wood would matter much for the team at all. After the season, it seems we will need to replace Foreman's leadership and will, and Wood's shooting. I don't see a clear replacement for either, but some of the other players will bring their own skills to the table. I trust Steve D. to make the most of it.

 
westphillywarrior 
Sophomore
Posts: 196

Age: 43
Reg: 01-08-11
05-10-18 04:20 PM - Post#256716    
    In response to Penndemonium

Have always enjoyed DPerry's posts. David, we'll be thinking good thoughts about you.

 
pennsive 
Junior
Posts: 200

Reg: 11-21-04
Re: The Steve Donahue Era
05-10-18 05:37 PM - Post#256721    
    In response to UPIA1968

I am very sorry to hear about your son. We all hope that he will make a complete recovery. I hope to see you this weekend at our 50th reunion, and if I do, I'll introduce myself and will convey my best wishes personally.

 
FlaQuaker 
Junior
Posts: 223

Age: 41
Loc: NYC
Reg: 12-04-07
Re: The Steve Donahue Era
05-10-18 06:41 PM - Post#256722    
    In response to UPIA1968

Get well soon, David!!

 
PennFan10 
Postdoc
Posts: 3578

Reg: 02-15-15
The Steve Donahue Era
05-10-18 06:53 PM - Post#256723    
    In response to Jeff2sf

  • Jeff2sf Said:
I disagree with a ton of what you wrote but it's not worth it given the note on dperry. good luck to him.



Only J2J could both rip someone’s thoughts and offer condolences all in one post. Impressive skill set.

Get well DP

Edited by PennFan10 on 05-10-18 07:07 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

 
Old Bear 
Postdoc
Posts: 3988

Reg: 11-23-04
05-10-18 06:58 PM - Post#256724    
    In response to PennFan10

Even Brown guys are rooting for DP!

 
UPIA1968 
PhD Student
Posts: 1116
UPIA1968
Loc: Cornwall, PA
Reg: 11-20-06
05-11-18 10:08 AM - Post#256733    
    In response to Old Bear

Thanks for the kind remarks about my remarkable son. It means a lot.

Noël Perry

 
Mike Porter 
Postdoc
Posts: 3614
Mike Porter
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
Reg: 11-21-04
05-11-18 11:19 AM - Post#256735    
    In response to UPIA1968

Really sorry to hear this about your son David. Sending well wishes for a quick recovery! Get well soon!

 
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