Donahue encouraged by Penn's progress as Quakers motor through Ivy League

Steve Donahue has turned corner at Penn, taking Quakers from winless start to Ivy League play last season to 5-0 record as conference approaches its halfway point. (Photo by The Daily Pennsylvanian)

PHILADELPHIA -- On a Saturday night in January last year, Steve Donahue reflected on the state of his University of Pennsylvania program, one that had fought through six consecutive losses to begin Ivy League play.

"We haven't played really good basketball, but we compete really hard," he said following a loss to Saint Joseph's, taking stock in the progression of his team. "In terms of a group that's together and competing, and doing what I ask of them, I couldn't be more proud."

Penn caught fire in the second half of the Ivy season, rallying to clinch the fourth and final berth in the inaugural Ivy League tournament, nearly upsetting undefeated Princeton on their home floor at The Palestra. One year later, the need for a surge is not as prevalent, as the Quakers are 5-0 in conference play following Saturday's 59-50 defeat of Yale.

"It's just light-years," Donahue said of the changes in Penn's demeanor on and off the court since the aforementioned Big 5 battle just over twelve months ago. "It's what you hope for when you build a program. It's a culture shift. All those things are the results of what you see tonight."

"The buy-in -- from one through 21 -- in this program, kids don't care how it gets done. We could be pretty good with that attitude."

Yet on a team with a mix of youth and experience that is usually conducive to consistent success, Donahue feels the best for a Quakers roster led by a pair of promising sophomore forwards in AJ Brodeur and Ryan Betley is still yet to come.

"I don't think we're a great basketball team right now," he insisted. "We're good, we're tough. I'd love us to take another step in growth over the next five, six weeks, and get a little more consistent on offense, a little better with the ball, just more consistent play rather than moments of five, six minutes where we're up and down and we don't get really good shots."

One area Penn has made major strides in is on the defensive end, a Donahue trademark from his time at Cornell, where he guided the Big Red to their historic Sweet 16 appearance in 2010, a run that ultimately earned him a stint as the head coach at Boston College. For the year, the Quakers have yielded a scant 0.94 points per possession, with their defensive efficiency ranking 49th-best in the nation and clearly tops among the Ivies, according to Ken Pomeroy's statistics, and it is that commitment to limiting the opposition that is central to where Penn stands approaching the halfway point of the Ivy schedule.

"I think defense is what we're about," a laconic Donahue proposed. "That was our point of emphasis this year. I thought we could be really good defensively. We've got an attitude about us, we've got guys that are physical, are tough, and that's how I think we're going to win."