Without Roberts, Penn’s supporting cast seeing more time and promising results

Penn stands 6-5 entering final two non-conference games of season. (Photo by Penn Men’s Basketball)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Since losing Ethan Roberts in the second half of its loss to Villanova two weeks ago, Penn has had to navigate maybe a little more adversity than head coach Fran McCaffery may prefer as his first non-conference season in charge of his alma mater winds to a close.

The Quakers stand 6-5 after Saturday’s heartbreaking loss to Rutgers, one in which Penn led by seven points with just over two minutes to play before Tariq Francis put the Scarlet Knights on his back and scored the final eight points of the game, including a game-winning three with less than a second remaining. Two more games remain before Ivy League play, at George Mason on Sunday and at home on New Year’s Eve against NJIT, and with no timetable for Roberts’ return to action, Penn’s backcourt is of greater importance than usual while its senior leader is away.

In Roberts’ absence, Cam Thrower has entered the starting lineup alongside AJ Levine and Mike Zanoni, and has carved out a niche by being aggressive in drawing fouls and getting to the line.

“Cam didn’t play much last year and I’m playing him at both spots,” McCaffery said. “I’m playing him extended minutes. He’s moved into the starting lineup and he’s been terrific. He had that one stretch at the end of the first half where he wasn’t so good, but he came back strong and that speaks to his character. Michael, he’s just typically rock solid across the board. He gets open, he makes shots, he’s driving the ball a little bit more and he moves well without it. His defense has gotten a lot better, and we need those guys to score without Ethan.”

While Thrower and Levine struggled Saturday, Penn was able to unleash its next men up in Jay Jones and Alex Massung, each of whom gaining valuable experience as the season truly gets underway after the new year.

Ethan Roberts’ absence has enabled younger players like Jay Jones to find their footing in Penn rotation. (Photo by Penn Men’s Basketball)

“I thought they gave us some quality minutes,” McCaffery said of Jones and Massung Saturday. “AJ was in foul trouble, Cam was struggling in the first half, so I gave those two guys a shot.” 

“I would say they both have earned it in practice. Jay has played a little bit more in the games, Alex has not, but he’s stayed competitive and he’s really trying to do what we need him to do. Dylan (Williams) is out, so Alex moves up, and those guys were solid.”

The Quaker frontcourt, though less of a concern at the moment, is also thriving as TJ Power shoulders the majority of the offensive load. Power has played more of a point forward role as the season has progressed, allowing the duo of Augie Gerhart and Dalton Scantlebury to evolve organically and without as much pressure to produce down low. However, McCaffery sees one opportunity with Gerhart that he would like his team to take further advantage of when the junior forward uses his size in the post.

“We’d also like to throw it to him a little bit more often when he’s doing that,” McCaffery highlighted. “He’s posting up, and we tend to drive the ball maybe more than we should throw it in there. But the bottom line is he uses his body well to screen and to seal off our drives, but also to post up. I would like to see us get the ball to (Gerhart and Scantlebury) a little bit more.”

Scantlebury may be Penn’s most impressive player, all things considered. While McCaffery knew, to an extent, what he would be getting from Power when the former McDonald’s All-American transferred for a second time in as many years, Scantlebury’s emergence was not as easy to forecast. As one of the first players off the bench, the Chicago freshman is averaging over eight points and five rebounds per game, numbers that will undoubtedly improve as he and Gerhart continue to bring the best out of one another.

Dalton Scantlebury has enjoyed solid start to freshman season as one of first subs off bench for Penn. (Photo by Penn Men’s Basketball)

“It’s really rewarding to watch the growth of Dalton Scantlebury,” McCaffery proclaimed, crediting Gerhart for aiding the development process. “They typically split 40 minutes. One goes in for the other. We’re getting a lot of productivity out of those two guys, rebounding and scoring.”

“Dalton is spectacular and Augie’s been spectacular some other days, but the bottom line is for two young guys, I’m really impressed with them, their work ethic, their attention to detail and their productivity. We go on the road, we play a tough team in a tough environment and they were really good. That’s what’s gonna have to happen in our road games coming up.”