Penn Quakers: Consecutive appearances in the Ivy tournament is possible

By Chuck Booth | Jun 22, 2017

Nov 29, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Pennsylvania Quakers forward AJ Brodeur (25) reacts with guard Jackson Donahue (5) after his score against the Villanova Wildcats during the first half at Palestra. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

On February 7, 2016, it looked like there was no way that the Penn Quakers would participate in the inaugural Ivy League tournament.

The Penn Quakers had lost three straight games and were looking to be on the brink of falling out of contention for the Ivy League tournament. Everyone seemed to have given up on the Quakers except the team and coach Steve Donahue. The Penn Quakers were left for dead and then the unexpected happened.

The Quakers went 6-2 in their final eight games to knock Colombia out of the final spot in the Ivy League tournament in improbable fashion. Then they almost started controversy in the tournament itself by pushing the top-seeded Princeton Tigers to the brink in a rivalry renewed.

While the expected outcome happened with Princeton winning, the Quakers put up enough of a fight to show that they are for real and that they’re here to stay. The Quakers sported one of the youngest teams in the tournament with only Harvard starting more true freshmen in their lineup. They may have lost the heart and soul of the team in Matt Howard, but the underclassmen are ready to step in to fill the leadership void.

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The duo pf Devon Goodman and Jackson Donahue will be capable of filling in for Howard and running the offense. Goodman, in particular, showed good ball skills last year and if he can improve his decision making, Goodman can really take off next season.

These Penn Quakers will be a threat next year and in years to come. The number one reason is that coach Donahue is slowly turning Penn into a defense first team. With A.J. Brodeur guarding the paint, it is becoming tougher and tougher for the opposition to control the paint, leading to better defensive numbers for the Quakers.

63.6 percent of their scoring is returning next season with most of it coming from the duo of Brodeur and Ryan Bently. Bently, in particular, will be important as his three-pointers allow Brodeur to terrorize inside. When Bently is at the top of his game, the Quakers are tough to beat and with a year of experience under his belt, he will only get better for the Quakers moving forward.

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The Quakers may have looked like a flash in the pan at the end of the season but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Steve Donahue is building something special at Penn and it’s something that should end with more Ivy League tournament appearances in the near future and a possible NCAA Tournament appearance over the horizon.