BY JEREMY GOODE

(PHOTOS BY MIKE NANCE)

PHILA.--Fran McCaffery said it himself. It is not about him.

But the University of Pennsylvania’s men’s basketball team is taking the Big 5 by storm this season in McCaffery’s first year as head coach of the Quakers.

It might have just been that he needed a homecoming. After 15 seasons as the head basketball coach at the University of Iowa, after a 17-16 season last year and a second year in a row that Iowa did not make the NCAA Tournament, Iowa let McCaffery go in mid-March.

Two weeks later, in he walked at the University of Pennsylvania, which snatched the veteran coach and alum, class of 1982, and made him the 21st head coach of the Penn basketball program.

So far, it has been a happy return for both parties.

On Fri., Nov. 21, Penn traveled to next-door Drexel University in a Big 5 battle, beating the Dragons 84-68 to secure a spot in the Big 5 Classic Final on Sat., Dec. 6 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. They will play the winner of Temple at Villanova on Mon., Dec. 1.

The win at Drexel came after Penn’s win against St. Joseph’s four days earlier, 83-79. The Quakers improve to 3-2 with their win against the Dragons.

While all eyes are on McCaffery and the strong start Penn is having, he continues to insist that it is not about him. 

“I’m excited for our players, I’m excited for our school, I’m excited for our fan base that has really followed this program intensely for so many years,” McCaffery said. “There’s people at the game tonight that have been at every game since the 70s. And I know who they are. And I know what it means to them. And our players, as they’ve said, know what it means to play for that name on the front of the jersey.”

Part of Penn’s success early on against local teams is due to transfers Ethan Roberts and TJ Power.

Roberts, who has been with the program for two years, transferred to Penn for the 2024 season from Drake University. During his junior season at Penn, he averaged just under 17 points per contest. This season, five games in, he is scoring 24.6, good enough for third most points per game in the country.

For Roberts, while his early personal stats are impressive, they do not mean much to him.

“What’s been going well for me is getting lost in competition,” Roberts said. “That’s kind of our motto… The only result that matters is winning. But I have a great staff around me that develops me and teammates that carry me, so it’s easy to play here.”

Penn held Drexel to two free throws in the first half, while itself shooting 14 free throws. Michael Zanoni hit two three pointers in the first half, ending the half with seven points.

In the second half, Power and Penn as a whole used their physicality to overwhelm Drexel. Penn was in the bonus with over 13 minutes left in the second half. After shooting 1 for 5 in the first half, Power shot 4 for 6 in the second, with 12 points off his 4 of 5 from the free throw line. Power credited Roberts’ play as helping to open up his game in the last 20 minutes.

“I felt like in the second half, I got myself established; getting to the rim, getting fouled, and that just over the rest of the floor for me,” Power said. “Overall, when Ethan gets it going like that in the first half, it draws a lot of attention, and I can play off of him really well.”

Roberts and Power combined for 16 for 29 from the field and 13 of 16 from the free throw line. Roberts was a perfect 6 of 6 from the charity stripe.

“Analytically, they kind of go against the grain… a lot of heavy two-point usage,” Drexel head coach Zack Spiker said, “But they make them at a pretty good rate. They play with the physicality when they’re going to get to the line. We have to find a way to defend better without fouling.”  

Penn continued their effort to keep Drexel off the free throw line in the second half. With just under three minutes left in the contest, Drexel was shooting just 1 for 9 from the line. In contrast, Penn finished 22 for 28 from the line.

While Penn shot 36 percent from behind the three-point arc, they shot 50 percent in field goals. They held Drexel to 42 percent shooting from the field, seven free throws made and only 10 bench points.

Josh Reed led Drexel in scoring with 21 points, while Eli Beard, who normally shoots 39 percent from the field, shot 14 percent.

Roberts finished with 30 points and eight rebounds, while Power had 18 and 4. Zanoni added a dozen points. Cam Thrower scored eight while shooting two of three from deep. AJ Levine and Augustus Gerhart scored seven apiece.

In the two previous years in which the Big 5 Classic has existed, St. Joseph’s University has won both trophies. Penn has a chance to add their name to St. Joe’s on Dec. 6.

“In a new world, where it’s getting harder and harder with agents and money, whenever you have a locker room filled with individuals that prioritize winning and truly love each other, that’s what this business is all about,” McCaffery said. “I’m really proud to be associated with this group.”