Penn basketball debuts new-look lineup and routs John Jay in season opener

Penn men’s basketball began the post-Jordan Dingle era trouncing John Jay, 102-57, at the Palestra on Monday night.

The Quakers (1-0) returned two starters from last season and debuted a new-look starting lineup against the Division III Bloodhounds (0-1). Tyler Perkins, Cam Thrower, and Ed Holland III slotted in alongside returning starters Clark Slajchert and Nick Spinoso.

“We have four guys who played college basketball last season,” Penn coach Steve Donahue said. “I thought it was really important, almost like a dress rehearsal.”

John Jay, which went 5-9 in the CUNYAC conference last season, was simply outmatched, and Penn controlled the pace of play from the opening tip.

» READ MORE: Penn has a new-look roster. Here’s why head coach Steve Donahue is excited for the season ahead.

Slajchert said ahead of the season that Penn would replace the players they lost “by committee.” Penn proved as much on Monday, with five players, including four starters, scoring in double-digits. Every player on Penn’s roster scored at least one point, as Penn’s bench contributed 43 points.

“I’m ready to turn the page completely now,” Donahue said. “I love that Cam Thrower and Eddie Holland paid their dues, and you get to reward them. I think that builds a little bit of chemistry.”

Holland, who saw limited minutes off the bench last season, scored a career-high 16 points, going 7-for-7 from the field. Slajchert contributed 14 points and added four assists. Spinoso led the team with eight rebounds.

Perkins became the first freshman to start in Penn’s season opener since Dingle in the 2019-20 season. Dingle scored the game-winning jump shot in the waning seconds of his debut to push Penn past Alabama on the road, 81-80.

Perkins had a bit of a lower-stakes debut, but the Virginia native still poured in 15 points and went 4-for-4 from three-point range. He also added a team-high five assists.

Freshman Augustus Gerhart, came off the bench and added 10 points and five boards.

“[Gerhart] makes good decisions. He is, for this level, a big, strong finisher,” Donahue said. “For his first game, I was impressed, and I think he’s going to be a really good Ivy League player.”

The Quakers dominated virtually every statistical category, scoring 61 first-half points on 61.1% shooting. Penn shot 54%, including 39% from behind the arc, for the game. By contrast, John Jay shot 31% from the field and was 5-for-15 (33%) from long range.

“When we’re passing the ball and we’re all moving around, we get good shots, more than likely,” Perkins said. “We have a lot of shot makers on the team.”

The final outcome was never much in doubt. A three-pointer by Thrower and a layup by Andrew Laczkowski capped a 12-0 run for Penn in the first half and put the Quakers up, 30-9. From there, Penn’s lead never dipped below double-digits.

The Quakers will host Bucknell on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+). Big 5 round-robin play begins Friday as Penn heads to Hawk Hill to face St. Joseph’s (6:30 p.m., ESPN+, NBC Sports Philadelphia).