Penn’s new basketball recruits bring needed depth
The Quakers have five recruits, providing the program with offensive and defensive versatility.
The Penn men’s basketball team has announced the addition of five recruits, and associate head coach Nat Graham says the group will give the Quakers some needed depth.
“I am excited about this class, and it is one of those unique situations in my career where we were fortunate enough to get the guys we targeted early in recruiting,” Graham said in a phone interview. “In a way, we are pleasantly surprised we got this group.”
The recruits are:
Jonah Charles, 6-foot-4 guard from Rutgers Prep in New Jersey;
Jordan Dingle, 6-3 guard from Blair Academy in New Jersey;
Max Lorca-Lloyd, 6-9 forward from Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts;
Max Martz, 6-6 combo forward from Upper Arlington, Ohio;
Lucas Monroe, 6-6 guard from Abington High.
Graham says the five will provide some much needed outside shooting. Penn shot 35.1 percent from three-point range, fifth in the eight-team Ivy League, last season.
Graham is especially excited about the varied skills of Lorca-Lloyd, who played for his native Chile in the 2018 FIBA Americas U-18 Championships.
“Certainly, his shot-blocking acumen and ability to catch lobs had him so highly recruited,” Graham said. “He is a guy who can do a lot of different things in our league.”
Martz is expected to help at either forward position.
“He has the right makeup, and everything about him is about getting the job done,” Graham said.
Dingle and Charles bring firepower from the guard spots.
“They can both really shoot it," Graham said.
Monroe brings defensive versatility.
“He is somebody who played point guard in high school, and he is a very good passer and he is a really good athlete who can guard one through four [point guard through power forward],” Graham said.
The Quakers are coming off a 19-12 season in which they qualified for the Ivy League Tournament, losing to Harvard, 66-58 in the semifinals. They should be among the top teams next season, although Harvard will likely be the preseason favorite.
All-Ivy forward AJ Brodeur (17.6 ppg., 8.3 rpg.) is among the key veterans returning for coach Steve Donahue’s team, which is the defending Big Five champion.