I watched and studied Penn’s last four games: FDU-Florham, Kentucky, Howard, and Rider. Below are my observations!
the daily #146 | 12/28/2023 | Archives
 

Penn Overview

Penn was a fun scout for me! I love watching teams that do something well, and the Quakers shoot the ball REALLY WELL. They are 10th in three-point shooting nationally and have several guards that can bomb from well beyond the NBA three-point line. Houston must focus on denying open looks from the outside. Penn has played best in their “Big Games” this season. We can’t afford to let them get comfortable.

They are led in scoring by Clark Slajchert at 19ppg. He reminds me of a “poor man’s JJ Redick” when he was at Duke. He can shoot it from anywhere and off the dribble. He needs very little room to get his shot off. He can get in the paint to hit floaters and is a crafty finisher at the rim. He is the head of the snake!

Their big man, Nick Spinoso, is a very patient post-player. He leads their team in assists at 3.6apg. When he’s at the top of the key, he looks for backdoor cutters. He’s looking to score when he is in the post, and it’s one-on-one. If the double team comes, he’s great at passing out to an open shooter. Although they have similar passing abilities, Spinoso is a more complete player than Max Fiedler from Rice.

Penn has several great shooters. But if you want to beat the Coogs, you better have several guys who can make the three and be patient enough to get GREAT looks (not just good looks). Or you need a dominant big man who can play inside or outside. They are not athletic enough, nor can they rebound enough to beat UH, but it has the potential to be a closer game than most people expect.

UH can’t struggle to make shots and allow Penn to walk it up the court, turning it into a turtle race. The Cougars need to attack from the start and deliver a first-round knockout. If UH defends as usual, they will be in great shape!

Penn Offense

1. Penn is ranked #58 in the NCAA in “Scoring Offense” at 80ppg (Houston is #1 in “Scoring Defense”, only giving up 50ppg).
2. They want to play slow but will look to shoot the three in transition. (They are ranked #255 in the NCAA in fastbreak points at only 8ppg.)
3. They are an unbelievably good three-point shooting team (They are ranked #10 nationally at 40.2% and 15th in made three-pointers per game at 10.2.)
4. Their style is to play inside-out. Spinoso is solid in the post, but UH’s “Monster Trap” will frustrate him. UH must communicate and recover quickly on their guards when he passes out, as they have so many shooters.

Penn Defense

1. They primarily play half-court man-to-man (M2M).
2. They may try some 3-2 or 2-2-1 zones, but UH can get it inside vs. these looks. Look to penetrate to get an open dribble pull-up jumper or kick out to an open shooter!
3. Not a great defensive team. Houston should be able to get great looks inside or outside.

Personnel (Red Indicates Probable Starters)

#0- Clark Slajchert- 6’1” Sr.- 19ppg, 3rpg, 36/83 3PT, 43% 3PT%.

• Elite shooter (Catch and shoot or off the dribble). (36-83 3PT, 43%)
• Capable three-level scorer (prefers the three and can make it from DEEP).
• Does a good job driving to the basket. Crafty finisher at the rim. Excellent floater in the paint.
• Doesn’t need much room to get his shot off. (“Poor Man’s JJ Redick” in his Duke days)
• Ranked #53 in the NCAA in scoring at 19ppg.

#13- Nick Spinoso- 6’9” Jr.- 10ppg, 8rpg, 4apg.

• LEFTY
• Big body post player. Sneaky athletic.
• Very patient in the post. He loves to catch in the mid-post and back guys down. Good at drawing fouls but a poor free-throw shooter (51% FT%).
• Sets a ton of off-ball screens to open up shooters. Solid in the Pick and Roll.
• Excellent passer out of the post (Leads the team in assists at 4 per game). If it’s one-on-one, he looks to score. If double-teamed, he looks to pass to the open shooter. If he catches outside of the three-point line, he is looking for guys cutting to the basket or dribble hand-offs.
• Not an outside shooting threat (0/4 3PT on the season).

#11- Sam Brown- 6’3” Fr.- 12ppg, 4rpg, 27/58 3PT, 47% 3PT%.

• LEFTY
• Phenomenal three-point shooter.
• Can make the three from VERY DEEP!!
• Volume shooter. When he’s hot, he’s letting the three-ball FLY.
• Capable of the mid-range jumper but prefers the three.

#4- Tyler Perkins- 6’4” Fr.- 15ppg, 6rpg.

• LEFTY
• Solid three-level scorer
• Capable of the deep three.
• A little loose with the ball

#40- George Smith- 6’4” Jr.- 5ppg, 3rpg.

• LEFTY
• Capable three-point shooter
• Decent at getting in the lane and finishing with his left hand.

Andrew Laczkowski- 6’6” Sr.- 6ppg, 3rpg.

• Long forward
• Solid around the basket
• Capable three-point shooter.
• Really good offensive rebounder.

#3- Johnnie Walter- 6’10” So.- 2ppg, 2rpg.

• Long backup big man.
• Pretty athletic.
• Aggressive offensive rebounder.

#24- Reece McMullen- 6’3” Jr.- 3pg.

• Athletic guard
• Big time energy guy
• Solid three-point shooter

#10- Ed Holland III- 6’6” Jr.- 6ppg, 3rpg.

• Long athletic forward
• Attacks offensive glass
• Decent in the mid-range.

#5- Cam Thrower- 6’3” So.- 6ppg, 3rpg.

• Capable three-point shooter.

#25- Augustus Gerhart- 6’9” Fr.- 2ppg, 2rpg.

• If he plays, feed the post! He can’t guard any of our big men!

Keys to Victory

1. Don’t underestimate them. Penn beat Villanova and played Kentucky very close. They don’t have eye-popping athletes, but they are by far the best shooting team that UH has played this season. They have a very skilled big man, and four shooters surround him. UH can’t look past them toward Big 12 play.
2. Clark Slajchert is the “Head of the Snake.” He is one of the best shooters/scorers UH has faced this season. He can make the catch and shoot three or off the dribble. He is more than capable of finishing in the paint as well. Can’t let him get hot!
3. Communicate and recover quickly when double-teaming. They have shooters galore! UH must locate them quickly when they pass out of the double-team. All of their guards can knock down open threes.
4. Be aggressive on defense. The Quakers are not extremely athletic and tend to turn the ball over when pressured. They also do not have a “true point guard.” Blitzing the guards on the pick and roll and “Monstering” the big men down low will give them problems.
5. Own the boards on both ends. The Coogs are much more athletic than them. They are excellent in fundamentals, but we should be able to dominate the glass. A team that shoots a lot of threes tends to miss long. It will be important to be strong in off-side rebounding.
6. Find their shooters in transition. They prefer to walk the ball up the court. However, they have no issues shooting the three in transition if they can run. Houston must find Brown and Slajchert, as they love to let it fly.