City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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It wasn’t until May last year that Steve Donahue was introduced as Penn’s head coach. And without his own recruiting class or a full offseason, Donahue was still able to get some signs of promise from the Quakers, who finished the 2015-16 campaign with an 11-17 record.

Now Donahue gets both a full spring and summer with his players plus a five-player recruiting staff that he and his staff put together. We caught up with the Quakers coach to discuss the offseason, recruiting and having a close friend take the Drexel job.

CoBL: I want to ask you quick about a few things unrelated to your team. The first thing is Yale and the run that team made in March. Obviously you know what it takes to succeed in that tournament out of your league. What’d you think about that run and what it means for the Ivy League?

Donahue: “I wasn’t too surprised. They were a veteran team in this league. I think we’ve proven over the last six years that teams in our league can win games (in the NCAA Tournament). We’ve now won since 2010 and our Cornell team, we’ve won five games in the NCAA Tournament. I just think it’s teams now that are experienced, veteran-oriented, high caliber of talent and it’s not surprising.”

CoBL: You and (new Drexel coach) Zach Spiker are very close. What was your reaction when he was hired, and what do you think it will be like having that good of a friend in the industry basically become your neighbor?

Donahue: “I’m really happy for both Drexel and Zach. To me, he did one of the most amazing coaching jobs over the last six years at a place like Army, where no one has been able to win in forever. To develop that kind of consistent approach is amazing, in the last four years in particular. Another thing, him and I probably talk or text about every day, so to have him up the street, he’s so excited to be a part of Philly basketball and the passion in the city. To be around that, I think he’s really excited and I’m happy that him and I can spend some time together and help each other develop our programs.”

CoBL: At this point a year ago, you still weren’t the head coach yet. Now that you have a full offseason, what are some things you want to take advantage of given the extra time and greater knowledge of your team?

Donahue: “When you take over a team and program that hasn’t won in a long time, it’s a daily work that you have to do to continue to transition into a winning program. We have a lot of things we want in place, and now we have to reinforce that daily with everything we do. We have a big recruiting class coming in, and there’s going to be a big transition there. And just making sure guys know what is expected from them and that guys are taking ownership of this team and holding each other accountable. So when October rolls around we’re ready to practice and we’re way better off than we were at the end of the year this year.”

CoBL: Is there some sort of spring or summer regiment you want the guys who will be on campus to go through or anything like that?

Donahue: “It’s more getting into that daily routine and getting them to know what is expected. I’ve had individual meetings with what I am expecting of these guys. We give them what’s kind of expected as a team and what I want them to work on. I want them to document it so they can see progress and continually talk about where they’re at each month. Then we’ll look to the summer and what we’re going to do and how we’re going to get better in those months as well.”

CoBL: You went through a lot of rotations and lineups this season. Do you think getting to know the team better throughout the next few months will help you get a better idea of what combinations will work on the court?

Donahue: “There are a couple of veterans back. Matt MacDonald is back after sitting out as a transfer, so I kind of know where he’s at. Antonio Woods, still don’t know his status exactly, but he’s most likely back the second semester, ready for Ivy League play. And then we have all these freshmen coming in that won’t be here potentially until September, since we don’t get to work with kids during the summer. So to answer your question, I think there’s still going to be a learning curve and a transitional period with our guys. But I’m excited about guys returning and I’m really excited about the guys coming in. I think it’s still going to take some time to figure out exactly what we have and who’s playing where. That’s the exciting part for the guys, they get to make strides and jump up and play. For us, no, there’s not a five we’re going with and here’s the next four in the rotation. We’re just not there yet.”

CoBL: Just to clarify, Antonio Woods is going to stay at Penn and with the program?

“He is. He’s required by Penn to sit out two full semesters (Spring and Fall 2016). At that point, he’s allowed to come back to school.”

CoBL: Last thing, you have a large recruiting class coming in, and you’ve experienced recruiting at Penn before as an assistant. But what’s your feel for it year in as a head coach?

Donahue: “Like I thought about Penn before I came here, I think it’s an incredible university. One that resonates with recruits and their families. Any kid is really excited when we call them and get to know them. We have a heck of a product, obviously, on the academic side and the basketball side with the Big 5 and the Palestra and the 13th-best league in the country in the Ivy. Philadelphia basketball is another thing we’re really trying to sell to kids, and the excitement that this city feels for college basketball. All that’s been great. The excitement that we feel for these kids as great ambassadors not only for the program, but the school, and each year I think you’ll see we’re attracting that much better of a player and a student-athlete.”