Penn's Jaaber Looks to Add to Recordbook

Given all his accomplishments the last three years, it should be no surprise that Penn senior point guard Ibrahim Jaaber continues to be the Quakers' go-to player on both ends of the court. What could come as a surprise, however, is how close Jaaber's career came to ending after high school.

"I went to prep school after not being heavily recruited out of high school. Penn was one of the Ivy schools that showed a lot of interest in me. It was an easy decision given the caliber of the other leagues that offered [interest]," Jaaber said.

Jaaber, the reigning Ivy Player of the Year, has been Penn's catalyst in its domination of the Ivy League over the last four seasons. In his junior year, he was not only honored as Ivy League Player of the Year, but he also led Penn to an Ivy League Championship.

Jaaber's proudest moments as a Quaker also came in his junior year when he accomplished the arduous task of scoring 1000 points, and broke the Ivy League single-season steal record with 87.

Currently. the senior ranks fifth in the Ivy League in points per game, as well as first in assists. On the defensive end, Jaaber also leads the Ivy League in steals and is tenth in the league in blocks per game.

In addition to being one of the best shooters in the league, Jaaber also stakes a claim as possibly the top point guard in the Ivy League. Perhaps the most impressive of Jaaber's statistics is his assist-to-turnover ratio, which is at 1.85.

Jaaber was a two-season athlete at his high school, the Peddie School in Elizabeth, N.J. His all-around athleticism is evident by the fact that he played varsity football as a complement to his basketball game.

The transition from high school athletics to Ivy League basketball was a new experience. The competition intensified, and Jaaber saw a change in the discipline of his style of play.

"The stakes are higher. Every mistake you make is under a microscope. In high school, I was kind of allowed to run wild and freelance," he said.

The Quakers will have perhaps the most difficult offseason of any other Ivy team, as they will lose Jaaber and senior forwards Mark Zoller and Steve Danley to graduation. Jaaber, however, is confident that Penn will be able to soldier on despite the heavy losses.

"Although the team will be inexperienced with the loss of four seniors, there is a lot of talent that hasn't been showcased yet," he said "They may have a slow start next year, but I think by the time the Ivy season rolls around, they will be ready to compete for the title."