Monckton extends career another season at Tulane

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Glenbrook South graduate Dan Monckton spent four years at the University of Pennsylvania before graduating in the spring. Because of a new NCAA rule, he'll play next season at Tulane. | Drew Hallowell~Penn

Updated: November 2, 2011 1:51PM

Glenbrook South alum Dan Monckton said he plans to spend this winter at Tulane doing the college basketball equivalent of stopping to smell the roses.

“I’m just so eager to get out there and play,” said the 6-foot-6 swingman, who spent the last four seasons at Penn. “Last year, I was injured and missed basketball and everything that had to do with being a college athlete. I’m fortunate to have an opportunity to keep playing and I’m going to enjoy every second. I want to make sure that when it’s all said and done, that I can say I squeezed as much juice as I could out of (the experience).

“I look forward to the games, and even the practices. I think it will be a good year.”

Monckton spoke earlier this week over the phone from New Orleans, where he already is enrolled at Tulane in a graduate real estate program.

Last summer, Monckton was looking forward to his senior year in Philadelphia, when a knee injury required microfracture surgery. He spent the entire season in street clothes.

With medical redshirt seasons unusual in the Ivy League, it appeared that Monckton’s college hoops career, which had just starting to liven up in 2009-10, might be coming to an end.

That’s when a Penn assistant coach informed Monckton about the recently-implemented NCAA rule allowing student-athletes who have graduated and maintain eligibility to play one season at another school. The rule stipulates that the student-athlete must study graduate courses not offered at the previous school. Players taking advantage of the rule are eligible at their new school immediately.

Monckton moved on to a Tulane program that went 13-17 overall, 3-13 in Conference USA last season. The Green Wave may be in rebuilding mode, but Monckton will have a chance to earn extended minutes and face Con-USA powers like Memphis, Houston, Tulsa and Central Florida.

“They struggled a little last year but return a solid core,” said Monckton, who said the knee is feeling good. “Obviously, playing is important to me. I understand I’m not going to come in and be THE guy, but I still feel confident I can get good playing time.”

Tulane head coach Ed Conroy also seems excited to be adding a player with Monckton’s ability and experience level.

“Danny is a tough, athletic and skilled player,” Conroy said. “He’s a good finisher around the rim with his length and athleticism. He was just beginning to peak as a college player prior to his injury. He brings a lot of intangibles to our program that will aid in the development of our young team during his one season of eligibility.”

Monckton, who graduated from Penn with a degree in communications, said he thoroughly enjoyed his time in Philly, though the basketball side of things did not go exactly as planned.

A longtime Ivy League power and regular participant in the NCAA Tournament, Penn has been in a rare fallow period in recent seasons. Though former Quakers star Jerome Allen took over as head coach two years ago and is rebuilding the program, Cornell, Princeton and Harvard have been the class of the conference lately.

While Monkton did get to play at Penn’s famed Palestra arena and on the road at places like North Carolina and Duke, he said he attended the school expecting to be competing for Ivy League titles.

“I’d be lying if I said I was not disappointed,” he said. “You go to Penn because you want to be playing in March Madness. I don’t regret anything. I loved my time there and am proud to say I graduated from there. But basketball did not work out 100 percent, even though the whole experience was good.”

Monckton said the highlight of his career came during his junior season when the Quakers, before a packed home crowd, knocked off nationally ranked Cornell.

“That was a great moment for me,” Monckton said. “To me, it should have been like that the whole time.”

After seeing limited playing time as a freshman and sophomore, Monckton came into his own as a junior in 2009-10, averaging 7.1 points per game overall and 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in the Ivy League.

But injury robbed Monckton of his chance to build on those numbers in 2010-11.

The opportunity has belatedly arrived, and Monckton plans to savor every moment of it.

Another Monckton: Dan Monkton’s younger brother Trent, also a GBS alum, will be a junior forward at Division III St. Norbert (Wis.) this year. Last season, the 6-4 Monckton appeared in nine games for a Green Knights team that went 20-6 and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament.