Academy of New Church's Loughery headed for Penn

Larry Loughery, a 6-6, 210-pound forward at the Academy of New Church (who played through his junior year at St. Joseph's Prep), was told Monday night by coach Glen Miller that he'd gained entrance to Penn.

"He also said to expect the acceptance letter real soon," Loughery said.

"I live in a dorm at ANC," he added. "So, after every class [yesterday], I was calling home to ask my mom [Diane], 'Did it come yet?' I hadn't heard. As the school day was ending, my mom came walking down the hallway, waving the letter!

"I called coach Miller right away to let him know I got it. He was happy. I was ecstatic."

Loughery also had been hearing from Tulane, Davidson and Vermont.

"The interest from two of them [excepting Vermont] had come very late," he said. "I would have visited them if the Penn thing hadn't come through, but once you know you can go to Penn, that's it. It's going to be so special to play at the Palestra and study at one of the best academic schools in the country. It's been my dream school since freshman year."

At that time, Prep product Mark Zoller, now playing pro ball in Spain, was starring for the Quakers.

There were comparisons, and they remain to this day.

"The Penn coaches have compared me with Mark, and I've heard it from others," Loughery said. "They like me as a power forward and they see my potential as a three-man, too."

Loughery, who lives in Blue Bell, intends to major in communications and minor in business.

"When I was going into the seventh grade," he said, "my AAU team got to scrimmage on the Palestra floor. I remember trying to dunk. Mostly, I thought about how cool it would be to play there for real for some day. Now I'll get to do it for 4 years." *