Moments after posting my thoughts on Adam Zagoria's report that Jerome Allen will officially be named Penn's head coach, I was forwarded an e-mail from Athletic Director Steve Bilsky to Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Keith Pompey. Here's what Bilsky wrote:
"We're not going to comment on the veracity of any particular blog or rumor, but the search is ongoing and will intensify during this month."
As my colleague Zach Klitzman wrote earlier today, Adam Zagoria reported on his blog that "Penn interim head coach Jerome Allen will officially be named the program’s full-time coach before the Final Four, sources close to the program said."
If you ask me, it's way too early to accept that.
I just talked to the Athletic Department and am awaiting an official statement, but to me this seems like an extremely premature and questionable report. I want to be clear that I am not questioning Zagoria's legitimacy or responsibility as a journalist, but without knowing his sources I'll say from what I do know that in this case it seems like the best information he could have is that Penn decided it WANTS Jerome Allen back but hasn't finalized anything.
That is the farthest they could possibly be in the process right now. They need to agree to a contract before they can make an announcement, and I highly doubt they've been negotiating contracts as Allen tries to wrap up this season with a strong finish. Yes, Allen and Steve Bilsky could have verbally agreed that they both want this to be the situation. Yes, Bilsky could have decided that his timetable is the Final Four. He may have even decided not to bother with interviewing other candidates (although Zagoria's trustworthy inside source merely said they "might" not interview outside candidates). All of those things could definitely be — and based on Zagoria's report probably are — true. But you cannot jump from that to a definitive statement that Allen will be the guy.
To think for one second that this is set in stone right now would be irresponsible. Not only is the contract not finalized, and probably not even past the initial negotiation stages, but it would be disadvantageous for Bilsky to say anything publicly until it's final. That's why I don't think he will end up releasing any sort of press release today in response to Zagoria's report.
All that said, today's events definitely mean that, in all likelihood, Jerome Allen will be your new full-time Penn men's basketball coach. Just don't count that chicken until it hatches.
Jerry Carino of MyCentralJersey.com wrote a nice piece on Zack Rosen and how he is dealing with all of the losing at Penn these last two years compared with the tremendous success of his high school teams. Here are some interesting highlights from the article:
1. Rosen's comments: "I've always been on teams that have had a lot of success, and coming here I expected it would be the same thing," Rosen said last week. "That's not the case. It takes a lot more effort, more work, more commitment. It take a lot more of everything and it's been frustrating, but I think we've got a good foundation." ... On how he's stayed motivated on such a bad team: "By not letting it me bring me down, but embracing it and making me stronger for it," he explained. "That's been the key, taking the right attitude and working hard no matter what the circumstances."
2. One of his quotes in the story seems to imply that Darren Smith will be working out this summer and trying to return next season. After missing two full seasons with his knee injury, Smith would be eligible to apply for a fifth year if he proves that he needs the fifth year to do something academically as well. This usually entails something like taking on a second major or anything else that gives the player a legitimate academic reason for needing a fifth year before graduating. It's certainly something that's been discussed here and elsewhere in the circles of Penn basketball discussion, but I think the common opinion was that Smith wouldn't have a good reason to play a 5th year, especially considering the playing time constraints the team will face next year with a huge recruiting class.
3. The article mentions that Rosen has a 3.1 GPA in Wharton. I'm not in Wharton, so I can't judge that, but for someone with so much time tied up in basketball, it doesn't seem too shabby.
Hey everyone. Neil Fanaroff here in snowy Manhattan to cover tonight's contest between Penn and Columbia. Stay inside, stay warm, and follow along with me as I'll be keeping you updated as to the goings on up here.
In today's DP, I looked at dwindling student attendance and considered some causes and solutions for the problem. But of course, today was just about the busiest news day ever at Penn, so I don't blame you if you missed the column. Either way, I thought it would be good to continue the discussion here at The Buzz.
So I encourage you to read it anyways, but if you don't want to take the time, my basic points are this:
1. The Palestra will be packed again when the Quakers are again a winning team
2. The student ticketing policy needs to be changed if the Quakers want to enjoy a true home court advantage.
Read below the jump for some further analysis.
(more...)
It's been a rumor for some time now, but now it's official. Toni Kukoc's son Marin Kukoc has committed to Penn. Dick Jerardi writes in today's Daily News: "Penn got a commitment from Marin Kukoc, Toni's son from Chicago. He is just the latest in what is shaping up as a terrific recruiting class."
What Jerardi says is right. Penn has a dynamite recruiting class coming in next year, no matter which way you slice it. I've been covering the Class of 2014 extensively here on The Buzz, and it now stands at seven total players: Steve Rennard, Casey James, Dau Jok, Miles Cartwright, Cameron Gunter, Fran Dougherty and Marin Kukoc.
As far as I know, it's not over yet. Kevin Panzer, who committed to Penn and then de-committed, is not out of the running to re-commit. I'll be clear: I don't know anything for sure, except that he hasn't made his decision yet and Penn is still pursuing him. And I also don't think Penn is done pursuing other options, even with the huge class they already have.
As for Kukoc, the NBA pedigree is obviously the first thing that sticks out. He is a 6-6/6-7 swingman at about 185 pounds (that's a guess on my part). I don't know much else about him at this point, but the DP should have a full story later today or tomorrow. But I posted some videos after the jump which will hopefully give a better sense of him as a player.
Welcome to the Palestra for Penn vs. Yale. This is Joe Sanfilippo with you tonight, along with Eli Cohen and Noah Rosenstein. Follow along with us live on our live blog.
Here's some video coverage of last night's Penn-Princeton game.
Game highlights
Post-game press conference
Those of you who have been following here for a while know me as the sports journalist/editor who tries to be at the center of every discussion and the forefront of every news story. Well, that stuff is still a part of me, but I've taken on a much different role in the DP this year as the Online Managing Editor, whereby I run our website, theDP.com, and manage our multimedia content. Well as a newly born multimedia junkie and a former (but in many ways still current) sports writer, I am placing a lot of emphasis on multimedia for our sports coverage. As such, this weekend's first home basketball games since I became Online Managing Editor presented my best opportunity to practice and showcase what I plan on doing with sports multimedia in the next year. So after the jump you'll find all the things we did with multimedia this weekend, and I insist on having a lively and constructive discussion about my work and what you all think are the best ways we can use multimedia to enhance our sports coverage moving forward.
Hi everyone, this is Ari Seifter live at the Palestra with 25:00 to game time. The Quakers will try to back up an impressive upset of #22 Cornell last night against Columbia tonight. Penn theoretically controls its own destiny in the Ivy League, as unrealistic as that seems.
An RSS feed of The Buzz is available here.