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.
Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris tells Bloomberg News that she would like multiyear national TV deals to broadcast the conference's football and basketball games -- plus, perhaps, lacrosse and soccer.
You may recall that the Ivy League had a deal with Versus for 2008, only to see the deal collapse for 2009 when sponsorship dollars dried up in this economic climate.
Harris would not tell Bloomberg which networks might be interested, or what type of revenues the league might expect. (In the '08 deal with Versus, the league and the network did not exchange money; the Ivies just wanted the exposure). She also did not think a deal could be in place for the 2010 football season.
For his part, Athletic Director Steve Bilsky seemed lukewarm on the idea, referencing Penn's strong ties with Comcast. The University's deal with the regional sports network runs through 2010-11, with mutual options to renew thereafter.
“We have a good local TV package,” Bilsky told Bloomberg. “Selfishly, we wouldn’t give that up unless we felt there was a very legitimate alternative, not something we have for a year and it dissipates.
“The challenge is to come up with something that is sustainable enough and positive enough that we’d be willing to give away our good games."
So it seems as if Harris has a tough road ahead. Considering that the Ivy League couldn't get a football deal for '09 --and considering the dismal ratings that the football games on Versus received -- finding someone interested in soccer and lacrosse seems like a long shot, even bundled with the top two sports. Then, she'll also have to convince the member institutions that its worth their while. And as we know, not all Ivy schools enter this discussion on the same footing.
Former Penn basketball player and WXPN color commentator Vince Curran has reportedly been hired as a volunteer assistant coach for the men's basketball team, filling the role vacated by interim head coach Jerome Allen. The Penn Sports Network's Brian Seltzer, who calls radio broadcasts with Curran on WXPN, mentioned the hiring yesterday on Comcast Sports Net's show, "Daily News Live," and the Athletic Department confirmed it for me today.
Curran played for one year at Penn with Allen. At the Big 5 Hall of Fame induction last spring, Allen mentioned to me that he has many fond memories with Vince and indicated they still keep in touch and have a strong relationship. I would imagine that Allen had some influence in bringing in Curran, but I'm not positive on that one. The move also fits the mold of Steve Bilsky's desire to bring in coaches with strong Penn connections to help restore the Penn basketball identity.
After the jump are some of Allen's comments about Curran from the Big 5 HOF induction.
The news about Glen Miller today unfortunately came on the first day of a month in which The Daily Pennsylvanian won't be publishing because of finals and winter break, so we don't have the opportunity to print any papers with all of our columns reacting to the decision to relieve Miller of his duties. However, I decided to write a column anyway and post it to thedp.com.
Here's a quick recap: Steve Bilsky emphasized that he fired Glen Miller (he never actually used the word "fired" but that's what happened, so that's what I'm calling it) because of his leadership and community-building efforts at Penn and in Philadelphia, moreso than for his dreadful career record and 0-7 start to this season. As terrible as the team has been on the court, I agree with Bilsky that Miller's greatest shortcomings were in the overall way he treated the program. One thing I didn't mention as a weakness in his public relations was the way he handled the media, which many of us at the DP can attest to. He was notoriously difficult to interview and had regular outbursts when faced with difficult questions about his team's struggles. But Bilsky never directly admitted that he made a mistake hiring Miller, even though he clearly recognizes the importance of community leadership and a Philadelphia connection, and Miller's lack thereof. He avoided addressing any questions pertaining to Miller or his shortcomings at Penn, instead trying to focus the discussion of today's teleconference on the future. Instead, he should have admitted his mistake and demonstrated that he knows why he was wrong. At least that would instill some confidence in him for the future, showing that he can lead this program back to its proper place at the top of the Ivy League. Without actually admitting his mistake, he's just digging himself a deeper hole.
On the bright side, his decision to name Jerome Allen as the interim coach shows he will very much be dedicated to choosing a coach with strong Penn ties when it comes time to find Miller's permanent replacement.
Athletic Director Steve Bilsky held a teleconference today to discuss Penn's decision to relieve Glen Miller of his duties as head coach of the men's basketball team and to hire assistant coach - and former Quakers standout - Jerome Allen as his replacement. Bilsky's opening statement is below, and click below the jump to read the entirety of the Q&A conference call.
Athletic Director Steve Bilsky: Welcome everybody, thanks for getting on. I encourage everybody to read the press release, which includes not only information on Jerome but a quote from myself which I think really captures how I feel at this time. I think it's an opportunity for us to recapture the Penn identity or begin to recapture that by hiring Jerome. He represents to me the essence of what the student-athlete at Penn can accomplish here both in terms of how he got to Penn, what he did when he got here, how he feels about the school and how he has kept in touch with us subsequently. We were tremendously pleased that he was able to join our staff this year officially and I welcome him as our interim coach and hope that not only does he transcend some of the things he was able to do on the court as a player but also capture the thought and express those to our present players and our future players as to what it means to be a Penn basketball player because I believe that’s a very unique and special thing.
The first annual "town hall" discussion of the men's basketball team came and went this weekend. The DP's recap can be found here, and some additional notes of interest are after the jump, most coming from answers given by coach Glen Miller.
Tuesday's paper will have more analysis of what was said (and not said) at the meeting. In the meantime, fire away in the comments section with any initial reactions, especially if you were in attendance.
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