W.C. Mepham High School '91 Bellmore, N.Y. Bilsky, who will remain as George Washington AD until July 1, was named to the same post at Penn at a press conference February 28. Bilsky, 44, graduated from Wharton in 1971, and played on three basketball teams. His senior season the Quakers were undefeated until a loss in the Eastern Regional final to Villanova. Published reports placed Bilsky's salary between $100,000 and $200,000 per year, along with a country club membership, use of a car and free education at Penn for his two children. The total value of the deal is estimated at $1.75 million over seven years. Standing on the spot of one of the most important shots in Penn basketball history, Bilsky remembered what happened on a glorious day at the Palestra January 5, 1969. Villanova was nationally ranked. Penn decided to hold onto the ball, milking the clock at every opportunity during the contest. The old scoreboard at the Palestra showed the score knotted at 30, and the ball found its way into Penn's hands for the the final shot. Bilsky, freed by a pick, shot the ball. Swish. "From that night on, nobody thought of it as the Big 4 and Penn -- it was the Big 5," Bilsky said. A generation after his buzzer-beater, Bilsky was again on top of the world.
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