Penn basketball players don Allen's 53 in warmups

For basketball fans everywhere, there are a few moments involving typical pregame clothing -- or lack thereof -- that have become poignant over the years.

In the early 1990s, Michigan's celebrated Fab Five donned plain blue t-shirts instead of their customary warmup jackets to make a statement about the money the university made off their likeness. Last April, players from the Los Angeles Clippers left their team apparel at midcourt in protest against the racist comments by then-owner Donald Sterling that had recently come to light.

What fans saw at the Palestra on Tuesday was significantly more subtle than a noticeable pile of clothing. But it was no less powerful.

In solidarity with their recently-fired head coach, Jerome Allen, each Penn basketball player wore a blue t-shirt with a white number 53 on the back during warmups for Tuesday's contest against Princeton. Allen was number 53 while playing for the Quakers from 1991-1995.

While many may expect that sort of gesture to come from a veteran player, according to Allen, the idea was hatched by one of the Red and Blue's rookies.

"[It was] the ringleader, I think they told me it was Darnell Foreman's idea," Allen said following the Quakers' 73-52 loss to the Tigers. "And if somebody told me to guess whose idea it was, I definitely would have guessed Darnell."

However, the coach who leaves Penn with a 65-104 record in five and a half seasons said he knew nothing about the plan before the game started.

"I didn't know and nobody on our staff knew," Allen said. "I tried to deflect everything I possibly could about this being my last game coaching here. I just wanted to focus on the game.

"If I would have known or if I had my choice, I would not have let them wear those shirts."

It is not the first time Penn basketball has used its pregame attire to send a message. On Senior Day before the Quakers' final home game last season, the Red and Blue wore shirts supporting the Dut Jok Youth Foundation, an organization fighting poverty founded by then-senior Dau Jok.

And though the two-time Ivy League Player of the Year was not initially enthusiastic about his players sporting his former number before -- and on the bench during -- Tuesday's game, Allen was thankful for the move anyway.

"I was pissed at first," Allen said. "I guess I shouldn't say that. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but it's not about me.

"I really appreciate the gesture and it got to me. I love the guys."

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