Hoops tickets go on sale-finally

After several nights of waiting in line, Quaker fans finally got what they were waiting for yesterday, as season basketball tickets went on sale at 6 a.m. Students began standing in line at the Palestra Friday afternoon. Although there has not been as much preseason hype for Penn basketball this year as there was last year, ticket sales have been comparable, according to Athletic Director Steve Bilsky. "We were closing the doors at 4:30 and there were still students in line," Ticket Manager Peggy Kowalski said. More than 400 students waited in line at the Palestra and approximately 800 tickets were sold by the end of the day, Kowalski added. Not all students spent their weekend at the Palestra. Wharton junior Patrick Lee said he knew he wanted the cheaper seats and that they would still be available. "It's just not worth it to sit here for three days," Lee said. "I have better things to do at home, like sleep." But some freshmen were unaware of how the athletic department sold basketball tickets. "I didn't know about the line until I saw the [The Daily Pennsylvanian]," College freshman Emily Jaffe said. Jaffe added that she would definitely be in line next year. Throughout the day, there was a steady line of students at the ticket office, according to Kowalski. "We had two windows open the whole day, and we had large groups ranging anywhere from five to 25 students purchasing tickets at one time," Kowalski said. Students purchasing sideline chairback tickets were required to sign a form that acknowledged the Athletic Department's policy regarding standing during games. The policy was created in response to concerns voiced by non-student season ticket holders about having to stand throughout the game if they wanted to see the action, according to Bilsky. "We want the enthusiasm and if there's a minute left in the game I would expect everyone in the building to be standing," Bilsky said. "That's not at all what's being curtailed." Students are not expected to sit for the entire game, Kowalski added.