Palestra crowd hopes for shot at hoops tickets

Students camped out in line for men's basketball tickets, on sale yesterday. Throngs of basketball fans have crowded the Palestra during its storied 69-year life. But this weekend, sleeping bags, futons, textbooks, board games, playing cards and food took over the historic arena's hallways. Continuing a Penn tradition that dates back at least 30 years, approximately 100 students camped out in the Palestra over the weekend for the first sale of season tickets. Those nearest the front of the line were able to pick the best seats when tickets went on sale at 6 a.m. yesterday. For some students, the annual line has been a key memory of their college years. "I met my best friends waiting in line freshman year," said College junior Mandy London, who secured the fifth spot in the line. Even those at the very end of the line, however, consider the event sacred. College of General Studies senior Jared Minsk, who held the 98th position, explained that Quakers hoops is like a religion to him. "I think Fran Dunphy is God, the starting five are his prophets and the Palestra is my only true church," Minsk said. As in past years, students signed up in teams of up to four and took turns waiting the entire 48 hours between the initial wristband distribution --Eat 6 a.m. Friday -- and the ticket sale. But everyone who signed up for the line had to be at the Palestra for the final six hours, starting at midnight Saturday night. Athletic Director Steve Bilsky came to the Palestra late Saturday night with his wife Sue, son Jeff and daughter Katie. Even though records indicate the line was much smaller this year than last year -- when roughly 400 students camped out -- Bilsky was confident season-ticket sales would be comparable. "It's a Saturday night, so we had no idea how many would show up, but I think we're going to be in about the same position we were last year," Bilsky said. Sue Bilsky, a 1975 College graduate, recalls waiting in line for season tickets as an undergraduate -- especially since her future husband, a 1971 Wharton graduate, was a Quakers basketball standout. But she said she wants to see her children, now ages seven and 12, to be on the court at Penn -- not camping out for tickets. "We're hoping one of them is sitting on the bench or playing instead of waiting on line," she said, as her daughter, Katie, slept nearby. If Saturday night was any indication, Jeff Bilsky, who sank three pointers while the waiting students cheered him on, might just live up to his mother's dreams. College freshman Robert Rutkin, a line newcomer, said he got his first taste of Penn basketball when he watched the Quakers' 1995 NCAA tournament game against the University of Alabama on TV. "I've heard the Palestra has an amazing atmosphere and I want to be a part of that," Rutkin said. After Bilsky became athletic director in 1994, one of his first -- and most popular -- actions was making the ticket line more orderly and fun for students, partly in response to a near-riot at the 1993 line, when students were trampled and one suffered a concussion. This year, Bilsky and his assistant Debbie Newman, raffled off prizes including signed basketballs, away-game tickets and one trip to anywhere in the continental United States courtesy of USAir. Only students who were in line were eligible for the contest. In addition, Pepsi donated hundreds of soft drinks, while Abner's provided cheesesteaks and hoagies for everyone -- a departure from the last two years, when the Athletic Department ordered pizzas for all the students. "We've got to keep everybody off guard," Bilsky joked. Wharton sophomore Jeff Snyder, number 40 in line, said he plans to arrive earlier next year. London said she is excited for the Quakers' Ivy League championship prospects this season, even though the team has many young players. "I think we have a lot of potential and we're going to be a real, real good team when the season starts," she said.