It's 6:30 a.m. on Friday morning in West Philadelphia. The vast majority of University of Pennsylvania students are sound asleep. Many of them won't roll out of bed until later that afternoon.
Things are slightly different for the Penn women's basketball team.
They are stretching.
That's right -- the team has 7 a.m. practice three days a week, which means they are on the court stretching at 6:30 a.m. and in the training room at 6 a.m..
Why the early wake-up?
"I think a goal of everyone on this team is to be able to say at the end of the year that we are the hardest working and the most energetic of all the teams on our schedule," Penn senior forward Ima Abia said. "My personal goal everyday is to bring intensity to practice and always be ready to play. If you can be ready for a 6:30 a.m. practice and stretch, you can be ready for anything."
The four seniors on this year's team -- Abia, Tara Twomey, Jenn Jones and Sunny Pitrof -- are well aware of the importance of preparation and consistency this season.
For this reason, it was after a suggestion by the four senior leaders that head coach Kelly Greenberg agreed to begin practice at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 12 -- the first possible minute the Red and Blue could officially kick off their season.
This type of effort is indicative of the attitude of the women's basketball team this season.
The Red and Blue feel that being prepared for every possible situation will allow them to improve on their inconsistency from last year.
"We need to be consistent, above everything else this year," senior forward Pitrof said. "We have to be ready to play even when we don't feel like it. We need to come out with fire and intensity for every practice and every game."
Greenberg will look to her four senior leaders to provide intensity.
"They need to be ready to go everyday. I am big with consistency and not settling for less," Greenberg said. "Yes, we're tired at times and this and that, but we can't settle for mediocrity. We have to push to be better and the seniors know that. They will carry the torch this season."
Each of the four seniors will carry the torch differently for the Quakers this season.
All four of them bring a wealth of experience and talent to the team. Having all been members of the 2000-2001 Ivy League championship team, they all know what it takes to win.
Besides knowing what the Red and Blue will need to do to earn the Ivy League title this season, the seniors understand and embrace Greenberg's philosophy.
"It's a special class for me because they started at Penn the same year I did. We've been through a lot together," Greenberg said. "They have really shown how much I've needed them over the past three years.
"This year they have set some high goals for themselves, and they are goals that we can reach as a team. It's going to be an exciting year for us."
Twomey -- the team's three-year starting point guard -- started all 27 games last season and was second on the team in minutes averaging 29.1 points per game.
Twomey's statistics point to her selflessness. Last season she led the team in assists with 94, an average of 3.5 per game. She was also second on the team in steals earning 28.
She has set her sights high for the upcoming season.
"I'd be disappointed with anything less than an Ivy League championship. We have the talent and a quality team that we should definitely be able to do it," Twomey said. "Obviously the short term goal is to take each game one at a time, but the Ivy title is definitely our ultimate goal."
If the Quakers hope to earn the Ancient Eight crown they will have to knock off defending champion and preseason choice Harvard.
Jones, another guard, will be critical to Penn's run at the Ivy title. She sets the example through hard work and dedication to the team, and she also brings a vocal presence to the court. Playing in all but one game last year, Jones made 15 starts for the Quakers.
"I love having a presence in practice with the younger players," Jones said. "I am vocal."
Greenberg sees Jones much in light of her leadership capability.
"Jenn [Jones] has been the consummate teammate for all of the players over her three years at Penn," Greenberg said.
Abia too will be looked upon to set an example for the Quakers. Her ability to unite the team, much like Jones, will be crucial to Penn's run at the league championship.
"Ima is one of those teammates that people lean on for a lot of different reasons," Greenberg said. "Reasons that I don't even know sometimes. She is a great teammate."
Abia is well aware of her importance as a team leader.
"During practice we want the freshman to look at us and say, 'She's working hard. she's getting down. That's how it's supposed to be done,'" she said.
Pitrof, who appeared in seven games last season, acts as the team's motivational leader both in practice and during games.
"Sunny is definitely our vocal senior leader on and off the court," Greenberg said. "She is always the one who gets us going."
Greenberg recognizes how important each of the four seniors is to the team.
"All of the seniors have gotten better during their time here, and they've all worked hard together," she said. "Ima and Sunny have not gotten the playing time I'm sure they would have liked.
"But it doesn't mean they have stopped working hard. You can't ask for anything more as a coach. That's what will be more memorable for me. They are there everyday getting after it, and they want to get time. I think it will show."
While the seniors are solely concentrating on the upcoming season with an Ivy League title in mind, Greenberg recognizes that the 2002-2003 season will act as a culmination of the three years the seniors have spent at Penn so far.
"Over the years the little things they have done are what make them a great class," Greenberg said.
And this is a great class that hopes to go out with a proverbial "bang"-- or perhaps, more simply, an Ivy League championship.
They won this title two years ago and after last year's second place finish are excited to have yet another run at the crown.
While Penn's seniors might not necessarily be the most talented players on the team, the fact remains that they provide an incomparable brand of leadership -- a quality that will be just as pivotal as a 20 point per game scorer in helping the Quakers in their undying quest for an Ivy title.
