Red & Blue Crew and Allen too

Though attendance at men’s basketball games declined significantly this season, members of the Red and Blue Crew think that Athletic Director Steve Bilsky has hired just the right man to change that.

According to Red and Blue Crew leader Justin Chang, Jerome Allen’s role as a public figure on campus will allow students to feel more invested in the team’s success and motivate them to come to games.

“Coach Allen’s hire, from a school spirit standpoint, is just one step in a long process that we have to do to get people excited about Penn basketball again,” Chang said.

Allen has already taken steps toward getting students involved in the program.

Less than a month after being named interim coach, he braved chilly weather to hand out hot chocolate on Locust Walk and personally invite students to attend that night’s game against Big 5 opponent Temple.

“That’s something we’ve never seen before,” Chang said.

Since Allen joined the coaching staff last August as an assistant, he has “been more approachable with different groups [and] different initiatives,” said sophomore Jayson Weingarten, another Crew leader.

“He’s definitely been more present and more accessible.”

The Red and Blue Crew leaders hope that in his new role, Allen can further engage students by making appearances at tailgates, attending planning and marketing meetings, and especially by continuing his involvement at the Line — the annual event at which students sleep over at the Palestra to snag student-section tickets.

As a tradition that Allen participated in during his playing days at Penn, the Red and Blue Crew sees the Line as an excellent opportunity to bridge the gap between the players and the student body.

Junior Pete Becker, who organizes the Line, mentioned that the Red and Blue Crew is brainstorming possible changes to the current student section ticketing policies in order to bolster participation and excitement.

Involvement in the Line as well as other school spirit activities suffered in recent seasons under the tenure of former coach Glen Miller — who many members of the Red and Blue Crew felt did not make the same effort to motivate the student body.

According to the students, there was a noticeable difference between Miller’s and Allen’s team.

“First, we won with Jerome Allen, and I think just the atmosphere, the attitude of players was better, people were a little more positive in the stands,” Becker said.

“It seemed like people came in expecting to lose at the beginning of the season, and by the end of the season we had a little bit of hope.”

From Allen’s personal ties with Penn and Philadelphia, to his personality and signature glasses, students like Becker have high hopes for future success.

“He’s got the pedigree,” Becker said. “And I think he’ll be able to relate to us.”

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