Kotloff | Sydney's sobering reminder

Since his appointment as Penn’s 19th head basketball coach, I’ve taken Jerome Allen as a given.

Fate made it seem so — it’s only fitting that a former star return to lead the program back to the promised land.

Alumni made it seem so — Athletic Director Steve Bilsky and his advisory committee tabbed Allen precisely because he’s ours, a Quakers gem with Red and Blue blood that will push him to see his vision through.

Allen himself made it seem so — on that bright April 1, 2010, day of his introductory press conference, he left the crowd with the repeated vow, “We will get it done,” implying that he’ll put in the necessary time to do so.

Then, Monday evening, I learned that Princeton coach Sydney Johnson was leaving for Fairfield. The storybook coaching rivalry between Allen and Johnson, two men with tremendous pride in their respective alma maters, would close after just a few opening chapters.

Tuesday morning, I awoke to confirm that it wasn’t an April Fools’ joke.

And now, I can’t help but consider the possibility that Jerome Allen has been slipping out of our grasp this whole time — with each display of his extreme dedication, each show of heart and coaching ability, each confession that he is human, each win.

Athletic directors undoubtedly have their eyes on the impressive Allen, like Fairfield had its eye on Johnson, Allen’s Princeton counterpart since the mid-’90s. Programs superior to Penn’s will likely one day attempt to lure Allen with more money, better players and a better chance to win.

Johnson probably found all three in Connecticut — after all, the Stags have won 46 games the last two seasons. In jumping ship, though, Johnson added to the Ivy League’s reputation as a coaching stepping stone; a means rather than an end.

Seven of the eight current Ivy coaches were hired within the last four years, and the list of departures for supposed greener pastures is growing: Bill Carmody from Princeton to Northwestern (2000), Craig Robinson from Brown to Oregon State (2008), Steve Donahue from Cornell to Boston College (2010).

All left after banner years that vaulted them into the coaching mix for better jobs.

Last year, Columbia’s Joe Jones even severed ties after seven years as head man in New York to join Donahue at BC as an assistant.

And, to be honest, it’s difficult to blame any of them for leaving. Scholarships at non-Ivy programs make them a good enough alternate destination. As does relief from worry about whether recruits’ SAT scores will meet the Ivies' high standards.

According to Boys’ Latin Charter High School’s Maurice Watson, father and coach of a 2012 recruit who is currently trying to boost his SAT scores to qualify for Penn, Allen has already grown frustrated with the restraints of the recruiting process. With each sub-standard score, it becomes less likely that Allen’s vision of granting local, inner-city kids a great basketball experience and even greater education comes to fruition.

But the bigger question is: does it become more likely that, somewhere down the road, Allen will opt to take his vision elsewhere?

Johnson’s move not only shakes up the situation at Princeton, but also provides a warning signal in Allen’s case.

I have great trust in him to put in the years of work to re-establish the Quakers as a league champion. After Monday’s turn of events, however, a seed of doubt creeped into my mind as to whether he’ll stick around to re-establish a full-on dynasty.

In a way, this is a character test for Allen. A test of whether he’ll be a man of his word, whether his emphasis on loyalty is empty talk or true belief. All signs over his two years point to the latter.

It’s also a test for Bilsky. The last time he thought he had a fixture at the head of the hoops team, Bilsky couldn't prevent Fran Dunphy from leaving for Temple.

Dunphy’s case presents the other warning signal. It seemed “The Mustache” would patrol the Palestra sidelines forever. Until it wasn’t.

As much as Jerome Allen and Penn seem inseparable, they are most definitely and most unfortunately not. That’s the takeaway lesson from Monday’s not-so-pleasant surprise.

Enjoy the “Varsity Sweater” while it lasts, because there are no givens in the Ivy League.

BRIAN KOTLOFF is a junior communication major from Elkins Park, Pa. He is Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. His email address is kotloff@theDP.com.

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