A last home stand

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I don't really have a great measuring tool for how closely people on campus are paying attention to Penn basketball. But using the only one I've found thus far -- the number of people who come up to me and ask my opinion of the team -- I'd say things are pretty flat at the moment. That's too bad, because this weekend is about a lot more than just the final two home games of the season. It's a chance to see the beginning of the end of two very of the more enigmatic careers in recent Quakers history.

Eric Osmundson came to Penn from Carlsbad, Calif., by way of a year under longtime Utah coach Rick Majerus. He had a lot of potential as a guard when he got here, but almost immediately blew out his knee, so he couldn't even practice during the year he could not play as a result of the transfer. Then it took him the season after that to really regain his form.

(Yes, that's updated from what I originally wrote -- a friend emailed to explain the injury and transfer rules better than I can.)

I hope that Osmundson will be remembered for more than his four-point play and game-tying free throws during last season's comeback win over Princeton. I hope that he is remembered for his pace with the ball, for his ability to move off screens and hit three-pointers, and above all for his leadership both on and off the court. Even though he has not spent all four of his college years here, he has clearly earned the respect of his team and the Palestra faithful.

The other graduating senior, one who has spent his entire career at Penn and has not suffered any big injuries, is Friedrich Ebede. I'm not sure I've ever seen more questions asked about the potential of a single Quakers player since I've been here. His athleticism has always made fans want to see him on the floor for extended periods of time, even though the potential for a turnover was often equal to the potential for a slam dunk.

This year, though, Ebede has improved his game more than any of his teammates have except for Ibrahim Jaaber. The turnovers are gone, he has no fear about driving to the basket and he has even developed a pretty nice shooting touch from three-point range. So perhaps we can take this weekend to appreciate what Ebede has done instead of what might have been, because he also deserves a good sendoff.

If all of this isn't enough to make you want to show up to this weekend's games, there's still a chance that Penn could clinch the title, which would allow Osmundson and Ebede to sit on their own rims with the nets in hand instead of someone else's.