Where was the coach?

As of 7 o''clock this morning, I'm giving this year's Line my stamp of approval, and not just because of the sports department's run to the semifinals of last night's dodgeball tournament.

The one event that categorically disappointed, though, was the men's basketball rally. Seniors Ibrahim Jaaber and Steve Danley -- as well as new head coach Glen Miller -- were conspicuously absent. All apparently had legitimate excuses: I'm told that Danley and Jaaber were reading poetry at the Excelano project, while Miller was celebrating his wife's birthday.

After senior Mark Zoller's opening remarks, nobody seemed to want to take the microphone. The embarrassing sequence ended with an impromptu wave organized by new assistant coach Mike Martin.

I realize the circumstances that led to the absences were unavoidable. But isn't a basketball pep rally without the coach and team leader a bit like going to the Republican National Convention and not hearing from the presidential nominee?

I suppose that it doesn't make that much of a difference, since everyone who was at the rally is going to the games anyway. But it was a little surprising to see the men's team and its much larger fan base upstaged by women's coach Patrick Knapp shaking his tailfeather to the rhythm of the "Let's Go Quakers" chant.