If you haven't seen the images that came out of Egypt on Feb. 15, you truly missed one of the scariest moments in recent sporting memory.
Fans of El Masry stormed the field in the aftermath of a 3-1 upset and attacked players and supporters of Al Ahly (Egypt's most famous soccer club). In the riots, 74 people died and over 1000 people were injured.
After the mandatory 40-day mourning period, soccer in Egypt is once again starting again and former Penn midfielder Aaron Ross captured the moment.
Ross, who is now a journalist in Egypt writing about politics, sports and business in post-Mubarak Egypt, wrote a post for NYTimes Goal Blog about the process of healing.
The unprecedented scene Sunday should not have been all that remarkable. There is little beyond rooting loyalty that distinguishes Al Ahly and Zamalek fans. The old geographic and social fault lines that used to divide them barely exist anymore. Outside Ultras life, rival fans are sometimes close friends.
But for those here, the experience was hard to wrap their heads around. “It was so, so strange,” Ahmed said afterward. “I felt like I was in a dream.”
On the ride back toward the Metro station, the two sets of fans shared one of the rickety buses ordinarily used to transport them from the stadium after games.
Unsurprisingly, on a vehicle packed with teenagers and early twentysomethings, the atmosphere was rowdy. But there was not a whiff of animosity in the air.
Ross' work has appeared in a number of publications including Mother Jones, The Nation, Egypt Independent and Global Post.
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Okay. I get it. The stadium is somewhat far. For whatever ridiculous reason, you may not even like baseball. But it's gonna be seventy degrees and, if there was ever a day to suck it up and enjoy our national past time, it's tomorrow at three for our home opener against Temple.
Besides the weather, it should be a good game. At 5-10, Temple's is going be an even matchup for the Quakers. And, at 3-5, the Red and Blue are actually ranked second in the Ivy League, so, while they're record may not show it, they aren't really a bad team. Plus, there's a promising freshman pitching - Connor Bernhard - in his fourth start of his career.
So pack your soda (or whatever other cold, enjoyable, mid-day beverage that you may discretely enjoy) and walk down to Palestra. Then go past the Palestra onto the bridge on the right. Then take that path for another quarter mile.
Shut up. You need the exercise.
And check out this promotional video the Penn baseball team made; it's actually incredibly well-done.
The Penn basketball community is mourning the loss of one of its greatest leaders today. Former coach Dick Harter, who led the Quakers from 1966-71, died last night of cancer at his home in Hilton Head, S.C., according to the Eugene, Ore., Register Guard.
Harter, who played for Penn in the early 50s, led what is considered one of the greatest Penn and Philadelphia basketball teams of all time in 1970-71 (which was ranked 3rd in the nation), a team that included Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky, as well as Corky Calhoun and Dave Wohl. Harter led Penn to two Ivy titles, two Big 5 titles and two NCAA tournaments, including a trip to the East Regional Finals. He is a member of the Big 5 and Penn Halls of Fame.
“I was shocked to learn of the passing of Coach Harter," Bilsky said. "More than anyone else, he is the person most responsible for creating the great legacy of Penn basketball. He will be greatly missed. Our condolences go out to Mary and Coach Harter's children.”
He went on to coach at Oregon before moving to the NBA where he was an assistant for a half-dozen teams.
Here are some more stories on the coaching legend:
Today, in all its 66º glory, I went for a run through the wonderful Penn Park.
It's been called a "milestone for Philadelphia" and "healthy fun" (Amy Gutmann, September, 2011), an "Exclamation point" and "really fantastic" (Steve Bilsky, September, 2011), and "an urban oasis" (Me, right now). Penn park is all of these things. But since early November, its greenscape has been dominated by a white mass of canvas and cable — the seasonal air structure.
With temperatures projected to remain in the upper 60s for the next 10 days, and lows in the upper 40s, it's time for the bubble to go.
It has served the Penn athletic community well over the last four months. I thoroughly expect every spring varsity team to be at championship level this year after benefiting from the bubble's climate-controlled atmosphere this winter. But it's also kind of ugly. When the Park opened last September, Penn administrators made it clear that the park would be a vibrant, attractive eastern entrance to the university. Instead, the seasonal air structure makes Penn Park look like a campsite for the Michelin Man.
Back at the beginning of the fall semester, Athletic Director Bilsky said the bubble would be up from November to March. As it took several weeks to erect (in Bilsky's words, "It’s not like blowing up an air mattress. It’s a big time thing"), it will probably take some time to take down. Let's get that process started as soon as possible.
"We welcome change and openness … [Athletic Director Bilsky], if you seek prosperity for the [spring varsity] and [club sports teams], if you seek [aesthetically pleasing landscapes], come here to this [seasonal air structure]. Mr. [Bilsky], open this gate. Mr. [Bislky], Mr. [Bilsky], tear down this [seasonal air structure]!"
Do you like basketball? Do you like college basketball? Do you like college basketball in March? Do you like winning free beer money?
If you skimmed the first three questions and answered yes to the fourth, then enter the DP's March Madness Bracket Challenge. Winner gets a $100 gift card from our sponsor, The Blarney Stone, and if you can do better than the Stone's bracket they'll give you a free cheesesteak! Enter here. It's free!
Penn men's basketball missed out on its shot at an Ivy playoff and the chance to play for an NCAA tournament bid last week in a crushing loss to Princeton — but the Quakers will have at least a chance to end on a better note.
After missing out on a bid to the National Invitational Tournament, the Quakers will host a game in the College Basketball Invitational Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. against Quinnipiac out of the Northeast Conference. The Bobcats lost to eventual NEC champion Long Island in the conference semifinals. For Penn it is the program's 25th post-season appearance, but just second outside of the NCAA tournament.
Quinnipiac beat Yale, 68-62, in November. The other common opponent between the Bobcats and Quakers this season is Robert Morris, which lost to Qunnipiac twice this season by narrow margins. Penn beat RMU by six in the fourth game of the season. The Bobcats have an RPI of 155, compared to Penn, which sits at 98.
If Penn advances, it would play the winner of Delaware-Butler. The Quakers beat Delaware by nine earlier this season. Butler is the two-time NCAA tournament runner-up. The quarterfinal game would be Monday, March 19th.
Princeton will also play in the CBI, traveling to Evansville, in a bracket that also features Wofford and Pittsburgh. You can view the full CBI bracket here.
Earlier in the day, Harvard heard its fate during the NCAA tournament selection show. The 12th seeded Crimson travel to Albuquerque, N.M., to face Vanderbilt, a five-seed in the East region. The Commodores beat No. 1 overall seed Kentucky earlier Sunday to capture the SEC title. Should Harvard advance, they will likely face No. 4 Wisconsin in the next round.
No Ivy teams made the NIT, though Princeton was considered a bubble team for that tournament. Philadelphia's lone representative in the NCAA tournament is fifth-seeded Temple, which will take on the winner of California/Southern Florida in the Midwest region. La Salle and St. Joseph's will both represent the Big 5 in the NIT, facing Minnesota and Northern Iowa, respectively. Drexel, which barely missed the cut for the NCAA tournament, will also play in the NIT against Central Florida. Yale will also get another chance to play, facing former Princeton coach Sydney Johnson at Fairfield in the first round of the College Insider Tournament (CIT). The Stags lost in the MAAC conference finals last week.
On Friday, Penn Athletics emailed basketball season ticket holders informing them that the Quakers would play in a postseason tournament, hosting a game at the Palestra Wednesday if the Quakers didn't make the NIT. The email offered an exclusive presale to season ticket holders, adding the general admission tickets would go on sale Monday.
CBI host teams pay a substantial sum to play the game on their home court. According to this piece from Hamptonroads.com, it costs $35,000 to host a first-round matchup. Teams recoup costs in ticket and concession sales, as well as eliminated travel costs. Chairback seats will cost $20, general admissions will be $12 and student tickets will be $5. Penn needs only to sell about 3,000 tickets $12 to make back the entrance-fee cost. That shouldn't be a problem for Penn, which averaged about 4,400 per home game this season.
The Red and Blue Crew will sell student tickets to the game on Locust Walk Tuesday and Wednesday.
Nampa, Idaho - Maalik Reynolds keeps setting the bar higher.
The 6-foot-7 high jumper was named an Indoor All-American after finishing eighth in the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
The sophomore cleared 2.20 meters (7' 2.5") on his final attempt to secure a top-eight finish in the end-of-the-year competition.
Only one of the final eight competitors made it over 2.23-meter bar on his first attempt.
On Reynolds' second attempt at 2.23 meters, he couldn't arch his back enough to clear the bar and a failed clearance on the third attempt guaranteed that he would exit the competition.
Despite only three jumpers clearing 2.23 meters, a miss on the opening height of 2.10 meters and two misses at 2.20 meters meant that Reynolds would finish behind the four others who were also unable to clear 2.23 meters.
Reynolds was named an All-American last June after finishing seventh in 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa with a 2.14-meter leap.
The finish Saturday was his tied for his second-highest jump this season and all-time indoors, topped only by a 2.23-meter leap at the Millrose Games on Feb. 11 in New York.
Five Penn wrestlers can finally book their tickets to St. Louis.
Returning All-American Zack Kemmerer will be joined by junior Micah Burak, senior Bryan Ortenzio (pictured), freshman Steve Robertson and senior Erich Smith.
Kemmerer, who last year finished eighth, will be making his third appearance in the end-of-year tournament. The141-pound senior finished fifth during the weekend at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association's championships. He will face fellow unseeded Evan Henderson from North Carolina in a first-round matchup.
Penn's hottest wrestler heading into the tournament will be Bryan Ortenzio. The 133-pound senior came away from EIWAs with a win and in the process became Penn's first champion since 2008. He is seeded No. 12.
The pair will be joined by fellow three-time qualifier Micah Burak. The 197 pounder reached the finals of the EIWA to clinch his spot, but lost to long time rival Cam Simaz of Cornell, whom he has never beaten in nine tries. Burak reached the Round of 12 in last year's championships, but fell one win short of All-American status. He is seeded No. 11 at the Championships.
Senior Erich Smith, a transfer from Michigan, and freshman Steve Robertson will both be making debut appearances at the NCAA Championships. Robertson finished the year 23-8 and came away with fifth place at the EIWAs.
Smith overcame a first round loss to No. 2 Robert Hamlin in the EIWAs to clinch a berth at the NCAA Championships by virtue of his third place finish.
The only disappointment was the exclusion of Ivy League Rookie of the Year Lorenzo Thomas. Thomas, who is 23-10, finished just in seventh and couldn't lock up one of the four at-large bids.
The wrestlers will head to Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Monday.
Penn's sophomore Alyssa Baron was named second-team All-Ivy earlier today.
The guard who averaged 16.9 points per game over the entire campaign led the Quakers to a 13-15 record overall and 6-8 finish in the Ivy.
Baron, who was an honorable mention All-Ivy last year, led the entire league in minutes played with 1,025. She scored more than 20 points on ten different occasions in a up and down season for Penn. The Quakers had a program-best start at 7-2 and finished with its most wins since 2004-05.
Today, the Ivy League announced Penn senior guard Zack Rosen was voted Ivy League Player of the Year by the Ancient Eight coaches. Rosen becomes the first Penn player to be named to the honor since Ibrahim Jaaber won the award in the 2006-07 season.
Rosen is the 13th player in Penn history to earn the award, with the 13 men combining for 16 POYs, the most of any program in the Ancient Eight. Michael Jordan (1999-00), Ugonna Onyekwe (2001-02, 2002-03), Tim Begley (2004-05), and Jaaber (2005-06, 2006-07) are other Quakers who have won the award since 2000.
This season, Rosen led the Ivy League in scoring (18.5 points per game), three-point field goal percentage (40.7 percent), and minutes played (38.1 minutes per game). The senior guard also finished in the Top 10 in six other categories: assists (3rd, 5.2 per game), free throw percentage (3rd, 89.2 percent), three-pointers made (2.3 per game), assist-to-turnover ratio (5th, 1.8), steals (6th, 1.4 per game), and field goal percentage (9th, 45.7 percent).
Rosen was one of two players unanimously selected to the All-Ivy First Team, along with Princeton junior Ian Hummer. Others to receive the honor include Columbia's Brian Barbour, Cornell's Chris Wroblewski, Harvard's Kyle Casey, and Yale's Greg Mangano. Senior teammate Rob Belcore was the only other Penn player to earn All-Ivy honors, being named an honorable mention.
Rosen finishes his career at Penn as the Quakers' all-time leader in both assists and minutes, and third all-time in scoring, with 1,686 points.
The Good: The Support. Was it really spring break? Over a third of Jadwin Gym was singing and cheering for the Quakers. I had a senior friend, who before this year had never come to a basketball game, make it to the last three contests. According to the Daily Princetonian writers sitting next to us, the Penn faithful (who were stuck in the upper deck by Princeton Athletics) were louder and more obnoxious than even the home student section.
The Bad: Just about everything offensively. After the offensive outburst against Yale the other night, Penn couldn't make a shot in the second half. Senior guard Zack Rosen shot just 3-for-14 down the stretch. The Quakers hit just one three (in seven attempts) in the first half and dug themselves too big a hole to overcome. The team had just 8 assists to 13 turnovers and only got to the foul line three times the entire contest.
Also Bad: Ian Hummer killing Penn. The Princeton forward did just about everything right. Offensively, he scored 18 points and dished out four assists. Defensively, he recorded four blocks, three steals and 10 boards — in addition to doubling Rosen every time a screen came for the Penn guard. Hummer was easily the player of the game and, for tonight, the best player on the court.
The Ugly: A loss to your rival prevents a championship. This will be a bitter pill to swallow for Penn fans for many years to come. This was the year the Red and Blue were finally supposed to erase the demons of Glen Miller. But it wasn't to be. A loss to their rival will allow another rival to back in to the tournament. Worst of all, Rosen, Rob Belcore, Mike Howlett and Tyler Bernardini will form one more class of basketball players who will never taste an Ivy championship.
It's finally time for tipoff! For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Quakers (19-11, 11-2 Ivy) will have a chance to clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title tonight against archrival Princeton (18-11, 9-4) at Jadwin Gymnasium. Penn is red hot with its seven-game winning streak, but the Tigers also come in on a good note, having won seven of their last eight. Follow along as Sushaan Modi and Mike Wisniewski duel blog the action live with The Daily Princetonian:
We're at Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, N.J., where the Penn women's hoops team taks on Princeton in the season finale. Princeton (23-4, 13-0 Ivy) has already clinched the Ivy League title. The Quakers (13-14, 6-7) have won four of their last five. This will be the last collegiate game for seniors F Jess Knapp and F Jourdan Banks.
So there may be a couple variables at play here, and correlation doesn't equal causation (Hey, Mom, I learned something in Psych 001!) but lets look at how seniors Zack Rosen, Rob Belcore, Tyler Bernardini and Mike Howlett played last night, compared to their season averages.
Zack Rosen: Had an all around great night, and as you can see did better than the typical Rosen performance (if that's what you can call it). What's amazing here is that he did this in only 30 minutes — eight below his season average.
Rob Belcore: In my opinion, Belcore was the player of the game for how he handled the tough assignment of Yale big man Greg Mangano. Belcore, listed as four inches shorter than the 6-foot-10 Mangano, actually requested the defensive assignment earlier this week, and after the game coach Jerome Allen called it "probably the most impressive performance I’ve seen in this league the way [Belcore] made Mangano work for everything he got." Belcore held the center to ten points, eight points below his season average. The point of all that praise, is that it won't necessarily show up the following graph; nonetheless Belcore still outdid himself:
Tyler Bernardini: The fifth-year senior has struggled the last three weeks dealing with a foot injury, though this weekend he was noticeably more mobile than the last two, and played his most minutes (28) since the Dartmouth game three weeks ago. While his numbers were below average, he continues to play stellar defense:
Mike Howlett: There's not a large sample size for Howlett, who averages about 10 minutes per game, but he too had a good night by his standards:
On the heels of a 20-point performance to defeat Yale on his senior night Saturday, Penn point guard Zack Rosen told The Daily Pennsylvanian that he has received an invite to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a premier showcase for college seniors with NBA prospects.
Rosen will join Yale forward Greg Mangano and Harvard forward Keith Wright at the tournament, which is held April 11-14 in Portsmouth, Va. The last Ivy League player to attend the PIT was Harvard guard and New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin. To have three Ivy players invited speaks to the caliber of the league this season.
While the rosters for Portsmouth won't be announced until early April, the tournament's website already lists five players as attendees, including Rosen's close friend Scott Machado of Iona. The two played together at St. Benedict's. Xavier's Tu Holloway and Virginia's Mike Scott are also listed, along with Bradford Burgess of VCU and Jason Clark of Georgetown.
Rosen has an outside shot of making the NBA out of college and he continues to prove why he deserves a shot. He is a frontrunner for Ivy League Player of the Year, and a strong candidate for the Big 5's award as well. NBA scouts have been through the Palestra frequently this season — the Clippers and Spurs have both visited in recent weeks — and Lin's success surely only helps the reputation of Ivy League players, who are often overlooked by scouts.
The Ivy League announced tonight that Penn's title game against Princeton has been picked up by ESPN3. The Quakers win over Harvard two weeks ago was also broadcast on the streaming site — this will be the third game this season that ESPN3 has aired.
Also notable from the Ivy League news release are some statistics about viewership for Penn's three games broadcast by ESPN3 last season. From the league office:
The League received three late-season appearances on ESPN3 during the 2010-11 season that drew a combined 85,017 unique viewers -- 13,494 for the March 5 Princeton at Harvard game, 17,074 for the March 8 Princeton at Penn game and 54,449 for the March 12 Harvard-Princeton playoff game in New Haven, Conn.
The Good: Penn's team defense. Coach Jerome Allen was quick to point out out that although it wasn't all Belcore, the senior played probably the best defensive game of the year on All-Ivy center Greg Mangano. The Quakers as a team held Yale's big three of Mangano, Austin Morgan and Reggie Willhite to a combined 17 points.
Also Good: A blowout victory. Penn led by as much as 29 points in the second half, their largest lead of the Ivy League season. The large lead gave the Quakers some much needed breathing room and a little rest as they head into Tuesday's game at Princeton (their third game in five days).
The Bad: Henry Brooks foul trouble. Senior Mike Howlett started, but as soon as Henry Brooks entered the game, he picked up two quick fouls and had to come out. Brooks picked up his third foul early ten seconds into the second half and will need to avoid foul trouble if he is to contribute against Princeton.
The Ugly: Greg Mangano's offensive performance. You'd be hard pressed to find something ugly about Penn's performance tonight. They were knocking down shots, they defended for a full 20 minutes and they played above their competition. However, the senior big man from Yale severely disappointed in his collegiate finale. He was frustrated all night and even seemed disinterested at points during the game.
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