Jerome Allen
To battle last night, and then to come back tonight with the right focus, and to pay attention to details, and to be somewhat locked in, and the things you try to accomplish is just a testament to just their desire.
On Harvard’s defense in the second half:
We said regardless of what’s going on, let’s trust one another, let’s play for one another and continue to defend. When the ball’s not going in the basket, if you defend, you’re still giving yourself a chance to win.
Having coached and played at Penn, the significance of the game:
The atmosphere was great. Even when we played them in Philadelphia, it was a sellout in Philly, it was a sellout here. And this is what college basketball is all about, in my opinion. Whether it be the alumni coming out to support, the student bodies going up against one another, I just think it’s great. There’s nothing like college basketball.
On Zack Rosen's will to win:
Like I said, Zack’s made tough shots all year. And the shots he made tonight, I wasn’t surprised. He had some shots when we played them in Philadelphia, the same type of shots that didn’t go in. I just want him to continue to be himself, to continue to trust his teammates, continue to defend. They all played for one another.
On what wasn’t working offensively in the first half:
We turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, and it’s hard to win at the Division I level if you don’t value the ball. And we gave up six or eight second-chance points. Even though their bigs are very athletic, it’s about will and about throwing the first punch. In the first half, we kind of got a little relaxed, didn’t value the ball. But to their credit, they stuck with it.
On the growing legend of Zack Rosen:
I truly, truly appreciate the fact that I have an opportunity to coach him, because he wants to be coached. He works extremely hard — whether it be diving on the floor for loose balls, or if he’s the last guy to leave the gym — that’s Zack, and it’s a direct function of the work that he’s put out, and for no other reason. ... I tried to tell him, ‘Yeah, we won the game,’ and I looked at him, and he was telling the guys, ‘Hurry up, let’s go in the locker room. Let’s go home, we still got work to do,’ and because I saw that demeanor, I know that he’s locked in and that he wants something more.
Penn may have beaten Harvard on the court on Saturday, but off the court Harvard has emerged as the top recruiting team in the Ivy League. And some think that Harvard's recruiting will only improve thanks to the rise of Jeremy Lin.
Paul Wachter ofBusiness Week also analyzed Harvard's recruiting in an article written last Thursday. Wachter claims that Harvard Coach Tommy Amaker's successful (albeit controversial) recruiting helped foster strong student support on campus and turned the Crimson into an Ivy powerhouse even before the recent outbreak of Linsanity. Even former Penn Coach Fran Dunphy chimed in to say that Amaker has done a great job. Check out the two articles after the jump.
As was discussed in the comments sections of the Zack Rosen postgame clip, Harvard has a very quirky method of dealing with postgame interviews. Harvard coach Tommy Amaker, here in the press room on the second floor of Lavietes Pavilion, discusses his team's performance. We were only able to catch the last question after running over from interviews with the Penn players.
DP Sports Writer Allison Bart traveled to Boston last night with her dad for the game. As a lifelong Penn hoops fan, here's her perspective.
I've been going to Penn games for as long as I can remember. My dad, C'78 and XPN Penn sports broadcaster back in the day, got season tickets back in the early nineties and we've been going ever since, though now I sit in the student section. I traveled to numerous NCAA games through 2007 and my "why penn?" essay used Penn basketball as an allegory to student life. Needless to say, I am a lifelong fan.
*******
I had almost forgotten what this feels like.
The Quakers’ section was roaring and on their feet. Players had to hold each other back from the excitement and nerves.
5.7 seconds were left in the game.
The ball looked very much to go off Harvard’s Kyle Casey, but the Crimson kept the ball.
Harvard fans were jumping up and down, chanting, “We believe that we will win.”
Casey drove to the basket, looking for the game-winning bucket. The Harvard student section went crazy, but soon becomes silent and stunned. Screams of excitement began roaring from the Penn side. Assistant coach Rudy Wise turned toward the fans with a huge smile. Casey called for the charge into Tyler Bernardini.
3.5 seconds left in the game and a timeout.
Jerome looked the players in the eyes, smiled and began talking to his team. Even the older alumni were on their feet, jumping. Bernardini in visible pain, but ready to finish it – and that is what they did. Zack Rosen, who scored 20 points for the Red and Blue, beamed as he exited the court.
This was the best win in my memory.
Growing up going to Penn games, I have seen some amazing match-ups whether part of 2002’s three-way tie with Princeton and Yale or the many other title-clinchers. But nothing has ever felt like this. This was the ultimate underdog story – and back then, that was rarely the case.
This is just a tremendous victory for the team, the Penn community, and the hopeless freshman fan.
After the past four years, I wasn’t sure that I would ever feel this way again – the utter excitement and pandemonium after a meaningful come-from-behind win.
This Penn team struggled through injuries, exhaustion and fouls to beat the odds.
As Harvard fans bent their heads down into their elbows still in shock, the Penn cheerleaders entered the court as the band began to play. I never felt prouder singing the Red and the Blue.
Tears were streaming from fans’ faces as the song came to a close and the roar of the small yet substantial Penn crowd grew in volume.
This Penn team, especially the seniors, deserved this win. They fought for it and they got it. They were able to come back from a deficit and execute when it mattered most.
The majority of the Penn band, cheerleaders, alumni, students and other fans that made the trek to the game didn’t rush out of the arena. They stayed, cheering on the players and coaching staff as they came down the stairs from the locker room one by one.
Smiles, hugs, high-fives, handshakes and pictures. It looked as though the title had just been won.
Though that is obviously not the case, it meant almost as much.
While the Penn team will soon begin preparing for next weekend’s games against Brown and Yale, they should not let the feeling of this triumph fade.
This team needed this win, and they had the heart and drive to accomplish such a feat.
As each player came down those stairs, smile on face, the cheers grew louder.
The Good: A comeback win against a quality opponent. Penn has played to its competition all year. It has had close losses against teams that are good, but beatable (ie Temple) and they play poorly against teams they should crush (ie Dartmouth). Today, however, the Quakers played poorly, especially in the first half, but still managed to pull off a victory. The win says a lot about their character and hopefully they can carry this momentum to the end of the season.
Also Good: Zack Rosen. The man can straight-up play. It might be beating a dead horse by this point, but he really carried the Quakers offense this weekend. Rosen, struggled from the field, only shooting 6-for-14, but with the game on the line he demanded the ball and he delivered.
Also Good Pt. 2: This will go along with the bad (see fouls), but the Quakers played solid defense all game long. The numbers won't reflect it, but Rob Belcore was guarding Kyle Casey or Steve Moundou-Missi the entire night, giving up almost 50 pounds to Casey. Henry Brooks and Fran Dougherty were active and disruptive all game and even collected a couple of blocks each.
The Bad: Inability to create offense. Penn could only score 22 points in the first half. They left runners hanging, they were sloppy with their shot selection, and they missed wide-open looks. The Red and Blue played much better in the second half, but still need to find a way to make up Tyler Bernardini's missing production.
The Ugly: Fouls. Penn committed eight fouls in the first half and 12 in the second. The problem was the Quakers committed many of the fouls early and often. In the second half, the Crimson were in the bonus midway through the period. Both guard Steve Rennard and forward Henry Brooks, fouled out. Harvard shot 26 free throws for the entire game, dwarfing Penn's 11 free-throw attempts. (Note: Penn hit 11 of their 12 FTs; Harvard hit 20 of 26)
It's finally here. Penn against Harvard. The Quakers (16-11, 8-2) have just four games left to catch up with the first-place Crimson (24-3, 10-1) . Penn edged Dartmouth, 57-54, last night at Leede Arena, thanks to stand out performances Rob Belcore (14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals) and Zack Rosen (27 points on 10-for-20 shooting). The Red and Blue lost to Harvard, the first time they played this season, 56-50, in front of 7,462. The Crimson can clinch a share of the Ivy title with a win here tonight.
It's hard to think of a more difficult way for men's fencing to recover from the disappointing Ivy Championships, in which they suffered their first three losses on the season, than with today's Temple Invitationals. They went up against the no. 2 (Penn State), no.3 (St. John's), and no. 4 (Princeton) squads in the country.
The Quakers started out the day beating the Nittany Lions, 15-12, but then proceeded to lose to the Red Storm, 17-10, and the Tigers (for the second time in two weeks), 11-16. The Red and Blue already defeated Penn State earlier this season, which, in turn, has beaten Harvard twice. At the Ivies, the Crimson delivered onto Penn their crushing first loss, ending chances for an undefeated season. In other words, among the top ten in men's fencing, it's musical chairs. The Quakers have had trouble finding their seat in the last two tournaments.
He tosses a couple blades of grass in the air and watches them blow away. Turning back to his caddie, a smile spreads across Roy McAvoy's face as he says, "This is everything, ain't it? This is the choice it comes down to; this is our immortality."
You know the situation for tonight: lose and it's over, win and things get interesting. The players obviously know it too. On the day of the game, the gravity of the situation is apparent in everything that takes place. Guys making eye contact and giving a little head nod goes from meaning, "What's up?" on any normal day to meaning, "Let's do this." People you haven't heard from in months are texting you to tell you they'll be watching. Facebook is covered in messages expressing support.
Once you walk in the gym, it's no different. The Harvard student section will be in there early, loud and obnoxious as always during warmups. If an "errant" outlet pass during layup lines happens to connect with the head of a particularly noisy coed, well, she shouldn't have been standing there. Lavietes is no Palestra, but I assure you that place will be hot, loud, and filled to capacity as it should be for this game.
As the players leave their respective huddles and prepare for the tip, Zack Rosen will take one or two last jumps with his knees to his chest and Rob will survey the court, looking like he's about to kill somebody. My one hope is that those two, along with Tyler, Mike, and Larry take one brief moment to survey the scene around them and think, "This is everything ain't it?".
The Good: Rob Belcore all over the court. The forward helped turn the momentum of the game. With Penn down 35-33, Belcore stole the ball on back-to-back possessions finishing one with a old-fashioned three-point play and feeding Miles Cartwright for a layup. The two plays capped a quick seven-point run for the Quakers and put the team up for good. Belcore finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals and was constantly active on the defensive end.
Also Good: Zack Rosen, again. Although the captain had an off-night from distance, Rosen still scored 27 points on 10-for-20 shooting and reaffirmed his status as Ivy Player of the Year favorite. The senior scored of Penn's last 16 points and really was the Quakers' only consistent offensive threat in the second half.
The Bad: 8:45 without scoring a FG. After Henry Brooks hit a short jumper to open the second half, Penn went almost nine minutes without making another field goal. Their only points during that span came from a pair of Belcore free throws.
The Ugly:Zero points off the bench. If you exclude Steve Rennard, who played 30 minutes without scoring, only Penn starters scored the entire game. Tyler Bernardini was held scoreless in ten minutes of action and the rest of the Penn bench was 0-for-4 from the field. The Red and Blue starters will need some support if they hope to win tomorrow at Harvard.
With only five games left on the season, the Quakers (15-11, 7-2 Ivy) still control their own destiny. If the Red and Blue hope to capture their first Ivy League title since 2006-07, they'll need to take care of Dartmouth (5-21, 1-9). The Big Green nearly upset Penn at the Palestra two weeks ago — it took a last-minute three by Zack Rosen for Penn to get the win.
While my co-editors Mike Wisniewski and Sushaan Modi are traveling the lovely roads of New England this weekend, I'm holding down the fort in Philadelphia. And though I hate to miss an Ivy roadtrip, I'm happy I can stick around University City to catch the Penn-Harvard game Saturday night on ESPN3. But of course, what's a big game without our friends at the Blarney Stone? The Stone and the Red and Blue Crew have teamed up to present a viewing party for all Saturday night.
Blarney will have tons of great specials, giveaways, prizes "and more!" Not sure what that entails, but it will definitely be a great time. 18 to enter, 21 to drink.
Don't forget to catch Wiz & Sush on the liveblog tonight at 7 at Dartmouth, and follow along Saturday night as well. Join the conversation!
You've got a really quick shot and are able to get shots off despite tight defense. Have you been working on that?
Yeah. Ever since I was little, I had this one trainer, Mike Rice, he was the coach of Robert Morris [and current Rutgers coach], he was my trainer and that was one of the things he emphasized most was quick release — 'be fast but don’t rush' — ever since then I’ve been trying to get my shot off quickly. But once I got to college I didn’t really know what that meant. It’s a whole 'nother level.
You've hit some pretty clutch shots over the last few weeks, do you like getting the ball in those situations?
Absolutely. Obviously the confidence comes in knowing how much work you’ve put in. I’ve been trying to get up as many shots as possible before practice so when I do get in the game I feel confident in myself that I can make those shots.
That corner spot right in front of the Penn bench [see photo above] has become your favorite shot. What is it about that spot?
People say that they don’t like the corner for whatever reason — I don’t know, if the backboard's not behind it. It’s a circular net. The only reason why people don’t like the corner shot that I can think of is they don’t practice it. Every shot is the same to me. I just try and practice every spot just in case. I never know where I’m going to be on the floor, so I don’t want to not like one shot less than the other.
Former Senior Sports Editor Cal Silcox and I talk about Penn's wins over Cornell and Columbia and what the Quakers need to do to win at Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend and keep their Ivy title hopes alive.
I spoke with Jeff Cragg on Monday for a brief interview on no one topic in particular. Below is the version that was printed. The full minute or so of questions and answers is after the jump.
One word to describe beating your dad’s record: Exciting
When did you know you wanted to be a Quaker?
A long time. I was born in this hospital. My dad went to Penn obviously, so a long time coming.
Favorite professional athlete? Travis Rice
Tebow Mania or Linsanity? Tebow Mania
Best movie? Saving Private Ryan
Favorite book? Angels & Demons
Favorite class at Penn? Forensics
Least favorite? BPUB
If you weren’t a diver you’d be … a snowboarder
Free time? Guitar
Best thing about diving?
Freedom. I really like jumping into the air and falling – the feeling of falling and being able to relieve stress from the rest of the day.
In ten years? Unknown
Biggest fear? The unknown
Pet peeve?
People who don’t know how to merge. 76 West. I feel like all Philly drivers don’t know how to merge. That drives me nuts.
If you had to listen to three songs on repeat for the rest of your life, they’d be…
Oh my gosh. Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers and Time by Pink Floyd
Best thing about Penn?
The fact that it is whatever you want it to be. It could be the ultimate scholastic experience or a giant party any day of the week.
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