The Quakers (5-2) will take on the Dragons (5-3) at noon this afternoon at the Palestra. Last season, the Red and Blue suffered a 31-point loss to their City 6 rival, but with a new and improved defense this year, today's matinee promises to be a much closer contest. Follow along as Mike Wisniewski and Lucas O'Connor bring you the action live:
Off to its best start in program history at 5-2, the women's basketball team faces one more test before winter break when they take on Drexel at the Palestra today at noon. The team will certainly be looking to put forth a better showing this year, as last season the Dragons handed the Red and Blue their second-worst loss on the year. We'll be liveblogging our first women's game this afternoon, but here are some notes on last year's contest to keep you occupied until tipoff:
Yesterday we brought you a twitter conversation between two sports writers who discussed Penn's Zack Rosen among their picks for top point guard in the nation.
Today's daily dose of Zack Rosen loving comes from CBS Sports' Jeff Borzello, who profiled Rosen in an article titled "Rosen's hard work and leadership transform Penn."
The story features some nice input from assistant coach Mike Martin:
"He's battled through tons of adversity as we’ve struggled,” Martin said. “He never stopped working. There was plenty of frustration but his approach to working never changed.”And Borzello heaps some mighty praise on Rosen as well:
Without Rosen, Penn would be in the cellar of the Ivy, just beginning the rebuilding process. Moreover, the Quakers wouldn’t be keeping up with Harvard in the arms race of Ivy recruiting. He was part of the program’s darkest days, but he’s also jumpstarted its return to prominence.So yeah, Zack Rosen is really, really good.
After three seasons at the helm of the Yale football program, coach Tom Williams resigned today, amid an investigation into claims he made about being a candidate for the Rhodes Scholarship.
The New Haven Register reports that Williams has decided to step down, though the results of the investigation were never made public, and his resignation will take effect at the end of the calendar year.
Last month, Yale Senior quarterback Patrick Witt made national headlines when he chose to play in The Game vs. Harvard over attending an interview for a Rhodes Scholarship in Georgia. Some believed Williams misled people in implying that he too faced a similar situation with football and the Rhodes Scholarship, though a New York Times investigation found no record of Williams' candidacy for the scholarship. After the article ran, Yale launched an investigation to look into the matter.
The New Haven Register had this statement from Williams:
“I wish to clear the record,” Williams said in a statement. “On the Rhodes Scholarship issue, I was encouraged to apply by the Stanford Fellowship office, which identified me ‘as the kind of student who demonstrates the intellect, energy and commitment that the Rhodes selection committees seek in their applicants.’ I considered the opportunity, sought advice and was encouraged to apply by faculty members and my coach Bill Walsh, but I did not apply.”In his short tenure with the Elis, Yale went 16-14 overall, 11-10 in the Ivy League, finishing in ties for second place both of the last two seasons. Yale will begin searching for a new coach immediately, according to the Register.He continued, “During the spring of my senior year, I was given an opportunity to attend a tryout camp with the San Francisco 49ers, and I participated in that three-day event. I did not sign a free agent contract with the 49ers or participate in their summer training camp for signed players.”
“I am extremely proud of my academic, athletic and coaching career. If there was confusion created, I take full responsibility. The timing of this inquiry has been difficult for everyone. At this point I believe it is in the best interest of my student-athletes and Yale University that I step down,” he said.
Williams' spot is now the second Ivy football opening this offseason, after Columbia fired coach Norries Wilson. The Lions replaced Wilson with Pete Mangurian, a former Cornell coach.
We've heard the platitudes of Zack Rosen's awesomeness from coach after coach after coach in post-game press conferences. "He's playing about as well as any guard in the nation," they say. It's a given at this point.
We've seen the national recognition for Rosen, in the form of a second nomination for the Bob Cousy award, announced yesterday.
Well, here's your latest daily dose of praise for Penn's point guard:
Today on twitter, CBS college basketball writer Jeff Goodman posed a question to his contemporary Doug Gottlieb at ESPN:
Gottlieb responded with his top 10. Not surprisingly, Rosen made the list. But maybe it is surprising just how high up Penn's #1 sits: Oh, and then this happened:So yeah, Zack Rosen (with a 'K,' for the love of your copy editors) is really good.
For the second-straight year, Zack Rosen is up for the Bob Cousy Award. Rosen is up against 64 other point guards throughout the country, including locals Tyreek Duran (La Salle) and Maalik Wayns (Villanova).
PGs from several Ivy schools made the list as well — Columbia's Brian Barbour, Cornell's Chris Wroblewski and Harvard's Brandyn Curry. Check the full list here.
Rosen currently ranks No. 14 in the country among guards in points per game (20.8) and No. 21 in assists per game (6.0).
The field of 65 will be narrowed to 20 by the New Year, and continues to split in half each month until the winner is announced during the Final Four weekend in New Orleans.
Class of 2013 Power Forward Isaiah Watkins lists Penn among schools he is considering, according to Alex Kline on ZagsBlog. The Quakers are in the mix with Arkansas, Cincinnati, Temple, Harvard and Indiana, but the 6-foot-8 PF is at St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey -- Zack Rosen's alma mater. Scout.com lists him at No. 19 for power forwards, but does not include Penn on his school of interests.
Two 2011 Penn graduates were drafted in the Major League Lacrosse supplemental draft yesterday. Midfielder Al Kohart was selected in the ninth round by the Chesapeake Bayhawks, and defenseman Brett Hughes was chosen in the 17th round by the Denver Outlaws.
During his time at Penn, Kohart tallied 72 goals and 20 asssits in 54 games, and he was named second-team All-Ivy twice — in 2008 and 2011. Hughes was a two-time captain and named first-team All-Ivy in 2011.
The eight-team league is set to open up its season on April 28.
We thought the epic "Battle for I-95" in September would be the last we'd see of NBA players at the Palestra, at least for a while.
We thought wrong.
New Philadelphia 76ers CEO Adam Aron announced to Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com last night that the Palestra will play host to a Sixers intra-squad scrimmage on Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. Aron said the event will feature coach Doug Collins mic'd up, the dance team, the dunk squad (if you haven't been to the Wells Fargo Center since the Iverson trade, check them out), and a post-game autograph session with the players. Most importantly, IT'S FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. No tickets required, just first-come, first-serve.
This is also not the first time this semester that the Sixers have associated themselves with the Palestra. Back in October, the franchise introduced its new owners -- led by Wharton alum Joshua Harris -- in a press conference at "The Cathedral"
A day after men's track and field coach Charlie Powell announced his retirement from coaching at Penn, it was announced that the SPIRE of Track & Field Academy will hire Powell to oversee its programs.
SPIRE, which is located in Geneva, Oh., is an indoor multi-sport complex, that includes an artificial turf field, an aquatics center and 8-lane 300 meter Benyon track.
Powell will supervise the track and field events at SPIRE, which in the past has hosted a number of invitationals for Div. I and II.
SPIRE released a press statement today announcing the addition:
“I can’t wait to get started on this new challenge and new chapter of my life,” said Coach Powell. “SPIRE is breaking new ground as the ultimate training, education and competition facility in the country for not only elite athletes and Post Graduate athletes, but also for high school, collegiate, professional, Paralympic and masters level athletes. The unique presence of the Michael Johnson Performance Center and one of, if not the, best track & field complexes in the world, allows all athletes to re-vitalize and re-think the road to success. I am honored to become involved in such an endeavor.”In the past Powell has served as the director of Penn Relays Distance Night, which is held the Thursday night of the carnival. In addition he has been member of the Penn Relays Planning Committee since 1984. He has also served as a member of the Penn Relays High School and College Championship Committees.
Charlie Powell is finally calling it quits.
Powell, the head coach for the men's track and field team for the past 25 years, announced today that he would step away from coaching for health reasons.
The rock behind the program, Powell is one of the most well-regarded figures in collegiate track and field. A lively character whose passion never failed to show, he leaves behind a legacy at Penn.
Since 1989, the Red and Blue have had a least one Heptagonal champions each year and under Powell's tutelage 14 Quakers have been named All-Americans. During that time Penn has also had two NCAA individual champions and more than 100 Heps champions.
Powell's teams have won five Heps titles and he was even named Mondo Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year by the United States Track Coaches Association in 2002.
Powell, a Western Kentucky alum, was in his 30th year with the Quakers. Prior to joining the Penn staff, Powell was a head coach at Delaware and an assistant coach at Western Kentucky. He competed in college, qualifying for the NCAA Championships as a decathlete and hurdler.
Assistant coach Rob Martin, one of Powell's former athletes and an 11-time Ivy champion, will take over the reigns on an interim basis. The search for a successor will begin in the spring.
We inked up the printing press one last time for the semester last night and our Finals Issue hit the streets this morning. While we won't be publishing until the spring semester begins you can get updates right here on The Buzz and at TheDP.com/Sports throughout winter break.
Rundown:
I had barely made it out of post-game press conferences by the time Jack Eggleston had sent us his thoughts on the game. His player of the game? Rob Belcore.
After the UCLA game, much of the reaction will focus on how a scrappy Penn team led by Tyler Bernardini's impressive outing almost pulled out the win despite Zack Rosen's off night. To me, the story of the game was the confidence Rob Belcore displayed on the offensive end. What he displayed against the Bruins should give Quakers fans a reason to be optimistic about the rest of the season.
Before Rob came to campus in his pre-freshman summer, I happened to watch a DVD of Belcore scoring thirty-seven points in a high school game (most of which came against Danny Monckton's little brother, Trent). Don't ask me how or why this happened but it did. Belcore scored in about every way possible: deep threes, midrange pull ups, and even some post ups. Truly, he put on a show. Every preseason, it would seem like Rob could never miss as the Loyola Academy version of himself would appear on the Palestra and Weightman floors.
But at some point in each season, Rob would pigeonhole himself into that familiar role of glue guy. Make no mistake, he always made tremendous contributions with his defense, hustle, and intelligence, but another dimension sat beneath the surface. Against UCLA Penn fans got a glimpse of what Rob has had in his game all along. The difference was confidence. When he's playing like he can, Belcore picks his spots and never hesitates.
This development could give a much-needed offensive spark to the front court. What we have seen so far and I imagine we will see for the rest of the year is a big man by committee system. Within the Brooks, Dougherty, Gunter, Howlett quartet nobody has truly emerged to cement their role in the rotation. I believe that their minutes will fluctuate based on practice and game performance.
Lastly, I don't mean to downplay what a stellar night Tyler Bernardini had. The problem is I've probably been in the gym more with him than anybody else I know, so the revelation that he can shoot the eyes out of the ball is not much a revelation to me. It was only a matter of time before a night like this happened. And to anybody worried about consecutive un-Rosen like nights from Rosen you can stop worrying. UCLA was game number eleven in a month and the captain has played just about every minute. Once he gets through finals and gets some rest he'll be back to his spectacular self, I promise.
A day after the dismissal of UCLA's Reeves Nelson, the Quakers take on the the Bruins at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Both teams have storied pasts, but who will come out on top? Follow along and see.
Do you get Fox Sports West? We don't. So we're heading to The Blarney Stone (official sponsor of DP Sports Liveblogs) tonight to watch Penn basketball take on UCLA.
The Stone is setting us up in the back room to watch the Quakers on the big screen, and we'll be there with the Red and Blue Crew for tip-off at 7 P.M, so come all ye loyal classmen now. If you can't make it out, we'll also be liveblogging the game right here on the Buzz.
Here's a message from the RBC:
The Red and Blue Crew invites you to watch the Penn Quakers take on the UCLA Bruins tonight at 7:00 p.m. at The Blarney Stone. We will be taking over the back room for a Viewing Party/Study Break/Winter Formal like never before (we were kidding about the Winter Formal part, no need to dress up). Take a break from studying, have some dinner, and enjoy the game!All Ages Welcome! No need to worry, if your ID always gets turned down at the door, or you don't have an ID, you still can come! Anyone is welcome to come by and watch the game and order dinner, but you must have a 21+ ID to drink.You need to eat! So come by and have dinner with us and watch the game!You need to relieve your stress! So come by and cheer on the Quakers with us!See you there, 7:00 p.m. at The Blarney Stone.
It was a serendipitous but fun matchup in Washington, D.C., last night as Sidwell Friends' (D.C.) point guard Jamal Lewis played against Tony Hicks of St. Rita's (Chicago) in the opening round of the Gonzaga DC Classic. The two seniors will be teammates next year on the Penn basketball team.
The Sidwell Quakers came away with a 63-46 win, as Lewis scored 17 on 6-for-14 shooting, 0-for-3 from deep. Hicks led St. Rita's with 16 points (he hit four 3-pointers on the night). Sidwell recovered from an early 18-7 hole, but built a 14-point lead by halftime and never looked back.
While Lewis got the win, Hicks is getting a little more attention. Last night, ESPN recruiting analyst Dave Telep tweeted this:
And CSNChicago.com published a solid feature on Hicks yesterday, asking whether he is Illinois' most underrated player:"He is one of the most underrated players in the state," [coach Gary] DeCesare said. "He is a hard worker. He has improved every year. He is as good as anybody in the state. His work ethic separates him from other players."The quote is from his coach, so take it for what it's worth. The article also talks a little about his recruitment to Penn:
Penn was impressed. They recruited Hicks harder than anyone else. In the end, he chose Penn over Loyola, South Florida, Tennessee, Dayton, Ohio, George Mason and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
"They showed me they really wanted me," Hicks said. "I was hesitant at first because I felt it would be too learny and book-smart. But they were down-to-earth and genuine, cool people. They showed up at all my games and showed they really wanted me."
Although Harvard may be having a great year, one of its alumni is not.
A few hours ago, the Warriors announced that they had waived second-year guard Jeremy Lin.
Lin signed with the Warriors during the summer of 2010 after going undrafted that same year. Last year, he appeared in 29 games and averaged 2.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Coming out of high school the California native didn't receive any scholarship offers and would go on to Harvard. There he was a twice a first-team All-Ivy selection.
As reported by multiple sources earlier this afternoon, UCLA junior forward Reeves Nelson was dismissed from the team by coach Ben Howland this morning.
The 6-foot-8 Nelson-- the Bruins' top scorer and rebounder last year (13.9 ppg and 9.1 rpg) -- was serving his second suspension of the season when Howland dismissed him from the team this morning. Nelson's suspensions are a result of "insubordinate behavior." (After serving his first suspension this season, Nelson missed the team's flight to the Maui Invitational).
This season, Nelson has been spotty, largely in part to frequent benchings and suspensions: He averaged 5.7 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. It will be interesting to see how his dismissal affects the Bruins -- was he a negative distraction that contributed to UCLA's 2-5 start (only one win was over a D-I team), or will his dismissal be even more of a distraction? Howland said in a statement, "Hopefully this is going to be a unifying thing for our team."
One thing is certain: the Quakers have one less big man to handle tomorrow night.
According to reports, former Penn guard Ibrahim Jaaber is going to start training camp this season with the Houston Rockets.
The former two-time Ivy League Player of the Year graduated in 2007 after leading the Quakers to three straight Ivy League Titles. He broke the career Ivy League record in steals.
Jaaber went undrafted after graduation but played for the Detroit Pistons' summer league team. He bounced around Europe playing the Greek team Egaleo BC and Lottomatica Roma. In the summer of 2010, he played for the Lakers' summer team and although he didn't make the team, he got noticed by a few other teams around the league. At the end of the summer he returned to A.J. Milano in Serie A.
Houston lists six guards on its roster including Jonny Flynn, Courtney Lee, Kyle Lowry, and Kevin Martin.
The Lions' search for the next football coach took just a few short weeks. Athletic Director M. Diane Murphy hired former Cornell coach Pete Mangurian to replace ousted head man Norries Wilson at Columbia.
Murphy hired the Mangurian candidate (sorry, had to do it) once before — as an associate athletic director for the Big Red, she was involved in their search for a football coach in 1998. Mangurian coached the Big Red for 3 seasons, during which they went 11-10 in Ivy play.
He's spent the last 10 years in the NFL, serving as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, the tight ends coach for New England and the offensive line coach for Tampa Bay. He was fired from his job with the Buccaneers last January.
He inherits a team that went just 1-6 in Ivy play this season.
“He has a great track record,” Lions quarterback Sean Brackett told the Columbia Spectator. “He’s been everywhere football is played—the Ivy League, the NFL, and college football. He’s coached a lot of good players. He’s been around a lot of great coaches. Everything he said made me relieved that we are getting the right guy for our football program going forward.”
For more, read the Spectator's story on the hiring.
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