If you've taken a stroll over at thedp.com in the last 24 hours, you'll notice that it is, in the words of Online Managing Editor Jared McDonald, new, fresh, and shiny.
We're particularly proud of this current reincarnation of our online home and after months and months of planning and design, we hope you like it a lot too. The best way to learn about the new site and all of its shiny, fresh new features is to go and play around. But to aid you, I've made a little guided tour specifically for sports readers to help you best access our content. We're still working out a few kinks — let us know if you find anything broken. As always, we appreciate your readership and input.
In the very top navbar, you can find a quick link to DP family sites, including our blog The Buzz.
Below the flag you can find section links, including "Sports" which will take you to all of our content from the Paper, as well as sports related multimedia (videos, photo galleries, interactive graphics, etc).
Then below that is our top content from the day. Generally the top sports news will be featured here.
In the bottom right corner of the area pictured, you can also sign up for our daily email newsletter.
In the right rail, you can find our twitter widget, which displays tweets from the DP family. Click sports for recent twitter updates from @dailypennsports.
Above that, you can find the most popular articles on the website today, as well.
Scroll down a little further, and on the left side of the page you'll find our sports container on the homepage. Here you'll find the newest sports stories, as well as that nifty little Buzz ticker which displays the 10 most recent items posted here on The Buzz.
At the bottom of the page you can find featured content — stuff we like so much that we're going to leave it up there for a little while. Right now you can find profiles of M. Basketball players Dau Jok and Tyler Bernardini.
If the news isn't quite your thing and you just want to know what's going on in Penn sports, you can head directly to thedp.com/sports to see our daily content.
There, you'll see our top articles highlighted at the top around our centerpiece image. Below that you can find our featured multimedia in the black "belt" midway through the page.
In an effort to clean up the look of the site, we've gotten rid of the "dropdown" bar that used to pop up when you hovered over the link to the sports page. This used to contain links to sports-specific pages, such as "M. Hoops, W. Lax, or Football." Now you can find this sports-specific content just below the multimedia belt.
Click the sport you're looking for in the gray box on the right side of the container and the most recent stories from that sport will populate to the left.
We're hoping to also have a poll functionality up on the sports page in the near future, so you can interact and see what other readers think about questions the editors pose related to Penn Sports.
At the bottom of every page you'll also be able to find links to sports-specific pages (in the black footer area), as well as a link to download a PDF of the print version of the DP — where you can see all the great work our design staff does on a daily basis.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at silcox@thedp.com. As I said, the best way to learn more about the new site is to play around so go try it out!
Two more stories we followed this summer took significant steps forward Wednesday.
1) "It has been a slow process with a few detours, but the campaign to raise money for a Chuck Bednarik statue at Franklin Field is finally coming together," CSNPhilly.com's football guru Ray Didinger wrote this morning. Didinger also wrote that former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil is leading the effort, along with a few of Concrete Charlie's former Eagles teammates. The group is still looking for contributions toward the statue, which Cal discussed in June, and checks can be made to Don Snyder, Director of Development Services, Weightman Hall, 235 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, 19104 -- payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania with "For Bednarik Statue Fund" in the memo line. The Quakers and Eagles legend from the '40s, '50s and '60s certainly deserves it.
2) Penn grad Paul Cusick made his debut for the Single-A Williamsport Crosscutters last night, throwing a scoreless eighth inning with one hit allowed and one strikeout in a 4-2 victory. The righthander was called up from the Gulf Coast League last week after posting a 4.14 ERA in 37 innings for the Phillies' Rookie Level squad. The promotion itself was a good sign for the Phillies' 29th round draft pick, but continued success in Williamsport could help him catch a few eyes before the minor-league seasons end.
We've spent a good deal of space here tracking the progress of Boys' Latin point guard Maurice Watson, a Class of 2012 recruit who appeared to have his sights set on Penn last spring. His father and coach even called Penn Watson's top choice back in March. But a breakout summer on the AAU circuit elevated Watson's standing as a prospect, leading to 18 college offers.
Wednesday at Boys' Latin, Watson announced his decision to attend Boston University next fall. He had narrowed his choice down to nine teams by the beginning of August -- none of which were Penn -- and five teams before today's announcement, including La Salle. Interestingly, the Terriers are now coached by former Columbia head man Joe Jones, who spent last season under former Penn assistant Steve Donahue at Boston College, after Philadelphia native Pat Chambers left for Penn State in June. Jones' brother James has been head coach at Yale since 1999. Watson will become the fifth Philadelphia area player on the Terriers' roster.
Though Penn being out of the mix took away much of the drama from our perspective, there are definitely some key takeaways from Watson's recruitment. To me, the main thing this shows is that scholarship offers from mid-majors usually trump offers from the Ivy League. I'm sure Jones is elated to be able to reel in kids like Watson, which would have been impossible at Columbia. And it must be frustrating for Penn coach Jerome Allen to let players like Watson slip from his grasp. Which relates to my other main takeaway, that Watson's commitment is another indication of how challenging Allen's pursuit of the Quakers' first Philly Public League recruit in 30 years will be. Already, two known recruits who for a time appeared headed for Penn -- Watson and longtime friend Xavier Harris from Constitution -- have gone in different directions, though Harris is still focused on getting here.
Watson also shows how quickly a prospect can "blow up" on the recruiting scene and turn from possibility to pipe dream for Allen and his staff. The Quakers did well to get involved with Watson early, and to target a 5'10 player who mid- or high-majors might consider undersized. But sometimes, too, nabbing quality recruits can hinder a program's pursuit of other recruits -- Watson said the addition of fellow Class of 2012 point guard Jamal Lewis meant he would see reduced minutes if he chose Penn. We also learned that Watson was told he needed an 1820 SAT score, a number to keep in mind as Penn attempts to lure future recruits away from scholarship programs that surely have significantly lower thresholds.
With the season-opening Big 5 tournament just around the corner, Penn volleyball has filled the hole in its coaching staff after top assistant Ryan Goodwin left last month for personal reasons.
Replacing Goodwin will be former second-assistant Seth Rochlin, who joined the Quakers in 2010 for their run to a second-consecutive Ivy title. Rochlin graduated from University of Arizona in 2008 and spent two seasons coaching volleyball at his high school alma mater.
"Assistant Coach Ryan Goodwin left the program last month when his family had a job opportunity out of the state," head coach Kerry Carr said in a statement. "We appreciate everything Ryan gave to the program during his tenure and wish him the best of luck in his new home. Fortunately, we were able to hire some of the best young coaching talent available and I am excited to work with this year's staff.
"Seth helped us out so much last year when he came on board, both in the office and in the gym," Carr added. "It was an easy transition to first assistant as he was already fulfilling all the duties in that position, plus creating new ones needed to make our program better."
Sliding into the second-assistant vacancy will be Kristen Rott. A 2008 graduate of Oregon, she also served as a volunteer assistant there while earning a masters in education. Rott played both basketball and volleyball for the Ducks, and hooped professionally in Germany.
Christopher Jones will be Penn's volunteer assistant, having coached at Haverford college and nearby Lower Merion high school.
Penn football hosted Media Day at Franklin Field on Monday, giving us our first look at the Quakers on their home turf since the fall. Here are some key notes in addition to our full notebook.
- Coach Al Bagnoli made an interesting point about the fact that the Quakers only have eight returning starters from last season's championship team. While that number is technically accurate when comparing this year's preseason depth chart to 2010's, many of the 2011 starters have significant starting experience. Bagnoli cited running back Brandon Colavita, defensive backs Matt Hamscher, Dave Twamley and Justyn Williams, and tight end Luke Nawrocki as examples. All broke into the starting lineup after last year's opener against Lafayette, but certainly proved themselves capable starters.
- Bagnoli again praised the other seven teams in the league, saying this is the first time he can remember all eight teams returning their starting quarterbacks. As I wrote earlier this month, I wouldn't buy into Bagnoli's notion that all seven teams are threats. Nothing more than paying proper preseason respect to his fellow coaches and making sure his players don't underestimate anyone.
- Bagnoli sounded as if he expects the offense to hit its stride early on this season. It may be hard to recall given that Penn basically breezed through much of the league schedule, but the Quakers came out of the gates a bit slow last season. There was even some debate over whether Billy Ragone or transfer Ryan Becker -- both of whom came in with virtually no collegiate experience -- would start at QB. Well, that question got a resounding answer when Ragone had a first-team all-Ivy caliber season.
At this point, Ragone should know the ins and outs of the offense, allowing Bagnoli to open up the playbook earlier on rather than ease his young QB into a starting role. The coach said to expect more passing to take pressure off of the inexperienced offensive line.
- Speaking of the offensive line, 2010 first-team all-Ivy selection Greg Van Roten will be the only returning starter. The 6-4, 295-pound senior has already stepped into a leadership role -- defensive tackle Brandon Copeland called him the "anchor of the whole offensive line." As for replacing former anchors like the graduated Joe D'Orazio and Luis Ruffulo, Van Roten said the new starters have the benefit of being in the system for several years already. Thus, the issue will not be learning the blocking schemes but transferring practice knowledge to the games. Van Roten said it could take as little as a quarter or as much as half a season for things to click.
In Copeland's assessment, junior guard Mike Pinciotti and junior tackle Joe Bonadies have stood out the most during camp so far. Pinciotti was listed as the starting right guard in the team's first depth chart release, but interestingly Bonadies was listed as the backup at right tackle to senior Alec Smith.
- Receiver/running back/return man Aaron Bailey is no longer listed on Penn's roster and no longer shows up in the Penn directory. It is safe to assume he no longer attends the university. Bailey was one of the most promising freshmen on the team last season and had originally planned to run track for the Quakers. But when spring rolled around, he decided to focus on football.
The Quakers can certainly repeat without Bailey, but his departure takes away an explosive weapon for the offense. With sprinter speed, he may have been the fastest player in the Ivy League, adding another dimension to the Penn offense. Against Princeton last season, Bagnoli did some experimenting to employ Bailey on end arounds, and he came through with four rushes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. That could have been a preview for what was in store in 2011, but obviously we will not get the chance to see Bailey develop. Instead, look for Penn to stick to its bread-and-butter with the running game and a play-it-safe passing game.
Penn sent out a university-wide email at noon today inviting the entire community to the opening of Penn Park. It will be a two-day affair with a picnic on Thursday, Sept. 15 and a Field Day the following Saturday, including Penn football's season opener against Lafayette, followed by fireworks. And human chess.
It's been a busy summer for former Penn basketball player Andreas Schreiber.
After working out in Houston for the first part of the summer, Schreiber lent his talents to the Swedish national team as he awaited a possible European professional contract. With Schreiber's help, the Swedish men, ranked #67 in the world according to FIBA, were victorious in European qualifier games against Romania, Albania, Azerbaijan, and Belarus. The wins came without the help of Sweden's lone NBA player, Pistons forward Jonas Jerekbo.
"Personally I felt like I really grew as a player over the summer," Schreiber wrote in an email. "A lot of my role was just being overly physical, bringing energy and making sure the big guy didn't get the ball, and I feel that UPenn prepared me very well for this. They allow a lot more contact here, so I don't get the fouls I use to in America. I've realized that it is a totally different game over here; something that has actually benefited me. But the intensity, grit and hustle of the college game has really allowed me to grow as a role player on the national team."
Then, at the end of a successful yet stressful summer of wondering where he would land, Schreiber got exactly what he was hoping for: a professional contract to play basketball in Spain. "Spain was my dream country," Schreiber wrote. "What excites me is the culture, the food, the people, the weather, but most of all the great basketball of course."
The club with which he'll start his professional career is CB Tarragona, located in the city of, you guessed it, Tarragona, a coastal town about 60 miles from Barcelona. The team plays in the LEB Oro, Spain's second division. A couple of interesting facts: Schreiber will room with California native and former Memphis guard, Roburt Sallie and one of Schreiber's new teammates is former Temple Owl and Spaniard, Sergio Olmos, who Schreiber played against during his sophomore year at Penn.
For his basketball services, Schreiber said his contract will pay him a net salary with agent costs and taxes being footed by the team, as well as the majority of his living expenses.
He joins two classmates already playing professionally: Jack Eggleston, now with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, and Conor Turley, with Pioneros de Quintana Roo in Cancun, Mexico.
Today 2011 Penn grad Paul Cusick tweeted that he was returning to Philadelphia tonight. Shortly thereafter, the Penn Athletics twitter feed confirmed he was promoted from the Phillies' Gulf Coast League team to the Williamsport Crosscutters, the Short-Season Class A Minor League affiliate. The news comes quickly after Cusick picked up his third win for the GCL Phils in the final game of the league's season.
In an interview for a Summer Pennsylvanian article in July, Cusick said he was unsure of what his plans would be after August. But his 3-2 record and 4.14 ERA were enough to move up to the Crosscutters. Cusick pitched 32 innings of mostly relief, striking out 32 and allowing 17 earned runs. He batted .234 with one home run.
The Crosscutters are away this weekend but return to Williamsport on Monday.
Four days into preseason camp, Penn football has released a first draft of the 2011 depth chart, posting it to twitter late yesterday afternoon.
As expected, junior Billy Ragone is listed under center with sophomore Ryan Becker close behind, and a viable option to share at least some time at quarterback. Brandon Colavita is atop the running back spot. Although he didn't start one game last season, he was Penn's leading rusher with 745 total yards and 12 touchdowns. Lyle Marsh, who missed much of last season with a broken arm, is listed as backup, and Jeff Jack is the third stringer, though as we learned last season, any of the three can be a potent weapon for the Quakers offense.
Joe Holder, who only played two games last season due to injury, earned a starting spot at wide receiver along with Ryan Calvert. A 5-foot-9 senior, Calvert saw limited action as a wideout last year and will also be the team's holder.
Also notable is the new kicker, senior Dan Lipschutz. He'll replace Penn's all-time leading scorer Andrew Samson, with two freshman filing in behind on the chart. Calvert will also be returning kicks and punts.
More breaking news from the Palestra scoreboard beat: a tipster sent in these photos of the east and west ends of the arena, scoreboardless. The tip said the new scoreboards are likely to go in next week, just in time for the Big 5 volleyball tournament there, which begins Friday Sept. 2.
No surprises here: Penn Athletics officially announced its incoming freshman class for men's basketball, and it's the same six we've known about since the end of the spring semester.
Three guards: Camryn Crocker (Cypress, Calif.), Simeon Esprit (London, England) and Patrick Lucas-Perry (Grand Blanc, Mich.); and three forwards: Keelan Cairns (Belfast, Ireland), Greg Louis (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Henry Brooks, (Fairburn, Ga.) will make up coach Jerome Allen's newest class.
Many of the freshman are already on campus and some played with a few of their future teammates in area summer league basketball games. According to Director of Athletic Communications Mike Mahoney, the basketball coaches will not make the freshmen available for interviews until preseason begins in October, so don't expect to hear much from them for the next few weeks.
The one name not on the list is Philly forward Xavier Harris, who committed to Penn last year but had to decommit this summer. Harris is reportedly taking a prep year at the Peddie School (coincidentally, near Princeton, N.J.) and plans to come to Penn in the next recruiting class, according to the Inquirer's Keith Pompey:
Xavier Harris, a recent Constitution graduate, will attend a prep school next year instead of going to Penn as originally planned.The 6-5 forward hopes to bring up his SAT score and enroll at Penn in the fall of 2012. He decided to take the prep school route over accepting scholarship offers from Boston University, Vermont, Robert Morris, and Monmouth. Harris is leaning toward spending his prep year at the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J.
The release from Penn with a short quote from Allen and bios of each incoming player is copied after the jump.
PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania's John R. Rockwell Head Coach of Men's Basketball, Jerome Allen, has announced his incoming athletes for the 2011-12 season. Six players are expected to join the Penn men's basketball roster this fall as freshmen."We are excited about the young men we have coming in to join our program," said Allen, who enters his second full season as the head coach. "We made strides forward last season, and we think these guys will be able to step in and help us continue getting the Penn basketball program back to the level that our fans are accustomed. We are excited at the prospect of watching these six young men develop as people and basketball players over the next four years."
The winner of 25 Ivy League titles, Penn returns 10 letterwinners including three starters in 2011-12. The team is headlined by a pair of All-Ivy players, seniors Zack Rosen and Tyler Bernardini.
HENRY BROOKS6-8 / 215Fairburn, Ga.Miller GroveHigh School: Lettered four times in basketball and once in football ... Captain of the hoop team his senior year ... High school coach was Sharman White ... Helped squad to three straight Georgia Class AAAA state championships from 2009-11, with Miller Brook going 89-10 during that time ... Honored with team's highest GPA award from 2009-11 ... Graduated in the top five percent of his class.
Personal: Son of Bridget New and Henry Brooks, Sr. ... Enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.
KEELAN CAIRNS6-10 / 195Belfast, IrelandBarking Abbey CollegeHigh School: Captain of his basketball team at St. Malachy's, where he played from 2004-10 ... Helped team to All-Ireland championships six times in seven years ... Two-time club All-Ireland champion ... Sportsman of the Year in 2010 ... Played at Barking Abbey last year with fellow Penn recruit Simeon Esprit.
Personal: Son of Madeleine and Paul Cairns ... Enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.
CAMRYN CROCKER6-3 /170Cypress, Calif.Los AlamitosHigh School: Lettered three times in basketball and was a two-year captain ... High school coach was Eddie Courtemarche ... Los Alamitos won the Sunset League title each of his three years, going a combined 71-18 during that time ... Sunset League MVP in 2010-11, second-team All-Sunset League in 2009-10 ... Long Beach Telegram Dream Team member in 2010-11 ... Second-team CIF, third team All-O.C. in 2010-11 ... Boys' Athletics Commissioner of ASB ... "Griffins With a Mission" Leader.
Personal: Son of Ruth and Joel Crocker ... Enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.
SIMEON ESPRIT6-6 / 176London, EnglandBarking Abbey CollegeHigh School: Played at Waltham Forest before spending last season at Barking Abbey along with fellow Penn recruit Keelan Cairns ... Helped WF to five borough championships from 2005-09 ... Waltham Forest's Sports Performer of the Year in 2010 ... Spent the summer of 2011 playing for England at the Under-18 European Championships in Bulgaria.
Personal: Son of Beverley and Anthony Esprit ... Enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.
GREG LOUIS6-7 / 215West Palm Beach, Fla.William T. DwyerHigh School: Lettered four times in basketball and once in volleyball ... High school coach was Fred Ross ... Helped hoop team Class 5A state championship his senior year, as Dwyer went 32-1 overall ... First-team all-county selection ... Leader of Team Sports Ministries.
Personal: Son of Maryse and Gustave Louis ... Enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.
PATRICK LUCAS-PERRY5-11 / 165Grand Blanc, Mich.Flint Powers CatholicHigh School: Lettered in basketball, football, tennis and track at Flint Powers ... Captained the hoop, gridiron and track teams ... High school basketball coach was Tim Herman ... Helped Flint Powers bball team to 2009 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state title ... Holds the MHSAA record for most varsity basketball games played (108) ... Two-time Class B All-State selection ... 2011 MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award nominee ... 2011 DAC Michigan High School Athlete of the Year nominee ... Academic all-league in basketball and track ... Urban League Scholar nominee ... National Honor Society member ... National Scholar ... Big Brother/Big Sister mentor ... Volunteer at North End Soup Kitchen ... Church youth group member and volunteer.
Personal: Son of Patricia Lucas and Laval Perry ... Youngest of five siblings ... Older sister, Victoria, played basketball at Michigan State ... Older brother, Laval, will be a senior on the Oakland (Mich.) University men's basketball team this year ... Enrolled in the Wharton School of Business.
Cal was all over the new additions to the Palestra back on June 10 — check it out here (after the note on Paul Cusick) — but for those who'd like to read a bit more, we have the press release from ANC Sports. The company has taken up the challenge of giving the Palestra an updated look without compromising its traditional feel that has earned the venue's nickname: "The Cathedral of College Basketball."
The new scoreboards will have the capability of displaying "in-depth statistical analysis" and video, and there will also be see-through shot clocks at the top of each backboard. Fancy.
To the Penn hoops fans out there, what are your thoughts on the additions?
Read the press release after the jump.
ANC Sports Partners with UPENN to Renovate the Historic Palestra
New technology preserves nostalgic atmosphere while introducing fan features
(Purchase, NY August 22, 2011) - ANC Sports Enterprises has partnered with theUniversity of Pennsylvania to enhance the game-day atmosphere at The Palestra with two new Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision® video displays.
Home of the University of Pennsylvania men's and women's basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams, The Palestra will open the 2011-12 NCAA season with advanced technology which preserves the venue’s historic identity while providing fans with detailed information and real-time statistics.
“We are not changing the traditional atmosphere of the venue, rather bringing generations together with the ability to connect teams of yesterday with today’s teams within the arena’s bowl,”said Steve Bilsky, athletic director at University of Pennsylvania. “We are being extremely careful to enhance the game-day environment while not disturbing the integrity of The Palestra, including using technology that is capable of creating a nostalgic feel.”
ANC’s unique VisionSOFT™ operating system will enable the displays to mimic the look of the current fixed digit scoreboards, feature in-depth statistical analysis, or dissolve into full-motion video of memorable events which make up The Palestra’s storied history. The patented software is also capable of creating the appeal of an old manually turned scoreboard, a unique feature which enabled the Seattle Mariners’ out-of-town scoreboard to be named the best in Major League Baseball by ESPN.com.
The new video system will consist of two Diamond Vision video screens at either end of the venue, positioned in the same area as the current scoreboards. The East wall will feature the larger of the two video displays, measuring 16’ high by 28’ wide, while a 3’ high by 24’ wide video strip and new fixed-digit scoreboard measuring 6’ high by 24’ wide will be introduced to the West wall.
“ANC is proud to be a part of the renovation of one of the most famous arenas in sports,” said Jerry Cifarelli, president and chief executive officer of ANC Sports Enterprises. “We look forward to introducing technology which will help extend the lifetime of The Palestra by incorporating new fan features while preserving the venue’s historic atmosphere.”
Not foreign to innovation, The Palestra was one of the first arenas in the United Statesto be constructed without interior pillars blocking the view. The latest video system renovation will actually improve sightlines for fans with the addition of new see-through shot clocks on top of each backboard.
The new video displays will be able to interface with the DLP® Digital Courtside Signage System, which ANC installed at The Palestra during the 2010-11 season. Through the partnership with the University, ANC will operate the entire signage system during all events while creating statistical templates, sponsor acknowledgements, and team graphics to be featured on the displays.
About ANC Sports
ANC Sports Enterprises, LLC, is the industry leader in team and venue services, providing integrated signage, design, and marketing solutions for sports and commercial facilities. ANC Sports and its divisions: ANC Technologies, ANC Design, and ANC Marketing, offer Light Emitting Diode (LED), rotational and fixed visual displays; advanced media control systems; signage operation and maintenance; advertising sales and marketing consultation; graphic design; and printing production. ANC Sports provides signage solutions for 200 plus venues/stadiums in North America. For more information on ANC Sports, please visit its web site atwww.ancsports.com.
Multiple sources have confirmed the Quakers will play Duke New Year's Day at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The matchup nearly falls on the two year anniversary of their last meeting — Penn lost 114-55 on Dec. 31 2009. Of course, in two years the team has been revamped; seniors Rob Belcore and Zack Rosen are the only current players to have scored any points against the Blue Devils.
With the addition of Duke to the Red and Blue's schedule, Penn now has arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the Ivy League. The Quakers play at UCLA December 10 and host Pitt for a Thanksgiving Hoop Group Classic, in addition to games with Davidson, Big 5 schools, Delaware and likely Drexel.
Harvard plays UConn and Boston College, and Cornell plays Boston U, Penn State, Bucknell and Maryland. Do you think any other Ivy schedules compare with Penn's?
One more note from an already great preseason for the mens soccer team. On Monday, Defender Thomas Brandt was named to the 2011 Hermann Trophy Watch List - an award given annually to the top player in mens and womens collegiate soccer.
The 5-foot-11 fullback has garnered recognition from around the country for his strong play and outstanding leadership. Now a two-time captain, Brandt was a highly touted recruit when he first joined the Quakers and has not disappointed. He anchored a back line that allowed only .82 goals per game, good for second best in the Ivy League, while scoring five goals. The Palmyra, Pa. native started all 19 games last season and 16 (out of 17) the year before.
The only other Ivy selection was Princeton forward Antoine Hoppenot, who was a Hermann semifinalist last year. Hoppenot led the Ivy League in goals last season with nine.
Update: On Wednesday, Brandt was also named one of 30 nominees for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award, an honor which recognizes players for contributions to four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The list will be cut to 10 midseason.
A few days ago, Philly.com posted a photo gallery of "Scenes of Old Philadelphia," a set of black and white photos from the city's past.
I'm a sucker for old photos of cities, so I loved this, but especially a few photos from Penn Athletics' past. I've copied three photos from the gallery below, along with their captions. Check out all 150 photos here.
I'm looking forward to the raucous crowd at our next matchup with Notre Dame.
The Quakers are "first-out" in this year's FCS preseason top 25 media poll, coming in at No. 26 with 456 points in the voting.
The two-time defending Ivy champions were ranked for the final six weeks of the 2010 season, climbing all the way to No. 14 after defeating Cornell 31-7 to clinch the championship outright. But after missing the FCS postseason due to Ivy League rules, the Quakers may have fallen off the radars of some FCS media voters. FCS tournament champion Eastern Washington received the top spot, gaining 90 of 140 first place votes.
Harvard clocked in with 54 points in the voting and Yale received 15 points. The only other ranked Penn opponent for 2010 or 2011 are the No. 14 Villanova Wildcats, who received two first-place votes.
When incoming freshman Keelan Cairns (out of Ireland) committed to Penn last year, he was a bit of an unknown commodity. We now know the 6'10 outside shooter has ties to Penn hoops and he was partly drawn to Penn due to coach Jerome Allen's Euro-style influence. Anyway, here's some more background on Cairns, who talks about Penn for a little bit before we dive into a nice video on a basketball program he has been involved with for some time. Worth a watch, if only for the basketball drills coupled with awesome Irish accents. Also, in case you were wondering, Cairns did not de-commit and sign with Penn State. Just an honest mistake in his title card.
Penn star forward Jack Eggleston is bound for the German pro basketball leagues, as he's signed with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen, according to a tweet from @Pennbasketball. The 2011 graduate politely declined to comment until the deal is announced early next week.
The Bayer (as in aspirin) Giants are in Germany's Pro B (3rd) division. The team was actually in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga until 2008, when Bayer shifted its focus toward soccer and moved the restructured club to the 3rd division.
Eggleston has planned to head to Europe for some time. He played the past two summers in New Zealand and China, so he'll now add a fourth continent to his basketball resume. When I interviewed him for a profile I wrote earlier this spring, he told me he saw the Euroleagues a way to avoid the 9-to-5 for a few years.
"I think it would be a short term thing, maybe a couple years, just make a little money, see a different part of the world, not sit behind a desk for however many hours of the day," he said in February. "I just think it would be a really cool experience." However, he didn't rule out spending more time across the pond of the situation were right.
Earlier this summer, the DP's Ethan Alter wrote about Eggleston's desire to play in Europe after graduation. At Penn he was a 1,000 point scorer, a four-year starter, and the team's captain his senior year. He averaged 10.9 points per game, 6.1 rebounds, and developed a smooth outside shot that confounded opposing defenses. Last season he shot 45.1 percent from three, and 50.4 percent overall.
According to the Bayer Giants' website, Eggleston will fill out the 2nd (of two allowed) Americans on the team. He'll join Casey Robinson, also a power forward, who played for the University of Alaska, Anchorage. The rest of the roster is German. The Giants' first game is September 3rd.
In August 2005, the last time Penn was picked the pre-season favorite in the Ivy League media poll, the Quakers were a full year removed from a title, coming off a 6-1, second-place finish to unbeaten Harvard. Bestowed with the preseason honor, Penn went 3-4 (5-5 overall). How 'bout them Quakers?
Six years later, Penn again finds itself the preseason No. 1. The circumstances are certainly different; Penn hasn't lost a conference game since Nov. 2008 — when this year's freshman class was taking geometry — and the Quakers are two-time defending champs, definitely deserving of top preseason ranking. But could another collapse be at hand?
Last year, despite an undefeated run to the Ivy title in 2009, Harvard got the media-poll nod in August. Perhaps it was justified — some questions lingered after Penn's star QB of the previous season, Keiffer Garton, suffered an ACL tear in spring ball — but the Quakers were also justified in viewing in taking offense to the ranking.
Garton and Bagnoli both said at Penn's media day last year that it didn't quite add up to them: “We take it as a little bit of a slight,” Penn coach Al Bagnoli said before the 2010 season. “But when you’re the defending champ in and you beat them at their place, you’ve got 15 starters back … and you’re still picked second — obviously there’s something wrong here.” Oh yeah, did I mention Penn beat Harvard at Harvard?
But the Red and Blue took it as motivation. "We’ll use it," Bagnoli said before another undefeated run in 2010.
This year the Quakers no longer have to prove they should have been No. 1, they have to prove they should be No. 1, a slight distinction, but one that is much more difficult this time around. It's a matter of hype.
Consider the buzz surrounding Monday's release of the highly anticipated collaboration from rap titans Jay-Z and Kanye West. The album, Watch the Throne, was supposed to be earth-shattering, mind-blowing, stay-up-til-3-am-to-download-and-listen-to-in-its-entirety-twice awesome. But as far as critical acclaim went, reviews were mixed. There were some highlights, but this is not a game-changer for hip-hop. It's only been two days, but for all the hype, not one song has cracked iTunes top 100 rankings. The album as a whole has climbed to No. 9, while Luke Bryan's (who?) Tailgates and Tanlines shot to No. 1, released just three days earlier.
Set your expectations high and it's flat-out difficult to live up to, let alone surpass them. This is the difficulty of being a defending champ, a No.1. We know Kanye and Jay-Z are excellent at what they do, so we demand excellence out of every record. The fact is, we probably won't get it — at least not every time.
For the first time since August 2005 — coincidentally the same month Kanye released his critically acclaimed sophomore effort, Late Registration, a year after huge success from his debut — Penn football has to live up to the hardest standard there is: excellence. As the Quakers know, No. 1 means a target on their back, week in and week out. It means each snap, for seven weeks, they'll have no other job but to watch the throne.