PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Since I just watched Penn set a record for the biggest margin of loss in an Ivy League game in program history, let's pause for a moment to consider two other events tonight that deserve their own places in Ancient Eight lore.
First, congratulations are due to Delaware County native Steve Donahue and the Cornell Big Red. They broke Penn and Princeton's 20-year streak of Ivy League titles tonight, clinching this year's first automatic NCAA Tournament bid with an 86-53 win over Harvard.
Cornell visits the Palestra this coming Friday for its first game after winning the title. It will be interesting to see what kind of a reception the former Penn assistant Donahue gets from the fans.
That's not the only big story coming out of the Ivy League tonight, though. Just after the Harvard-Cornell game tipped off, the Crimson were thrust into the media spotlight in a very different way.
I was sitting on press row at Brown University's Pizzitola Center when I got wind of this New York Times story which exposes possible NCAA and Ivy League recruiting violations committed by new Harvard coach Tommy Amaker.
The article will run in the Sunday print edition of the Times, but was released on the web at around 7 p.m. tonight. I am almost sure that despite Cornell's historic title run, this will be the biggest talking point in Ivy League basketball for the rest of the season.
It was certainly the main topic of discussion at Brown tonight, though the Bears' blowout of Penn had a lot to do with that.
I know that it doesn't really affect most of you, because what Harvard does has little to no bearing at all on the Atlantic 10 or Big East. But for all those Penn fans who fill the comments section whenever I write about Glen Miller, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
Among other things mentioned in the story, there is this about Penn recruit Zack Rosen:
Amaker saw Rosen’s father, Les, in a grocery store in Trenton during the Eastern Invitational tournament last summer. At the time, coaches were restricted only to watching recruits and saying hello to them or their parents if they bumped into each other.
Les Rosen remembered Amaker saying, “We really have to get Zack up to Harvard.”
Les Rosen said he thought to himself: Who goes to ShopRite in the middle of a basketball tournament?
I was at Harvard last spring to see Amaker's introductory press conference. It was fascinating to watch the only school in the Ivy League that has never won a men's basketball title make such a sudden, dramatic improvement to its program.
Now it seems like a modern-day Icharus flying too close to the sun.
The Harvard story wasn't the only college basketball news coming out of the Boston area today. Boston College guard Tyrese Rice literally tried to beat North Carolina singlehandedly this afternoon, and while the Eagles couldn't pull off the upset, Rice's effort gets Line of the Day without my even having to look anywhere else.
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
T. Rice |
39 |
14-26 |
10-11 |
8-12 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
37 |
46 |
I'll talk to you again Sunday night from the Palestra, and the big Temple-St. Joe's game that means absolutely everything to the Hawks' NCAA Tournament hopes.
Comments (5)
Maybe Miller needs to go shopping more often.
What was the old Parcells quote?
You cannot cook a good meal if you cannot pick the groceries? Or something like that.
Penn basketball has become a total
embarassment thanks to the awful
team that Miller put together.
Who cares that Amaker was at a grocery store?
Posted by steve t | March 2, 2008 9:45 AM
Posted on March 2, 2008 09:45
Did Penn even consider Donahue when Dunphie left and they hired Miller from Brown?
Fit seems like it was there, and better than Miller
Posted by brian | March 2, 2008 4:05 PM
Posted on March 2, 2008 16:05
"Penn basketball has become a total
embarassment thanks to the awful
team that Miller put together."
Uh, you do realize that this is still primarily a team that Dunphy put together, don't you? The sophomores, juniors, and seniors are all his recruits.
Posted by CB | March 2, 2008 5:14 PM
Posted on March 2, 2008 17:14
Couple of thoughts:
1. Whatever Amaker did to violate the rules was not much help this year.
2. It also shows you how hard it is to build a team if Amaker broke the rules trying to recruit Rosen, and then the kid still landed at Penn.
3. Mixed feelings about Cornell. In a sense, I like that the league is improving (at least I hope it is). As a Penn fan, however, I always want Penn to win the league and do it convincingly.
4. I am definitely suffering from a case of "what have you done for me lately" with Miller. I still want to believe in Miller - I love the way he speaks about Penn and he seems to be doing a good job recruiting. I think the next two years will be very telling as to how the Miller era will go. I think they should be more competitive next year and challenge for the title. If they cannot do it next year, I certainly hope that by Miller's fourth year (when Gaines and Bernardini are juniors) they are back on top.
Posted by zz | March 2, 2008 6:05 PM
Posted on March 2, 2008 18:05
Bilsky would of never hired Donahue beacause he was one of Dunphy's guys. Bilsky was always jelous of the attention that Dunphy recieved that is why Dunphy is not here and we are stuck with Miller. Bilsky is the problem, as his ego is getting in the way of making the right decision. i may be actually rooting for Donahue's Cornell team to plant a big L on Bilsky's head on Friday
Posted by quaker | March 3, 2008 10:54 PM
Posted on March 3, 2008 22:54