It has been an annual rite of passage for hundreds of crazed Penn basketball fans during the past 30-plus years.
Yet something important was missing in this year's edition. Something essential -- people.
After Penn's sub-par 12-17 season, "The Line" drew approximately 75 students for the two-day wait for season tickets. It drew 275 people last year, after Penn captured the Ivy League title and traveled to the NCAA Tournament in 1999-2000.
"Because the team didn't have a good year last year, not as many people turned out," said senior Dave Lebel, a two-year Line participant. "It's not like Duke where you're guaranteed to get people every year."
Fans who participate in "The Line" receive first pick of seats for season tickets at the Palestra, and also enter the lottery for tickets to select away games during the season and the NCAA Tournament, should the Quakers advance that far.
The tickets were scheduled to be sold at 6 p.m. yesterday to those who participated in "The Line," but the ticket office opened earlier than fans expected, selling the first tickets at around 3:15 p.m. Last year, fans had to sleep over both Saturday and Sunday nights in order to claim their set of golden tickets, as opposed to this year's one-night affair.
"They only made us sleep over one night, so I think they were predicting [the low turnout]," Lebel said. "I think they let us out early because they were thinking of future years."
Despite the substandard turnout, the fans that participated enjoyed the event.
After last year's "Line" was held at Hutchinson Gymnasium due to construction at the Palestra, the change in venue back to basketball's most historic gymnasium allowed fans to see practices by both the men's and women's basketball teams.
During the practice and scrimmage, Penn fans got their first glimpse of what they can expect from this year's men's squad, one that features seven new freshman faces and a junior transfer.
In addition to the practices, Comcast SportsNet entertained fans this year through its sponsorship of Hoops Madness. The local cable station gave away free merchandise and organized events such as the half-court shot and free-throw shooting contests for the loyal 75.
The fans also took part in a three-on-three basketball tournament on Sunday morning.
"I was expecting to be bored out of my mind, but there was lots of interactions with the players and coaches," freshman Drew Lipshutz said. "There was plenty to keep us entertained."
"People made up for the numbers," senior Matt Koster said. "People got into it and heckled, especially when they were shooting free throws."
Additional season tickets go on sale today at 11 a.m. at the Franklin Field box office. Individual game tickets will go on sale Nov. 5.
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