Dave Zeitlin: A highlight reel and a new hero

There are a laundry list of incredible moments that stick out in my mind after a memorable weekend at the Palestra.

There's Ugonna Onyekwe stealing the ball, streaking down the side of the court and soaring through the air for a thunderous left-handed dunk while getting fouled by a hapless Dartmouth defender -- perhaps the greatest play I have ever witnessed in college basketball's most historic gym.

There's the rim-rattling dunks of Adam Chubb, the sweet, high-arching stroke of Harvard star Patrick Harvey, the almost comical ineptitude of Crimson seven-footer Brian Sigafoos -- in no particular order.

There's the group of eight mustachioed men (and women) posing as Penn's coach -- a very handsome group, according to Fran Dunphy.

There's the exhaustively efficient offense Penn showcased -- the final half against Dartmouth and the two halves against Harvard produced 64 percent shooting and a whopping 153 points.

But more than anything, there's the 100 points, the cheesesteaks and the emergence of an unsung hero.

"I'm definitely not the hero," corrects Dan Solomito, who buried a three-pointer in the waning seconds to put the Quakers at the century-mark. "I only played a few minutes there and just did what I could with it."

The 4,345 in attendance -- many of whom scurried out the Palestra doors in a mad scramble to Abner's after the scoreboard flashed triple digits -- may beg to differ with Solomito's modest remarks.

So will his coach, his teammates and everyone else who understands just how much Solomito means to this team.

Without even being asked the question, Dunphy, Tim Begley and Andrew Toole all sung praise for Penn's senior, and I'm guessing every other member of the team would do likewise.

Toole: "I was really glad that Danny made the shot -- he works really hard every day and busts his butt all the time."

Dunphy: "He's been a great team guy all year long, and for him to be rewarded with a last shot... it's great."

Begley: "You couldn't be happier for a kid like Danny to hit that last shot there -- it was just a perfect ending for him."

When Solomito first came to Penn, I'm sure he didn't envision the perfect ending coming in garbage time in a blowout against Dartmouth.

I'm sure he thought the "Solomito" chants, which signify that the game is out of reach and that it is time to empty the bench, would eventually die out.

But they never did. For the most part, Solomito has remained on the end of the Penn bench for his four years donning the red and blue.

"It would be great to get in some more critical points of the game," a smiling Solomito said after Saturday's demolition, "but I have to make the best out of the opportunities I get."

Sure, that's something a lot of athletes say, but when Solomito says it, you get the feeling it's completely genuine. You get the feeling he would do anything for this team, even if anything comes in practices or garbage time.

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Around 9:40 on Saturday night, a tall man with a hooded sweatshirt and a backwards Orioles hat sidestepped through some people and walked into Abner's with a couple of guys. He immediately apologized to the guys behind the counter making the steaks.

Seconds later, he was spotted and a very familiar chant echoed through the cheesesteak establishment.

SO-LO-MITO! SO-LO-MITO!

Solomito smiled and blushed. This may have to be his perfect ending.

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