Eager Penn supporters made their way to the Palestra last week for the press conference at which Jerome Allen was officially named Penn’s new men’s basketball coach.
Some said they got chills hearing Allen discuss his passion for the University. Most left with the sense that, after a rough three years, the program is under sound leadership.
It was the perfect opportunity for the Penn Athletics Department to capitalize on Allen’s allure and re-energize a student body that has largely missed the excitement of Quakers basketball.
Too bad no students showed up, aside from the players. In fact, almost all of those in attendance were over 30 (and even that age seems generous).
And while Wednesday’s press conference took place at 2:30 in the afternoon when many students are busy with classes, studious Quakers are not the ones at fault.
The real problem lies in the marketing (or lack there of) for the event. After all, how could students possibly be expected to attend a press conference about which they had no idea?
Short of a press release on its website — which is not likely to be among students’ top online destinations — the Penn Athletics Department hardly publicized last week’s formal coaching announcement.
There were no Penn cheerleaders or Red & Blue Crew members handing out flyers on the walk. Nobody sent out a University-wide bulletin and Penn Athletics waited until after the event to share the news via e-mail.
Granted, the Penn Athletic Department staff was planning a press conference, not a rally. It may have been open to the public, but it was a press conference nonetheless.
But perhaps therein lies the problem.
Allen’s charisma may be his strongest asset toward rallying the student body around a program whose fan base has notably shrunken since Fran Dunphy took off for Temple in 2006. A strong track record will help, but as Hillary Clinton could tell you, that isn’t the only ingredient necessary to mobilize a group — especially one as busy as the Penn student body.
By failing to capitalize on the coach’s aura, the Penn Athletic Department missed a key opportunity to bring fans back to the Palestra and convince them that it is worth staying there.
Where were student leaders Wednesday during the press conference? Penn’s seniors are the only remaining students who carry the memory of an Ivy champion team. Their spirit and enthusiasm for the basketball program could have given the press conference an energetic boost, which would have been crucial to regenerating enthusiasm for the program.
And the buzz generated by Allen’s hiring would have given students the extra push necessary to trek down to 33rd Street next season.
Between Spring Fling, Penn Relays and reading days, the rest of April is moot. May will be consumed by final exams and graduation. After three months of summer, the focus will undoubtedly be on the returning-champion football team in September. Such a well-timed opportunity to reinvigorate student fervor for the basketball team won’t recur until October.
By then an event to drum up support for Allen just won’t have the same novelty that it could have if student attendance had been last week’s focus.
MICHAEL GOLD is a junior Cinema Studies major from Reston, Va., and is Senior Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. He can be contacted at gold@dailypennsylvanian.com.
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