Friday is a big night at The Palestra. Harvard (20-2 overall, 6-0 league), ranked No. 25th in the country, will visit Penn (12-10 overall, 4-1 league) in a major Ivy League matchup on Friday, February 10 at 7 p.m. Harvard is in first place in the Ivy League. Tommy Amaker, Crimson head coach, has his team playing extremely well.
Jerome Allen, Quakers head coach, has his team in the thick of things. However, Penn needs a win over Harvard to make things really interesting in the Ivy standings. This is Allen’s second full year at the helm. In 2009, he was hired on an interim basis as Penn’s head coach. A year ago, he carried the Quakers to a 7-7 record in the Ivy League, a two-game improvement from 2009-10 season while the team finished fourth in the league. Penn completed the season with a 13-15 mark, which was a seven game overall improvement.
Allen, a former Penn basketball star, has the Quakers headed in the right direction. He opened a lot of eyes when he led Penn to a huge Big 5 victory over Saint Joseph’s a few weeks ago. Allen has a solid group of players such as Zack Rosen (18.3 ppg, 6.0 apg), Tyler Bernardini (14.9 ppg) and Miles Cartwright (10.2 ppg). They’ve been the Quakers’ most consistent players.
Penn suffered a tough 60-53 loss to Yale last week. Yale is currently in second place in the Ivy League. If the Quakers can pull off an upset over the Crimson that would really tighten the race for the league championship.
Evan Turner selected for Rising Stars Challenge
Philadelphia 76ers guard Evan Turner will compete in the inaugural Rising Stars Challenge, the NBA announced. Turner was one of 18 players selected by the league’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot. Formally known as the Rookie Challenge, the new format will feature rookies and sophomores mixed together.
Turner, the second pick overall in the 2010 NBA draft, has appeared in all but one game this season. He will be the fourth player on the current roster to compete in the event as a Sixer, joining Andre Iguodala (2005, 2006), Thaddeus Young (2009) and Jrue Holiday (2011).
Joining Turner from the sophomore class are: DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Landry Fields (New York Knicks), Paul George (Indiana Pacers), Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz), Greg Monroe (Detroit Pistons), Tiago Splitter (San Antonio Spurs) and John Wall (Washington Wizards).
Representing the rookie class are: MarShon Brooks (New Jersey Nets), Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), Brandon Knight (Detroit Pistons), Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs), Markieff Morris (Phoenix Suns), Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves), Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers), Kemba Walker (Charlotte Bobcats) and Derrick Williams (Minnesota Timberwolves).
TNT will televise the game on February 24 at 9 p.m.
Contact Staff Writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
