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Recognizing and Congratulating the University of Pennsylvania Men’s Basketball Team for an Outstanding Season in which it Earned the Title of 2018 Ivy League Champions and Competed in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
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WHEREAS, The University of Pennsylvania Men’s Basketball Team finished the regular season with an overall record of 22 wins and 8 losses, with 12 wins and only 2 losses in Ivy League conference play. The Quakers shared the regular season conference title with Harvard, Penn’s first conference title since the 2006-07 season; and
WHEREAS, Penn was led by John R. Rockwell Head Coach of Men’s Basketball Steve Donahue, who was named Ivy League Coach of the Year. Sophomore AJ Brodeur was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection, sophomore Ryan Betley was a second-team All-Ivy selection, and senior Darnell Foreman was an honorable mention All-Ivy selection; and
WHEREAS, In a thrilling Ivy League Tournament Championship held at the Palestra, Penn beat Harvard by a score of 68-65 to clinch its first berth in the NCAA Tournament since 2007; and
WHEREAS, The Quakers received a No. 16 seeding in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regional bracket and faced the No. 1 seed University of Kansas in Wichita, Kansas. Billed as a potential upset matchup—highly unusual for a No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchup—Penn led by as many as 10 points in the first half against one of college basketball’s most storied programs. Unfortunately, the Quakers were unable to complete the upset, with Kansas prevailing by a final score of 76-60; and
WHEREAS, The final score of the game was not indicative of how well Penn played against Kansas. The Quakers were within only 4 points of the Jayhawks with 11 minutes remaining and led for most of the first half; and
WHEREAS, While Penn will miss the contributions and leadership of seniors Dan Dwyer, Darnell Foreman, Sam Jones, Matt MacDonald, and Caleb Wood, the future is very bright for the Penn Men’s Basketball Program under the leadership of Coach Donahue; and
WHEREAS, The hard work, dedication, class, and team spirit the Quakers displayed this season represented the University of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia admirably. With a mantra of “Whānau,” meaning “extended family” in Maori, the team has exemplified selflessness, teamwork, and unity. The student athletes of the team deserve commendation for being role models to young athletes throughout the Philadelphia Region; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes and congratulates the University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team for an outstanding season in which it earned the title of 2018 Ivy League Champions and competed in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
RESOLVED FURTHER, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the University of Pennsylvania Men’s Basketball Team as evidence of the admiration of this legislative body.
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