Original Airdate: Monday, December 14, 2009. This is a part of the 93-Second Sports Shot series. 93-Second Sports Shots air weekday nights at 6pm.

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This morning, University of Pennsylvania Athletic Director Steve Bilsky announced the firing of Men's Basketball Head Coach Glen Miller. Under Miller's direction, the Quakers were 0-7 this year, and were ranked 3rd from the bottom in all of Division I according to the RPI. Glen Miller took over for long time coach Fran Dunphy after Dunphy left to coach the Temple Owls in 2006.

With Ibby Jaaber, Mark Zoller, and other seniors recruited by Dunphy, Miller guided the Quakers to an Ivy League Title in 2006-2007. However, since then, while Cornell has dominated the Ivy League, the Quakers' stock has dropped. Along with underachievement on the court, UPenn hoops have been plagued by off-court issues. Numerous players, including super-talented Guard Harrison Gaines, and Forwards Remy Cofield and Garvin Hunt, left the team, citing a dissatisfaction with both Glen Miller and the program in general.

For long time followers of Ivy League Hoops, the Quakers' recent performance has to be especially shocking. Except for a few oddball years, the Quakers have been a constant presence atop the Ivy League for decades. Their recent fall from grace presents Cornell fans with a dilemma. On one hand, Penn's struggles make it easier for teams like Cornell and Harvard to flourish atop the league. But at the same time, Penn's strength has been a source of pride for the Ivy League for a long time. While Cornell fans might sometimes prefer an easier path to the Ivy Title, I believe the league as a whole benefits from more competition and more national attention.

The benefits from playing in a tougher league include being more prepared for top competition in the NCAA Tournament, and being rated higher in the RPI, thus receiving a higher tournament seed. A hard-earned championship is far sweeter and more rewarding than a cakewalk title for the team and the fans alike.

The Quakers have announced that Assistant Coach and NBA Veteran Jerome Allen, one of Penn's all-time great players, will take over for Miller on an interim basis. The Princeton Tigers made a similar move a few years ago, when Tiger legend Sydney Johnson took over the reins from disgraced Head Coach Joe Scott. Over the past two years, Johnson's Tigers have improved dramatically, even blowing out the Cornell Big Red at Jadwin Gym last season. Although that loss stung, I sincerely hope that Jerome Allen can have a similar sort of success with the Penn Program. It'll be better that way for both the Ivy League and Cornell.

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