"When you only have one guy who makes plays for himself and other people, it's tough to win," Penn coach Jerome Allen said. "We need other guys to step up and make plays. Outside of Zack, that's not happening. You're not going to beat too many teams at this level with just one guy making plays."
Rosen is just 6-foot-1 and he's fast, but not lightning. He has a good shot and a great sense for how to create space for himself and his teammates, and then decide which of them has the best chance to score.
If basketball is a game of will - and that's what it often comes down to - there isn't a player on the court who matches him. Unfortunately for Rosen and Penn, his great passes that should become assists and baskets aren't always converted by those around him. It must be frustrating, but he just shrugs.
"Part of the game," Rosen said.
Signing on with an Ivy League team comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. Rosen is going to get a business degree from one of the great universities in the country. He's had the chance to travel the country, to be part of a great tradition, and, in Allen, to play for a coach who is every bit as passionate about the game as Rosen.
The senior broke the coach's school assists record last week, and before Tuesday's game, Allen took Rosen to midcourt and gave him a basketball inscribed with that accomplishment. After another nine assists against La Salle, Rosen has 514 in his career, compared to 505 for Allen.
"I think my coach thinks it's a bigger deal than I do," Rosen said. "It's something, I guess, and I guess the idea now is to shatter it."
