The Halfcourt Trap Vol. I, No. 21

In today’s world of sports, the focus is all too often on the things we hate about the games we watch. Contract holdouts. Strikes/Lockouts. Steroids. Academic Fraud. The sports page is often indistinguishable from the police blotter or the business section. That is not why we all fell in love with sports.

However, there are still places that appeal to the better angels of our games and remind us why we passionately follow sports in America. The Palestra is one of those places. It is essentially college basketball’s Museum Of Living History. From the old school popcorn machines in the hallway to the chronologically arranged exhibits on the wall, everything about the Philadelphia landmark reminds of us of the great things about college basketball. Ramsay, Westhead, Daly, and Chaney. All of those sideline legends coached here on a regular basis. Name a legend of college basketball, chances are they played here. Gola, Porter, Macon, Allen, and Nelson. They all lit this great old cathedral up in classic Big 5 matchups.
The Palestra takes us back to a simpler time. You almost expect Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper to come out as one of the coaching staffs.

If you love college basketball, a trip to The Palestra is a required pilgrimage. It’s like Graceland for Elvis impersonators. Pick any game, you can’t go wrong. The Big 5, plus Drexel, is in great hands. Coaches like Fran Dunphy, Jay Wright, Bruiser Flint, and Phil Martelli understand the bond Philadelphia fans have to college hoops and The Palestra’s special role in that bond. Anyone who has the opportunity should attend a game there at their earliest opportunity. It’s like a cleansing shower from all of the slime in sports today.

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