Download The Palestra has been the Mecca of Philadelphia college basketball

The Palestra has been the Mecca of Philadelphia college basketball for the last
eighty-two years. It was the first college basketball arena ever built. In 1927 the city of
Philadelphia took a chance on college basketball by building an arena that was strictly for
college basketball. This was such a risk because of the sports lack of popularity at that
time. But once the Palestra was built, it attracted many people living in the Philadelphia
area, and that’s when we knew that this place was something special. The building was
completed in 1927 and named by Greek professor Dr. William N. Bates after the ancient
Greek term palæstra, a rectangular enclosure attached to a gymnasium where athletes
would compete in various sports in front of an audience. Penn's Palestra was built
adjacent to and today is connected to Hutchinson Gymnasium. The Palestra hosted its
first basketball game on January 1, 1927. Pennsylvania defeated Yale 26-15 before a
capacity crowd of 10,000, then the largest crowd ever to attend a basketball game on the
East Coast.
In 1955 the city of Philadelphia decided to form a city series of college basketball
games which would all be played at the Palestra. The five schools, LaSalle, Pennsylvania,
Saint Joseph’s, Temple, and Villanova and are known as the Big 5. The five schools
would play each other once and the team with the best record would be crowned Big 5
champion.
The Big 5 games were the biggest thing in Philadelphia during the wintertime.
Winning the games in the Big 5 meant more the teams then winning their league games.
It was something special and it was only in Philadelphia. Players who played their high
school ball in the city of Philadelphia often attended one of the Big 5 schools because of
its’ history and it also gave them a chance to once again compete against the they same
kids who they have played with either in high school or on the playgrounds. Taking a
date to Big 5 games at the Palestra in the 60’s and 70’s was better then taking her to a
movie because it was more exciting, something the guys wanted to do, and it was also
cheaper. The games at the Palestra were for all different types of people, and everyone
enjoyed it.
After heavy underdog Villanova won the National Championship in 1985 over
Georgetown, the program wanted to be known more on the national stage rather then just
the local one. So in 1991 the Big 5 was discontinued, because Villanova did not want to
split the profits of their home games at the Palestra with the visiting Big 5 team. This is
very original, tradition or something valuable being destroyed because somebody isn’t
getting enough money. But Villanova was not the only team that was on that same track,
Temple also was having good success at that time being a regular in the NCAA
tournament. When the Big five split up, fans were devastated. Although many were not
surprised that it happened, people still hate to see a wonderful tradition like the
Philadelphia Big 5 being broken up. Another reason why the Big 5 lost its flavor was
because teams wanted to play at the new high end stadiums and arenas that their schools
had built instead of playing the games at the Palestra.
Bill Raftery said this in explaining the difference between today’s players and
players back from when he played at LaSalle in the 1960’s, “In the early days it meant
something to win the Big 5. Now the kids who play in Philadelphia today have now idea
what it means.” (Palestra: The Cathedral of Basketball.) Mr. Raftery was exactly right.
The Big 5 players today were not aware of the tradition and history that took place during
games at the Palestra that happened during the past three decades.
In 1999 the Big 5 started back up, but it was in no way or shape of what it used to
be. Teams were now allowed to play their home Big 5 games at there campus in order to
keep the money that was made from the game. Villanova, Temple, and LaSalle all chose
to play at their home courts. Pennsylvania and Saint Joseph’s continued to try and keep
the tradition alive by playing at the Palestra. But there would be one day a year where
there would be a triple header at the Palestra involving all of the Big 5 teams and Drexel.
The day is filled with excitement and energy, as if ii were the old days again. 1999 was
also the same year my aunt Kelly got the head coaching job for Penn’s women’s
basketball team, so it was about that time that I started going down there almost every
Friday and Saturday night from late October to early March. My first early memory was
in 2000 watching the watching a LaSalle vs. Penn double-header. The women’s game
was first followed by the men’s game. The place was packed for the guy’s game. It was a
great game and I got to see future NBA player Rasual Butler playing for LaSalle. LaSalle
won the game 83-76. I think it was that game that caught my interest about Philadelphia
Basketball and the Palestra and it made me want to learn more about it.
In 2000 the Palestra went threw a renovation process. A $2-million renovation to
the gym added a museum celebrating the history of Philadelphia basketball in the
building's main concourse. The walls are now covered with pictures and banners of past
players, coaches, and games. The have a section with all of the great high school players
who have played there, a section with all of the visiting college players who have played
there, and each Big 5 team has their own case when you first enter the main entrance.
Also when you enter the main entrance is the Big 5 hall of fame, with all of the hall-offamer’s placks on the wall in order of what year they were inducted. My uncle Chip was
inducted into the Big 5 hall of fame in 2003 as a player for LaSalle from 1982-1986. The
actual gym was renovated also. There are now movable baskets, the bleachers in the
lower section now fold up, and the floor is now all redone and repainted.
Today the Big 5 is currently going today and the spice is starting to be brought
back into it. New coaches who are from the Philadelphia Area are now trying to bring
something back into the series. Even the area’s top high school talent is staying in the city
to play their college ball again. This past season Saint Joseph’s played every one of their
home games at the Palestra due to construction being done at Alumni Memorial Field
House. Coach Phil Martelli said, “This is a great opportunity for these young players to
get a feel for what started it all, and the reason why people take so much pride in playing
basketball in this city.” (Palestra: The Cathedral of Basketball) The argument comes up a
lot, should the games all be played at the Palestra again? Can the Universities get past the
money issue? And can the Big 5 finally get back to what made it so special?