PAL kids to meet NBA star at basketball clinic

Portland Trail Blazers star and Police Athletic League alum Rasheed Wallace will conduct the basketball clinic tomorrow. Over 230 local youngsters will gather in the Palestra tomorrow for a basketball clinic with NBA basketball star Rasheed Wallace sponsored by the Police Athletic League. Wallace -- who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers -- grew up in Philadelphia and played basketball for Simon Gratz High School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before joining the NBA in 1995. His parents enrolled him in PAL -- a non-profit, after-school program for children between the ages of six and 18 run by the Philadelphia Police -- to keep him off the streets. "He is holding the clinic as a way to give something back to an organization which contributed to his growth," Penn Athletics spokesperson Katrina Dowidchuk said. The clinic will include 10 middle school students from each of the 23 PAL centers. David Shafie, one of the event coordinators, said participants are selected by the supervisors of each center and will likely consist of members of the basketball teams. The event is being held at the Palestra because of the connection between PAL and the University, which sponsors the Tucker Center -- the newest PAL center which opened earlier this summer at the Alexander Wilson Elementary School. Wallace will speak to the youngsters before they proceed to different stations run by PAL supervisors and instructors to work on their skills. Wallace will go from station to station giving the kids tips on passing, dribbling, rebounding, conditioning and other basketball fundamentals. "He will speak about the value of staying in school, demonstrate skills and work with the kids," Dowidchuk explained. "It should be really fablous for the kids and it's great for us to be able to offer these kinds of opportunities." David Shafie -- one of the event's coordinators -- said Wallace is someone the youngsters can look up to. "It's nice for them to see a former PAL kid who is successful," he said. Dowidchuk said the clinic is a great opportunity for the PAL youngters. "It's an amazing outlet for these kids," she said. "They will get to see the Palestra and interact with a professional athlete." The basketball clinic is just one of many PAL activities aimed at helping local youngters improve their athletic skills and self-esteem. The program is in its 50th year of existence and has over 2,400 participants throughout the city. The main focus of the program is on sports, but it has put an increased emphasis on academics in recent years. The Philadelphia Police pay a supervising officer a regular salary to operate and organize each PAL center, and all the equipment and programs are free to the children. The University's involvement in the Tucker center is unique. Normally the PAL centers must divide up money raised through awards dinners and other fundraising efforts, but the University has begun an endowment designed to ensure the success of the Tucker Center.

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