W. Hoops pals up with area youth

When not busy dribbling past opponents and shooting three-pointers, the women's basketball team is busy making pals -- Penn Pals, that is. Now in its fourth year, Penn Pals is a fan club that pairs up each member of the women's basketball team with local students in first through eighth grades. The students are from inner-city schools and are primarily female, according to the team's assistant coach, Devonna Williams. "We would like younger girls to be involved," Williams said. "Boys can also join, yet the girls seem more interested." The students participating in the program get free admission to all home games, as well as other benefits such as tours of the locker room after games, T-shirts with a Penn Pals logo on it and a picture with each student's "Pal." But most importantly, each child gets a new friend, one who writes several letters to her younger pal during the season. It is these benefits, Williams said, that attract students from neighboring elementary and junior high schools, as well as children of alumni, to join the program. While the program is naturally popular among the children, it has also gained favor with the basketball players. College senior and shooting guard Colleen Kelly said the "the program's great." "When I was their age, I had the opportunity to meet some players and I know that I totally worshiped them," she added. "The kids love us," she continued. "They don't care whether we win or lose. Whether we play well or not, they still love to be around us." The program's participation rate demonstrates its popularity. Williams said participation has doubled since its first year, and Kelly noted that members of this year's team even "had Penn Pals with the Penn players when they were growing up." The program fulfills an important mentoring role, but Williams pointed out several other purposes. By sitting in the stands during home games, the students enjoy a taste of college life -- a unique experience for most younger children. The program also has succeeded in bringing together the University and the neighboring community. Williams stressed that she also hopes the "girls take away a sense of knowing that they can continue to pursue basketball, adding that the "younger generation is getting more involved in basketball" as a result of the Women's National Basketball Association and American Basketball League.