Public League games peaceful

The Black-shirt team beat the White-shirt team, 105-80, in the main matchup of Saturday's Public League All-Star doubleheader at St. Joseph's University. And unlike the league's championship game at the Palestra, the score was the biggest story to come out of the event. Three weeks ago, a gunman shot and killed one man and injured three others after Ben Franklin High School beat Franklin Learning Center at the Palestra to capture the city title. The shootings, near the corner of 33rd and Walnut streets, captured the city's attention for several days , bringing a lot of negative publicity to the School District of Philadelphia and its athletic league. The league's All-Star game, however, went off without a hitch this weekend, according to Public League Coaches Association President Mitchell Kurtz. "Everyone had a ball," he said. "It was absolutely fabulous." The games -- which included an All-Senior game, comprised of the top senior at each city high school, and the All-Public game, in which the top 20 high school players compete -- were held at St. Joseph's Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. The games were originally scheduled to be at Drexel University yesterday, but on March 3 officials there canceled the event, citing safety concerns stemming from the Palestra shootings. St. Joseph's responded a week later by offering its arena for the annual event -- which is a chance for top city players to show their skills to college scouts -- citing a desire to contribute to the community. "The kids were ecstatic they got a chance to play in front of the college scouts and their friends and family," Kurtz said. Security for the games was provided by the Philadelphia Police Department, School District of Philadelphia guards and St. Joseph's Public Safety officers. While exact numbers were not available yesterday, St. Joseph's Athletic Department spokesperson Larry Dougherty promised last week that security would be visible, but not "oppressive." Penn, meanwhile, is still in the process of reviewing its relationship with the Public League and its policies of letting outside groups use its facilities. University spokesperson Ken Wildes said Friday that officials have not yet decided whether to continue hosting the Public League championship game, which it has done for the past two years. He said there is no need to rush the decision, and that officials wanted to avoid an announcement while emotions are still high. Representatives from such diverse departments as the President's Office, the Athletic Department, the Office of Student Life, Activities and Facilities and the Division of Public Safety are trying to decide whether the University should continue its relatively open-door policy on letting outsiders use Penn facilities. Because of the scope of the question and the decentralized nature of such decisions, officials will not be announcing changes anytime soon, Wildes said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.