Palestra documentary to air on ESPN
ESPN will air the feature-length documentary film "The Palestra: Cathedral of Basketball" on two of its channels starting in July.
The documentary is the work of Mikaelyn Austin, a filmmaker and former Penn women's basketball player. She graduated from the College in 2004 and also won an Ivy League title with the team in the 2003-04 season.
Harry Kalas of NFL Films provides narration for the documentary, which chronicles the rise of college basketball and situates it against the history of The Palestra. Some of the most notable figures in basketball - Chuck Daly, Dr. Jack Ramsey, and Bill Raferty among them - are interviewed.
This does not mark Austin's first foray into Philadelphia-centric filmmaking. Just after graduating, she produced a documentary called "The Curse of Billy Penn," about the lack of success of Philadelphia's professional teams.
ESPN Classic and ESPNU will both be showing the documentary several times each. The first airing will be on ESPN Classic at 10 P.M. EST on Thursday, July 5. It will be shown again on the same channel on Saturday, August 4 at 8 A.M. ESPNU will be airing it at 10 P.M. on Wednesday, July 11, 9 P.M. on July 16, and 9 A.M. on Friday, July 27.
-Brandon Moyse
Giants sign DeOssie to four-year contract
The New York Giants signed rookie linebacker Zak DeOssie to a four-year deal yesterday, making him just the second draft pick that the Giants have signed. Financial terms were not disclosed.
DeOssie starred for four years at Brown, where he was a three-time All-Ivy selection, a third-team All-America pick, and a two-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the nation's top defensive player.
In April's draft, DeOssie was selected in the fourth round by the Giants, becoming their first Ivy League pick since they drafted Penn tackle Jeff Hatch in 2002. Fellow Ivy Leaguer and former Quaker Jim Finn is also currently on the Giants roster.
By signing with the Giants, DeOssie follows in his father's footsteps. Steve DeOssie, who spent twelve years in the NFL, also played for the team for four-and-a-half years as a linebacker.
-B.M.
