Palestra to host 3-on-3 charity hoops tourney

In its 84 years on 33rd Street, the Palestra has been the home of Penn basketball and a West Philadelphia landmark. Now the venue will also help house others.

This Saturday, the “Cathedral of College Basketball” will host the first annual Palestra Charity 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, organized by a Wharton MGMT 100 team to support two local nonprofit organizations, the Philadelphia chapter of Say Yes to Education, Inc. and My Place Germantown shelter.

The event was the brainchild of University Chaplain Rev. Charles Howard and Penn basketball coach Jerome Allen. Over the last year, the two have discussed how they could give back to the community and benefit local organizations.

“One of the great gifts that Penn gives is being in an urban setting with all the good that a place like Philadelphia brings — the history, the culture, the heritage and diversity and all the challenges as one of the poorest and largest cities in America,” Howard said.

Howard, who is a 2000 College graduate, was drawn to a religious life, but his continued focus has been assisting others to get the help they need.

As Chaplain, he spoke with Mary Ellen Graham, the president and executive director of My Place Germantown, who wanted to create a fully supportive shelter for men from the Germantown community. Three years after being founded, My Place Germantown finally acquired a permanent occupancy certificate and opened its doors in Northwest Philadelphia to 12 men in November 2010.

“She had nothing. To watch her raise the funds, get the permits and everything to open the shelter was amazing,” said Howard, who has been involved with several homeless advocacy projects in the past. “For a shelter and local program, a thousand dollars goes a long way.”

The tournament will support My Place Germantown in addition to the Philadelphia chapter of Say Yes to Education, a national foundation that provides educational support for children and their families, including promise of a full college or vocational education.

“I just found out that esteemed alum George Weiss has been actively involved in the Bryant School chapter of Say Yes to Education,” said Allen. “I kind of fell in love with the things that he has done.”

Weiss, who is one of the University’s largest benefactors, donated the naming rights for the renovation of the North side of Franklin Field. and has been no stranger to charity work.

“It’s pretty amazing that he walked into a classroom of 50 students and said if they graduated high school, he would pay for their college.”

After deciding on the organizations to benefit, Howard and Allen turned to one of Anne Greenhalgh’s MGMT 100 teams to organize the event.

“It was a no-brainer to help a management cohort,” said Allen, a 2009 Wharton graduate. “Obviously it gives the students work experience in a real life setting.”

The team has only had a month to prepare for the event and has worked non-stop to ensure the tournament runs smoothly.

“What we are focusing on right now is getting as many teams we can to play in the tournament,” said Jamal Taylor, a member of Team Rebound’s public relations committee. “Our main objective is to get the word out there to the community.”

The event will feature a three-on-three tournament and raffle with prizes that include a jersey autographed by Shaquille O’Neal and an iPad. In addition, the men’s basketball team will make an appearance, and Howard will enter a team to compete.

“I love challenging students to care for those in need … in whatever vocation our students are drawn into,” he said.

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