Seen and heard last night

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Okay, I admit it. Yes, I went to the Palestra for last night's high school basketball doubleheader to see Episcopal Academy's star duo of Wayne Ellington and Gerald Henderson, just like many of the nearly 5,500 in attendance did. But I really went to see how much of a spectacle it would be, because high school hoops are a big deal in Philadelphia and this seemed to have all the trappings of a special occasion.

I clearly wasn't alone in that respect either. Saint Joseph's men's baskeball coach Phil Martelli was there, with his wife, Judy. So was Penn coach Fran Dunphy, and Villanova's Jay Wright -- well-dressed, as always, with a charcoal suit, pink shirt and dark tie. Drexel coach Bruiser Flint was in the house, too, as was former La Salle coach Billy Hahn. Even Dick "Hoops" Weiss, the veteran college basketball writer for the New York Daily News, came down for the occasion.

Among the former players in the house was 2002 Penn graduate Andy Toole, working for the Hoop Group Eastern Invitational Basketball Clinic, spent a lot of time shaking hands with old friends he met while wearing a Quakers jersey. After spending two years in And 1 shoes (he transferred to Penn from Elon), Toole was wearing Reeboks last night, which Dunphy lightheartedly pointed out to anyone within earshot.

The coaches all spent much of the evening hobnobbing with friends who came to visit their plum seats on press row. Martelli said that having the Episcopal vs. Neumann-Goretti game broadcast on ESPN2 -- the first time a game between two Philadelphia-area teams was aired on national television -- would only enhance the city's reputation as a basketball hotbed.

"It raises our profile -- it raises our high school profile, it raises our overall profile, for people to understand that we're not just Allen Iverson in basketball, we're not just the Big 5," he said. "If they wanted to come to Philadelphia and do a small-college game, they'd find great games and great players."

Dunphy took a more historical perspective, recalling nights spent in the Palestra as a child.

"We used to have many more games than just a selected few over the years," he said. "I can remember coming down when I was in school, watching Catholic League championships and Public League championships."

He also emphasized the importance of a night like this for the high school players, especially given the players who graced the famous floor in the past.

"Over the years, there have been some fantastic players that have played here," he said. "I think it's important for the young player today to have the same experience as so many others in years past have. You may not appreciate it today, but you certainly will a number of years later as you think about the opportunity."

Given the impressive talent on all four teams that played last night, it would be almost impossible to not wonder what it would be like if any of them came to Penn. Dunphy couldn't talk much about the subject because the rules on recruiting don't let him, but he admitted that "there's some fine players here -- that's all I can say."

The last word goes to ESPN2 analyst Fran Fraschilla, who, despite being a New Yorker, knows plenty about Philadelphia basketball.

"Any time you do a game in the Palestra, it's like going to Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral -- it's a thrill because of the history of the building," he said. "Then to have a high school game with such good young players who represented their schools so well is icing on the cake"