STF Road Trip - The Palestra

Extra P. here. As you may know, I made the five-hour drive from Charlottesville to Philadelphia on Friday to attend the inaugural Philly Classic, which was hosted at the Palestra on Penn's campus.

The love showered on the Palestra by college basketball nuts is well-earned. It's hot, cramped, lacks nearly every modern amenity, but it's absolutely gorgeous and charming. This was my first time in the greatest gym in America, so I'll let my photos do most of the talking.


Due to holiday-related traffic issues, Marco and I arrived midway through the Drexel/Robert Morris game. The early afternoon games were sparsely attended, but the natural light coming through the long windows was excellent - it was a marked change from the cave-like atmosphere some modern facilities have. Note - Marco and I were sitting with the Drexel students, and those are the DU cheerleader hair bows on the right side of the photo.


I ask you... how can you not like a place that offers a Cheese Cup? I mean, that's everything a guy could ask for right there in one sign. Except beer.


After the early game, Marco took a few shots under the watchful eye of Kyle Whelliston. Shortly after this photo was taken, they got yelled at for wearing dress shoes on the court. My choice of tennis shoes - very out of place in the press room - at least kept me off of the staff sh*t list on this one occasion.


This is one of my favorite shots. Virginia's deadeye shooter Adrian Joseph was waiting to take the floor, and found some space behind the bleachers for a little quiet time - just a man and his Spalding.


Our esteemed hosts, the Penn Quakers. The Palestra homeboys actually played pretty well against Virginia, but were out-manned and couldn't match the Cavaliers' athletic ability. Story of a mid-major's life, eh?


And, just in case you're inclined to dismiss Penn's pride and tradition, I present one of the most terrifying sights in college hoops - the ghoulish, lantern-jawed leer of the Penn Quaker. He must protect this house!


UVA's Sean Singletary admires his own shot vs. Penn. A Philly native, Singletary excited as much crowd response as did the home team. He was only 4-12 shooting in this game, but dished out four assists. The Cavs beat Penn 100-85, but fell to Seton Hall the next day.

That should be enough to whet your appetite. If you have the means, and the opportunity, I highly recommend a pilgrimage to this holy site. You might not feel the love within the first five minutes of being there, but by the time you leave, it will feel like a second home.

I'd like to thank Marco for hosting me in grand style, including treating me to a Tony Luke's cheesesteak at 1am after the final game was over. Kyle was gracious enough to walk with us around the Penn campus and shared his chips with us at Mad Mex - thanks for sharing your road-earned wisdom with a couple of fans, K-dub. And a shout-out to Clare, TC, and Katie for rounding out our hoops posse. Can't wait to do it again!