“When you walk into the place there is this sense that you’ve sort of stepped into a time capsule,” said best selling author, John Feinstein. From the moment you step inside, you become a part of history. Walking through the main concourse, memories of childhood pick up games race through your head."
“This building is the Cathedral of College Basketball, and I think the reason is because it is a powerful religious experience,” states legendary sportswriter, Dick “Hoops” Weiss. “There’s a lot of people that are emotionally moved by being in this building.”
A city rich with history continues a Thanksgiving sports tradition with the return of the Philly Hoop Group Classic to the historic Palestra in Philadelphia.
The 2008 tournament features eight teams including Hartford, Monmouth, Niagara, NJIT, Rhode Island, Towson, Penn State, and Villanova. “We are thrilled with our field for this year’s event. Once again we feature a preseason Top 25 team as well as a number of teams projected to compete for their conference championships and post season play. It promises to be a great 2 weeks of hoops culminating Thanksgiving weekend in the Cathedral of College Basketball, The Palestra.” said Rob Kennedy, president of The Hoop Group, a comprehensive basketball organization dedicated to fulfilling dreams of student athletes. The Hoop Group organizes camps, clinics, and team tournaments throughout the year in order to teach the game of basketball and provide a platform for student-athletes to showcase their talents.
The Philly Hoop Group Classic is an event, which allows teams to play two games at participating schools before moving to the Palestra on Thanksgiving weekend. This format guarantees each team four games and allows fans to see eight games over two days at the Palestra culminating with championship games in both the Liberty and Independence Brackets.
The Philly Hoop Group Classic looks to build upon the excitement of the inaugural event last year which saw Drexel top Loyola in a two point thriller in the Liberty Bracket final, while Seton Hall upset nationally ranked Virginia in the Independence Bracket final. This year’s Philly Hoop Group Classic promises to be even better as Philadelphia will play host to a new field of eight teams with a combined 7 NCAA Tournament victories over the past three years.
In addition to the great players and teams in this year’s event, there is another star; The Palestra. Since opening its doors in 1927, the Palestra has hosted more college basketball games, more NCAA Tournament games, more visiting teams, and more spectators of college basketball than any other arena in the world. Watching a collegiate basketball game at the famous arena is an experience matched only by attending celebrated facilities such as Wrigley Field, Lambeau Field or Madison Square Garden. The Philly Hoop Group Classic is proud to add to the grand history of the Palestra and to Philadelphia’s sports traditions.
MVP's Brian Laing of Seton Hall and Frank Elegar of Drexel
Virginia All American Sean Singletary now of the Phoenix Suns in Hoop Group Philly Classic action.
The Hoop Group would like to thank the players, coaches and administrations of Seton Hall University, Virginia University, Drexel University, Loyola College, University of Pennsylvania, Robert Morris University, US Naval Academy and Howard University for making the first Philly Hoop Group Classic a major success.
Thanks to over 50,000 college basketball fans who came to watch the Philly Hoop Group Classic action.
And special thanks to the Palestra, the cathedral of college basketball, the City of Philadelphia and finally Comcast CN8 Sports for televising all the action
