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Around Philly — you might be surprised just who you can run into at a Big 5 Basketball Game. Just days after Plymouth Whitemarsh lost in the PIAA Playoffs to Father Judge — Michael Pereira was watching a Penn Game from the bleachers. Now he is playing for them.
In the year of Philadelphia’s historical significance — what better time for Penn Basketball and the building that it plays in — to make history by becoming relevant once again?
The Palestra is the oldest college basketball arena still in use. The “Cathedral of Basketball” as it is known has played host to more games, more visiting teams, and more NCAA tournaments than any other basketball arena in college basketball in the United States.
Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons.
Built in 1927 and named after an ancient greek term for gymnasium, The Palestra’s construction — which holds approximately 8,725 seats — was constructed of a steel-and-concrete “truss system” and is believed to be the first constructed without interior pillars blocking any view in the arena. World renowned for its close-to-the-court seating with the bleachers ending at the floor and with no barrier to separate the fans from the in-game action, The Palestra is one of the best places to see college basketball in the United States.
The “birthplace of American College Basketball” has hosted the East Regionals six times, the sub-regionals ten times, and 52 NCAA Tournament games.
In the year 2000, The Palestra underwent a nearly $2 Million renovation that included some important historical architecture. The building now has a museum celebrating the history of Philadelphia basketball. As you enter the gymnasium — an honor to the St. Joseph’s Hawk mascot which has attended since 1956.
Between sections 210 and 211, a scoreboard honoring the 1971 Villanova and 1979 Penn exhilerating trips to the NCAA Final Four. Another highlights a listing of the Penn-Princeton rivalry.
This spring — after leading Plymouth Whitemarsh to the PIAA Boys Catholic Leage Championship Game — Michael Pereira joined Team Brazil in the FIBA AmeriCup in Mexico. In the third-place game against Puerto Rico and down by nineteen points — Pereira helped Brazil come back to win 83–77.
For Pereira— one of a host of new players on the Quaker’s Mens Basketball Team next Fall — making both the Program and the Palestra relevant again isn’t just possible — it’s a priority.
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