NEWS
May 22, 2013 | BY DAVID GAMBACORTA, Daily News Staff Writer gambacd@phillynews.com, 215-854-5994
THE RALPH BROOKS Tot Lot is supposed to be a safe haven for kids in Point Breeze who want to get some exercise and stay out of trouble. But the bare-bones basketball court, at 20th and Tasker streets, feels anything but safe and welcoming. If you set foot on the court, your eyes either find empty lots or an imposing three-story mural nearby that bares the names of dozens of local folks who have lost their lives to violence. That gritty vision is set to soon change, thanks to an ambitious plan that's been crafted by a local nonprofit, city officials and longtime neighborhood residents.
SPORTS
May 12, 2013 | By Matt Breen, Inquirer Staff Writer
Prep Charter will not face penalties for using two girls' basketball players with falsified addresses, said Robert Coleman, the School District of Philadelphia's executive director of athletics. Although they were academically ineligible to attend the South Philadelphia charter, Coleman said "athletically they are eligible. " Coleman is also the chairperson of PIAA District 12. According to a report by the School District's inspector general's office, Hannah Timmons and Martianna Wilson commuted to Prep Charter from Coatesville, but the school listed them with Southwest Philadelphia addresses.
SPORTS
May 11, 2013 | By Keith Pompey, Inquirer Staff Writer
Villanova and Syracuse have agreed to a home-and-home men's basketball series over the next two seasons. Syracuse will play Villanova in the Carrier Dome on Dec. 28, and the Wildcats will host the Orange at the Wells Fargo Center in 2014 at a date to be determined. Tryout for Arcidiacono. Ryan Arcidiacono, a freshman point guard at Villanova, accepted an invitation to participate in the 2013 USA Basketball men's under-19 National Team training camp. The camp will be held on June 15-19 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
SPORTS
May 6, 2013 | By Joe Juliano, Inquirer Staff Writer
Brian Smith, a 27-year-old basketball trainer and instructor from North Philadelphia, fulfilled his mission Sunday to dribble a basketball the entire 10 miles of the Broad Street Run to raise awareness of how the sport helps young people. However, he was a little late in getting started after he was detained by police for about two hours for having a book bag with him in addition to his basketball, Smith said. Smith explained that he had planned to give the bag, which contained his cell phone and a change of shirt, to friends who would be meeting him at the finish line.
SPORTS
May 4, 2013 | By Joe Juliano, Inquirer Staff Writer
Brian Smith sincerely believes that basketball is a means for inner-city children to gain positive opportunities out in the world. And he would do just about anything he could to bring awareness to that ideal. How about dribbling a basketball 10 miles? Smith, 27, a basketball trainer and instructor from North Philadelphia, will participate in Sunday's Broad Street Run and plans to dribble a basketball for the entire 10-mile route, from Fisher Avenue to the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
SPORTS
May 3, 2013 | Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Rick Pitino became a Hall of Famer and an NCAA champion on the same day. Now the Louisville basketball coach is positioned to become a Kentucky Derby-winning owner if Goldencents wins on Saturday. Talk about the greatest four weeks ever. Despite attempts to downplay Pitino's hot streak, his appearance for Wednesday's workout at Churchill Downs showed how much people like being around a winner. He looked every bit the rock star wearing sunglasses as he walked through a throng of Cardinals and race fans who had waited patiently outside the barn.
SPORTS
May 2, 2013 | By Mike Jensen, Inquirer Staff Writer
Commissioner Mike Aresco and some staffers of the newly named American Athletic Conference were in Philadelphia on Tuesday, stopping at member school Temple, then touring the Palestra, a possible site for the postseason conference basketball tournament. "We're definitely interested," Aresco said in a phone call from 30th Street Station after seeing the Palestra. "It's a revered place in college basketball. Given our druthers, we're looking for a smaller arena, more intimate, at least in the beginning.
SPORTS
May 1, 2013 | Daily News Wire Reports
THE PGA TOUR dropped its doping case against Vijay Singh yesterday based on new information from the World Anti-Doping Agency, which said using deer antler spray is no longer prohibited because it contains such small amounts of a growth hormone factor. "The bottom line is that given the change by WADA, we are dropping the case against Mr. Singh," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. Finchem said Singh's appeal of the sanctions was almost over when WADA, which had warned about the spray in February, told the tour Friday it no longer considers the use of deer antler spray to be prohibited except for a positive test result.
SPORTS
May 1, 2013 | By Mike Jensen, Inquirer Staff Writer
At first, Herb Magee wasn't sure. It had been more than half a century since Magee stood in this spot, between Cell Blocks 5 and 6 inside Eastern State Penitentiary on Fairmount Avenue. The sights all around him quickly began matching up to his memories. Magee could envision inmates sitting on a low-hanging roof over a cell block, watching a basketball game, a game he was playing in. "This is it," Philadelphia University's Hall of Fame coach decided. Magee had been there a couple of times to play against inmates, once in high school, once in college.