Creighton 69, St. Joseph’s 58
An Important First in an Ancient Building
Philadelphia is known for many things. The positives include Boyz II Men, Rocky, cheesesteaks, the Liberty Bell, and Paddy’s Pub. Among the bad aspects inherent to the City of Brotherly Love include throwing snowballs at Santa, throwing batteries at J.D. Drew, and throwing Donovan McNabb under the bus.
But in a city shrouded in history both good and bad, few locations in Philly ooze with relevance as much as the Palestra. The building, completed in 1927 on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, is known as the Cathedral of College Basketball. A Greek Prof at Penn named it after the ancient Greek term for a rectangular enclosure attached to a gymnasium. To be true to the definition, the Palestra is attached to Hutchinson Gymnasium.
Anyway, the building has hosted more college basketball games (regular and post-season NCAA affairs), more visiting teams, and more NCAA tournaments than any other gym in the country. And although Creighton has played in the Palestra before, Saturday’s game marked the first time since the 1970s that CU visited this hoops haven.
It was a trip Booker Woodfox and the rest of the Jays will remember for quite awhile. Although they were not exactly steeped in the tradition of the building, Woodfox and his teammates quickly made their own memories. After trading baskets to start the game, Kaleb Korver knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 12 minutes to play in the first half. Creighton didn’t trail the rest of the game. They would eventually open up a 21-point lead and hold on for a decisive road victory over an Atlantic 10 Conference team. Why?
His 29 points were an important first for him in a building that’s seen its fair share of amazing performances. And a note for Coach Martelli: he is that kind of good. Is he going to shoot better than 75% from 3-point range every night? Probably not. But he is shooting 51.4% from long range so far this season, which ranks 30th in the nation in 3-point percentage. That’s pretty sweet, even for a guy who’s favorite hobby is eating candy.
Creighton’s time in the historic Palestra was fleeting. They made the most of their opportunity, though. I’m sure Booker wanted to stick around and take a few more jump shots; as the gang at Paddy’s Pub sings, it’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
Dear Palestra: it is so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
Philadelphia is known for many things. The positives include Boyz II Men, Rocky, cheesesteaks, the Liberty Bell, and Paddy’s Pub. Among the bad aspects inherent to the City of Brotherly Love include throwing snowballs at Santa, throwing batteries at J.D. Drew, and throwing Donovan McNabb under the bus.
But in a city shrouded in history both good and bad, few locations in Philly ooze with relevance as much as the Palestra. The building, completed in 1927 on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, is known as the Cathedral of College Basketball. A Greek Prof at Penn named it after the ancient Greek term for a rectangular enclosure attached to a gymnasium. To be true to the definition, the Palestra is attached to Hutchinson Gymnasium.
Anyway, the building has hosted more college basketball games (regular and post-season NCAA affairs), more visiting teams, and more NCAA tournaments than any other gym in the country. And although Creighton has played in the Palestra before, Saturday’s game marked the first time since the 1970s that CU visited this hoops haven.
It was a trip Booker Woodfox and the rest of the Jays will remember for quite awhile. Although they were not exactly steeped in the tradition of the building, Woodfox and his teammates quickly made their own memories. After trading baskets to start the game, Kaleb Korver knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 12 minutes to play in the first half. Creighton didn’t trail the rest of the game. They would eventually open up a 21-point lead and hold on for a decisive road victory over an Atlantic 10 Conference team. Why?
- Because Woodfox went off for a career-high 29 points.
- Because the Jays used 10 players more than 10 minutes each to wear down a shallow St. Joe’s team.
- Because Creighton outrebounded the Hawks 37-31.
- Because CU turned the ball over just 11 times.
- Because Josh Dotzler and Cavel Witter combined for 8 assists and just 1 turnover.
- Because Kaleb Korver came off the bench to score 9 points (all 3-pointers), grab 4 rebounds, dish 2 assists, and snag one steal in 18 minutes of play in his brother’s first NBA city.
His 29 points were an important first for him in a building that’s seen its fair share of amazing performances. And a note for Coach Martelli: he is that kind of good. Is he going to shoot better than 75% from 3-point range every night? Probably not. But he is shooting 51.4% from long range so far this season, which ranks 30th in the nation in 3-point percentage. That’s pretty sweet, even for a guy who’s favorite hobby is eating candy.
Creighton’s time in the historic Palestra was fleeting. They made the most of their opportunity, though. I’m sure Booker wanted to stick around and take a few more jump shots; as the gang at Paddy’s Pub sings, it’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
Dear Palestra: it is so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
posted by Creighton Otter at 8:51 AM
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