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Swishes and well-wishes dominated the proceedings Saturday at Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St., as Philly Girls Got Game — a new organization that hopes to use basketball to inspire girls’ entire lives — hosted its debut event.
Roughly 150 girls representing South Philadelphia middle schools laced up and spent three hours perfecting their games and confidence levels. To do so, the youngsters, ranging in age from 8 to 13, received tutelage from players and coaches of the “Philly 6,” Temple University, Drexel University, Saint Joseph’s University, Villanova University, La Salle University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Donning their “Philly Girls Got Game” (PG3) T-shirts, the future stars lithely bounded from one stop to another, enjoying eight stations throughout the clinic. Each focused on a different skill, a fact that served as a perfect metaphor for what Beth Devine had hoped the day would yield.
Devine, the program director, has amassed more than 20 years of experience in running girls basketball programs. The alumnus of Lafayette College and former associate director of the Philadelphia Big 5 joined forces with Letty Santarelli, PG3’s outreach director, in January. That month, the two met with Comcast-Spectacor Vice-Chairman Fred Shabel and Councilman-at-Large James Kenney to discuss ways to empower South Philadelphia’s female middle-schoolers.
To Devine, basketball seemed like “a natural fit,” with its themes of persistence, communication and sharing.
“We want to help these girls to succeed at all levels,” she said, adding she would like people to see basketball as teaching young people the necessities of fitness, nutrition and overall wellness.
Santarelli is a disciple of those necessities. She previously suited up for Springfield-based Cardinal O’Hara High School and Immaculata College. She has remained devoted to the game and has enjoyed fostering talent as the Catholic Youth Organization girls’ basketball coach at Saint Richard, 19th and Pollock streets.
“The long-term goal of this program is to facilitate the growth of a young girl’s confidence and character in all aspects of her life, using basketball as the vehicle,” the resident of Broad and Bigler streets said.
Her clout within the community helped convince Shabel and Kenney that her adopted home would be the perfect site for PG3’s initial gathering. Kenney’s South Philly heritage certainly helped.
Settling into their groups of about 19, the participants listened attentively to their taller brethren, giving a full effort during each of the 15-minute sessions. The action was so intense that fifth-graders Lexie Masi and Alessia Pascale, who attend St. Monica’s School, 1720 Ritner St., had to grab water and soft pretzels midway through. When asked what was standing out to them, they simultaneously replied “learning to play better and smarter.” The duo worked on all portions of their game, as the college players taught all the girls offensive and defensive fundamentals, including ballhandling courtesy of the Villanova Wildcats and rebounding thanks to Drexel Dragons.
Hospitable weather enabled the girls to venture outside for half of the drills. Whether inside or outside, they had parents and guardians cheering them on. Lisa Robinson, mother of Brianna Robinson, who attends Christopher Columbus Charter School, 1242 S. 13th St., gleamed throughout the day.
“Brianna was eager to work with the St. Joe’s girls,” Lisa Robinson, who helped with layups, said. “We go to their games, so she was excited.”
Excitement ran rampant among everyone, especially Devine.
“We hope everyone walks away today with excitement for the game,” Devine said.
She has lofty plans for PG3, including holding clinics across Philadelphia, as well as a weekly series in which the Division I schools would take turns hosting.
“We want to move beyond the days of having no resources, including not having enough gym space,” Devine said.
The middle-schoolers reveled in their lessons. Sammi Daebundo, a fifth-grader at Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP), 23rd and Ritner streets, “loved” her time at the Penn Quakers’ station in which footwork and dribbling were the focus.
One of Santarelli’s players, Alexandra Arrigale — a St. Richard’s student and daughter of Neumann-Goretti boys’ coach Carl Arrigale — enjoyed receiving shooting pointers from the group representing the Temple Owls.
“I loved learning about BEEF,” she said, referring to the acronym “Balance, Eyes, Elbows, Follow-through,” which promises to perfect shooting motion. “I’m going to use that with Coach Letty.”
Santarelli, whose basketball responsibilities include organizing South Philadelphia-based travel basketball teams and coaching the Philadelphia Comets Amateur Athletic Union squad, applauded the “great turnout.”
“I am proud of these girls. I know they are going to feed off this excitement and run with it,” she said.
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