PHILADELPHIA — Combine the raw atmosphere of the Danny Rumph Classic with the risk of injury in summer basketball, and it seems like a risk not worth the reward for the NBA stars playing alongside lower-level amateurs and professionals.
A player twisted his ankle and had to be taken off the field by medical staff. Another got out of a wheelchair as a precaution after an injury. And a palpable sense of dread swept through the gym as Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris drove past his defenseman for a layup and then landed facedown in the seats behind the basket. When he jumped up again, the crowd seemed to exhale collectively.
“You could risk injury anywhere,” Morris said, adding that he longed to see NBA players in person while growing up in South Philly but never did. “The greatest thing is to actually be visible. Having people who grew up in the same neighborhood as you, being able to touch and feel you, being able to talk to you, that means the most.”
There’s also a larger purpose that draws NBA stars to the five-day summer event at La Salle University each year: raising awareness of heart health. Their uniforms tell the story of a basketball tournament trying to save lives.
On the bottom of the shorts, a star represents each of the 17 tournament years. On the left side of the jerseys, a series of coordinates show where Rumph died almost two decades ago. And on the left shoulder of the shirt the motto “Save the next Bright Star”.
Rumph, a Philadelphia High School basketball star who played at Western Kentucky University, died in 2005 at age 21 from a heart condition that led to cardiac arrest during a pickup game around town. The tournament helps fund a foundation that bears Rumph’s name and offers free electrocardiogram screenings to young athletes ages 5-19.
Organizers said 61 screenings conducted July 30 in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found 11 people with heart abnormalities, including six with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — the same condition that led to Rumph’s death and a leading cause for sudden cardiac arrest in adolescents.
“A lot of them have had to stop exercising and it hurts them, but I’m trying to explain to them that at least their lives are saved,” said Viola Owens, Rumph’s mother. “That’s why heart screenings are so important to me. If I can save a parent from going through what I went through, it makes a huge difference in the world.”
While the tournament gets off to a celebratory start, the atmosphere on and off the pitch can be downright hostile – and that’s how the players like it.
In true Philly fashion, the tournament draws boisterous, trash-talking fans who huddle on the sidelines and athletes looking to prove themselves against NBA talent. Several NBA players took part in this year’s double-elimination tournament, including Knicks guard Jalen Brunson; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey; and Morris and his twin brother Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris. Team Family Over Everything, led by the Morris twins and Maxey, won the league title on Monday night.
The tournament is the flagship of the Daniel E. Rumph II Foundation, created by Rumph’s mother and Marcus Owens, his uncle. One of Rumph’s childhood best friends, Mike Morak, spearheaded the founding of the tournament in 2006 at the convalescent center where Rumph died – now named after Rumph – until the venue could no longer accommodate the large crowds.
Now housed at the 3,200-seat Tom Gola Arena in La Salle, some of the NBA’s best have donned Rumph jerseys, including Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Sixers guard James Harden.
“It puts an incredible smile on my face to be able to tell your mom that this or that NBA player is going to play,” Morak said. “And just so she knows, with her son’s name, we’ve built something that these people — along with the Philadelphia setting and the competitive nature — think about enough that they want to play.”
And that environment can be intense and unforgiving. A coach poked fun at a referee for minutes after the referee called out a technical foul on day three of the tournament: “This is a charity game and you call it that?” The coach, arms outstretched and a confused look, yelled as others coach pulled him away. A few spectators nearby burst out laughing.
On the second night, fans who couldn’t find seats (or chose not to sit there) stood near the pitch and yelled at players and referees while volunteers told them not to get too close to the touchline. Marcus Morris shook hands with a fan after making a controversial layup. “I should have dunked that!” said Morris before sprinting back to the defense.
Every day, an MC with a microphone would walk the sidelines, commenting on the games and making fun of players and fans. Justin Jaworski, a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder G League, ignited the crowd On Friday, day two of the tournament, he scored 33 points against the Morris twins team while an MC dubbed him “the boul from ’50 Shades of Gray'” (“Boul” is Philadelphia slang for “guy”) .
The Family Over Everything team narrowly won 87:81 and the spectators stormed onto the pitch. The players shook hands with fans and posed for what appeared to be a million different photos as security guards and promoters asked them to leave the pitch so the next game could begin.
Lamar Stevens, a Philadelphia native who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, used to be among the fans who filled the stands eager to see and mingle with the Morris twins and other NBA stars playing at the tournament to entertain. As he watched former Lakers guard Dion Waiters and the Morris brothers, Stevens believed he could make it to the NBA. Now Stevens is hoping to be an inspiration too.
“I want to show these kids what they’re capable of,” said Stevens, 25, who was attending the tournament for the first time this year. “You know, the way I got into the league, I didn’t get drafted. I had to work and grind and get to where I am. So I’m just trying to be that example for the kids and show them what they can do once they snap in and really grind.
For Eric Paschall, a native of New York City and a forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was drawn to the environment. He grew up in Dyckman Park in Manhattan but hasn’t played there since he was in the NBA. “I wanted to try and play at Dyckman Park, but it’s outside,” said Paschall, who played with Brunson at nearby Villanova University. “This was a better, more controlled environment, referees and a real pitch, so I like it.”
And for Viola Owens, who is trying to keep a low profile at the tournament, basketball is just as important as heart screenings.
“I look at them and I see my son and that drives me on,” she said. “They made this move a lot easier. I’ll be honest with you: I didn’t know how to survive. That was my only child, and everything I did was for him, so it was like I took my world away, and then they gave me this whole different world.”