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WEEK MARCH 22, 2017 VOL. 2 NO. 12
EYE ON PARKS Local adjuncts labor union seeks rights for non-tenured professors. 4
MARCH MADNESS Even without a Big 5 representative, tournament time is back and crazier than ever. 8
PHL PRE-K Mayor Kenney looks to strengthen the City’s commitment to Pre-K. 5
ACCU-REGGIE 7-day weather forecast for the region. 3
COMMUNITY CALENDAR Events and happenings in our neighborhoods. 7
HOT OFF THE
PRESS
W
hen Garry Mills lost a friend to gun violence, he realized it was time to do something to help the youth in his community. He responded by forming a nonprofit youth recreation organization called Shoot Basketballs Not People (SBNP). SBNP uses basketball as a way decrease violence by teaching teamwork, goal setting and planning to kids and teenagers from ages 8-17, Mills told Spirit News. To date, SBNP has mentored 397 children from North Philadelphia. Mills explained that coaching sports to children can help break cycles of destructive behavior and violence by teaching them core values that can be applied not only to basketball, but in other aspects of their lives as well. “Sports helps young people learn what it means to be part of a team and allows them to learn how to lose gracefully, which means assessing their own performance,” Mills added. Mills believes that coaches should not not focus on their teams winning or losing, but instead focus on the development of life skills in the players. Working with children has taught him that a coach needs to be a parental figure because many students he encounters are raised in single-parent households. When the kids learn to evaluate why they lost, they also see what they did well. This helps the youths learn from their mistakes and not get caught up in the process of losing, Mills said. Mills grew up in West Oak Lane and was raised by parents who valued hard work and creativity. While attending Lincoln High School, his basketball coach shaped his outlook on life and basketball by promoting values of
hard work and brotherhood on and off the court. Mills brings these values into his life and the lives of his students in SBNP. “There’s a lot that goes into working with these children to make them excel,” Mills said. Mills formed SBNP after he stopped working within the corporate world at Wells Fargo, which he found unfulfilling. “As I lost friends to gun violence, it left a nasty taste in my mouth,” Mills said. “While working at Wells Fargo, I realized I didn’t want to do something that wasn’t fulfilling.” Since the first SBNP basketball game against violence in 2009, the nonprofit has added more accomplishments under its belt, including expanding to Akron, Ohio. It’s first event in Akron was the annual President’s Day Youth Basketball Clinic on February 18, 2013. Ever since then, they have been hosting the annual event every year. Closer to home, SBNP frequently holds clinics and events to spread their message. On August 15, 2016, the organization held the Allen Iverson Celebrity Basketball Classic at the Liacouras Center, which featured Allen Iverson and other famous Philadelphia basketball figures including North Philly’s own Rasheed Wallace. Students in SBNP experience more than just playing basketball. Mills and the group have competed at the War at Valley Forge tournament, which attracted 82 teams from across the east coast in April 2015. SBNP has earned awards and recognition for their work. Most recently, in 2016, Mills was selected as the 2016 Black Enterprise Magazine Top 100 BE
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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – March 22, 2017
Continued from Page 1. Modern Men. In June, the organization was awarded the 2016 Top Rated Great Nonprofit badge. SBNP is working on new projects. The group has partnered with Pro Bound, another basketball training organization, to focus more on teaching basketball to young women. Their mission is to inspire girls to compete at the next level in the game. On April 8th, SBNP will participate in the Academic High School Basketball Invitational at the University of the Sciences. The purpose of this event is to feature 80 top student-athletes from Philadelphia and suburban county schools. The event will continue to foster SBNP’s message and encourage the importance of exhibiting character in-game and in life while maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher. As far as what is planned for the future, Mills said that they are working towards building their own facility to develop athletes and help them gain entrepreneurial skills in addition to basketball skills. Mills anticipates the program achieving national recognition in the near future. This will hopefully allow for further development of their programs. But whatever the future holds for SBNP, Mills’ advice to his students is this: “Never take constructive criticism from someone who’s never constructed anything.” • Rasheed Wallace (top) and Allen Iverson (bottom) at SBNP’s Allen Iverson Celebrity Basketball Classic at the Liacouras Center in August 2016. /Courtesy Garry Mills
/Photos courtesy Garry Mills
CORRECTION In our March 8th story on Bam Rogers, Ms. Rogers was referred to as "Philly's First Female Boxing Promoter." Veronica Michaels of the Blue Horizon was actually first female boxing promoter in Philly, Ms. Rogers was the youngest female in Philadelphia to become a licensed boxing promoter.
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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – March 22, 2017
FORECAST FOR PENN’S GARDEN
accu-reggie TWITTER: @ACCUREGGIE • FACEBOOK: ACCU-REGGIE
L
ast week started very cold behind the big winter storm before we gradually eased up into the 50s, which is where we belong for March. This forecast period is going to start cold as well, but then turn very warm before cooling to seasonal temperatures. For everyone ready for spring after this cold and snowy March, I am pleased to tell you that winter is on major life support right now. Soon, it will be 80 and sunny, the Phillies will be playing baseball and we’ll all be headed down the shore! Hang in there for winter’s last jabs, we’re almost through it! The week starts cold as a strong punch of Arctic air drops in from Canada. This cold shot gradually eases as we go through the week. You are going to absolutely love Satur-
day, as temperatures warm to where we were in February. There’s something so wrong in saying that, but it’s true — the 70s return! Wednesday is the coldest day of the week. Temperatures will be in the 30s, but the wind will make it feel colder. Thursday is chilly, but the cold shot is already on the way out as temperatures begin to climb into the 40s. It’s really hard for cold air to stick around this time of year. Friday takes another step toward warmer weather as a warm front moves through. Temperatures climb to 50 degrees, but it will be cloudy with the chance for a light shower. Saturday looks amazing. Rain stays to our north and
warmth surges up from the south for a beautiful day. Sun and clouds will dominate; the only wrinkle is a possible late day thunderstorm. Sunday is the rainy day of the week and it will trail over into Monday. A shower will come through Sunday morning before steadier rains arrive for Sunday into Monday. It will be a chilly rain. The rain clears out for Tuesday and temperatures stabilize in the 50s. Clouds increase ahead of the next storm, but we’ll worry about that later! As always, follow us on social media for weather updates throughout the week! •
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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – March 22, 2017
WRITTEN BY THOMAS BECK
eye on parks
PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N C O M M I S S I O N H O S T S P U B L I C M E E T I N G AT M A N D E R R E C R E AT I O N C E N T E R
O
n Monday, March 20th, the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commission hosted its second public meeting of the year at Mander Recreation Center (2140 N. 33rd St.) in Strawberry
Mansion. First on the agenda was an overview of some of the upcoming events with which the Commission is affiliated, including the TreePhilly Program, the 2017 NFL Draft, Love Your Park Week and the Unity Cup. During the first two weeks of April, the TreePhilly Program will host a series of events at which Philadelphia residents can pick up a free tree for planting. Prospective participants are encouraged, but not required, to register online beforehand. As previously reported, The 2017 NFL Draft will be held along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from April 27-29. Free tickets will be distributed on a lottery basis. On May 13th, Love Your Park Week will begin. It will include a number of community activities throughout the city, such as the newly implemented Parks on Tap Program. The Unity Cup, a citywide soccer tournament modelled after the World Cup, will begin sometime within the next few weeks. More information will be available soon. After a brief discussion about development, public outreach and community safety, the Commission bestowed the Park Star Award upon Suku John, the executive director of the East Park Revitalization Alliance (EPRA), a local nonprofit organization focused on improving the environment and education in addition to promoting healthy life choices. Despite his hard work and his steadfast support of the community and the Commission, John didn’t feel worthy enough to receive the award. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this award,” he said, chuckling. “I do what I can for the community, but you look at the problems around you and it’s hard to feel like you’ve done anything successful.” Representatives from the Fairmount Park Conservancy were also in attendance. Executive Director Rick Magder thanked the Commission for its support over the years and discussed the general mission of the Conservancy. “The Conservancy works on three things,” he said. “We help restore the park system, the physical, environmental, historic and recreational aspects of the system; we gauge communities around parks; and we create really amazing creative programming in this neighborhood.” Magder and Senior Director of Strategy and Planning Ellen Ryan then went on to outline several upcoming projects the Conservancy will be undertaking. The meeting ended with a public forum, during which the attendees were permitted to raise concerns, make comments and ask general questions. The one topic that seemed to dominate the meeting was the Commission’s involvement with Mayor Kenney’s Re-
build Program, a seven-year, $500 million plan that aims to improve parks, libraries, recreation centers and playgrounds and promote education, health and safety. Kathryn Ott Lovell of the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commission urged the meeting’s attendees to support the Philadelphia Beverage Tax, which serves as the backbone of the Rebuild Program. “The truth is that the [Rebuild Program] doesn’t happen without the Philadelphia Beverage Tax,” said Lovell. “And the truth is that the 1,500 kids that are in Pre-K right now, for free, every single day in every single neighborhood of the city will go out of pre-K as fast as they went in if anything happens to the Beverage Tax.” The next public meeting of the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commission will be held on Monday, May 22nd at the Bridesburg Recreation Center, 4601 Richmond Street. •
/Thomas Beck
The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – March 22, 2017
WRITTEN BY JOHN HENRY SCOTT
PHL pre-K
M AY O R K E N N E Y L O O K S T O S T R E N G T H E N C I T Y ’ S C O M M I T M E N T T O P R E - K
O
n March 16th, Mayor Jim Kenney sat down with pre-kindergarten providers, teachers and parents for a roundtable discussion at the R.W. Brown Community Center at 8th and Cecil B. Moore. The talk was centered around the city’s PHLpreK initiative, which is funded by the recent Philadelphia Beverage Tax, also known as the Soda Tax. Kenney wanted to hear more about the economic impact that the initiative has had on neighborhood-based pre-K centers and receive feedback on how to strengthen the program. The PHLpreK initiative is part of a five-year plan, proposed by Mayor Kenney, to enroll 6,500 Philadelphia children in affordable, quality pre-K programs. In its first year, PHLpreK has partnered with 88 pre-K programs across the city. Many of these programs are independently owned by local residents, strengthening the economy of their neighborhoods. At the time of the meeting, 1,800 children had been enrolled through PHLpreK. Educators, providers and parents sat around a circle of tables with the mayor. To begin the discussion, participants were encouraged to share success stories or positive experiences resulting from the initiative. Participants touched on topics such as being able to connect families with jobs and resources, being able to give staff raises and allowing increased healthcare visibility for children under the age of five. Some programs have been able to bring in organizations such as Kids Smile Inc., a nonprofit which provides children in underserved communities with basic oral health care. Clarence Morris of Amazing Kids Academy LLC said he was “grateful to be able to provide more jobs and prepare children for kindergarten.” An educator from Catholic Social Services said that their program has 72 PHLpreK spots filled and has been able to give staff much-needed raises. “Quality pre-K is not babysitting,” Mayor Kenney said. He then told a story about going to Jay Cooke Elementary to observe a kindergarten class. About five of the 20 students in the room were engaged with the teacher and asking questions. At the end of the class, Kenney discovered that those five students had been to pre-K. Kenney then began to talk about the national political climate and topics such as immigration and the proposed
travel bans. He spoke of these policies as ones of fear and speculated on how this fear affects the nation’s children. He told stories of children he had met at political events who are scared of their parents being deported and scared of being deported themselves. “This isn’t how this country is supposed to be,” he said. An educator in the room voiced her fear that some of her undocumented teachers and staff would be deported. Kenney went on to address criticism of the soda tax. He talked about threats made by major soda manufacturers, such as laying off thousands of employees as a result of the tax. The mayor voiced his confusion as to why a company with profit margins in the billions each year would have to lay off workers earning an entry-level salary. Latonta Godboldt, an administrator at Small Wonders FCCH, spoke up against criticism of the tax. “The bottom line is, kids are worth it. It doesn’t matter if it’s 10, 20, 30 cents. If we don’t do these kind of programs, we all end up paying,” she said. More information about the PHLpreK initiative can be found at: http://www.phlprek.org/ •
/Photos courtesy City of Philadelphia
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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – March 22, 2017
W R I T T E N B Y S H E A LY N K I L R O Y
Avon grant
N B L I C R E C E I V E S G R A N T T O S U P P LY B R E A S T C A N C E R E D U C AT I O N A N D M A M M O G R A M R E F E R R A L S
I
n 2017, it is estimated that 40,610 women will die from breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. 11,300 new cases of breast cancer will be detected this year in Pennsylvania. Annual mammograms have been the primary means of breast cancer detection for women, decreasing mortality rates by 40% in the U.S. In an effort to save more lives, the local organization National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer (NBLIC) received a $30,000 grant from the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade to advance the initiative’s work in providing breast cancer education and prevention to women. The funding will allow the Community Breast Forum at the NBLIC to start a new program that will educate women in Philadelphia about breast cancer in addition to referring them to nearby free or low-cost mammograms. The grant will allow forum-goers to schedule a mobile mammography van to come to their community. This van will be able to give 25 or more women mammograms when it is dispatched. NBLIC’s Community Breast Forum has reached over 100 women with breast cancer detection information since October 2016. The forum has referred almost 17 women breast exams and mammograms since this time period. The Avon Foundation for Women is a national nonprofit organization that was founded in 1955. As an extension of the foundation, the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade is devoted to raising funds for the promotion of breast cancer research, awareness, and access, especially for those who are
in medical need. Since launching in 1992, the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade has distributed $1 billion to breast cancer programs around the world. “We are proud that the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade shares our mission and has chosen to support our program,” Ernestine P. Delmoor, President of Community Breast Forum at the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer, said in a prepared statement. “With these funds, we will be able to build support in the community for women who resist getting mammograms for reasons such as “always incarceration” or fears of pain during the screening process. Providing education programs in the community builds social health networks to increase support for screenings and provides health resources to CBOs for their community. This also allows
women to overcome their lack of knowledge on how to access their healthcare system for services and for those that do not have insurance, how to find screening resources to improve their health by providing education and assistance to get to those resources.” The crusade’s Breast Health Outreach Program, which provides grants to nonprofit organizations to conduct outreach, selected the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer as one of 56 new grant recipients nationwide in the 2017 cycles. All of the organizations chosen were based on the ability to effectively reach “medically underserved,” minority, low-income, older women. To learn more about the Community Breast Forum at NBLIC and how you can get educated about breast cancer, call Delmoor at 267-639-3057. •
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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – March 22, 2017
COMMUNITY
calendar N E W S @ S P I R I T N E W S . O R G • 1 4 2 8 E . S U S Q U E H A N N A AV E • 2 1 5 . 4 2 3 . 6 2 4 6 FREE BIKE PICKUP AND DELIVERY FOR TUNEUPS FROM FAIRMOUNT BICYCLES Fairmount Bicycles is offering free Sunday afternoon pickup and delivery with purchase of full tuneup. Get your bike tuned up without leaving the house and help keep your local bike shop busy this winter! One week turnaround. Here's how it works: 1. Call Fairmount Bicycles to schedule at 267-507-9370 2. They’ll pick up your bike on Sunday 3. They’ll call with an estimate, tune up your bike, take payment, and then... 4. Your bike arrives back at your house the following Sunday! Offer good through the end of February. Delivery range within 2 mile radius of Fairmount Bicycles. March 22nd, 6:30-8PM UHURU HEALTH FESTIVAL AND FLEA MARKET COMMUNITY MEETING All are welcome to bring their ideas and suggestions to an upcoming community planning meeting for the Uhuru Health Festival and Flea Market. For more information, call 267-875-3532 or email philly_ flea@yahoo.com March 25th, 12PM-4PM PLAY-A-PALOOZA 2017 As “Spring fever” spreads, Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse will celebrate Play-A-Palooza, its seasonal playground grand opening party on Saturday, March 25, 2016 from 12pm - 4pm. Families will enjoy nature exploration, carnival games, arts and crafts, and other special activities in the 6 1/2 acre Playground before the official start of Playground season. Play-A-Palooza is free for Smith members or $10 per child for non-members (accompanying adults free). For more information, please visit www.smithplayground.org. March 26th, 4:30PM-6:30PM COFFEE AND POLITICS: SESSION 1 The Philly UP Elections Committee would like to invite you to join them for coffee, tea and some conversation about local politics at Mugshots Coffeehouse. This will be the first installment in a series of talks during the 2017 election. The discussion will center around the various levels of judgeships that are up for election this year. What they do and why they are important to us. Organizers will also talk about what a City Controller does. Arm yourself with the tools needed to make critical decisions on election day. Know what you are voting for! March 30th, 7PM FAIRMOUNT CIVIC ASSOCIATION MONTHLY MEETING Join the Fairmount Civic Association for their monthly
meeting at The City School (860 N. 24th Street) and hear about the latest happenings in Fairmount and the surrounding area. Meetings take place on the last Thursday of each month at 7PM. For more information, visit www.fairmountcivicassociation. org/. April 8th, 10AM-1PM FAIRMOUNT SPRING CLEANUP On April 8th, the Fairmount Civic Association Neighborhood Improvement Committee will host the 5th annual Fairmount Spring Cleanup. Attendees are invited to help the FCA make a difference in the community with an extensive cleanup to beautify the neighborhood. To register, visit eventbrite.com and search “Fairmount Spring Cleanup”. Sign-in will be at the ESP Playground at 22nd and Brown Streets. For more information, visit www.fairmountcivicassociation. org/. April 15th, 10AM THE SPRING GARDENS ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT Check out The Spring Gardens on April 15th for their annual easter egg hunt! Eggs will be filled with candy, stickers and tokens for special gifts. Suggested donation is $5. RSVP by emailing sprouts@thespringgardens.org with the number of children and their ages by April 7th to make sure there are enough supplies. April 15th, 5PM-9PM THE BUZZ: A CRAFT COFFEE, BEER AND SPIRITS FESTIVAL The Free Library of Philadelphia and Home Brewed Events are proud to present, The Buzz: A Craft Coffee, Beer & Spirits festival on April 15th from 5pm to 9pm. Sample Philadelphia's best coffee, tea, cocktails and beer in one of the city's most iconic landmarks. Early Bird tickets are available now through March 15th at www.universe.com/thebuzzphilly. This will be a fundraiser for the Free Library with 25% of the proceeds going to support the local library system. For more information, visit www.homebrewedevents.com Mondays, 6-8PM TOUR AMBASSADOR TRAINING PROJECT The Strawberry Civic Association is looking for young and young at heart folks to come out to Mander Rec Center (33rd and Diamond St.) to learn Philadelphia history, Fairmount Park history, museum and trail information, etc. Tourism is a lucrative industry…. Be prepared. For more info call 215-765-9500
ery 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at Rodeph Shalom (615 N Broad St). This group is for parents living with adolescent and adult children living with addiction and brain disease. Those affected can share experiences and resources as well as how to support their children anonymously. For further information contact Caron at 800-854-6023 or Rabbi Jill Maderer at (215)-627-6747 x216 or rabbimaderer@ rodephshalom.org. Tuesdays, 7-9PM OPEN MIC NIGHT Mugshots Coffeehouse (1925 Fairmount Ave.) hosts an open mic night every Tuesday. For more information visit Mugshots Coffeehouse on Facebook. Wednesdays, 5-8PM WEDNESDAY NIGHTS GAMEPLAY Every week there are different games to play in the galleries of The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Play with friends or with fellow visitors in friendly competition provided by the Museum. For further information contact Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215)-763-8100. Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30PM MAKE STUFF A drop-in program to craft handmade objects or create art being surrounded by the art of The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Activities include sketching, knitting, Lego fun or even creating a puzzle. For further information contact Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215)-763-8100. Wednesdays, 6PM and 7PM YOGA SESSION AT DHYANA YOGA Dhyana Yoga will be hosting yoga sessions every Wednesday night at 6PM and 7PM at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Space is limited, and each class operates on a first-come, first-served basis. The size of each class varies. Though admission is free, you are welcome to make a donation at the door. For more information, call Dhyana Yoga at 215-222-9642. NETWORKING EVENTS 1st Tuesday of the Month, 6:30-8:30PM DIG - Philadelphia Commercial Sub Group Diversified Investors Group Meetup for London Grill (2301 Fairmount Avenue) For more info, contact Joe Scorese 215-290-5108 jscorese@firstrust.com
Tuesdays, 7-8:30PM SUPPORT GROUP FOR PARENTS Learn about substance use and mental health disorders ev-
Did you know that Spirit News has it’s own radio show? Tune into Spirit News Radio every Wednesday night on WPPM - FM 106.5 from 6-6:30PM. We discuss local news, arts and entertainment pertaining to the various neighborhoods we cover across Philadelphia. Can’t tune in live? You can download our radio show each week in podcast form on iTunes, SoundCloud and Google Play. Do you want to have your company or product sponsored on Spirit News Radio’s Podcast? Reach out to ads@spiritnews.org today! Thanks for tuning in!
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The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – March 22, 2017
W R I T T E N B Y T Y R E L L WA L K E R
March Madness
EVEN WITHOUT BIG 5 REPRESENTATIVE, TOURNAMENT TIME IS BACK AND CRAZIER THAN EVER
Y
ear in and year out, March Madness has proven to be arguably the most heralded tournament on the collegiate sport level. With so many historic plays, upsets and amazing championship runs, the NCAA Basketball Tornament has absolutely taken off. With the constant innovations in technology and how the media uses them to cover the tournament, the annual anticipation grows each year. Today’s athletes — twoway players and 6’10 hybrid swingmen alike — have raised every bar in the athleticism category, making way for plenty of entertainment and unpredictable outcomes. During the tournament, there are always some college hoops to catch live on television. Someone’s favorite team is always playing. So TVs get set, plans get canceled, homework gets done quicker — or maybe not done at all. Either way, a fan will not be denied their March Madness. Whether someone follows from the very beginning or randomly picks up in the middle of the Elite Eight, anybody can follow along with the excitement. While most sports fanatics remain attentive to each matchup in these tournaments, you will always have the sector of folks that aren’t necessarily fond of college hoops, or college sports in general. They might make the claim that college — while just a level under the pros — simply doesn’t provide the same level of entertainment. While this idea may hold some weight in certain aspects, an event like March Madness brings more pressure than a seven-game series in the NBA playoffs. ‘Tis the season to go hard or go home. One game means one chance to win. A player simply knowing that a key missed shot or a slip-up on the boards can mean a couch vacation until next season adds a shot of
adrenaline to each matchup. I caught up with a few Temple students who share that sentiment. One in particular stated, “It’s like added pressure. Here, you’re playing in front of everyone at your school and millions of people on TV or phone or computer or whatever. You want to make it to the pros, and you only have, like, four years to win it big in college. There’s no series to give you chances. You have one, and that year might be the closest you ever get. That’s crazy.” It is crazy, to be quite honest. The talented brows of collegiate basketball players can hold just as much sweat as the professionals. Just imagine playing for a top D1 school, making it to the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight. the Final Four and then finally to the NCAA Championship game. Now imagine losing the championship by a point and then going on to get drafted and becoming an NBA All Star. Sounds great, right? Well, it is. But imagine having to look back on the big “what could’ve been.” No one wants to have to look back on getting that close and failing. It’s like an itch that never really bothers you too much, but never really goes away. While it might be hard to picture that frame of mind, just think about how competitive you are and how that last 2K match online that you lost via a buzzer beater had you feeling for half a day. I know I am not the only one in that boat. Speaking of buzzer beaters, last year’s championship game had one of the greatest finishes in NCAA basketball history with Villanova’s Kris Jenkins draining the game winner for the title over North Carolina. It hit home because, once again, Philadelphia had something to be
proud of. Now, of course, Villanova University is in Villanova, PA, and they do have a rightful claim there, but it isn’t even a full half-hour from Philly. Fans in Philadelphia lost their minds just as much as I imagine students on Nova’s campus did. I remember sitting in my apartment as that shot replayed thinking, “Who better to be than a Philadelphian right now?” And speaking of “who”, I have to revert back to our Temple Owls, a March Madness season that may be as disappointing as my jokes. The men’s and women’s basketball squads respectively have found themselves ushered politely out of the first round of their respective tournaments, with the women falling to #10 Oregon in the women’s NCAA tournament, and the men to some healthy East Carolina three-point shooting in the American Athletic Conference tournament. But that’s fine because this year’s loss is next year’s improvement. And now that Villanova has been bounced out by Wisconsin in the second round, it shows how things can turn around so quickly during March Madness. Who knows, Temple could be cutting the nets come next year. •
W R I T T E N B Y S H E A LY N K I L R O Y
pizza dads
THE BRAINS OF PIZZA ARE BARGING INTO BREWERYTOWN
N
ot everyone associates brains with dads. But now it’s a whole lot easier to connect the two. The co-founders of Fishtown-Kensington based Pizza Brain are opening another pizza shop entitled Pizza Dads in Brewerytown in a few weeks. Pizza Dads will call the former Hat Shoppe (2943 W. Girard Ave.) as its home when it’s expected to open in early April, Pizza Brain partner Michael Carter told Philly.com. This new pizza spot won’t be part-museum or connected to Little Baby’s ice cream, like Pizza Brain is. However, this pizza destination will still be serving the signature quirky Pizza Brain pies like the Jane and Forbes Waggensense. In addition to serving recognizable Pizza Brain pies, Pizza Dads are dishing out new pies inspired by international street food. All pies, like Pizza Brain, will be made in a gas-fired, bricklined deck oven and cooked by a crew encouraged by a “perfectionist mindset.” Carter says the pizza-making will be both approachable and a high art form. Co-founders Joe Hunter and Ryan Anderson told Philly.com that they intend Pizza Dads to act as a community hub. The atmosphere of the shop will take it old-school with a ‘70s color palette and a ‘90s vibe. With these decisions, those behind Pizza Dads hope to bring back the “pizza parlor experience” for pizza eaters. Maybe it will become your dad’s new hangout. Speculation of dad associations aside, realistically, the new name came from an employee’s tattoo, like “dad” as in “boss.” Spirit News intends to review Pizza Dads once the pizzeria opens. •
/Patrick Clark