The Inaugural Philly Girls HS LIVE!
Philadelphia has one of if not the best high school basketball scenes in all of America! The boys game tends to get all of the attention and press but the girls have always had a lot of heart and talent but never got the same media attention that they rightfully deserve. The NCAA live period attracts coaches far and wide but to my surprise, Philly has never had a live period tournament for girls. Jazz Williams who is the athletic directer at West Catholic Prep, aimed to change that! In March of 2024, Jazz reached out to me to discuss an idea he had. We met up in person to talk about putting on a girls live period event and giving it the proper media attention that it deserves.
Jazz and I have been friends for years and we’ve worked together in the past on some of his basketball events. I was ecstatic at the chance to be able to put my own personal touch on this event. I felt honored that he trusted me enough to want my help with this. Jazz along with Ruth Onyekwelu of Lincoln High School, did all of the heavy lifting and that allowed me to focus on putting together an outstanding media team. Each side presented its own unique challenges. Holding an event of this magnitude for the first time came with a lot of skepticism. There are so many creators who only care about names and what they can get out of a situation. I can’t begin to tell you how many photographers and videographers left me on read or feigned interest only to disappear when it came time to work.
Support has to be genuine and so many creators don’t genuinely love the game of basketball like I do. I was able to assemble a team of dedicated shooters who love the game. Starting with my son Blake and ending with Dave, Dre and Q! Each one of these guys really came out and put their creative stamp on this event and I can’t thank them enough for their dedication and hard work. The boys have a huge live event but the advantage we have is that we have a dedicated team of shooters, to spotlight these young women. We aim to make our instagram page @PhillygirlsHSLive a hub for the girls game, all year round. This is just the start of things to come and I couldn’t be more excited about the future of the women’s game! It’s long overdue and I’m glad to be able to play a small part in highlighting these women and getting them the exposure that they deserve!
