‘Leaps and bounds’: How the Danny Rumph Classic has grown over 20 years
Thursday marked Day 1 of the five-day tournament, and spectators were in attendance at Drexel’s Daskalaki Athletic Center, where the event is being hosted for the first time to accommodate its growth.
Adam Rodgers remembers Danny Rumph as a friend, a basketball player, and a giver.
They played pickup at Mallery Recreation Center as kids, and Rodgers said he often wonders what Rumph, who died at age 21 from sudden cardiac arrest in 2005, would say if he could see how the event in his honor has grown into a cornerstone of Philadelphia basketball culture.
“That was our brother in arms in basketball and in life,” Rodgers said. “We want to make sure that we represent in the proper way. Great players come out of Philadelphia, and they all come back. They all give back. They bring people that are also at higher spaces in the basketball culture. There’s a big giveback culture among all of us.”
This year is the 20th anniversary of the Rumph Classic, a five-day basketball tournament held in his honor and benefits the Daniel E. Rumph II Foundation, which helps spread awareness about the importance of heart screenings and resources like automated external defibrillators.
Thursday was the first day of the pro-am tournament, and there were plenty of smiles, laughter, and hugs on and around the court at Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center. Players and fans of all ages attended the event, which showcases some of the area’s best talent.
“I’ve been going here since I was younger,” said RJ Smith, a rising senior point guard at Roman Catholic. “My dad played in here. A lot of my old heads played, a lot of my OGs. I’ve been going for a while. This team? That’s my family right here. My family’s from South Philly. This team is my family.”
As Smith looked at the REX6 team, stacked with South Philly talent, a fan shouted that they couldn’t wait for Smith to be out there with them one day.
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Community is the most important part of the Rumph Classic, and the event has grown exponentially over the years. It began at Mallery Recreation Center, now called Rumph-Mallery. Now, its being held at the DAC for the first time to accommodate fans and media. The women’s pro-am was added last year, highlighting more local athletes.
It’s often a place for professionals, too, with NBA talent like Jalen Brunson, Jayson Tatum, and Tyrese Maxey previously making appearances. They’ve also added more sponsors this year, including Nike, BodyArmor, Penn Medicine, and SLAM magazine. Besides ticket sales, the foundation sells merchandise at the tournament to raise funds.
“The family of the late Danny Rumph work tirelessly for 365 days a year to help people stay off the streets and into the weight room, to eat right and to do better,” said Jacob Schwartz, who has been the public address announcer at the Rumph Classic for 14 years. “Those heart screenings, those aren’t something we’re just supposed to do. We’re encouraging people that if you want to live, you better get a heart screening.
“It has taken leaps and bounds at this point. … Every single year, there’s always something new that’s being added, a new feature, just new aspects — every time you think that they’ve hit a ceiling, they break through that ceiling and bring something new to the floor.”