From attendee to MVP: The Rumph Classic women’s final highlights growth of the game
Ashley Jones, whose father was friends with Danny Rumph, won co-MVP as both teams put on a show in the championship. Sunday was also a moment to show "little girls that they can play this game."
Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center was filled with laughter, hugs, reunions, and lots of stellar basketball on Sunday.
The 21st annual Danny Rumph Classic hosted its fourth women’s championship game Sunday, and though the competition was intense, players and fans were there to support the Daniel E. Rumph II Foundation, and many described Sunday as a “homecoming.”
“This is just one big happy family,” Delaware County native Joy Morton said of Team Harper. “That’s the only way I can put it. You see people that you grew up with, that you played basketball with, all coming out for a good cause.”
The five-day pro-am tournament raises awareness and donations in support of research into hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the heart condition that caused Danny Rumph to die unexpectedly in 2005 while playing the game he loved.
Since then, the Rumph Foundation has been committed to providing defibrillators and CPR training at recreation centers and Boys & Girls Clubs in the area. The pinnacle event of the year is the annual men’s classic, which over the years has welcomed NBA stars, including Jalen Brunson, Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Maxey, and more. On Friday, Jaylen Brown made an appearance to watch from the sideline.
Team Copper and Team Harper faced off Sunday in the final, where Team Copper secured a 62-61 overtime victory. The final point was scored by Ashley Jones, a graduate of Neumann Goretti. She was named co-MVP alongside Azana Davis.
» READ MORE: How Philly hoops shaped D.J. Rivera and his son, Derrick Morton-Rivera, to do ‘what you love’
“That’s what excites me,” said Rumph’s mother, Viola Owens, after the game. “We get all these young kids here, and look at her [pointing to Jones] — her mother was carrying her when we first started. I had to go hug her, because her father and Danny were friends, and I remember when she was just a little kid, and now she’s MVP.”
Generations of players were on the court and in the stands. Kids ran around shooting hoops between games, and conversations constantly paused to watch the women dunk or to greet old friends.
“I’ve been coming since they were still holding this at Mallery [Recreation Center],” said Kristen Hart, an assistant principal at Mastery Charter School. “I’m real excited for this game, because I know all these people, some of them were my students, and there’s a lot of good basketball in Philadelphia, and it’s competitive on every level.”
Team Harper held a narrow lead for much of the game, with Taylor O’Brien scoring 27 of the team’s 61 points, until Team Copper shut down O’Brien. That strategy worked, allowing Team Harper — named after Philadelphia basketball legend Laura Harper — to take home the trophy.
“When I got asked to play [for Team Harper], I was honored, of course I’m going to play,” said Molly Masciantonio, who played at La Salle and is now an assistant coach there. “Especially with the women having this sports culture in Philly, all coming together and showing little girls that they can play this game and make a life doing it. I’m really proud of this team and this event.”
The women’s championship is followed by the men’s championship on Monday night, where in years past the gymnasium has sold out, and the excitement for the final was already brewing.