First question,
How would you recap this year’s event?

I think this year was really special. Obviously, being year 21 and knowing Danny lived 21 years, we wanted to make sure we really celebrated 21 years of his life and legacy.

The basketball was great, the crowds were great, and I think we had a really good mix of pros, young guys, Philly legends, and people who have been part of the Rumph family for a long time.

But for me, it was bigger than just the five days at Drexel. Everything we did leading into the Classic — the kids games, the 50-and-over game, the community events — really helped us celebrate different generations of Philly basketball and bring everybody together.

At the end of the day, we always want the Classic to continue to grow and get better, but we also never want to lose sight of why we’re doing it. It’s about Danny, his family, keeping his legacy alive, and continuing the Foundation’s mission to Save the Next Bright Star. I think this year was a really good representation of all of that.

This year marked a great turning point in the tournament as we see the next generation area pro players come in and maintain the high level play and carry the legacy. How does that feel?

I think that’s probably one of the things I’m most proud of. For 21 years, we’ve had some incredible players come through the Rumph Classic, and every generation has kind of left their mark on it.

Now you’re starting to see that next group of guys come in, compete at a really high level, and understand what it means to play in the Rumph. A lot of these guys grew up coming to the games, watching some of the older Philly pros play, and now they’re the ones people are coming to see.

That’s what you want. You want the Classic to continue to be passed down from one generation to the next. The names and faces are going to change, but the level of basketball, the pride in representing Philly, and most importantly Danny’s legacy continues.

To see the younger guys embrace that and really carry it forward makes you feel like the Classic is in a really good place for the next 21 years.

2026 Champions TBB

\What’s ya view of how the women’s addition has elevated the tournament?

I think adding multiple women’s events has been great to help support the growth of the women’s game as well as having so many great players be apart of the rumph classic family. It has helped us bring another key part of basketball into the fold so I think it has been a great way for us to keep elevating and providing all sides of philly basketball an opportunity to be apart of the platform.

Photo courtesy of Keevandaway IG:Kee_vandaway

For years the youth had to wait on the sidelines for their shot to play in the tournament. Last year you guys created an avenue to allow our area youth to be apart with the middle school and high school showcase. Can you talk about what went into creating that?

It really started with wanting to give kids between 7th and 10th grade an opportunity to have a Rumph experience of their own. Also, with so many of our Rumph kids coming of age, we wanted to make sure they had a chance to participate and be part of the tournament before they were old enough to officially play in it.

Xzayvier has coached, Jesse Moses played, Buddy played and has now coached. RJ smith, Keron Booth Jr, Caleb Jackson…..So many of the people who make the Rumph what it is have kids who have grown up around the tournament. They’ve been in the gym, watched the games and been part of the Rumph family for years. We wanted to find a way to include them and give that next generation their own opportunity to be part of it.

You guys have always carved a niche for your long time supporters with the alumni game. It’s slowly becoming a popular family event, a beautiful family reunion to speak. What was the basis of establishing the alumni game?

I got worse and wanted something to play in as the talent keep getting better and better lol. We call it the Philly Basketball Barbecue. We also wanted people to have a way to participate and the game is universal so we always wanted people to have a place to play.

This year we introduced the 50 and over game

All 3 Pics above are courtesy of BBentonmedia(https://bbentonmedia.mypixieset.com / IG: bbentonmedia)

Our basketball community suffered a great loss recently with the loss of Raheem Berry. He was a great community advocate, educator and old head to a lot of young hoopers in our community. Can you give insight on how supportive he was to the Rumph?

He was one person that I could always count on to be there for anything. One of those dependable friends for not only me but for the whole basketball community.

He not only was a staple in the rumph family but he was also someone that could drop in any run across the city and know the whole gym. So when we all gather for our alumni game we found it only right that we celebrate him.His impact ranged from young kids to guys 50 and over.

Raheem Berry#5

Last question, describe the rumph experience in three words?

Philly Basketball Family

The best part is still being able to do it with all the people that we grew up with and bringing more people into the family