Some two hundred fifty years ago in December of 1776, General George Washington and some 2,400 troops of the Continental Army crossed the frozen Delaware River from Pennsylvania to New Jersey under the cover of darkness. When dawn broke the next morning, the Hessian forces who had previously been celebrating Christmas the previous day were taken completely by surprise leading to an American victory at the Battle of Trenton.
It didn’t just turn the tide of a campaign. It changed the war for American freedom.
Officers under the employ of the British like Carl Von Donop — safe in the comfort that no military action was likely on Christmas night — were taken by surprise by the crossing.
You might not know if from the most recent, heart-pounding years where Philadelphia wasn’t represented in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament known as March Madness, but we just aren’t just the birthplace of American Independence. One hundred and fifty years after Washington’s victory at Trenton, Philadelphia welcomed its first ever college basketball game — a preliminary contest against the Pennsylvania Military College, 21–17 on December 30, 1926. That wasn’t the only first for Philadelphia. It was also the first game at The Palestra.
The following year when the Palestra officially opened in 1927, it began a rich history of the legendary status of the University of Penn’s home arena becoming the “Cathedral of College Basketball”. In America’s long history with sport, Penn’s arena is the oldest, still utilized, and has seen more NCAA Basketball games below its rafters than any other collegiate venue in these United States.
And that’s not all. Its nearly 8,800-seat capacity has a unique viewing experience with no barriers — seats extending right to the floor — offering not a bad seat in the house.
Ninety years after that memorable game was another shot heard around Philadelphia. It was a Super Bowl LIX-like dagger — sending the Wildcats to a Championship Parade down Market Street. The Villanova Wildcats were underdogs to North Carolina in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Game — a contest that they had not been in for thirty years in 1985. Now Villanova and Penn are both back in the Tournament — and Philadelphia is a host city once again making it the site of NCAA postseason basketball for nearly the 30th time since 1939.
With much of NRG Stadium in Houston expecting overtime, 4.7 seconds remaining and and in-front of UNC graduate Michael Jordan — Villanova Point Guard Ryan Arcidiacono drove the length of the floor — kicked the ball to Kris Jenkins — who buried a three-pointer with no time remaining for the 77–74 win.
In that cold December of 1776, Philadelphia Militia Units supported Washington’s crossing the Delaware. It wasn’t just a resounding win for the Americans or an utter defeat for Colonel Von Donop and his Hessians— the former whose honor would never recover. Huddled on the New Jersey side of the river amongst those Hessian soldiers was another tradition soon to be in Philly.
It was the Christmas tree.
