The Philadelphia High School basketball and volleyball teams will once again enjoy playing home games, thanks to a new court floor being installed in the school gym in late June.
The new court design prominently features “Philly” and “PHS” in bold black letters along the sides, with the “P” extending to the free-throw lines. The inner three-point arcs are coated in red, and a basketball encircled by a tornado serves as the striking centerpiece at half-court.
“It gives our students a sense of pride to play on the new floor,” said PHS Athletic Director Danzel McCoy. “It shows our community that we take pride in our school and care about our students’ safety when they attend games.”
While the court was the main focus, several other gym renovations were completed before the school year began. These included both the boys’ and girls’ restrooms, minor upgrades to the main lobby, and repairs to the leaking gym roof.
The gym floor had previously become a hazard due to buckling caused by water draining from a nearby hill.
To address this, the old floor was completely removed down to the dirt, a water drainage system was installed, and a brand-new floor was laid over a concrete base. The locker rooms, however, will be tackled in the next phase of renovations, officials said.
Head Volleyball Coach Avia Jackson said that both the basketball and volleyball teams had to travel for all their games last season, making this year’s return to home games particularly exciting for her team.
To celebrate the completion of the renovations, Philadelphia High School staff and several community leaders gathered for a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Jackson noted that the ribbon-cutting event drew a large crowd of students and fans eager to see the new gym and resume normal operations.
“Everyone’s been giving us positive feedback about how beautiful the floor and bathrooms are,” she said. “They’re just glad to be back home.”
Jackson emphasized that athletes no longer have to worry about trip hazards, buckling floors, or roof leaks.
“The safety alone is something we’re proud of,” she added. “We don’t have to worry about our children or visiting teams getting hurt.”
Looking ahead, Jackson hopes for a successful season and is optimistic about future renovations, including upgrades to the air conditioning system and locker rooms. She’s also excited about hosting volleyball tournaments again next summer.
The volleyball regular season kicked off on Thursday, Aug. 8, and will run through Thursday, Sept. 26. The basketball season is set to begin in early November.