A Martelli Family Reunion at the Palestra

Penn State men’s basketball returns to Philadelphia once again in the 2023-24 season to compete in another Big Ten contest at the Palestra.

Last year, Penn State took on No. 1 ranked Purdue at the Cathedral of College Basketball as former Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry clashed with his former program.

This year, the Nittany Lions return to the oldest major college arena to face off with the Michigan Wolverines in another Big Ten conference matchup.

Once again, this game means a lot for players and staff on both rosters, but for Penn State assistant coach Jimmy Martelli, this game means a little bit more.

“To do it in what every Philadelphian thinks is the greatest place on Earth, it’s going to be extra special,” Jimmy Martelli said.

Their opponent is extra special indeed for Martelli as his father and legendary coach, Phil Martelli, will be coaching as an associate head coach for Michigan.

Phil Martelli is coaching in his fifth season for the Wolverines and has nearly five decades of basketball experience.

He grew up in Media, Pennsylvania, just a short drive from the Palestra, and has become a legend in the state of Pennsylvania being inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

His career began as an assistant coach at Widener College before he became a head coach for Bishop Kenrick High School.

Martelli then took a coaching job at Saint Joseph's University, where he was an assistant coach for 10 years before stepping into the head coaching role in 1995.

As a head coach, he earned a 444-328 career record, becoming the Hawks’ all-time leader in career victories.

He led the Hawks to four Atlantic-10 tournament titles and 16 postseason appearances including eight NCAA tournament appearances.

Martelli etched his name into the history books during the 2003-04 season as his squad finished 27-0 in the regular season, secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight, coming up two points short of a Final Four appearance.

He was awarded the National Coach of the Year honor in 2004 while being named Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year four times.

Basketball thrives in the Martelli family. Phil and his wife, Judy, have been married for 47 years and have three children, including Jimmy.

Jimmy Martelli’s brother, Phil Jr. is also coaching basketball as the current associate head coach at Bryant.

Judy Martelli has a big decision to make come time for tip-off at the Palestra, but Jimmy Martelli understands that she’ll be “wearing a different color blue than she should be.”

Basketball, especially at the college level, has a different way of bringing out emotions that may not be seen at other levels of the sport.

For the Martelli family, those emotions are strong, but their main focus is the task at hand.

“It’s great to see him because we don’t get to see each other a lot,” Jimmy Martelli said. “Once the ball gets tipped up, it’s strange. Looking down the sideline and trying to get into your dad’s head.”

Coming from VCU, Jimmy Martelli has experienced coaching against his father on multiple occasions, but this time is special as he understands that his father’s career may be winding down.

“He’s a typical Martelli. They love basketball, they love their family and they love helping people,” Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades said.

Jimmy Martelli has admitted that 45 or more people are asking for tickets for the game meaning that the Martelli family will be represented in full force.

“Having us all in the same building is very, very rare, let alone during the season,” Martelli said. “If we can pull that off, it’ll be a memory to have forever.”

Penn State and Michigan will tip off at the Palestra at noon on Big Ten Network.

Thomas English is a third-year broadcast journalism major. To contact him, email tfe5082@psu.edu.