This Penn alum scores big with Palestra documentary on ESPN

Writer/Producer Mikaelyn Austin’s (C’04, Women’s Basketball) feature-length documentary film The Palestra: Cathedral of Basketball, premieres next week on ESPN Classic and ESPN-U.

For those of you who haven’t heard about this film, it traces the evolution of college basketball through the rise of one of the most historic basketball arenas in the country. The film traces the storied history of Big 5 basketball at the Palestra and features former Penn players and coaches including: current Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky, C’71, David “Corky” Calhoun, C’72, Chuck Daly, and Fran Dunphy.

I met Mikaelyn about 5 years ago when she was first starting this project and it’s fantastic to see what such hard work and persistence can do. Congratulations, Mikaelyn!

An interview with Mikaelyn: