Honoring one of their own Community College of Philadelphia alumni basketball game honors fallen student and former team mate

Philadelphia, PA. (Dec. 6, 2013)—On Saturday Community College of Philadelphia’s men’s basketball team will honor the life of a student and former player, Micah Fisher, who was killed November 9 by gunfire.

The College will retire Fisher’s number 11 Colonials team jersey and hold a moment of silence for him at the start of the 11 a.m. men’s basketball alumni game. The game will be played in the Athletic Center/Gymnasium on the west side of 17th Street between Spring Garden and Callowhill streets.

Fisher, 25, was taking classes at the College this semester, though he was no longer a member of the Colonials, the name of the men’s basketball team. He played on the team during the 2009-2010 and the 2010-2011 seasons. Philadelphia police said Fisher, an innocent bystander, was hit by gunfire during a dispute in the Hunting Park section of the city.

On December 7, basketball team alumni will gather for a moment of silence and the athletic director, Rogers Gipsy, will offer a remembrance. A replica of Fisher’s number 11 Colonials team jersey will be displayed and eventually encased and hung on a wall in the gymnasium, according to Anita Lewis, the administrative assistant who is helping to organize the event. Fisher’s family and friends have been invited, and his mother, Kasey of the Frankford section of the city, said she will attend.

Alumni games are held annually, but this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Colonials first state championship. Players from 20 years ago, including those who played in that first championship game, have been invited for an hour of basketball where they will play against former team mates and colleagues. The men’s basketball team has a 4-3 record for the current season.

The Lady Colonials (2-4) will also host an alumni game Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. Their game also will begin with a moment of silence honoring the memory of Nyesha “Woe” Whitney, 26, who was shot and killed in June 2009. Her number 13 Colonials jersey, which was retired the year she died, is displayed in the building.

During both the women’s and men’s alumni games, players will wear jerseys that reflect the team’s colors as they were 20 years ago. The women will wear headbands that bear Whitney’s “13”, and the men will wear headbands with Fisher’s “11”. The alumni games are expected to end shortly after noon. A regular basketball game will be held at 1 p.m. with the women playing against a team from Patrick Henry Community College in Virginia.

The College recently joined the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA.) Athletes competed in Region XIX this year as part of the Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (EPAC). The NJCAA is the national governing body for two-year college athletic programs nationwide. The men’s and women’s basketball, cross-country, tennis, and track and field teams have participated in structured conferences, regional tournaments, and national championships.