City of Basketball Love

By David Comer
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As the Markward Club approaches its 80th anniversary, the country’s longest running basketball club is reflecting upon its past and looking toward its future as it continues to leave its imprint on the Philadelphia-area basketball community.

Founded in 1947 in honor of legendary coach and social justice champion William “Billy” Markward, who coached for 41 years at Roman Catholic starting in 1901, the William H. Markward Memorial Basketball Club - commonly known simply as the Markward Club - honors and recognizes outstanding high school basketball players in the Philadelphia area.

“I like to think of myself as a servant leader and take care of people and enhance their lives,” said the Markward Club’s recently named executive director Joe Rapczynski, a basketball lifer who played at North Catholic and La Salle University before spending his career teaching and coaching. “Our focus is on young people. Young people need people to help them now more than ever. To be in a position to give back to the game of basketball is a great honor. My goal is to take care of everyone connected to the Markward Club and help their lives.”

Rapczynski, who has served in his position since April, replaces long-time Markward Club executive director, Dennis Hill, who passed away on December 31, 2024.

“I think Dennis had a great heart,” Rapczynski said of his friend of 50-plus years. “He loved the game of basketball. If I could do half as good of a job as Dennis, I would have done a good job. I’m glad I was a friend of his. I am proud of everything he did for the Markward Club.”

Katie Gardler, a Big 5 Hall of Famer and all-time great at St. Joe’s, is in her first year as the co-president of women’s basketball for the Markward Club.

“Dennis is a major reason why I said yes,” Gardler said. “He was so passionate about it.”

Rapczynski and Gardler are two of the many volunteers serving on the board of directors in addition to a robust advisory council steering the Markward Club toward its 100th birthday.

“When Dennis passed away, everything was in flux,” Rapczynski said. “Dennis did a fantastic job.”

The 73-year-old Rapczynski is retired but stays active with his family and various projects. He is the author of two books - The Junior Varsity Team is Playing about the North Catholic JV team’s stunning upset victory in the opening round of the 1968 PCL playoffs and Onward about coaching and inspiration - and also hosts a podcast called Philly Sports Rap. 

He said he has always been on the periphery of the Markward Club and never held a formal position, so when Don DiJulia, long-time former athletic director at St. Joe’s, asked him in April if he would serve as the executive director of the Markward Club, Rapczynski said he was surprised but couldn’t say no.

“Don is a hard man to say no to,” Rapczynski said. “This will be hard, but it’s my turn to give back.”

Rapczynski, who grew up in Port Richmond, developed his love of basketball at a young age. He recalls at age 6 going to the local basketball courts and staying until the lights went out.

“I had a deep-seated passion and love of basketball,” he said. “I wanted to be a part of it any way I could. The game has been very good to me.”

He has coached in high school and college and won a state championship in 1998 while in charge at Brandywine High School in Delaware. (His son, JJ, is a coach, too; he is an assistant men’s coach at Wilmington University and also serves on the Markward Club’s advisory council.)

Rapczynski sounds excited to leave his mark on the Markward Club.

“The club has done very well through the years,” he said. “Some decades have been better than others.”

The list of players who have won the Markward Club player of the year award reads like a who’s who of Philadelphia basketball royalty. The men’s winners, which date back to 1947, include Tom Gola (twice), Wilt Chamberlain (twice), Guy Rodgers, Joe Bryant, Gene Banks, Lionel Simmons and Rasheed Wallace. The women’s award started in 2008 includes winners such as Maggie Lucas and Diamond Johnson.

Any basketball fan can join the Markward Club; membership dues are $40. Luncheons are held on a nearly monthly basis during the season. There will be a high school leadership luncheon in November. Something new, Rapczynski said, is that all dues paying members are eligible to nominate a player or coach they saw during the season for Markward Club honors.

All of this information and more can be found at the Markward Club’s newly launched website.

The Markward Club website is one of the steps taken toward attracting a younger crowd. 

“We needed to get younger,” Rapczynski said. 

He said they added five members to the Board of Directors who are younger than everybody else.

One such member is Gardler.

“People like Katie are unbelievable with their dedication,” Rapczynski said.

Gardler helped organize a happy hour at Keenan’s in North Wildwood during the summer.

“We didn’t know how it would be attended,” she said. “100-plus people showed up.”

Gardler, along with Steph Carideo, who was a star at what is now Thomas Jefferson University, are the co-presidents of women’s basketball for the Markward Club.

Gardler is part of a basketball family. Her husband, Chris, played at St. Joe’s. Her daughter, Mackenzie, played at Villanova and was named the co-player of the year by the Markward Club in 2018. Her son, Matt, is a freshman playing at Holy Family University, and her son, Tommy, played at three colleges, including La Salle University. Her daughter, Grace, played one year at Cardinal O’Hara before concentrating on an art career. (She is the illustrator of the recently released children’s book, Tyson & Tilly’s: A Forest Full of Friends, available on Amazon.)

And now Gardler wants to give back. 

“Nothing makes me prouder than to elevate women’s basketball in the Philadelphia area,” Gardler said. “Working with Steph, we can take the old and the new and put it together. Her network is huge; my network is huge - and then we kind of collide. I want to make sure women’s basketball has a voice.”

Gardler noted that in 1925 Markward coached a women’s pro basketball team and won 71 straight games in a three-year span.

“This wasn’t really supposed to be a boys club,” Gardler said of the Markward Club. “I think initially my goal is to educate. Where could this go? It would be great to put our minds together and figure this out. We’re approaching 2030 when a WNBA team will be here. There is room for growth. We need the right people moving this forward and getting ready for this.”

With Gardler, Rapczynski and the many, many others involved, the Markward Club appears to be heading in the right direction as its centennial approaches.

“I think we have a really good combination of youth and experience,” Rapczynski said. “My goal is to set the club up so it can reach 100 years.”