The basketball community is remembering former Penn Wood Athletic Director and St. Joseph’s University basketball star Rap Curry who has died, writes Joseph Santoliquito for City of Basketball Love.

Curry, 51, had a tremendous impact on the area’s basketball community.

He was a 2008 Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame inductee and a star guard at St. Joseph’s University and at Penn Wood High School.

He went on to become a coach and then a longtime athletic director at Penn Wood.

“It’s like a gut punch,” said Clyde Jones. Jones is a former Penn Wood High coach hired by Curry in 2006.

Curry was instrumental in building Philadelphia’s Charter League.

“This is a hard, hard day,” said Andre Noble, Charter’s coach.  “Rap loved kids, and loved the Penn Wood area. He was one of my mentors in this game.”

He described Curry as selfless, who put the kids and community first.

“Rap just had so much impact everywhere he went, and beyond, with me, in Delaware County, in Philly, his loss is something the whole Philadelphia basketball community will feel,” Noble said.

Read more about Rap Curry and his impact on the local basketball community as a player, coach, and athletic director at City of Basketball Love.

Rap Curry is featured on “Legends Week”