Dick Weiss on College Basketball
PHILADELPHIA– It seems implausible, ever impossible last week after Villanova swept through the Battle4Atlantis in the Bahamas and looked like a Top 10 basketball team there we were about to witness a total collapse on the Main Line.
But the Wildcats finished sixth in the inaugural Big 5 Classic at the Wells Fargo Center Saturday after losing an uncharacteristic third straight game in city series competition.
Thiis time it was Drexel, which only got into this fraternity last April, who punctured the Cats’ seemingly Teflon persona, 57-55 when 6-9 center Amari Williams made game saving block on a Justin Moore jumper with just 2 seconds to play to preserve Drexel’s first ever victory over a Big 5 opponent.
Villanova will have to live with the stain of this this and earlier losses to Penn and St. Joseph’s as it heads into another difficult stretch with a road game at Kansas State and a prime-time game next against UCLA Saturday at Wells Fargo.
It was an historic win for Drexel coach Zach Spiker, on the same level as the Dragons’ win over Ellon in the CAA championship game in 2021 to catapult them into the NCAA tournament. But this one had more meaning for local fans.
‘This is for all the players from Drexel who never had a chance to shine in this atmosphere,” Spiker said. “Guys like Michael Anderson, Malik Rose and John Rankin. There are a lot of Drexel people who will remember 10 years from now where they were the day Drexel beat Villanova at Wells Fargo.”
They will probably remember Williams’ heroic performance.
The international import from England scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked five shots, controlling the interior as Drexel’s zone limited the Cats’ effectiveness offensively. Dependable center Eric Dixon did finish with 21 points, but once again Villanova appeared stymied by the zone, shooting just 20 for 61 (32.8) and a woeful 5 for 27 from the three. Why Villanova coach Kyle Neptune hasn’t put in a more effective zone offense is a mystery to anyone who follows the sport. Villanova has shot a combined 24 for 97 from the three against Penn, St. Joseph’s and Drexel.
“Growing up in England, basketball isn’t that big a deal,” Williams said. “So, walking into an NBA arena with a big crowd was really something I’ll remember.”
It was exciting, a full day celebration of Philadelphia basketball with a constant flow of fans enjoying a competitive triple header that brought back memories of a bygone era where the City Series game was always the 9 p.m. feature game of a loud Palestra doubleheader.
I admit I had some reservations about these games being played outside the fabled Palestra, which should be an historic landmark. And I still problems with the fact the average fan had to pay $150 for lower-level seating and $500 for the Spike Lee seats at courtside.
But it was hard to complain about the product or the healthy crowd of 15,215 and an atmosphere that was electric throughout the day as La Salle defeated Penn, 93-92, in overtime when Kahlil Brantley got nothing but net on a dramatic last second 35-foot game winning three-point floater in the third-place game and St. Joseph’s won the city’s college version of the NBA in season tournament with a 75-64 victory over Temple in the championship game.
Maybe it’s time to change with the times.
Kids these days want to play in a state-of-the-art NBA arena with all the bells and whistles. The student bodies were certainly into it, rekindling the tradition of throwing streamers onto the floor after each team’s first made basket. There were bands, cheerleaders, dance teams and plenty of youthful enthusiasm.
“I’ve started going to the Palestra when I was in sixth grade with my, dad,” Penn coach Steve Donahue said. “And I love the place. But if this is a way to cast a bigger spotlight on the Big 5 by doing something special like this, it’s exciting.
“I think Philadelphia is the best basketball city in America and I don’t want us to lose that reputation.”
Donahue, La Salle’s iconic coach Fran Dunphy and St. Joseph’s coach Billy Lange have local roots and Palestra ties, so they understand the Big 5 competition is not just another game. ”i know what this means for my family and our guys,” Lange said. “This is a big deal for my mom and dad. I couldn’t find them in the crowd, but I know somewhere they were crying over what their son did. I know to win a championship with our guys is a really big deal. It means something to me and I’m excited that St. Joe’s gets to represent the Big 5. I wanted these guys to enjoy. I told them Thursday that we were going to play this game like the last game of the year.”
St. Joe’s, with its veteran guards and rising young stars like 6-9 sophomore forward and Ahmad Nivens clone Rasheer Fleming and freshman guard Xazyvier Brown,is the new prince of the city.
But Brantley made the biggest memory.
The Explorers 6-3 guard, who blamed himself for missing two free throws at the end of the second overtime during a triple overtime loss to Temple Wednesday, more than made up for it with the game winner against Penn. “I had to do this for my teammates,” he said. “I mean this is huge. This is my first time ever playing in the Wells Fargo Arena. For my first time to be like, ‘Yo, I hit a game-winner at Wells Fargo.’ The final goal is to be a professional, but for now this is one of the highlights of my career as a basketball player and as a person.”
