Spectrum no place for traditional Big 5 hoops

Coaches Fran Dunphy of my beloved Quakers and John Griffin of the hated St. Joseph's Hawks put legislation aside and allowed fans of the respective schools to send thousands of streamers cascading to the Palestra floor following each team's first basket. It was a sight every Philadelphia basketball fan must see at least once in their lives. The ensuing technical fouls were intentionally botched by both sides. The Palestra was full that night. Not the full with most of the seats occupied, but Palestra-full -- with the crafty Philadelphia natives who snuck in standing up in the corners or along the back row. And even though the ballgame was never really close -- the Hawks dominated that contest even more thoroughly than they did last night's 86-70 triumph -- it was a great college basketball game. For me, those memories came flowing back as I looked around the CoreStates Spectrum during last night's official Big 5 doubleheader. Forget about the fact that the nightcap was a marquee North Atlantic Conference matchup between Drexel and Delaware. The real problem last night was the Spectrum. Worse than being absolutely empty, the place was dead. The Palestra can be empty and alive, but the spacious Spectrum does not have that quality. And that is why Executive Director Dan Baker and the BIg 5's athletic directors should be applauded for at least a part of their new agreement. While it is unfortunate the full schedule will not be re-implemented, the decision to let home teams choose the venue and control all gate and television revenue was a great one. First, more students will attend the games. The student turnout last night was abysmal. Second, a reasonable number of Big 5 games will be held at the Palestra. In all likelihood, Penn, St. Joe's and La Salle will play their Big 5 games at the one-time full-time home of the Big 5. While historical significance and atmosphere will play some role in that determination, economics is for once on the side of the traditionalists. The Palestra's capacity is significantly larger than the 3,200 of the Hawks' Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. La Salle is currently playing its home games at the enigmatic Civic Center, where the capacity is on par with the Palestra. Villanova will almost certainly play at its games at du Pont Pavilion, and Temple will look to showcase its new arena, the Apollo, when it opens. Finally, the agreement also lends flexibility to the Big 5 arrangement. Scheduling problems are greatly diminished since the Big 5 took an obvious back seat to the Flyers, 76ers and other scheduled events, like the circus and concerts, at the Spectrum. Under the current agreement, the Big 5 is handed a limited number of possible dates by Spectrum officials when schedules are being put together. Under the new terms, schools will have their pick of dates, permitting both more intriguing doubleheaders to be set up and possibly opening the way for a full round-robin format to resume down the road. In the rare event that Philadelphia is home to two highly ranked teams and 20,000 tickets can be sold, the home school certainly has the right to play the game at the Spectrum. At $20 per ticket, an extra 10,000 party-goers could mean an added $200,000 in revenue. But last night, that possibility was much closer to fantasy than reality. It was sad to see such a hard-fought ballgame on the floor elicit so little emotion in the stands. While fans can bark at referees and hound hated opponents up on Hawk Hill, at Temple's McGonigle Hall and at the Palestra, the Spectrum can drown anything out. The bands sound a thousand miles away. The zebras can't hear you and neither can Mark Bass. The building just isn't right for college basketball. And it is certainly not right for the Big 5.