FOCUS: The Big 5

After 40 years of friendlyAfter 40 years of friendlycompetition, what will be theAfter 40 years of friendlycompetition, what will be thefate of a Philadelphia collegeAfter 40 years of friendlycompetition, what will be thefate of a Philadelphia collegebasketball tradition? The Big 5. The words themselves conjure up thoughts of intense rivalries and magical atmospheres unmatched in any other city. However, although alumni and Philadelphia sports fans may share that vision, changes in the Big 5 over the years may be responsible for a decrease in the conference's prestige. And through all the conference's ups and downs, the Big 5 will be a part of college basketball at least through the end of the century, according to Big 5 Executive Secretary Dan Baker. "It was loud -- it was aggressive," Penn basketball coach and former La Salle basketball player Fran Dunphy said. "It still has its place in college basketball and certainly still has its place in the city." The Big 5, now in its 41st year, began taking shape in the 1930s, according to Big 5 historian Bob Vetrone. La Salle, St. Joe's and Temple began playing doubleheaders at Convention Hall -- now the Civic Center -- while Penn and Villanova each competed at their campuses. When the Navy occupied the Palestra during World War II, however, Penn began participating in the doubleheaders at Convention Hall. Following the war, the Quakers returned to the Palestra, where they began squaring off against Villanova. While Penn and Villanova competed at the Palestra, La Salle, St. Joe's and Temple continued their doubleheaders only a block away at Convention Hall. The schools' administrators began looking into competing against each other in a doubleheader format at the Palestra instead of playing games often on the same nights a block away from each other. The schools' presidents accepted the proposal and on Nov. 23, 1954 Penn President Gaylord Harnwell announced the formation of the Big 5. Originally, doubleheaders included teams from outside the Big 5. Muhlenberg defeated La Salle 69-58 at the first Big 5 doubleheader at the Palestra on Dec. 3, 1955. In the second game that night, St. Joe's beat Rhode Island 84-72. The first exclusively Big 5 game was on December 14, with St. Joe's downing Villanova 83-70. With those games, the Big 5 was on its way to a magical future. "All the teams were of national scope, and all our games were played in the Palestra, and many of the games were played as part of doubleheaders," Penn Athletic Director and former Penn basketball player Steve Bilsky said. "I've played in a lot of big arenas and I've visited a lot of big arenas, but I've never been in an atmosphere that's just quite like the Palestra in terms of noise and intensity." The Palestra indeed has been the exclusive home of Big 5 competition from 1955 to 1986. It has hosted more games, visiting teams and NCAA tournaments than any other arena. "All the seats are on the floor so you're really sitting right next to the players, as compared to more modern arenas, where they're further back on the floor," Bilsky said. "College basketball has always been big in Philadelphia, and the fact that all the games were at the Palestra created something that's never been duplicated ever by any other city at this point." Aside from the simple magic of the Palestra and the Philadelphia rivalries, the crowd participated in rituals that became part of every Big 5 game. Before each team's first basket, the fans would throw large amounts of school-colored streamers onto the court. Play would stop while cheerleaders would clean up the mess. "It was electric," said Andrew Geiger, Penn's athletic director from 1975 to 1979. "I mean it was a very exciting time. The Palestra was always sold out." Between 1955 and 1986, the five schools played four games each year, -- many of which were doubleheaders -- to determine the Big 5 champion, a position that carried much honor. "The predominance of the other rivalries -- the Big East and the Atlantic Ten -- didn't really exist, so the Big 5 was the focus," said Bilsky, who graduated from Penn in 1971. "Even though we were in the Ivy League, and that was still our ticket to the NCAA tournament, the Big 5 was probably of equal importance -- certainly from a pride standpoint -- and maybe even more important." As schools have focused their attention on their individual conferences and on reaching the NCAA tournament, however, the Big 5 has undergone some changes and in the process has lost some of its luster. In the early 1980s, fans stopped throwing streamers during Big 5 games because of an NCAA rule that forbade it. In 1986, the presidents of the Big 5 schools signed a 10-year contract which continued the four-game round-robin tournament but allowed the schools to play their home games at their respective gymnasiums. "Ninety-nine percent of the Big 5 games were in the Palestra through the 85-86 season," Baker said. "But then Temple and Villanova decided to play at their home sites." And starting in the 1989-90 season, St. Joe's moved to its campus site, while La Salle chose the Civic Center as its Big 5 home. The only games remaining at the Palestra were those in which Penn was the home team. But that too did not last long. Beginning in the 1991-92 season, all official Big 5 games have been played at the Spectrum, except for the 1994-95 season when games were played at home sites. "It was the beginning of the end," Geiger said. But the Big 5 was still faced with more challenges. The structure of the round-robin tournament changed in 1991. At Villanova's request, the full round-robin tournament was reduced to a half round-robin with each team playing two Big 5 games a year. With each team playing only two games, determining a champion has become difficult. Ties have frequently occurred and in the 1991-92 season, every team finished with a 1-1 record. "I would wish that Villanova would play everybody in a round-robin setting like we did for over 30 years," Dunphy said. "And I don't agree with it, but it's understandable. They have to do what's best for Villanova, and that's what they're doing." "We would all prefer a round-robin," La Salle Athletic Director Bob Mullen said. "But in the modern athletic world, that's going to be a problem." Commitments to conference schedules and the desire to get into the NCAA tournament are two causes of that problem. Although winning the Big 5 is an honor, it has no bearing on getting into the tournament. "All the schools have the same goal, which is to get into the NCAA tournament," Bilsky said. "So the Big 5 in that regards obviously becomes secondary because you can win the Big 5 and all it get you is bragging rights in the city -- but you shouldn't underestimate how important that is." Conference schedules also factored into reducing the Big 5's format to a half round-robin. According to Bilsky, Big East teams like Villanova currently play 18 conference games each season, compared to Penn's 14. If Villanova also played four Big 5 games and participated in a conference tournament, the team would easily be playing up to 24 games, which leaves little flexibility. "I would like to see Villanova commit to a full round-robin," Bilsky said. "But from the standpoint of being an athletic administrator, I do understand and appreciate the constraints they're under." Baker said that despite the limitations, schools should "rejoice" in the Big 5 tradition. "We're probably fortunate to exist in any form at all given the different scheduling philosophies of the schools and each school's conference commitments," Baker said. Thanks to a recent agreement, the Big 5 has started to move again along a smoother track. In January, the presidents of each school signed a new four-year contract to continue the half round-robin tournament, while also allowing the schools to play their home game at their on-campus site instead of at the Spectrum. "I think that the agreement that the presidents reached back in January was very good for all parties involved," Villanova Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo said. "We have a very bright future. Everybody's very, very excited about it." Other possibilities also exist for strengthening the conference. According to Bilsky, the Big East could reduce the number of games each team is required to play, allowing Villanova to consider a full round-robin again. The Big East, with 13 schools, could also eventually split into two separate conferences, Bilsky added. But even that would be difficult, he said. "If you had one conference with six teams, and you played everybody in your conference twice, that's 12 games, and you played everybody in the other side once, that's still 17 games," Bilsky said. "So it's going to have to take something that's a little bit more radical and creative than just splitting the conference." Another way to return to a full round-robin would be to include Drexel in the conference, according to Baker. "I think some day some consideration might be give to Drexel as a sixth Big 5 team," Baker said. "But the name wouldn't change." The possibility of including Drexel brings mixed reactions from the coaches and athletic directors of the Big 5 schools. "I would be very much in favor of exploring the Drexel situation," DeFilippo said. "Bill Herrion has done a terrific job there, and I think some consideration should be given to Drexel." Others are a little more hesitant. "I would be willing to listen to any modification that could strengthen the Big 5," Mullen said. "And if that would beA one, I'd be willing to listen to it." St. Joe's basketball coach Phil Martelli expressed concern about damaging the tradition of the Big 5, but said he would be open to the possibility. "I think it's a tradition that goes way beyond me," Martelli said. "We're really just the care-takers of a tradition." Bilsky said he does not see any reason for currently including Drexel. "I don't think that's a reality and that's not in any way disrespectful to Drexel," Bilsky said. "But I'm pretty traditional about the Big 5. I played in it, and I guess that's why I'm traditional about it. "It's been those five schools, and there would have to be an overwhelming reason to add Drexel," Bilsky added. "Right now they're a fine program, but there's no overwhelming reason to add them to the Big 5." Whether or not the Big 5 changes in any way, officials of the schools do not see the Big 5 disappearing any time soon. "I don't think it will completely end," Dunphy said. "I hope not because I think we've got something very special in college basketball and in the city of Philadelphia." While the Big 5 may not have the glamour that it had in the '50s, '60s and '70s, no one seems willing to give up on it. "It's a great tradition," Mullen said. "And we will do everything in our power to maintain it." "If we hold on to the Big 5, I think we have a chance for recapturing our earlier glory," Baker said. The immediate future of the Big 5 was established with the January contract. What the future holds for the Big 5 beyond the year 2000, however, remains to be seen. All agree that too much tradition is behind the Big 5 to allow it to end. St. Joe's former basketball coach Jack McKinney recalled his 1966 to 1974 reign during his acceptance speech in 1992 when he was inaugurated into the Big 5 Hall of Fame. "It was Penn, Temple, La Salle, St. Joe's, Villanova," McKinney said. "It was college basketball at its best. It was Philadelphia. It was the Palestra. It was the Big 5. It was beautiful. And it's worth saving. Don't let it get away."

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