COLUMN: Penn loses, but Philadelphia college basketball wins

Hanan Fishman, Commentary Despite the disappointing outcome for the Quakers, both Penn and Drexel contributed to a winning outcome by spawning a basketball rivalry that will, hopefully, continue for years to come. The ultimate winner, though, is Philadelphia college basketball which has suffered somewhat with the dissolution of the Big 5 City Series round-robin play. The electric atmosphere in the Palestra last night is rivaled on campus only by Princeton's annual visit to West Philadelphia. Plans are already in place for the cross-street rivals to meet again next year in the Palestra, according to Penn athletic director Steve Bilsky. He also added that Drexel may play some of the more important games on their schedule on the Palestra's floor. If the rematch is anywhere near as exciting as the second half of last night's contest, bragging rights for the title of best team on 33rd Street, where both team's gymnasiums stand, could become an annual event. As Penn coach Fran Dunphy mentioned after the game, this gave a boost to Philadelphia college basketball. Indeed, Dunphy is to be commended for agreeing to play this game. Though he was not rewarded with a win, Philadelphia college basketball fans should thank him for bringing one more night of unbridled basketball delirium under the Palestra's historic rafters. Dunphy's agreeing to schedule the game demonstrated the genuine affection he has for both college basketball in Philadelphia and the Palestra itself. Drexel coach Bill Herrion praised his good friend Dunphy for scheduling the game and letting the two teams settle their so-far unofficial rivalry for real. As part of their off-season training, the two teams often play informally. The amount of local attention surrounding the game helped focus the spotlight on two programs, the Dragons and the Quakers, which represent everything that's still great about college basketball: intense on court competition, a heated inter-school rivalry and, of course, good, fundamental basketball. In the end, Drexel's hard-nosed, pressing defense proved stifling to the Quakers, whose usually dependable perimeter game wilted in the face of the Dragons' intense defense. The rise to prominence of Drexel's basketball program, which has earned the Dragons three-consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament and an upset of Memphis in the first round last year, has led to talk of adding it to the vaunted Big 5. Both Herrion and Drexel Athletic Director Dr. Louis Marciani appreciate the public vote of confidence, but say they're not actively pursuing admission. "If the Big 5 welcomes us in, so be it. We love to be part of this environment," said Marciani. Even if Drexel doesn't become a member of the Big 5, as there will certainly be some stalwarts who push for their exclusion, it is already well on its way to becoming more of a presence on the local college basketball scene, having already defeated La Salle earlier this season. It will also play St. Joseph's next month. Herrion realizes that his team is "at the mercy of the other Philadelphia schools." However, with coaches like Dunphy and St. Joe's Phil Martelli on the local scene, Herrion is convinced that goodwill should prevail in maintaining rivalries between Drexel and other local teams. As those on hand at the Palestra discovered last night, the Dragons are a very exciting team to watch, a characteristic which makes them an attractive ticket. That six of the eight Drexel players who played last night are sophomores or younger indicates that the best may yet lie ahead for this team. Still, for a team which plays in a sleepy conference called the America East, with member schools like Boston University, Maine and Vermont -- better known for their hockey programs -- the exposure of victories over a school like Penn stands second only to the attention they get when they make the tournament.