The long-overdue Big 5 Classic is here, Drexel included

It’s where the dream started for Amaris Baker.

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The Drexel University senior guard remembers the early-morning grind with her father working out and sharpening her skills. She recalls watching numerous Philadelphia legends play against each other. As a graduate of Cardinal O’Hara High, which is south of the city in Delaware County, Baker appreciates the rich history of women’s basketball in the Philadelphia region. Baker, the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Most Outstanding Performer, remembers going to games all over the city and dreaming of being in their shoes one day.

Now, that moment has arrived for the affable Baker and Drexel.

“To be part of the tradition of the Big 5 and to be able to compete against five other Division I schools in the city is great,” Baker said during CAA Media Day in October. “They’re just going to be great competitive games for us. We’re excited to be part of the inaugural year. Our goal, like anything, is to be the best we can be when we play those teams. I grew up just watching Philly basketball, so the fact that the women get a chance is very exciting.”

It’s been a long time coming, but now Drexel is officially a Big 5 member, along with Temple, Pennsylvania, Villanova, Saint Joseph’s, and La Salle. The Dragon women were also included a year after Drexel’s men were officially accepted into the Big 5.

Beneath the giant white Big 5 banner hanging proudly inside the Daskalakis Athletic Center, the Drexel University women’s basketball team took the floor with purpose and focus when it beat La Salle, 73-40, on Nov. 13.

“It was our first Big 5 game,” said Drexel head coach Amy Mallon, who played at Saint Joseph’s during the 1992-93 season and is in the Big 5 Hall of Fame. “It was just an exciting moment, not just for my team, but for our program and in the history of our program. So, I think that was a great way for us to start in the Big 5 to win that game and make a little history.”

Known for its basketball culture, tradition, and passion, the Big 5 Classic is a beautiful and long-overdue treat for Philadelphia women’s basketball. The six programs will compete in the inaugural Big 5 Classic at Villanova Friday afternoon in a tripleheaderm starting at 3:30 p.m. with Penn against La Salle in the fifth-place game.

Drexel will meet Saint Joseph’s for third place at 5:45 p.m. while Villanova battles Temple for the championship at 8 p.m. Philadelphia women’s basketball programs are finally getting the showcase they deserve.

“It means a lot, and we talk about it every year, in the summer, like throughout the whole season,” Saint Joseph’s guard Laura Ziegler said. “It’s always from (veteran head women’s basketball coach Cindy) Griffin. We always talk about the Atlantic 10. We’re talking Big 5 at the same time. So, it means a lot.”

These six schools, all within a 13-mile radius, are set to collide in a crucible of competition. But beyond the battles for pride and titles, they are united by a shared love for the game, creating a sense of community and camaraderie in the world of Philadelphia women’s basketball.

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Ties run deep in the Big 5

Baker was also coached by Natasha Cloud, a player who admired Trish Juhline, who Kristen Clement inspired. While Clement didn’t play in the Big 5, she is regarded as one of the best women’s basketball players in southeastern Pennsylvania history. Juhline helped Villanova advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2003.

The storied legacy of greats doesn’t stop or start with Clement, who scored 2,256 career points during a stellar high school career in the mid-1990s, because Philadelphia women’s basketball has always been exceptional.

While some have lovingly referred to Philadelphia as the cradle of liberty, it can also be affectionately called the cathedral of coaches. Tacticians produced by the city include Cathy Rush, La Salle graduate Cheryl Reeve, Norristown native Geno Auriemma, Pottsville and Saint Joseph’s own Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame, longtime Villanova head coach Harry Perretta, former Saint Joseph’s head coach Jim Foster, and former Temple head coach Dawn Staley.

In leading Immaculata to three straight AIAW national championships, Rush not only put Philadelphia women’s basketball on the map but also lifted the status of women’s sports nationwide. Staley, McGraw and Auriemma have led their respective programs to a combined 16 national championships.

C. Vivian Stringer coached Cheyney State to the first NCAA women’s basketball national championship game in 1982 and the Final Four in 1984. During a legendary 33-year coaching career at University City High School in West Philadelphia, Lurline Jones won 647 games and 12 city championships.

Some of the legendary players who competed in the Big 5 include Hall of Famers Marilyn Stephens (Temple), Candice Dupree (Temple), Stacey Smalls (Temple), Debbie Black (Saint Joseph’s), Sue Moran (Saint Joseph’s), Angela Zampella (Saint Joseph’s), Juhline (Villanova), Lynn Tighe (Villanova), Shelly Pennyfather (Villanova), Diana Caramanico (Penn), Kirsten Brendel (Penn), Jen Cole (La Salle) and Kelly Greenberg (La Salle). Drexel has featured its share of outstanding players in Keishana Washington and Gabriela Marginean.

At the high school level, Philadelphia stalwarts like Staley, Kahleah Copper, Shawnetta Stewart, Linda Page, Yolanda Laney, Clement, and numerous others made their mark nationally. One could also include Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne and Val Whiting among the distinguished scholastic basketball players from the Philadelphia region since Wilmington is 30 minutes south. They both played in the WNBA.

These are just some of the pioneering athletes, dedicated coaches, and passionate fans who comprise the vibrant mosaic of Philadelphia basketball excellence.

It’s bigger than basketball.

With adrenaline racing through their bodies, Philadelphia’s passion takes over and seeps into the soul of every player who competes in these sizzling sisterly sibling battles.

“They’re making it big this year,” Temple women’s basketball head coach Diane Richardson said following her team’s win over Delaware on Nov. 19. “It will be exciting, and I know it will be a big crowd. Women’s basketball has exploded so that we will be on a big stage, and I’m excited about it … My goal is to go in there and win. We’ve got people reporting about it. We’ve got people who will be selling tickets, so it’s important that we jump on this wave of women’s basketball. It’s great that people are going to be watching.”

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Drexel’s moment arrives 

It took a while for Drexel to be included officially. The 2024-25 season is the 44th year of Big 5 women’s basketball. Before Drexel, the five-team round robin format began in 1979-80 and has been in existence every year with the exception of 2020-21 due to COVID.

“Drexel University is honored for our women’s basketball program to officially join the Philadelphia Big 5,” said Drexel Director of Athletics Maisha Kelly in a June press release. “The support, collaboration, and uniqueness of the Philadelphia Big 5 are unmatched. Aligning with our five fellow institutions only strengthens the visibility of women’s basketball in this city.  We are eager to participate in an official capacity this upcoming season having competed with many of these institutions in non-conference play regularly. This inclusion is another step towards advancing our brand, when coupled with the sustained success the program has had, both regionally and nationally.”

The Dragons had always played non-conference games against the other schools. As evidenced by NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009, 2021, and 2024, Drexel has enjoyed consistent success. Current Villanova coach Denise Dillon, who coached Drexel for 13 years, used not being part of the Big 5 as motivation when she led the Dragons.

Dillon, a Villanova graduate, played Big 5 games and understands the intensity, enthusiasm, spirit, and meaning of these games. These matchups elevate the competitive spirit to another level, where bloodied knuckles, strawberry-colored floor burns, and bruises are badges of honor, symbolizing the players’ determination on the court.

“I am thrilled to see it,” Dillon said. “We used it as a little chip on our shoulder there at Drexel when we played the teams in the Big 5, just to prove that we’re better. And that we belonged. When I played at Villanova, our teammates always discussed it, like wanting to win that crown and beating up on the other city teams. 

“Now we’re trying to pass that along to our players, so they feel that passion and pride for the city series. At Drexel, it was always a discussion that (former athletic director) Eric Zilmer had, so there was always a conversation (about including Drexel).”

So this event is much deeper than bragging rights and a day of three quality basketball games. It will showcase why Philadelphia has always been a revered region for high-level hoops.

“I think it’s awesome,” Penn head coach Mike McLaughlin said. “I do. I think the growth in women’s basketball in the last 10 years, particularly over the last two years, is amazing. Anytime we can put our amazing young ladies on a big stage and let everyone understand the hard work, commitment, talent, sacrifice, dedication, and discipline, it is great for our sport. It’s great for them. It’s great for all our programs … Let’s continue growing it and showcase our amazing athletes.”

The Big 5 is also respected outside of Philadelphia.

It was part of Saint Joseph’s head women’s basketball coach Cindy Griffin’s recruiting pitch. Griffin is the dean of Philadelphia coaches, as the Saint Joseph’s alum is in her 24th year leading the Hawks. Like Dillion, Griffin played in Big 5 contests when she was at SJU in the late 1980s. She was honored prior to Sunday’s game at Villanova for winning her 400th career game.

“That’s one of the things that coach focused on,” Saint Joseph’s graduate guard Emma Boslet said. “Committing to the Atlantic 10 is great too, but just that city rivalry, like Laura said, like, wherever you go, people always comment on the Big 5 … It’s like a family thing. That competitive nature within our city, there’s nothing like that anywhere else in college sports.”

While conferences continue to swell and create geographic challenges, the grassroots love and spirit of the Big 5 remain the same. Games against each other are events. Last year’s WBIT quarterfinal game between Saint Joseph’s and Villanova felt larger than a postseason contest. Many of the Saint Joseph’s players attended the recent Villanova-Saint Joseph’s men’s game earlier this season, and they felt the intensity.

Yet, everything is rooted in respect.

“I’m from Philadelphia, I understand it,” McLaughlin said. “As much as things have changed in college sports, some have not, and I think the camaraderie and the ability to be around people that share a lot of the same thing and understand this. There’s not much to understand as much as people who have been around. So, I appreciate all the coaches, but I think the ones that have done this here in Philadelphia, men or women, are special.”

The hallmarks of Philadelphia hoops are toughness, character, grit, and resilience. Weaving together a wonderful tapestry of excellence, each of the six programs embodies a special sauce of brilliance that unites them. Including Drexel in the Big 5 is not just a signal of the depth and growth of women’s basketball but enhances Philadelphia’s fantastic hoops legacy while potentially producing priceless and lifetime memories.

“This is a very cool idea,” Temple senior guard Tiarra East said to The Next after a game against Delaware last month. “The men played at the Wells Fargo Center last year, which was nice. So, the opportunity to do the same thing is great, and I look forward to it. Plus, it’s a good time to play in a tournament like this in mid-season … It breaks up the season a little and gives us a moment to feel like what an actual tournament feels like, as well as a chance to earn bragging rights in the city.”

The Next’s Jenn Hatfield and Howard Megdal contributed to this article.