December 8, 2024
Sights and sounds: What winning the Big 5 Classic means to Temple
By Rob Knox
Richardson 'This was a great classic and the first of many I know will be great for the city'
VILLANOVA, Pa. – Surrounded by jubilant players, Temple’s cherry-and-white owl mascot “Hooter” enjoyed the final dance.
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He broke down and celebrated as the Temple University women’s basketball team rode an impressive second-half performance to claim the inaugural championship of the Big 5 Five Classic Friday with a 76-62 victory over host Villanova at Finneran Pavilion.
Sporting a broad smile, Temple’s Jaleesa Molina proudly held the large red, white, and blue Big 5 championship placard high in the air. It was an accomplishment to savor for the Owls.
As the final seconds ticked away of its eventual conquest over host Villanova, the Owls’ pep band couldn’t resist taking a shot at their gracious hosts, reminding everybody in attendance of their specific geographic location outside of Philadelphia city limits. They gleefully chanted, “Not From Philly!”
It was one of the few times during the evening that rivals swiped at each other during the three-game event.
Make no mistake, this championship meant plenty to a Temple program that hadn’t won an outright Big Five championship since 2011, though they did share the Big 5 title in 2019-20. Third-year head coach Diane Richardson emphasized the opportunity her program had throughout the week in practice as the Owls prepared for a Villanova program that beat them by 28 points last season.
“This is very special,” Richardson said to The Next. “Seeing the exposure that we got from this, the people in the stands, and the amount of time and effort Villanova put into putting this tournament together, not just for the men, but for the women too, was something we appreciate as a program. … This was a great tournament and a great classic. The first of many I know will be great for the city.”
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Temple 5’10 senior guard Tiarra East will also go into the history books as the first woman to earn the distinguished Mel Greenberg MVP award after her 26-point performance in the championship game. Following her press conference, she posed for photos with the legendary reporter. East, a Louisville native, understood the significance of being crowned Philadelphia’s best women’s college basketball team.
“This win is up top for us because Villanova has always been a battle for us the past four years that I’ve been here and since coach Rich got here,” East said. “We wanted this win. We dug deep and stuck together and came out with a team win. Being in the heart of Philadelphia and bringing it back there was important because that’s what we wanted and worked for.”
As expected, the action during the inaugural Big 5 Classic was intense and passionate on the floor, even though double digits decided all three games won by Penn, Saint Joseph’s, and Temple.
There were no streamers, fantastic finishes, or clever sign rollouts. While the energy generated from an announced three-game crowd of 1,526 was moderate, there were still many positives that organizers can use to continue building this into an anticipated early-season event, locally and nationally. One was that all six programs entered the games at or above .500.
The many kids in attendance brought enthusiasm, if not the attention span. They ran up and down the concourse stairs and enjoyed eating chocolate cupcakes.
After all, every good thing takes time to develop. Something has to be started before it can be improved.
The Wildcats’ staff did a great job making the event feel more than a regular-season game. They had special seating areas for teams that resembled a postseason feel, quality food in the media room, plenty of merchandise purchasing opportunities, and some interactive games on the course for fans, including a pop-a-shot.
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The in-game DJ entertained the fans with loud music as inductees into the 2024 Big 5 Hall of Fame class were announced throughout the evening. Scoreboard trivia games specific to the six schools participating challenged fans, and the bands from each school played loud and proud. Yes, the Hawk flapped throughout.
During their postgame pressers, each coach lauded the event and was thrilled to participate.
“Well, I think it’s great having it this year at Villanova,” Wildcats coach Denise Dillon told reporters. “The importance of recognizing the women’s game is big. I’m looking out here and looking at all this media attention. I’ve been asked why you think the game has been recognized and growing. It’s because of all of you. And they’re putting these games on TV. When people see it, they get interested and want to come out and watch.”
This year, Drexel, La Salle, and Temple were in one pod, and Villanova, Saint Joseph’s, and Penn were in the other. Temple and Villanova went undefeated in their pods to set up Friday’s showdown. The pods are expected to change next season.
“To play against quality opponents in our backyard is something we don’t take for granted against some great coaches and well-prepared teams,” Saint Joseph’s coach Cindy Griffin said. “We know it’s going to be a battle every night. That could help us not only in the Atlantic 10 but when we go out and play opponents nationally.”
Even though the Villanova media room was filled beyond capacity for each press conference, coaches were also searching for answers on ways to elevate the Big 5 Classic’s visibility and attract more people to the event.
Between conference commitments and filing a non-conference schedule based on each program’s needs and objectives, the three dates needed for Big 5 competition get shoehorned onto the slate. Penn, La Salle, and Drexel played a non-conference game before Friday’s showcase, while Villanova, Temple, and Saint Joseph’s last played Sunday.
“I’d like to see us kind of mirror the men,” Griffin added. “Can we get our games at the same time or on the same day? I think it’s a logistical thing, and it can be challenging from a budget standpoint, but it looks like we had a sponsor for this, which was great. We’ll regroup and see what works best. I know the pods will change next year. I don’t know where we will be, but hopefully Saint Joseph’s. Let’s piggyback off the men and make it a great day.”
A potential solution could be to take a week and cluster all of the Big 5 games together as the WNBA does with the Commissioner’s Cup. Play the four games needed to decide the matchups for the final tripleheader over a week to build excitement, with the culminating trio of games happening the following Saturday or Sunday. The men played at Wells Fargo Center on a Saturday, which is more of a celebration of the legacy and tradition of the men’s programs.
“I think that’s us (as coaches) continuing to recognize when we’re going to have it next year,” Dillon said. “Maybe promoting it sooner. Not just the tripleheader but the individual games leading up to it to get people interested in those rivalries and coming out. So, again, I’ll say what a great job our crew did. I appreciate and would love to host another one and have another go at this next year.”
There has yet to be an official announcement on who will host the 2025 Big 5 Classic. The important thing is that there will be another one, and there are plenty of ways to enhance it next year. There are rumors that the 2026 tournament could be held at the Palestra to commemorate the iconic facility’s 100th year.
One could lament the crowd size, but the fact that the Big 5 tripleheader became a reality and that Drexel is finally included could be considered a significant step in a positive direction for the future of Philadelphia women’s basketball.
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Each game featured standout performances.
During Penn’s 74-63 win over La Salle, the Quakers got 21 points and eight rebounds from 5’10 freshman guard Sarah Miller and 18 points from 6’1 senior guard Stina Almqvist, who added 18 points for Penn, which raised its record to 7-3 overall. La Salle’s 5’9 redshirt sophomore guard Ashleigh Connor finished with 13 points.
Saint Joseph’s 6’1 senior forward Talya Brugler stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds in the Hawks’ 69-47 triumph over Drexel. Brugler’s teammate, 5’10 senior guard Mackenzie Smith, scored a game-high 23 points. Meanwhile, 5’8 senior guard Amaris Baker and 6’2 sophomore forward Deja Evans combined for 28 points for Drexel.
Villanova got a team-high 19 points from 5’7 freshman guard Jasmine Bascoe.
“I think Villanova’s did a tremendous job,” Drexel head coach Amy Mallon told reporters. “It’s the first year, so there’s always hiccups. Not everything’s going to run smoothly. But we’re all just feeling very comfortable with the settings and it’s nice to see all the teams in one place competing. When you look at the games across the board, they’ve been great. And that’s Philadelphia basketball.
“We competed with every team, and we’re proving that in our first year, we can compete with any team in the city, and we will continue to do so. I would love for us to have the opportunity to host a future Big 5 tripleheader. Overall, this is great for women’s basketball here in Philadelphia.”
Written by Rob Knox
Rob Knox is an award-winning professional and a member of the Lincoln (Pa.) Athletics Hall of Fame. In addition to having work published in SLAM magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Post, and Diverse Issues In Higher Education, Knox enjoyed a distinguished career as an athletics communicator for Lincoln, Kutztown, Coppin State, Towson, and UNC Greensboro. He also worked at ESPN and for the Delaware County Daily Times. Recently, Knox was honored by CSC with the Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award and the NCAA with its Champion of Diversity award. Named a HBCU Legend by SI.com, Knox is a graduate of Lincoln University and a past president of the College Sports Communicators, formerly CoSIDA.
