Amy Facer scored 1,138 points at Saint Joseph's from 1994–97. She is one of six inductees into the Big 5 Hall of Fame this year. (Photo: Saint Joseph's Athletics)
By AARON BRACY
December 4, 2024
Anyone who ever saw Amy Facer play, or completed with or against her, likely would describe her game this way: She was a bucket.
Facer, a former standout at Saint Joseph’s from 1994–97, is one of the six new members of the Big 5 Hall of Fame. She will be recognized at halftime of the championship game of the Big 5 Classic on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
“I had hoped that this would happen,” Facer told Big5Hoops.com in a phone interview. “It was nice when I found out. I’m very happy about. It’s an honor because the Big 5 is amazing. Just to be among the others who have been inducted is quite an honor.”
Joining Facer in this year’s class are former La Salle coach John Giannini, former Penn standout Ira Bowman, Temple’s LaKeisha Eaddy, Villanova’s Courtney Mix, and Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
At St. Joe’s, Facer scored 1,138 points and helped the Hawks to three NCAA tournaments and a .698 (81-35) winning percentage during one of the more dominant stretches in program history. St. Joe’s won three Big 5 titles during her time on Hawk Hill and claimed the Atlantic 10 championship in 1997 when they finished 26-5 overall.
“It seems so long ago,” Facer, who resides in West Chester and works in healthcare, said. “It was a really cool experience, in general, especially my senior year.”
While starring at Bellefonte Area High School, Facer had hoped to play at her dream school, Penn State, which is just a 15-minute drive from her hometown. However, she wasn’t guaranteed a scholarship as a freshman, and St. Joe’s showered her with affection.
“It just felt like the right thing to do was go to a place that showed such interest and made me feel welcome,” she said. “Honestly, it was the best decision I made to leave. I really grew.”
After playing a bit part as a freshman, Facer gained confidence the next summer while competing as a member of the USA national team. Her game took off from there. With a lightning-quick first step, good shooting touch, and a scorer’s mentality, Facer made life difficult on opponents.
As mentioned, she was a bucket. And I would know as the beat reporter for women’s basketball for The Hawk student newspaper, an invaluable experience that helped reaffirm that sportswriting was something I really wanted to pursue.
“I feel like I’ve always had that ability to either score or create for others,” Facer said. “Going to the basket, creating fouls, shooting outside, but I think I definitely was better at slashing, penetrating.”
Facer missed her graduation while trying out for the WNBA’s New York Liberty. She didn’t stick with the Liberty but had a successful, 11-year career playing professionally in Europe, including stops in Denmark, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, Israel, and Spain, where she spent her last three years.
“The best time in my life was when I played in Europe,” she said. “I stayed because I loved the country, the people, and made a lot of friends. I miss it. I still think about it. God, it was so nice. That was your job.”
These days, Facer doesn’t play much basketball. The pandemic halted her regular pickup sessions, and they didn’t resume afterward. However, she began shooting jumpers again within the last year and has talked to friends about joining a rec league.
“I missed it, just the sounds, and the swishing,” she said.
The swishing? Of course. Facer is still a bucket.
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.