Former La Salle coach John Giannini (right) talks to Explorers athletic director Ash Puri before a game against Temple on November 30 at Glaser Arena. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
December 9, 2024
John Giannini was stunned when he received the phone call from La Salle athletic director Ash Puri to share the news of the former Explorers coach’s induction into the Big 5 Hall of Fame.
“I didn’t think that was even a possibility,” Giannini, who won 212 games in 14 seasons at La Salle, said Monday on the Bracy Sports Media podcast.
(Giannini joins us at the 30:48 mark. In addition to the link below on the Bracy Sports Media YouTube page, you can listen to the interview by searching for “Bracy Sports Media” on Apple, RSS, or Spotify. (While listening, please consider subscribing to our YouTube page and/or rating/commenting on other podcast platforms.))
But the coach led one of the Big 5’s best teams, the 2013 group that featured Tyreek Duren, Ramon Galloway, and Ty Garland in the backcourt that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Garland’s game-winner—the Southwest Philly Floater—over Mississippi in the to get there is, arguably, one of the greatest shots in Big 5 history.
And it was his leadership of that team, Giannini said, that contributed greatly to his honor.
“The rationale that I was told was that we did something that is really hard at La Salle that contributed to Big 5 history that is not common,” he said. “I’m very honored that someone would think that.”
Prior to Saturday’s recognition at the Wells Fargo Center during halftime of the Big 5 Classic championship game, La Salle feted Giannini before its game against Temple at Glaser Arena on November 30. The school shared a video tribute before the contest and many former players, coaches, and supporters of the program were in attendance to congratulate Giannini.
“The company I had at La Salle last Saturday and that I got to coach with makes you want to cry out of appreciation,” he said.
A Prepared Broadcaster
These days, Giannini is getting his basketball fix as a broadcaster—and a very good one. He retired in August after five years as Rowan’s athletic director that followed his 29-year coaching career. There are some similarities between coaching and broadcasting, he said, notably the preparation required to be good at both. The biggest difference, though, is the reduced stress level being behind a microphone entails.
“Coaching is an incredible roller-coaster, with incredible highs and incredible lows,” Giannini said. “You are constantly competing. Broadcasting is nowhere near that level of intensity. And you go to a game and you’re actually going to be able to sleep after the game. As a coach, I think I worked really hard, and I do that as a broadcaster. I want to be the most knowledgeable, so my preparation is extreme.”
An Even Better Big 5
Giannini was courtside on Saturday, seated next to play-by-play announcer Matt Martucci, for all three games of the Big 5 Classic. You can listen to the podcast for his breakdown of each team. Overall, he loves the change in the format of the Big 5 and has become a believer in the event being played at the Wells Fargo Center and not the Palestra.
A conversation with former Villanova coach Jay Wright, who noted the fact that players want to compete in NBA arenas and fans like the modern amenities of them, started to turn the coach’s opinion. His experience there the last two years has cemented the change.
“You will love the Wells Fargo Center,” Giannini recalled of the conversation with Wright, “and he’s absolutely right. I have changed. It is by far the best place to have this, but I believe we can have our cake and eat it, too.”
Giannini thinks that a doubleheader at the Palestra leading up to the culminating tripleheader should take place.
“If that happened, I would be in Big 5 heaven,” he said.
The former coach mentioned how a packed Palestra helped him in recruiting and can aid current coaches. He pointed out that teams can sign a two-year deal to play a doubleheader at the Palestra, noting that schools would have to give up a home game but would also not have to play a road game. The idea seems to make perfect sense.
“You gotta make the Big 5 games events,” he said. “That’s why the Big 5 Classic is so great. It’s an event. I think we could have a Big 5 event at the Palestra.”
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-Harris to Hall? During our conversation, Giannini pointed out that former Explorers guard Darnell Harris should be in the Big 5 Hall of Fame. A 2008 La Salle graduate, Harris scored 1,659 points and drained 342 three-pointers during his career.
“Darnell Harris should be in the Big 5 Hall of Fame because when he graduated, he was the all-time leader in three-point shots in the Big 5, La Salle, and the Atlantic 10,” Giannini said. “I don’t know how much more qualified you need to be as a shooter than that. Hopefully, we get to see Darnell Harris in there sometime soon.”
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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.