Aaron Bracy

By AARON BRACY January 24, 2026 Big5Hoops.com La Salle’s 67-64 upset victory over Dayton at Gola Arena happened last Wednesday, but the Explorers sowed the seeds months earlier. It started last spring when AD Ash Puri smartly tabbed Darris Nichols to replace Fran Dunphy before the 2024-25 season was even over. The early hiring gave Nichols a head start on the … [Read more...] about Aaron Bracy’s Big 5 Column: Inside La Salle’s win over Dayton and what it means for the program

By AARON BRACY Big5Hoops.com January 20, 2026 PHILADELPHIA – Two seasons ago, Rasheer Fleming was a developing player for Saint Joseph’s who performed well enough in the Hawks’ win over Temple in the inaugural Big 5 Classic championship game to be voted by media as the first winner of the Jack Scheuer “VGH” (Very Good Hoops) Award. It was a deserved honor for a … [Read more...] about Saint Joseph’s Rasheer Fleming is making progress in his development with NBA’s Phoenix Suns

By AARON BRACY Big5Hoops.com January 17, 2026 PHILADELPHIA – Villanova coach Kevin Willard compared his young players’ performance against St. John’s on Saturday night to the experience of drinking a bottle of wine. “It’s like when you open up a bottle of wine,” Willard said after the Wildcats’ 86-79 loss to the Red Storm. “If you open up a bottle of wine that was … [Read more...] about Aaron Bracy’s Big 5 Column: Villanova’s inexperience shows in loss to St. John’s

By AARON BRACY Big5Hoops.com January 14, 2026 PHILADELPHIA -- Saint Joseph’s stared at a seven-point deficit to St. Bonaventure with 8 1/2 minutes remaining on Wednesday night at Hagan Arena. The Hawks’ 11-point second-half lead had been erased with the Bonnies’ precise offense and the hosts’ sideways shooting.  It looked like a repeat of so many games this season. … [Read more...] about Aaron Bracy’s Big 5 Column: Saint Joseph’s third straight victory was birthed in closed-door meeting after 0-2 Atlantic 10 start

By AARON BRACY Big5Hoops January 11, 2026 It was another busy weekend in the Big 5, with five of the six city teams in play. With four of the games on over-the-air television, I didn’t have to leave my couch to take in most of the action. Here’s an alphabetical order look at the results and some thoughts on the state of all six programs. And, finally, there is some … [Read more...] about Aaron Bracy’s Big 5 Column: Weekend Roundup: Villanova continues success on road; Drexel, Penn, St. Joe’s, Temple surging