Temple's Jamal Mashburn Jr. averaged 25.5 points in two wins last week. (Photo: @its_jaymashjr)
By AARON BRACY
November 10, 2024
The opening week of the Big 5 was full of surprises, both good and not so good. Starting with the good, Drexel, La Salle, Penn, and Temple all started 2-0 while Saint Joseph’s (1-1) and Villanova (2-1) each suffered damaging home defeats to Central Connecticut and Columbia, respectively.
Let’s take a look back at the opening week.
Five Big 5 Stars
1) Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple: The transfer from New Mexico came to North Broad Street with a reputation as a scorer, and he has delivered. In victories over Sacred Heart and Monmouth, Mashburn has averaged 25.5 points while making 64.5 percent (20 of 31) field goals, including 72.7 percent (8 of 11) from beyond the arc.
2) Jahlil White, La Salle: The Temple transfer has found a nice groove early on with the Explorers, averaging 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds to help La Salle to wins over American and Lafayette.
3) Eric Dixon, Villanova: No surprise here, as the fifth-year Villanova forward has started strong, averaging 27.5 points in a pair of contests after sitting out Monday’s opener against Lafayette due to suspension.
4) Kobe MaGee, Drexel: MaGee told Big5Hoops.com that the scouting report teams have on him from the last two seasons would not be correct in 2024-25, and he has shown why. In two games, Magee has averaged 21 points, including a career-high 28 points in Saturday’s win over Colgate. In that game, MaGee made his first seven shots and finished 10 of 12 from the field and 6 of 8 from the arc. He also added nine rebounds in 31 minutes.
5) Ethan Roberts, Penn: The Drake transfer showed why coach Steve Donahue was so high on him, averaging 19 points in a pair of one-point Quakers victories.
Big5Hoops.com Coverage Rewind
-On Monday, I was at La Salle and wrote about Glaser Arena:
A fresh start for La Salle: Explorers open just-right Glaser Arena with a victory over American
-On Monday, I also recapped a historic, 6-0 night for the Big 5:
A historic start to 2024-25 for the Big 5 on 6-0 night
-On Wednesday, I was at Villanova and was at St. Joe’s on Friday. I wrote about those damaging home losses:
Big 5 Spaces Show
The guys from Big 5 Pod, Jake Copestick and Kyle Morello joined me on Sunday (11/10) night to talk about all things Big 5 on an X Spaces Show. See below to listen to the recording.
Great Meeting You!
On Friday at St. Joe’s, I was glad to meet Mike, who has supported me on social media and is among those who have preordered my upcoming book: A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks.
You can preorder the book by clicking HERE.
You can read a summary of the book by clicking HERE.
The book, which is being published by Brookline Books, is scheduled to available wherever books are sold on March 1, 2025.
Postgame Videos
-On Wednesday, I asked Villanova coach Kyle Neptune how deflating the loss to Columbia was after all of the excitement in the preseason.
-On Friday, I asked Billy Lange about Saint Joseph’s defense after Central Connecticut shot 49.1 percent from the field against the Hawks.
Big 5 Records
Drexel 2-0
La Salle 2-0
Penn 2-0
Saint Joseph’s 1-1
Temple 2-0
Villanova 2-1
Last Week’s Results
Monday, Nov. 4
Temple 81, Sacred Heart 70
Drexel 95, Georgian Court 73
La Salle 65, American 52
Penn 58, NJIT 57
Saint Joseph’s 70, Navy 63
Villanova 75, Lafayette 63
Wednesday, Nov. 6
Columbia 90, Villanova 80
Thursday, Nov. 7
Penn 85, Maryland-Eastern Shore 84
Friday, Nov. 8
Temple 103, Monmouth 74
Central Connecticut 73, Saint Joseph’s 67
Villanova 91, NJIT 54
Saturday, Nov. 9
Drexel 73, Colgate 56
La Salle 81, Lafayette 60
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday, Nov. 12
Villanova at Saint Joseph’s, 5 pm, CBSSN
Cornell at La Salle, 6:30 pm
Drexel at Temple, 7 pm
Penn at Lafayette, 7 pm
Friday, Nov. 15
Villanova vs. Virginia, Baltimore, 5 pm
Temple at Boston College, 7 pm
Saint Joseph’s at Penn, 8 pm
Saturday, Nov. 16
La Salle at Drexel, 2 pm
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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.