The home of the Big 5, the Palestra. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
January 12, 2024
Big5Hoop.scom
I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve last Saturday night.
On Sunday, the presents wouldn’t be under the tree; rather, they would be on a court, around a concourse and felt deeply in my soul.
I was headed back to the Palestra. A special place – for me, and for so many. My heart swelled, my face lit up and my world was aglow.
It is just a building, but it is so much more.
A museum of basketball.
A collection of memories.
A timeless treasure.
A special place.
Yes, I was headed back to the Palestra.
I knew the way, of course, but it had been awhile. I haven’t covered college basketball on a regular basis in about a decade. I’ve written about some college hoops in the city for AP during that time but usually at Villanova. However, I didn’t need GPS, like apparently the Michigan bus driver who got lost on the way there, to find the grand old building on 33rd Street.
When I pulled into the alleyway that leads to the back parking garage, a very nice attendant asked, “Have you been here before?”
I had so much I wanted to say in reply, some of which I will share here, but I just said, “Yes, but it’s been awhile.”
Excitedly, I walked toward the back entrance, traversed the few steps that lead to the front and then arrived: Jack’s Gym, the Palestra, the Cathedral of College Basketball.
Entering, the feeling was familiar, yet indescribable. Words here fail me, but the goosebumps I had walking in the front door are the best I can do to convey my emotions.
After getting my credential from Penn SID Mike Mahoney, I climbed over the rope that cordons off the concourse to the court, excitedly walked down curved ramp, turned the corner and there it was, the court with so much history, so much life, so many memories.
I first greeted Penn State’s Zach Hicks, the Temple transfer from Camden, N.J. I was Zach’s third-grade and 6th-8th teacher at Sacred Heart School in Camden. In my 11 years of teaching, Zach was one of the nicest, kindest, most respectful students I ever taught. At 6-foot-8, he sure looked different than the 8-year-old I first met and remember with half of his uniform shirt tucked in and the Kool Aid-stained other half out. But the love and kindness, felt through a warm embrace, remained. What pride and joy I took from hearing Penn State people laud the person that he is. And, as Owls fans know, Zach can play, too. He hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first half to help the Nittany Lions defeat Michigan.
Next, I headed toward the Michigan locker room, where outside a plaque for my late, great friend Jack Scheuer hangs. Former St. Joe’s AD Don Dijulia, his son Chris and Penn State assistant Jimmy Martelli were there. Phil Martelli joined them shortly after, regaling everyone with the story of a 3:30 a.m. hotel fire alarm and lost bus driver on the way to the Palestra. He didn’t mention that Wolverines coach Juwan Howard had turned the reins over to him for the day, something everyone later would find out and we would write about.
After getting situated in the upper press level, where radiator heaters blast your backside and threaten to fry you, I made my way around the concourse. Penn has done an amazing job of preserving the history of the building and Philadelphia basketball. How touching to see fathers and sons and friends and fans, young and old, slowly walking around, reading, taking pictures, pointing, reminiscing, learning, enjoying.
After some more walking around, I headed back out to the stands and made my way all the way up to the corners. Scheuer, the longtime Associated Press reporter who hosted a weekly media pickup game at the Palestra, made the term famous by writing the word “corners” on a little notebook paper and passing it around press row. That meant there were 8,722 (and probably more, honestly) people happily packed into the hot, sold-out gym. They weren’t sitting in the corners yet when I visited on Sunday, but by opening tip they would be.
The National Anthem played, the teams were lined up, the building was rocking and all was right in the world.
I had made it back to the Palestra.
It is just a building, but it is so much more.
A museum of basketball.
A collection of memories.
A timeless treasure.
A special place.
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Saturday will mark St. Joe’s game No. 1,200 for Lunardi
He is Mr. Bracketologist to most. But he is Mr. St. Joe’s around here.
On Saturday, Joe Lunardi, aka Joey Brackets, will hit a milestone when he attends his 1,200th Hawks game. He went to his first St. Joe’s contest as a first-grader, then didn’t go back until eighth grade. As an undergraduate at St. Joe’s, beginning in 1978, Lunardi went to games as a student fan and student reporter for the school newspaper. He then began working in a public relations role on Hawk Hill in the 1980’s and started broadcasting basketball games alongside radio voice Ken Krsolovic in 1990.
“My first thought is to get to that high of a number at anything, you probably have to be pretty old,” Lunardi joked. “I think I come across fairly youthful, but I am 63.”
In all seriousness, Lunardi is thankful to so many who helped him make it to so many games.
“I am grateful to all of the people and to the University for making it possible,” he said. “There were times where I didn’t have two nickels to rub together.”
He cited carpools from St. Joe’s folks and other media members.
“Heck, Coach Lynam would let me ride the bus when I was on The Hawk (student newspaper),” he said.
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Bouncing around the Big 5
Drexel: The Dragons are off to their best start in the CAA since 2007 after a 67-63 victory over North Carolina A&T and good friend Monte Ross on Thursday night made them 4-0 in the league. Amari Williams had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Dragons, who won despite missing 10 of 12 3-pointers. Drexel can move to 5-0 for the first time ever in the CAA on Saturday night at Elon.
La Salle: The Explorers played without Anwar Gill (lower body) for the second straight game in an 81-65 loss at UMass on Wednesday. Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi had a team-high 14 points, but La Salle, a nearly double-digit underdog, couldn’t find enough scoring in this one. Philly native Rashool Diggins filled it up for the Minutemen, with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. La Salle has a challenging two-game stretch ahead, hosting VCU on Saturday and playing at St. Joe’s on Monday.
Penn: The Quakers have been idle since opening the Ivy League with a win over Dartmouth last Saturday. Leading scorer Clark Slajchert (ankle) remains out for the foreseeable future, though it’s not expected to be a season-ending injury. Penn next plays on Monday at Cornell, one of just four games in January for the Quakers.
St. Joe’s: The Hawks sapped some of the excitement that had been building around the program through their very good play in the nonconference portion of their season by following a surprising loss at Rhode Island in their Atlantic 10 opener on Jan. 3 with an 88-85 defeat at St. Louis on Wednesday night. The Hawks led by 20 points in the first half and were up 43-33 at the break. But they allowed the Billikens to score 55 points in the second half. As I’ve said repeatedly, this is a team built on offense. When their shots are falling, the Hawks can beat anyone. Their shots were not falling against St. Louis. When they aren’t, they can lose to just about anybody. St. Joe’s looks to bounce back with a pair of weekend home games, Saturday against Loyola Chicago and Monday versus La Salle.
Temple: The Owls continued their season-long struggles from the perimeter in Wednesday’s 73-62 home loss to East Carolina, going 7 of 27 from the arc. It is going to take first-year coach Adam Fisher some time to get things going. The good thing for Fisher is that the transformation, in the world of the transfer portal, can happen more quickly than in the past.
Villanova: The Wildcats got off to a slow start to a very good St. John’s team last Saturday, falling behind 10-0, and never could catch up in an 81-71 defeat at the Pavilion for their first Big East loss. They will look to recover against DePaul on Friday night. Jeff Neiburg from the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Thursday that Justin Moore was practicing without a knee brace, a great sign for Villanova. Moore (knee sprain) has been out since suffering the injury on Dec. 5 at Kansas State.
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TIP-INS: We will be providing live coverage of three games this weekend, Friday at Villanova and Saturday and Monday at St. Joe’s. Be sure to follow us on Twitter/X and check this site postgame for coverage. … The Weekly #Big5Hoops Spaces Show will be from 8-9 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 16. This is a show you will not want to miss! More details to come. Check our Twitter/X page for updates. … La Salle assistant coach Joe Mihalich will be honored at Wednesday’s Philadelphia Sports Writers Association banquet with the Most Courageous Award. Read Dick Jerardi’s story on Mihalich HERE, and purchase tickets for the banquet HERE. … Speaking of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association, last year’s president Jon Marks recently wrote a feature on Temple’s Fisher in the Jewish Exponent. Click HERE to read the story, which ends with a great line from Fisher’s daughter. From Marks: While observant, Fisher said people may draw the wrong impression from listening to Livi. “She tells people, ‘My Daddy goes to Temple every day,'” he laughed. … Speaking of Marks, I have thanked him privately and would like to do so publicly. When I was 23 years old and trying to break into sportswriting, he connected me with Trenton Times sports editor Jim Gauger. I had been doing some work for the AP, CBS SportsLine and the Main Line Times and had met Marks that way. Following the introduction to Gauger, I began writing for the Trenton Times in September 1999. There, I got to cover high school, college and pro sports and learned from some great reporters and editors. So, thanks much, Jon!
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Big5Hoops.com is his second website dedicated to Philadelphia college basketball. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages.
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Villanova remains atop Big 5 rankings
Big 5 Hoops Rankings
(Through games Jan. 11)
1. Villanova (10-5, 3-1 Big East) – no change
2. Drexel (11-6, 4-0 CAA) – up 1 spot
3. Saint Joseph’s (10-5, 0-2 Atlantic 10) – down 1 spot
4. Temple (8-8, 1-2 American) – no change
5. La Salle (10-6, 1-2 Atlantic 10) – no change
6. Penn (9-7, 1-0 Ivy) * – no change
* — Penn ranking takes into consideration absence of leading scorer Clark Slajchert for “foreseeable future,” according to school.
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St. Joe’s Reynolds leads Big 5 in scoring
Big 5 Scoring Leaders (Through games Jan. 11)
1. Erik Reynolds II, St. Joe’s, 17.5
2. Clark Slajchert, Penn, 17.4
3. Hysier Miller, Temple, 16.6
4. Khalil Brantley, La Salle, 15.3
5. Tyler Burton, Villanova, 14.8
6. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 14.7
7. Jhamir Brickus, La Salle, 14.4
8. Justin Moore, Villanova, 13.3
9. Justin Moore, Drexel, 13.0
10. Lynn Greer III, St. Joe’s, 12.7
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Drexel’s Williams leads Big 5 in rebounding
Big 5 Rebounding Leaders (Through games Jan .11)
1. Amari Williams, Drexel, 8.0
2. Tyler Burton, Villanova, 7.5
3. Rasheer Fleming, St. Joe’s, 7.3
4. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 7.1
5. Sam Hofman, Temple, 6.8
6. Jahlil White, Temple, 6.6
7. Daeshon Shepherd, La Salle, 6.3
8. Steve Settle III, Temple, 6.1
9. Lamar Oden, Jr., 6.0
10. Tyler Perkins, Penn, 5.8