There is only one Big 5. It's an association of five schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that play college basketball -- St. Joseph's, Pennsylvania, Temple, Villanova and LaSalle. The Big 5 was originally formed in 1955 and the history and tradition that all of these programs have is what makes the Big 5 so great and so unique.
Originally, all five members of the Big 5, located withing 17 miles of one another, played their homes games at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania aka The Cathedral of College Basketball. (see the picture that graces the left hand corner of this blog). The Palestra itself has hosted more NCAA Tournament games than any other facility -- 52. Additionally, The Palestra has hosted more college basketball games than any other facility. The Palestra is as much a part of the Big 5 as any of the institutions.
The Big 5 also features a religious dimension as St. Josephs (Jesuit), Villanova (Augustinian) and LaSalle (Christian Brothers) all stem from respective religious orders of the Catholic Church. Temple and Pennsylvania are public insitutions although Penn is the only public institution in the Ivy League. The Palestra was named at the suggestion of Greek professor Dr. William N. Bates who reasoned that the name fit because in Ancient Greece, young men would compete in a variety of events in a rectangular enclosure (a Palestra) in view of spectators. So in 1927, the Palestra opened its doors.
Philadelphia coaching legends all made their names in the Big 5 -- John Cheney, Rollie Massimino, Chuck Daly, Jack Ramsey, Jack McCloskey, Phil Martelli, Dick Harter, and Harry Litwack, even Tom Gola coached a couple of years in the Big 5.
Ramsay, has always been a favorite. He is an interesting story, he coached his alma mater St. Joe's for 11 seasons and won six Big 5 Championships. In 1961 Ramsay coached the Hawks to their only Final Four appearance. (See below for additional details). He followed that up by winning an NBA Championship as general manager of the 76ers. Ultimately, he traded away Wilt Chamberlain and wound up winning another title as the coach of the Portland Trailblazers in 1977 with Bill Walton as his big man.
Daly coached the 1992 Dream Team to gold (most experts agree the greatest collection of basketball talent ever assembled). He started his coaching career in at Punxsutawney (PA) before landing at Penn in 1971. All 5 of the starters on the 1979 Penn Final 4 team were recruited by Daly, but Daly was not the coach, he had moved on to an assistant position with the 76ers. Bob Weinhauer actually coached the team, still the farthest any Ivy League school has advanced in the NCAA Tournament.
"What made Penn basketball special were The Palestra, the student body, and the players. The tradition of the students tossing the red and blue streamers after the initial basket in every game, is one those memories that stays with you forever." Penn Coach Bob Weinhauer.
Each Big 5 school has its own history and tradition though. Everyone will remember Villanova's 1987 NCAA Tournament Title, but the other schools boast as much if not more history and tradition.
The LaSalle Explorers nickname derives from a mistake made by a local Philadelphia sportswiter. The writer thought the university was named after the French explorer Sieur de La Salle, when in fact it is named after St. Jean-Baptiste de la Salle. The nickname caught on, however, and has remained ever since. Even being embraced by schools mantra of, "Never stop Exploring".
LaSalle won the 1954 NCAA tournament and the 1952 NIT Championship (this was before the NIT was even considered the less prestigious tournament (see discussion regarding Murray State's history: http://www.mylosingseason.net/2012/01/murray-state.html). The Explorers appeared in NCAA Final again in 1955, but were turned away by the University of San Francisco and future Boston Celtic legends Bill Russell and K.C. Jones.
However, LaSalle's best team may have been the 1969 team, coached by Gola, which went 23-1, but was ruled ineligible for postseason play due to academic and recruiting violations that occurred before Gola took over as coach.
Temple, named the Owls, because it started as a night school (the Owl being a symbol of the night) went to two Final Fours during the 1950's led by Litwack. Cheney coached Temple to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances and the Number 1 rating in 1988. Both Cheney and Litwack are in the basketball Hall of Fame. Temple has actually been the dominant team in the Big 5 winning 25 unoffical Big 5 Titles. St. Joseph's and Temple first met during the 1901-02 season. The Owl without a Vowel (Bill Mlkvy) scored a school record 73 points against Wilkes College in 1950-51. He led the nation in scoring and rebounding that season.
St. Joseph's 1961 Final Four appearance (coached by Dr. Jack Ramsay) was vacated due to a gambling scandal when star players Jack Egan, Vince Kempton and Frank Majewski were declared retroactively ineligible because of their involvement in a point shaving scandal. Earlier in the season, Majewski had thrown a game against Dayton, scoring only 4 points and grabbing only 1 rebound. The Flyers beat the Hawks 67-65. Games against Xavier and Seton Hall were also proven to have been fixed. Ultimately, the Xavier and Dayton games were two of only five losses the Hawks experienced all year. Egan, Kempton and Frank Majewski were expelled from St. Joseph's. Sports Illustrated gave a then in depth account of the details. (See link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072519/1/index.htm) titled "Portrait of Fixer").
However, St. Joe's 2004 teams' 27-0 start led it to the number one rating and it was the last undefeated team that season. See link: http://www.mylosingseason.net/2011/12/undefeated-teams.html. The Hawks did not lose until the Atlantic 10 tournament against Xavier, and only a second time in the Elite Eight by two points against Oklahoma State.
St. Joe's also boasts arguably the best cheer in college sports, "The Hawk Will Never Die."
Villanova's best season was obviously the 1984 NCAA Tournament Championship. However, the Wildcats also reached the Final Four in 1939 and did it more recently in 2009 and in between appeared in 28 NCAA Tournaments.
The 1971 Villanova/Penn rivalry was particularly spirited as the Wildcats avenged two previous Big 5 defeats by knocking off a then undefeated University of Pennsylvania team in the East Regional Final by a score of 90-47. However, the Wildcats subsequent championship game appearance was vacated when it was determined that star player and leading scorer Howard Porter had signed with an agent prior to the tournament. Ultimately, all five NCAA tournament games were vacated.
There is a book on The Big 5 -- Palestra Pandemonium by Philadelphia sportswriter Robert S Lyons. It is much better than anything I could write or put into a small read on a blog. You'd have to be from Philly to truly appreciate the Big 5. Additionally, there is a website promoting the Big 5 -- http://www.philadelphiabig5.org/history/index.html also better than anything I could put together and to be honest much of what appears here is stolen from it.
However, The Big 5 deserves our attention now because of what it has always been and I wrote this hoping that fans, especially from other regions, fans that have never been to Pennsylvania or Philadelphia, might take a second to go out of their way and watch a Big 5 match up this year. No matter how much college football changes the landscape of college athletics by shifting Louisville to the ACC, Nebraska to the Big 10 or The Big 5's own Temple to the Big East -- The Big 5 remains. It's not based on conference affiliations or television dollars, it's based on proximity and a city. Players play high school ball in Philly and they end up at different schools in Philly, they play again in college, the atmosphere is intense. Penn can't suddenly decide to opt out of the Big 5. Villanova, LaSalle, St. Joe's and Temple are their Philadelphia brothers -- relatives that they can't get away from or pay exit fees to escape rivalry games from.
This year Penn will play Villanova on December 8th -- its Big 5 opener. Penn actually shows a road game against St. Joe's on January 19th at the Palestra on its schedule. Keep in mind that the Palestra is on the University of Pennsylvania campus. More historic is the fact that from 1955 through 1989 LaSalle actually played all of its home games at The Palestra. What forced LaSalle to move it's games to the Palestra? Its 1954 National Championship, when the Explorers knocked off Bradley in the final game behind Tom Gola, forcing the school to abandoned its limited on campus facility in favor of a more prestigious environment.
LaSalle will precede these games by playing Penn State at the Palestra on December 5th as well as St. Joe's later in the season. Never mind that Tom Gola Arena is the official home court of the Explorers.
Here is the full Big 5 schedule for this season:
MEN'S BASKETBALL Sun. Nov. 25: La Salle 77, Villanova - OT (Tom Gola Arena)
Wed. Dec. 5: Temple at Villanova (The Pavilion), 9 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 8: Villanova at Penn (The Palestra), 8 p.m.
Tue. Dec. 11: Saint Joseph’s at Villanova (The Pavilion), 7 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 5: Penn at La Salle (Tom Gola Arena), 2 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 19: Penn vs. Saint Joseph’s (The Palestra), 5 p.m.
Wed. Jan. 23: Penn at Temple (Liacouras Center), 7 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 2: Temple at Saint Joseph’s (Hagan Arena), 6 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 16: Saint Joseph’s vs. La Salle (The Palestra), 1 p.m.
Thu. Feb. 21: La Salle at Temple (Liacouras Center), 7 p.m.
The Big 5 is what college basketball should be about.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Home Courts and Mascots
The home court advantage in high school basketball is intensified more than at any other level. I never set out to see as many high school and college basketball arenas as I have, but it happened. I've moved a lot in life, searching for my place. I've officiated at high school gyms in Washington, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Oregon. Primarily, Washington, Utah and Wyoming, so most of my commentary on those gyms and those atmosphere's is from those states. A high school gym on Friday night, more than anything is an "atmosphere". There can be a band, there can be music, there are cheerleaders, there are fans, there is a dimension and depth that isn't found on a flat screen television (thank god). It's not found at an NBA arena, not even at the college level. The high school arena/gym is special because of its purity.
First, are the best high school mascots (this is a huge factor for any great home court).
Schools listed just because of their school mascots: Camas, Washington (The Papermakers enough said),
The papermill started in Camas, Washington in 1883. The "Mean Machine" followed shortly thereafter.
Carbon High, Price Utah(The Dino's enough said);
Carbon Dinos
Orofino, Idaho (Orofino Maniacs), Orofino is the home to the Idaho State Mental Hospital (that is easily the best nickname in high school sports). I've never actually been to a game here, but the name deserves mention.
Orofino, Idaho Maniac!
Jordan High School (The Beetdiggers).
Also on this list without logos pictured are Astoria, Oregon (The Fighting Fisherman), Richland, Washington (The Bombers), Poca, West Virginia (the Poca Dots).
Certain venues stand out above the rest. The top 10 high school environments that I have had the privilege of being a part of follow (and yes this is extremely objective):
Honorable Mention because of the gym: East High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, the Utah Jazz first moved to Salt Lake and had practice here. Albin, Wyoming, so small it can't be legal. Wyoming Indian High School, Ethete, Wyoming, I don't go for the new gyms, but this is a over the top with size and how nice it is. Bingham High School, South Jordan, Utah, "The Minepit", Viewmont High School, Layton, Utah.
10. Ridgefield, Washington -- Another school on the list primarily because of it's mascot. A small 2A school in Southwest Washington. The Spudders as they are called actually features somebody dressed up as a potato as a mascot. An actual Spud!
Spudder shaking hands with a student! You really can't focus much on the game when you see this guy in the corner.
9. West Jordan, Utah -- Kind of the classic large, old Utah school. There is a lot of tradition here and West Jo annually hosts an alumni tournament for former players that can't let go.
8. Little Snake River, Wyoming -- "The Snake Pit", was just as packed percentage wise as the Battleground gym with maybe 1/50th of the people, but a classic small town gym with a parquet floor, a stage behind one basket and legendary coach Ed Reed's name emblazoned across it.
7. Southeast Goshen Yoder, Wyoming -- Again packed on a Friday night for a game against Lusk. Just a rural country school where everyone comes in from the ranch to watch their kids on a Friday night. But more intense than other small town high school. Southeast Goshen's faithful take a little more pride in winning.
6. Storey Gym, Cheyenne, Wyoming -- a large Indiana type facility, old but refurbished. Central vs. East brings out most of the city. It almost feels like a small college gym it is so cavernous. Central has won the second most state Championships of any high school in the country and they all started right here.
5. Chugwater, Wyoming -- Actual cheer, "C-H-U-G-H-2-O", "C-H-U-G-H-2-O" "Chugwater, Chugwater, go, go, go . . ." I never get enough of that. Plus they serve the famous "Chugwater Chili" at the Little Six tournament which annually features the six smallest schools in the smallest state in the country over one weekend. What high school basketball was supposed to be about.
4. Hudson Bay High School, Vancouver, Washington -- It's just this enormous facility. The largest high school facility that I have been in. I'm not sure how anyone can actually see the game from the last rows as there are stanchions and what seems like a 100 rows between the court and top row.
3. Battleground, Washington -- I have never seen a high school basketball game with as many people in attendance as the Battleground/Prairie rivalry. 5000 people, at least that's what the occupancy of the gym was and the entire thing was filled. Vancouver, Washington is basically a suburb or Portland, yet these schools somehow maintain their country roots when the teams meet.
2. Olympus High School, Salt Lake City, Utah -- The Olympus student body is knowledgeable, fun and does that bit where some kid comes down in a robe and parts the student body. I think it's Zeus. It's as creative as anything a college is doing. Just electric on Friday night.
1. Judge Memorial Catholic High School -- the court is decidedly smaller than a regular court. How small I'm not certain, I didn't measure. 84 is the minimum length of a high school basketball court -- this seems smaller. The band is jammed in a corner and the Judge student body, administration and support group sits right on top of the court. There are only eight rows and three rows on each side of the court. You really can't hear anything on a Friday night.
First, are the best high school mascots (this is a huge factor for any great home court).
Schools listed just because of their school mascots: Camas, Washington (The Papermakers enough said),
Carbon High, Price Utah(The Dino's enough said);
Orofino, Idaho (Orofino Maniacs), Orofino is the home to the Idaho State Mental Hospital (that is easily the best nickname in high school sports). I've never actually been to a game here, but the name deserves mention.
Jordan High School (The Beetdiggers).
Also on this list without logos pictured are Astoria, Oregon (The Fighting Fisherman), Richland, Washington (The Bombers), Poca, West Virginia (the Poca Dots).
Certain venues stand out above the rest. The top 10 high school environments that I have had the privilege of being a part of follow (and yes this is extremely objective):
Honorable Mention because of the gym: East High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, the Utah Jazz first moved to Salt Lake and had practice here. Albin, Wyoming, so small it can't be legal. Wyoming Indian High School, Ethete, Wyoming, I don't go for the new gyms, but this is a over the top with size and how nice it is. Bingham High School, South Jordan, Utah, "The Minepit", Viewmont High School, Layton, Utah.
10. Ridgefield, Washington -- Another school on the list primarily because of it's mascot. A small 2A school in Southwest Washington. The Spudders as they are called actually features somebody dressed up as a potato as a mascot. An actual Spud!
Spudder shaking hands with a student! You really can't focus much on the game when you see this guy in the corner.
9. West Jordan, Utah -- Kind of the classic large, old Utah school. There is a lot of tradition here and West Jo annually hosts an alumni tournament for former players that can't let go.
8. Little Snake River, Wyoming -- "The Snake Pit", was just as packed percentage wise as the Battleground gym with maybe 1/50th of the people, but a classic small town gym with a parquet floor, a stage behind one basket and legendary coach Ed Reed's name emblazoned across it.
7. Southeast Goshen Yoder, Wyoming -- Again packed on a Friday night for a game against Lusk. Just a rural country school where everyone comes in from the ranch to watch their kids on a Friday night. But more intense than other small town high school. Southeast Goshen's faithful take a little more pride in winning.
6. Storey Gym, Cheyenne, Wyoming -- a large Indiana type facility, old but refurbished. Central vs. East brings out most of the city. It almost feels like a small college gym it is so cavernous. Central has won the second most state Championships of any high school in the country and they all started right here.
5. Chugwater, Wyoming -- Actual cheer, "C-H-U-G-H-2-O", "C-H-U-G-H-2-O" "Chugwater, Chugwater, go, go, go . . ." I never get enough of that. Plus they serve the famous "Chugwater Chili" at the Little Six tournament which annually features the six smallest schools in the smallest state in the country over one weekend. What high school basketball was supposed to be about.
4. Hudson Bay High School, Vancouver, Washington -- It's just this enormous facility. The largest high school facility that I have been in. I'm not sure how anyone can actually see the game from the last rows as there are stanchions and what seems like a 100 rows between the court and top row.
3. Battleground, Washington -- I have never seen a high school basketball game with as many people in attendance as the Battleground/Prairie rivalry. 5000 people, at least that's what the occupancy of the gym was and the entire thing was filled. Vancouver, Washington is basically a suburb or Portland, yet these schools somehow maintain their country roots when the teams meet.
2. Olympus High School, Salt Lake City, Utah -- The Olympus student body is knowledgeable, fun and does that bit where some kid comes down in a robe and parts the student body. I think it's Zeus. It's as creative as anything a college is doing. Just electric on Friday night.
1. Judge Memorial Catholic High School -- the court is decidedly smaller than a regular court. How small I'm not certain, I didn't measure. 84 is the minimum length of a high school basketball court -- this seems smaller. The band is jammed in a corner and the Judge student body, administration and support group sits right on top of the court. There are only eight rows and three rows on each side of the court. You really can't hear anything on a Friday night.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
STATE
High school basketball season will tip off across America this time of year as well as the college game. We at mylosingseason.net have vowed to follow the high school season with more fervor this year. Not because we are out of material on the college game, but because of how pure the high school game remains.
Our first post showed the salaries of multiple division I coaches. Across the country high school coaches do it for the love of the game. (see the list below for the 10 winningest high school coaches of all time). They put in hours, coach summer camps, drive kids home at night, to and from practice. Arguably, at large high schools, head coaches put in the same hours as small college coaches, often while managing a full teaching load.
As the season tips off, each team in one capacity or another has virtually the same goal or some form of it and it always involves the word "State." "Take State," "Going to State", "Winning State". "State" is something you obtain, you go to, its a place, yet it's also an achievement, it is a malleable term -- diverse, hybrid, and still yet a finite point in direction, goal and end.
Tens of thousands of kids will start the season with talk of "State" for some it's a bus ride to a town or city and basketball arena they have only heard about, for other's it's a chance to miss school if their team does well. For coaches, officials and fans it's a yearly epicenter of high school basketball in their own "State". Which is what makes state -- State.
There are only three "all state" state tournaments remaining. Only Kentucky, Delaware and Hawaii offer an all class state tournament. In Kentucky, the tournament draws over 120,000 fans annually for the "Sweet 16" as teams open the tournament in district tournaments, followed by 16 team regionals and then the "Sweet 16" or state tournament. (And yes, Kentucky's High School Activities Association actually owns the rights to the term "Sweet 16"). The seeding for this tournament is determined by random draw and televised statewide. This year for the first time ever the final game will be played on a Sunday. Lexington Lafayette High School and Lexington Herald High School each own 6 boys basketball state championships in Kentucky.
In Kentucky, Delaware and Hawaii, no matter how large your school is or how small your school is, there is only one state champion. The movie Hoosiers best characterized this format of a state tournament. Tiny Hickory advancing through sectionals, regionals and to the state championship. At that time, Indiana had only one state tournament. In 1997, against the sentiment of Hickory High's own Bobby Plump, Indiana did away with the all school state tournament and began classification based tournaments. This past summer, Indiana's own high school activity director vowed that there would be no return to the single class tournament: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/single-class-high-school-basketball-remain-part-indiana-022700789--highschool.html.
Here are some interesting records for the high school game:
Most State Championships
Jersey City St. Anthony's New Jersey 27
Cheyenne Central Wyoming 24
New Haven Hillhouse Connecticutt 22
Kansas City Wyandotte Kansas 20
Little Rock Central Arkansas 18
Miami Senior Florida 18
Portsmouth New Hampshire 17
Provo Utah 17
Mitchell South Dakota 16
Phoenix Union Arizona 16
Macon Lanier Georgia 16
Hobbs New Mexico 16
Beckley Woodrow Wilson West Virginia 16
The 10 winningest high school basketball coaches of all time are:
Robert Hughes (1959-2005) Fort Worth I.M Terrell, Fort Worth Dunbar 1333-265
Morgan Wooten (1957-2002) Hyattsville DeMatha 1274-192
Ralph Tasker (1941-1998) Sulphur Springs, Ohio; Lovington, NM Hobbs 1122-291
Bill Krueger (1958-1996) Texas (various) 1098-250
Joel Hawkins (1966-2008) Baton Rouge, Southern Lab 1089-272
Morgan Gilbert (1966-2012) Arkansas (various) 1055-580
Bob Hurley (1974-2012) Jersey City, St Anthony's 1049-109
Leslie Gaudet (1947-1970) Pine Prarie, LA 1026-353
Walter VanHuss (1953-1989) Hampton, TN 1021-313
Ronald Bradley (1958-2010) Georgia (various) 1019-322
Mylosingseason.net will follow with more as the season progresses.
Our first post showed the salaries of multiple division I coaches. Across the country high school coaches do it for the love of the game. (see the list below for the 10 winningest high school coaches of all time). They put in hours, coach summer camps, drive kids home at night, to and from practice. Arguably, at large high schools, head coaches put in the same hours as small college coaches, often while managing a full teaching load.
As the season tips off, each team in one capacity or another has virtually the same goal or some form of it and it always involves the word "State." "Take State," "Going to State", "Winning State". "State" is something you obtain, you go to, its a place, yet it's also an achievement, it is a malleable term -- diverse, hybrid, and still yet a finite point in direction, goal and end.
Tens of thousands of kids will start the season with talk of "State" for some it's a bus ride to a town or city and basketball arena they have only heard about, for other's it's a chance to miss school if their team does well. For coaches, officials and fans it's a yearly epicenter of high school basketball in their own "State". Which is what makes state -- State.
There are only three "all state" state tournaments remaining. Only Kentucky, Delaware and Hawaii offer an all class state tournament. In Kentucky, the tournament draws over 120,000 fans annually for the "Sweet 16" as teams open the tournament in district tournaments, followed by 16 team regionals and then the "Sweet 16" or state tournament. (And yes, Kentucky's High School Activities Association actually owns the rights to the term "Sweet 16"). The seeding for this tournament is determined by random draw and televised statewide. This year for the first time ever the final game will be played on a Sunday. Lexington Lafayette High School and Lexington Herald High School each own 6 boys basketball state championships in Kentucky.
In Kentucky, Delaware and Hawaii, no matter how large your school is or how small your school is, there is only one state champion. The movie Hoosiers best characterized this format of a state tournament. Tiny Hickory advancing through sectionals, regionals and to the state championship. At that time, Indiana had only one state tournament. In 1997, against the sentiment of Hickory High's own Bobby Plump, Indiana did away with the all school state tournament and began classification based tournaments. This past summer, Indiana's own high school activity director vowed that there would be no return to the single class tournament: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/single-class-high-school-basketball-remain-part-indiana-022700789--highschool.html.
Here are some interesting records for the high school game:
Most State Championships
Jersey City St. Anthony's New Jersey 27
Cheyenne Central Wyoming 24
New Haven Hillhouse Connecticutt 22
Kansas City Wyandotte Kansas 20
Little Rock Central Arkansas 18
Miami Senior Florida 18
Portsmouth New Hampshire 17
Provo Utah 17
Mitchell South Dakota 16
Phoenix Union Arizona 16
Macon Lanier Georgia 16
Hobbs New Mexico 16
Beckley Woodrow Wilson West Virginia 16
The 10 winningest high school basketball coaches of all time are:
Robert Hughes (1959-2005) Fort Worth I.M Terrell, Fort Worth Dunbar 1333-265
Morgan Wooten (1957-2002) Hyattsville DeMatha 1274-192
Ralph Tasker (1941-1998) Sulphur Springs, Ohio; Lovington, NM Hobbs 1122-291
Bill Krueger (1958-1996) Texas (various) 1098-250
Joel Hawkins (1966-2008) Baton Rouge, Southern Lab 1089-272
Morgan Gilbert (1966-2012) Arkansas (various) 1055-580
Bob Hurley (1974-2012) Jersey City, St Anthony's 1049-109
Leslie Gaudet (1947-1970) Pine Prarie, LA 1026-353
Walter VanHuss (1953-1989) Hampton, TN 1021-313
Ronald Bradley (1958-2010) Georgia (various) 1019-322
Mylosingseason.net will follow with more as the season progresses.
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