Jay Wright's Villanova squad made the rest of the Big 5 look like weaklings last year, earning a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever and sweeping the City Series. And though there may not be any more parity among the Philadelphia teams this year, coaches say that the Wildcats should have some company at the top.
The unlikely challenger is Penn, under Big 5 newcomer Glen Miller.
Villanova fans lost the majority of their starting five last year as scorers Randy Foye (now on the Timberwolves) and Allan Ray (Celtics) graduated and do-it-all guard Kyle Lowry left for the NBA's Grizzlies after the Wildcats' run concluded in the Elite Eight. Curtis Sumpter will add scoring ability to the frontcourt after missing last year due to injury.
The Quakers, meanwhile, lost starting point guard Eric Osmundson and little else, leaving Penn as the consensus pick to steal Philadelphia bragging rights away from the Main Line.
"Clearly, to me, Villanova and Penn are better than the other three schools at this point in time," La Salle coach John Giannini said.
Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli agrees: "I think that Penn and Villanova have more answers. . To think that there's parity, I don't necessarily see it that way."
Wright returns point guard Mike Nardi as well as up-and-comer Dante Cunningham and power forward Will Sheridan - the only steady frontcourt presence in the Wildcats' four-guard rotation last year. Expect Villanova to get plenty of competition in the tough Big East, where it was picked to finish seventh out of 16 teams.
Away from the Palestra or the Pavilion, St. Joe's and La Salle are each in rebuilding mode.
The Hawks made a late push last year and nearly won the Atlantic 10 tourney, but lost the core of that squad - including leading scorer Abdulai Jalloh, who transferred to James Madison - and will feature a virtually new rotation. Forwards Ahmad Nivins and Rob Ferguson return as the only players who averaged over five points per game last year. Backcourt production could be a huge question mark for St. Joe's.
And La Salle, Giannini said, is "starting over" after Jermaine Thomas and A-10 Player of the Year Steven Smith graduated and several other contributors quit the program. 6-1 junior Darnell Harris returns as one of the few offensive threats.
"We're not at the middle of our building process, we're certainly not at the end," Giannini said. "We're very much at the beginning."
Meanwhile, Fran Dunphy, the first man to ever coach two Big 5 teams, takes over a Temple program that has more than its fair share of question marks. Dunphy must deal with a shooting corps that is considered erratic and with the loss of two stalwarts to academic suspension. The
6-5 guard Mark Tyndale led the team in rebounding and averaged 10.9 points last year, and the 6-11 center Wayne Marshall was fifth on the team in scoring last year at 7.2 per game. Both could potentially return around midseason.
The Owls will also face a steep learning curve as they transition from former coach John Chaney's zone defense to Dunphy's man-to-man scheme.
But if nothing else, Dunphy has an abundance of experience working the Philadelphia basketball scene, something Penn's Miller cannot say.
But Miller isn't worried.
"I understand the schools, their players, how they play," Miller said. "I just know its an extremely competitive organization of schools."
"Penn is not going to be handicapped in any way, shape or form" by Miller's inexperience in the Big 5, Martelli of St. Joe's said. "He's just been around too much."
But has Penn been around enough to contend in the best college basketball city in the nation?
That could end up hinging on the now-recovered knee of Sumpter, the fifth-year Villanova senior, who did not see a minute of action last year due to injury.
Sumpter, coaches say, could easily be the top player in the city and take the Wildcats on his shoulders. But the long layoff might also be more of a drag on the forward's skill set than anticipated.
"He would be the player, to me, that would kind of jump off the board as being the guy who can dominate a game," Giannini said. "I hope that he is healthy, and that he can have a great last year in college basketball."
If the Wildcats want to keep their claim on Big 5 supremacy, he had better.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
