Drexel women join the Big 5, creating a brighter spotlight for the game in Philly

Amy Mallon recalled conversations about Drexel’s basketball programs joining the Big 5 when she initially arrived on campus as an assistant coach roughly 20 years ago.

The wait is finally over.

Last year, the Dragons men’s program became part of that city college tradition and took part in the Big 5 Classic, which will return to the Wells Fargo Center for the next three seasons. On Thursday morning, Mallon, who just completed her fourth season as head coach, could officially say that her team is a member of the Big 5.

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On top of that, Drexel will be one of six teams to take part in the inaugural Women’s Big 5 Classic, which is Dec. 6 at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion. The women’s teams will use the same two-pod, round-robin format as the men’s teams.

“It means so much to me,” Mallon said during Thursday’s official announcement. “We always played these teams, not every year, but we had opportunities to play almost every team, and we’ve had opportunities to win games and also lose them. They were always great games for us. Now, to put a title out there that we’re part of, this allows us to be part of that tradition and part of history.”

It’s a historic moment for the local women’s college basketball teams, and each of the Big 5 coaches knows it.

“We’re trying to elevate women’s basketball,” said Temple coach Diane Richardson. “When everybody shares it, it’s bigger for all of us. It’s great for Drexel to be in because we have to band together when we talk about exposure. We’re banding together, and hopefully, it’ll bring more attention to us, especially in the Philadelphia area.”

Mallon, who played her senior year of college at St. Joseph’s, remembers walking around the concourse of the Palestra and reading the walls adorned with Big 5 memories.

It served as motivation and felt even better when she and the Hawks won the Big 5 title in the 1992-93 season, the year she also put together one of the best single seasons in the history of Big 5 women’s basketball.

“I still remember those wins,” Mallon said. “Those championships are a big piece of what brings you back.”

Villanova coach Denise Dillon spent 17 seasons at Drexel. She kidded that it would have been nice to see the Dragons join the Big 5 sooner, but to have the school fully immersed in the city’s tradition will help grow the area’s competition, she said.

In every Big 5 matchup Dillon has coached, she said, it doesn’t matter about a team’s record or who’s on the roster, the game is going to be a nail-biter.

“When you step on that floor, all friendships are over — they’re getting after it,” Dillon said. “It doesn’t matter if you have the most talented team or you’re one of the teams that’s building back up, it’s going to be great no matter what.”

As a spectator, former player, and longtime coach in the Big 5, St. Joe’s coach Cindy Griffin enjoys that aspect of those neighborhood matchups. But she knows these city schools have talent, which makes the games even more fun to watch. Former Big 5 players who compete professionally, like Natasha Cloud (Phoenix Mercury) and Maddy Siegrist (Dallas Wings), have left an indelible mark for the next generation of players to carry on, but each team has found success over the years — with this past season serving as a big example.

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Drexel, which finished with a 19-15 record, won the CAA championship and earned an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament. St. Joe’s had one of its best seasons, winning 28 games. The Hawks fell to Villanova in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament quarterfinals, while the Wildcats advanced to the championship. Temple made an AAC semifinal appearance, and Penn and La Salle have high expectations for their young talent as they rebuild.

“Nobody wants to play us,” Griffin said. “We’re Philly schools. They know they’re going to get grit, really good coaching, and great players. This format is great because we know that we have built in really great competition that’s going to help us in postseason play when that time comes.”

As for Mallon, who has a long history and friendship with each of the Big 5 coaches, she gets to represent Drexel as it embarks on its first year of being part of this longtime Philly tradition, and she couldn’t be happier.

“I’m so proud of our university and our program to put ourselves in this position,” she said. “This is something that we think is just going to continue to grow, and to be the first coach to do it is exciting. It’s just another thing to be excited about with women’s basketball. It’s something we dreamed about happening.”