City Series

The traditional men's Big Five format may be history, but the women's round-robin is still alive - at least until 1996. When the school presidents altered the men's City Series competition Monday, the women's Big Five 10-game schedule, which began in 1981, was left alone. That was good news to the women's coaches, who have developed a rapport that was the hallmark of the men's Big Five until financial considerations and conference affiliations got in the way of local friendships.

The Big Five, which has played its City Series basketball games at the Spectrum for the last three seasons, is considering moving games back to campus sites next winter. Athletic directors from the five schools have received what they call attractive offers from the Spectrum and the Palestra to host the City Series games, but sources at three of the five say they are leaning toward a return to home-and-home games in a schedule featuring mostly men's and women's doubleheaders. Dan Baker, the Big Five's executive secretary, said that an offer received from the Palestra, as well as a subsequent comparable offer from the Spectrum, represented about a 50 percent increase in the financial guarantees each school has received from the Spectrum over the last three years.

The White Sox got even. With the largest regular-season crowd in the history of new Comiskey Park creating a postseason atmosphere and a buzz of excitement seldom present in June, the White Sox jumped out early and beat the Cubs, 5-3, last night. Chicago's two baseball teams, who play just eight miles apart, have now split the first two games of their historic interleague series, their first meeting of consequence since the 1906 World Series. "When you got two teams that close in one city, you kind of expect it," said winning pitcher Doug Drabek, who participated in postseason play for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It is item No. 30 on the NCAA convention agenda, and it is innocently titled "Playing and Practice Sessions. " But if approved this week in Dallas, the measure involved would shorten the college basketball season from a maximum of 28 regular-season games to 25. And it could have a profound effect on the Big 5 agreement, which calls for Villanova, Temple, La Salle, St. Joseph's and Penn to play one another once a season through at...

Big 5 and Spectrum officials are discussing a proposal that would put all City Series games under the Spectrum's roof - perhaps as early as next season. Dan Baker, executive director of the Big 5, said yesterday that he had met with Carl Hirsh, president of the Spectrum, and that there was "interest both ways" in relocating Big 5 games to the Spectrum. City Series games are now played at the home sites of the respective schools. Before the 1986 season, when Villanova and Temple moved their games on campus, all Big 5 games were played at the Palestra.

The NCAA Convention vote to reduce the maximum number of regular-season basketball games from 28 to 25 could impact greatly on the Atlantic 10 Conference's decision regarding its future membership in the wake of Penn State's departure for the Big 10. The Atlantic 10 will begin serious discussions here today regarding whether to remain a nine-team league or expand to 10 or more teams. Conference sources said that as a result of passage of the 25-game rule, the A-10 might be forced to stay at nine teams, at least until after next year's convention, when Proposal 30's 25-game limit will return to the floor for more debate.

Villanova took a brief break from its women's basketball wars in the Big East Conference to beat Penn, 59-49, at the Palestra last night and assure itself no worse than second place in City Series competition. The Wildcats finished 3-1 in the Big Five and moved closer to .500 overall on the season at 7-8. Unfortunately, the modest two-game win streak may be short-lived because Villanova must travel to Big East-leader Connecticut tomorrow night. "They surprised us," said Penn coach Julie Soriero.

To raise the curtain on what figures to be a very interesting season of City Series competition, the Big Five presents its two new coaches, Jay Wright of Villanova and Billy Hahn of La Salle, and their considerably unpredictable teams. The Wildcats and the Explorers meet tonight at the Pavilion, and each coach is wondering just what he's going to see from his team - to such an extent that neither man seems all that concerned with what makes his opponent dangerous. "What you have is two teams that have new coaches who are trying to implement their systems and their styles of play," Hahn said yesterday.

The recent addition of Miami to the Big East Conference might force Villanova to sever its ties with the Big 5, the Daily News has learned. Villanova coach Rollie Massimino said yesterday the school would have to "reassess" its 36-year, round-robin relationship with City Series rivals Temple, St. Joseph's, La Salle and Penn because of the scheduling logjam that will be created when Miami begins play in the Big East next season. With two games against Miami added to the 1991-92 schedule, Villanova already is committed to 18 Big East games and one game in the Big East-ACC Challenge.

As fans looked for a part of Nate Blackwell's back to slap at the conclusion of yesterday's second war of the season between Temple and St. Joseph's, a voice yelled out: "Way to go, Nate. You guys won the Big 5!" "I heard that, and I thought, 'Hey, yeah, we did, didn't we?' " the marvelous senior guard said after scoring 24 points to lead Temple to a 78-69 victory over the Hawks - its 10th straight win. Call it a sign of the times: In the past, clinching the City Series title might have sparked a wild celebration at the Palestra and an extended night of partying.

WITH THE REGULAR season nearly half over, it is now time for the city's six teams in four conferences to get serious about league play. With the Big 5 title decided before the other four teams have played a single game against any team but City Series champion Villanova, those four will now try to compete for a league championship. So will Drexel and Villanova. The Wildcats get yet another full Big 5 title. I will award a half-title to Drexel, which also will finish the season unbeaten against Big 5 teams after beating Saint Joseph's and Penn.

VILLANOVA'S domination of the Big 5 was interrupted last December, by 10 points in North Philadelphia. It happens. It just hasn't happened very often lately. Because the Wildcats have become the gold standard. And now, they've taken back the City Series title. But not before Temple nearly took them out again last night at the Pavilion. It was the kind of scrum you'd expect from teams that expect to be factors come March. Only once before, in 1988 at McGonigle Hall, had these two met when both were ranked.

Excerpt from a post from Dick Jerardi on the Daily News' college basketball blog, Philly Hoops Insider, available at www.phillyhoopsinsider.com : COREY STOKES IS playing the best ball of his Villanova career. The senior has scored in double figures in every game but one (eight points vs. Marist). He has missed just one free throw all season and leads the NCAA in accuracy (96.8 percent). And when he misses from the arc, it is a surprise. "Throughout my career, I always thought every shot was going in," Stokes said after the Wildcats crushed Monmouth on Wednesday night.

Brittany Ford scored 15 points to lead the visiting Saint Joseph's women's team to a 45-39 victory over La Salle last night. Morgan Robertson had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Explorers (5-16, 0-6 Atlantic 10), who suffered their seventh straight loss and fell to 1-2 in City Series play. Ashley Prim added 8 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for the Hawks (10-10, 3-2), who finished the City Series at 2-2, despite trailing by eight late in the first half. In another game: At Saint Louis, Kristen McCarthy scored 22 points as Temple defeated the Billikens, 63-48, in an Atlantic 10 game.

St. Joseph's enters its annual game against archrival and third-ranked Villanova riding a four-game losing streak and struggling under the boards. However, you can bet that Wildcats coach Jay Wright won't allow his players to be fooled into a false sense of security for tonight's nationally televised clash at the Palestra, especially remembering what happened in 'Nova's previous two matchups against the Hawks. The Wildcats (8-0) have won 20 of their last 21 City Series contests.

La Salle star Steven Smith could sense the play's outcome before the basketball ever arrived. A pass was just getting to a teammate as Smith, about 10 feet away in the left corner, yelled, "Give me the ball!" When it arrived before any Temple defender, and Smith had deposited yet another three-pointer, the Explorers were a step closer to avoiding a nasty piece of Big Five history. The Explorers held on for a 62-56 victory over the Owls yesterday at Tom Gola Arena, and they had their first City Series victory since 2002.

The other day, Penn coach Fran Dunphy mentioned that he doubted that the Big Five, which is celebrating 50 years of basketball this month, could be started up in today's sports environment. Everybody involved in the Big Five, the current keepers of the flame, seemed to agree. "Selfish institutional priorities would overrun the common good," Penn athletic director Steve Bilsky said. "That's why nobody else has been able to start it. Every city has talked about it. " "Conference, conference, conference.

There was a time, back when rabbit-ear antennas wiggled atop televisions and needles sunk deep into the grooves of vinyl 45s, that an African American entertainer's appearance on TV would trigger a phone chain. In minutes, every black person on the block would be talking about Diana Ross' latest hair configuration as they watched the Supremes on The Ed Sullivan Show. Philadelphia filmmaker Michael Dennis' "Reelblack Presents," a monthly series of African American films at the Prince Music Theater, has generated a 21st-century version of that phone chain.

Back-to-back champions. The Villanova Wildcats beat Temple, 66-57, last night at the Liacouras Center to complete a successful defense of their Big Five title with another 4-0 sweep this year in the City Series. The credit begins with sophomore newcomer Liad Suez, a native of Israel, who hit five three-pointers in critical moments last night and led the Wildcats (9-1, 4-0 Big Five) with 19 points. In her last three games, all against Big Five opponents, Suez has scored 67 points after playing sparingly against Penn because of an injury.

In his colorful, homespun manner of speaking, Temple coach John Chaney was trying to convince a luncheon audience that his Owls probably wouldn't win a basketball game this season. "My team is awful," the Hall of Fame coach said. "I don't even like any of them. " Moments earlier, while reflecting on his team's three consecutive losses in the Paradise Jam on St. Thomas, La Salle coach Billy Hahn said, "We stunk up the Virgin Islands. " Villanova coach Jay Wright, whose 3-2 Wildcats suffered a loss to Division III Chaminade in the Maui Invitational, said it was no use complaining about his problems "because 80 percent of the people don't care and the other 20 percent are happy you have them.