The Big 5 is an informal association of six college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is not a conference, but rather a group of NCAA Division I basketball schools who compete for the city’s collegiate championship.
Jerold Taylor "Jay" Wright Jr. is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach of Villanova University from 2001 until 2022. Wright led the Villanova Wildcats to six Big East Conference championships and 16 NCAA tournament appearances in 21 seasons as head coach. Under Wright, Villanova reached four Final Fours and won two national championships in 2016 and 2018. Wright is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in NCAA history.
Francis Joseph Dunphy is an American college basketball coach, who is the head coach of the La Salle Explorers of the Atlantic 10 Conference. He is the former men's basketball coach at Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania. He succeeded John Chaney in 2006 and was succeeded by Aaron McKie in 2019. In June 2020, Dunphy was named interim athletic director of Temple. In 2022, he was named the men's basketball coach of the La Salle Explorers.
The La Salle Explorers men's basketball program represents La Salle University in college basketball.
John Manfredo Giannini is an American college basketball coach, Director of Athletics at Rowan University, and respected college basketball analyst for NBC Sports and other networks. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Rowan University from 1989 to 1996, the University of Maine from 1996 to 2004, and La Salle University from 2004 to 2018. Giannini led Rowan to an NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament championship in 1996 and led La Salle to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2013. Giannini amassed more than 500 victories in his collegiate coaching career.
William Lange is an American college basketball coach, currently the men's head coach at Saint Joseph's University. He was previously an assistant head coach with the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to joining the 76ers, he was the associate head coach at Villanova University and head coach of the Navy Midshipmen.
The Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team represents Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Saint Joseph's competes as well as part of the Philadelphia Big 5. Their home court is the Hagan Arena. The team is coached by Billy Lange, who was hired on March 28, 2019, after Phil Martelli was fired as head coach on March 19, 2019, after 24 seasons.
Monsignor Bonner High School was an all-male Augustinian Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It was located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Bonner was created in 1953 as Archbishop Prendergast High School for Boys. In 1955, the current building was constructed, and in 1957 entitled Monsignor Bonner High School. The previously occupied building became the all-female Archbishop Prendergast High School. In 2012, Bonner merged with the all-girls Archbishop Prendergast High School to form Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School. The Order of St. Augustine is no longer associated with the combined institution.
Patrick Brian Chambers is an American college basketball coach and is the current head coach at Florida Gulf Coast University. He is formerly the head men's basketball coach at Penn State and Boston University.
Edward J. Burke was an American college basketball coach who led the Drexel Dragons men's basketball program from 1977 to 1991.
Tyrone W. Garland, nicknamed South West Philly Floater, is an American former basketball player. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he joined the Mississauga Power midway in the 2014–15 season, a few months after completing his senior year at La Salle University. He had several impactful performances with Mississauga in his rookie season and was awarded several starts. Garland primarily plays the point guard position, but is known as an all-around guard.
The 2016–17 La Salle Explorers basketball team represented La Salle University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Explorers, led by 13th-year head coach John Giannini, played their home games at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 15–15, 9–9 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for seventh place. As the No. 8 seed in the A-10 tournament, they lost to Davidson in the first round.
The 2017–18 La Salle Explorers basketball team represented La Salle University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Explorers, led by 14th-year head coach John Giannini, played their home games at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 13–19, 7–11 in A-10 play to finish in a three-way tie for 10th place. As the No. 12 seed in the A-10 tournament, they lost in the first round to Massachusetts.
The 2018–19 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 18th year, the Wildcats played their home games at the Finneran Pavilion on the school's campus in the Philadelphia suburb of Villanova, Pennsylvania and Wells Fargo Center as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 26–10, 13–5 in Big East play to finish in first place. They defeated Providence, Xavier, and Seton Hall to win the Big East tournament. As a result, the Wildcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the South region. There they defeated Saint Mary's before being defeated by Purdue in the Second Round.
David Cochran Miller is an American college baseball coach and former first baseman, who is the current head baseball coach of the Manhattan Jaspers. He then served as the head coach of the La Salle Explorers (2018–2021) and the Penn State Abington Nittany Lions (2022).
The 2018–19 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball season was the 43rd season of Atlantic 10 Conference basketball. The season began with practices in October 2018, followed by the start of the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. League play began in late December and ended in March.
The 2018–19 La Salle Explorers basketball team represented La Salle University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Explorers, led by first-year head coach Ashley Howard, played their home games at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 10–21, 8–10 in A-10 play to finish in ninth place. They lost in the second round of the A-10 tournament to Rhode Island.
The 2019–20 La Salle Explorers basketball team represents La Salle University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Explorers, led by second-year head coach Ashley Howard, play their home games at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as members of the Atlantic 10 (A-10) Conference.
The 2021–22 La Salle Explorers men's basketball team represented La Salle University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Explorers, led by fourth-year head coach Ashley Howard, played their home games at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 11–19, 5–13 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for 12th place. As the No. 12 seed in the A-10 tournament, they defeated Saint Joseph's in the first round before losing to Saint Louis in the second round.
The 2022–23 La Salle Explorers men's basketball team represented La Salle University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Explorers, led by first-year head coach Fran Dunphy, played their home games at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
