BTO Exclusive: 1 Day, 6 Schools, 1 City

BTO Exclusive: 1 Day, 6 Schools, 1 City

In Philadelphia, six Division I programs reside side-by-side.  To celebrate the opening weekend of practice, a Basketball Times Online reporter spent his Saturday bounding around the city and successfully visited all six programs in a 13-hour span.  Shockingly, other than a few run-ins with Philly's vicious potholes, the journey went smoothly.



By BRENDAN F. QUINN
Basketball Times Online

PHILADELPHIA — It was easy to overlook.
Between baseball’s league championship series, Week 6 of the NFL and college-football showdowns like the Red River Rivalry and USC-Notre Dame, there wasn’t enough space in the headlines for the opening weekend of college basketball practice. But for those of us that live for this time of year, our hearts were warmed knowing that teams took to the hardwood everywhere from the ACC to the CAA and the Big 12 to the Big West. 
To kickoff the 2009-10 season, Basketball Times Online embarked on a mini-road trip that can’t be duplicated anywhere in the country: One man, one beat-up Toyota Corolla, a quarter-tank of gas, six Division I programs – one (long) day. 
Philadelphia is a unique city for a multitude of reasons, but the fact that six D-I programs can be visited in an 11-hour span (without driving on a highway) has to rank up there. No other city can lay claim to having such an abundance of college hoops action. What better town could there be to celebrate the opening of another season?
And away we go …

Arrive at Temple: 8:45 a.m.
It’s a cold, wet morning in North Philadelphia, and just before Temple takes the floor, a team manager hands Fran Dunphy a fresh cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee. He’ll need it. Following practice, Dunphy, or “Dunph” as he’s known here, will speak at a welcoming event for homecoming weekend, then proceed to Lincoln Financial Field in South Philly to catch some of the Temple-Army football game. Then he’ll return to campus for an afternoon practice. Once practice ends, he’ll head over to Saint Joseph’s campus in West Philadelphia. There, he’ll attend a gala celebrating the opening of the Hawks’ new arena (more on that later) as a guest of longtime friend, Phil Martelli.
For now, though, the only thing that matters is this practice. Dunph is in midseason form. Those who follow Philly hoops could identify his clap from a mile away. He cups his hands and pops them together.  
“Getta good shot! Getta good shot!”
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Indeed, shooting will be a focal point throughout Temple’s preseason. Dionte Christmas, the Owls’ gun-slinging shooting guard, currently resides on the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster. For the past three seasons, Christmas was instant offense. He could drop 30 on anyone, at anytime. And now he’s gone. 
Dunph has less than a month to figure out the offence. The Owls will fly down I-95 for their opener at Delaware on Nov. 14.

Depart Temple: 10:12 a.m.
Drive:  6.8 miles
Arrive at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Drexel Practice): 10:35 a.m.
Due to an Opening House on Drexel’s campus, Bruiser Flint’s team is spending the morning in the Philadelphia 76ers’ practice facility at PCOM. 
The Dragons are terrible houseguests. Flint is opening the season by conducting a rugged, demanding session that’s not for the meek. His players crash onto the floor one after another. They run, and run, and then run some more. At times it looks like the floor might buckle.
The air is filled with screeching sneakers and Flint’s shrieking voice. He mauls players who don’t dive hard enough. He snaps at turnovers. God forbid if a player is out of position on defense.
“We’re just getting back to work,” Flint says. “I think we’re going to be alright this year. Hell, we’ll better be OK. We bring back damn near everyone. It’s just a matter of if we work hard enough.”
It seems like any time Drexel is successful; the term “overachieving” is thrown around. Funny how “hard work” often leads to “overachieving.”

Depart PCOM: 12:05 p.m.
Drive: 5.4 miles
Arrive at University of Pennsylvania: 12:26 p.m.
It’s a tradition, of sorts, that coaches use the opening weekend of practice to wish their brothers good luck for the season. 
Text messages have replaced phone calls, but the custom remains the same.  In about a month or so, these coaches will be doing battle.. For now, however, everyone is rooting for everyone.
“We were all texting each other to wish one another luck,” says Penn coach Glen Miller. “There is just something about the feel of that first day of practice. There’s excitement and anticipation. It’s a special day.”
In the Ivy League, teams have two-less hours a week of preseason workout sessions than schools from other conferences. Most Division I teams utilize eight hours of on-court workouts, which jumps to 20 after this opening weekend. The Ivy goes from six hours to 20. And even though six or eight hours of workouts might seem substantial, this weekend kicks things into high gear.
“It’s still surprising to me how many players experience butterflies or can’t sleep the night before the first official practice,” Miller says. “Some guys can’t even eat lunch before a five o’clock practice  – there’s just so much excitement surrounding this.”

Depart Penn: 1:38 p.m.
Drive: 11.2 miles
Arrive at Villanova: 3:32 p.m.
Following a lunch break on Lancaster Ave. – the road that runs directly from Penn’s campus in West Philadelphia to Villanova’s home in Philly’s suburbs – BTO enters the Pavilion to sit-in on Jay Wright’s annual coaches’ clinic. 
High school coaches and juco coaches sit at full attention. Wright is mic’d up as the aspiring coaches eat up his words. He’s installing a new wrinkle in the team’s motion offense. The only noise heard is pens scratching paper – the coaches dutifully take notes. Some look fried. The clinic began at 10 a.m. and a few more hours remain.
This is how Wright rings in our New Year. It’s heaven for a hoops junkie.
With the coaches eying the intricacies of Wright’s offense, four young Cats eye the team’s upperclassmen. All the touting of Villanova’s incoming class (ranked No. 2 in the nation by Rivals.com) is out the window. The time has come for McDonald’s All-Americans Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek, along with Mouphtaou Yaro (No. 10 overall, Rivals) and Isaiah Armwood (No. 62), to live up to lofty expectations.
Luckily, the coach directing the show has done all this before. Villanova is coming off a trip to the Final Four and is a consensus preseason top-10 team.
After all, there’s a reason all these coaches are hanging on Wright’s every word.

Depart Villanova:  4:40 p.m.
Drive: 6.9 miles
Arrive at Saint Joseph’s: 4:52 p.m.
Live basketball has not been seen on Saint Joseph’s campus since the Hawks upset No. 8 Xavier at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on March 6, 2008. 
The wait is almost over.
While other programs used this weekend to simply kickoff a new season, Saint Joseph’s used it to welcome a new era.   Following a 16-month renovation of what-was Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, the Hawks are lifting the curtain on Hagan Arena.  Despite dreary weather, about 1,000 fans have trekked to Saint Joseph’s to peek at the new digs. A ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by former players and coaches, including the venerable Dr. Jack Ramsay, welcomes them.
The arena’s attendance now sits at 4,200, up from 3,200 at the fieldhouse (500 of the new seats are reserved for students). In making its home up to code for a high mid-major program, Saint Joseph’s outfitted the building with new premium courtside seats; a new upper-level concourse with additional restrooms and concessions; air conditioning; a new entrance in the back of the arena; renovated visiting team locker rooms; and an expanded media room. The renovation of Hagan Arena coincided with the construction of the Ramsay Center, a basketball-only facility that houses the Hawks’ locker rooms, lounge, coaches’ offices, video room, etc.
While it’s not particularly big, Hagan Arena seems to be a good fit for Saint Joseph’s. All opinions will need to be reserved until Nov. 13, though, when the Hawks host Drexel in the building’s opener.
“The arena is spectacular in every way,” Martelli would say. “But the main thing is that the spirit that is Saint Joseph's University has not changed.”

Depart Saint Joseph’s:  5:52 p.m.
Drive: 8.3 miles
Arrive at La Salle: 6:17 p.m.
The sun has descended on this long journey. The day’s final stop is North Philly. 
There, coach John Giannini is smiling.
La Salle, a program that has not made a postseason appearance since 1992, is looking to break out of the darkness this season. Having sat in the shadows for over a decade, the Explorers return every starter from an 18-13 team and add freshman Aaric Murray (No. 35 overall, Rivals), the highest-ranked recruit of Giannini’s tenure.
Practice has concluded and the Explorers plop down around the court to stretch. One-by-one, Giannini visits each and slaps hands. He kids with some. Offers encouragement to others.
The thing that remains constant is that smile.
“One of the great things about this job is that every part of the year is different,” Giannini says. “The most exciting and enjoyable part for me, is the time from the first practice to the first game. That’s when we’re really teaching. That’s when we mold the team. That’s when optimism is high everywhere in the country.”
Especially in North Philly.  The Explorers were picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 by Blue Ribbon Yearbook.  Numerous national outlets have written stories on Murray. 
An afterthought since the elder Bush was in office, La Salle is suddenly creeping into the spotlight.
“I’ve always said preseason expectations don’t matter to me and most coaches,” Giannini says.  “Whether we’re picked first, or last, or anywhere in between, it doesn’t matter once the game begins.”
And that can’t come soon enough.

Depart La Salle: 7:50 p.m.
Total schools: 6
Total Time: 13 hours, 5 minutes
Total mileage: 38.6


Brendan F. Quinn in the content manager of Basketball Times Online.  He has contributed to Basketball Times since 2006 and is a former college-basketball beat reporter in Philadelphia.  He can be reached at admin@basketballtimesonline.com.