This is Drexel University’s first season as an official member of the NCAA’s Big Five and it adds a new layer to a long-standing tradition, writes John Feinstein for The Washington Post. 

Since the 1950s, Philadelphia’s Big Five has consisted of Villanova, St. Joseph’s, Temple, Penn, and La Salle. 

Drexel has been playing Division I basketball since 1974, and most seasons were scheduled to play two games against Big Five teams, but weren’t eligible to become Big Five champions. 

Nearly 50 years later, they are now eligible.

“It was being talked about when I first got here,” said Drexel coach Zach Spiker, who became the coach in 2016. 

While there are the traditionalists who would have preferred for the Big Five to remain as its been, the current Big Five coaches played big roles in making it happen.

Spiker gives immense credit, especially, to Penn’s Steve Donahue for his advocacy. 

The Big Five coaches are all friends and have connections with each other, whether it be through their education or coaching careers. 

But the competition remains fierce within each game, as each team is divided into two three-team pods and plays each other in one home and one road game, respectively. 

Read more about the new era of Philadelphia’s Big Five at The Washington Post.

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