December 03, 2023
The inaugural Big 5 Classic was held in South Philadelphia on Saturday, where a triple-header of games took place: Drexel vs. Villanova, La Salle vs. Penn and St. Joseph's vs. Temple. There were a few standout individual performers from the event down at the Wells Fargo Center...
Drexel pulled off an upset victory over No. 18 Villanova Saturday afternoon, and Williams, a 6-foot-10 senior forward, had his fingerprints all over it. On both ends of the floor, the native of England was able to dominate the Wildcats thanks to his imposing frame and instinctual play.
Williams led the Dragons with 12 points and six rebounds, but where he made his greatest impact was the defensive end. He has twice been named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Men's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), and he showed why Saturday.
The center swatted five shots, including blocking a layup from Villanova guard Justin Moore that would have tied the game in the final seconds. It was the punctuation of a flat-out dominant performance from Drexel's big-man.
Williams, born in Nottingham, England, was impressed by the atmosphere at the Wells Fargo Center, he said — one that trumps anything he was used to.
"Basketball is not really big in England, so we don't have atmospheres like that," Williams said of the opportunity to play in the Big 5 Classic." "To come in and see this... it's a good environment to play in."
Among Williams' dozen points were three that came on a banked in, desperation heave from beyond the arc to beat the shot clock in the second half. Williams, who had only made seven threes prior to this in his entire four-year career, truly had it all going in this one. From his scoring to his rebounding to his rim protection, Drexel head coach Zach Spiker could not have asked for anything more
"People at Drexel are going to remember where they were when we beat Villanova in Wells Fargo," Spiker said.
Spinoso, a 6-foot-9 junior from Port Washington, NY, is a big of somewhat comparable size with a completely different game. He is about as good of a passer as one could hope for when it comes to a player who is as tall as anyone else on the court. Everything the Quakers did on offense in this one revolved around him, whether it was as a scorer, passer or screener.
Spinoso is incredibly versatile as an offensive player. When his team needed quick buckets, he got them, totaling 17 points in Penn's overtime loss to La Salle. He is not much of a shooter, but in this one he displayed good touch around the rim on a few tough finishes at the basket. He led the team with eight rebounds, and on top of that, he was creating for others like a point guard, constantly finding cutters and setting effective screens out of dribble hand-off actions. Spinoso finished the game with eight assists, a remarkable number for a center. Jumper aside, he has everything you could want from a big-man on the offensive end of the floor.
Spinosa entered the night averaging 2.3 assists per game for his career, and 3.3 per game on the season. But those numbers fail to tell the entire story.
The Quakers operate at a slow pace. According to kenpom.com, Penn ranks 313th in the country in possessions per 40 minutes, one of the slowest in the nation. This hurts Spinoso's per-game averages. On a per-100 possession basis, Spinoso entered the game averaging 7.8 assists this season. That very impressive figure does a better job detailing his outstanding skill as a facilitator.
Brantley, a 6-foot-1 junior guard from Bronx, NY, poured in 24 points for the Explorers and grabbed six rebounds on just 15 shots. However, one of those shots will stand above the rest. Down two in the final seconds of overtime, Brantley hurled a miraculous, bank-shot three to beat the buzzer and stun the Quakers for a win.
OH MY GOODNESS 😱
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 3, 2023
KHALIL BRANTLEY BANKS IT IN AT THE BUZZER FOR @LaSalle_MBB 😨
(via @NBCSports)
pic.twitter.com/H8gR59HWgn
Brantley had struggled of late, shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from three-point range on 48 shots across his previous three games. Those struggles did not appear in this one.
Brantley had it going all night long, as Penn had no answer for his quickness and change of direction. Their defense was no match for his crossovers and speedy bursts.
But again, it was Brantley's final shot that will forever be remembered in Big 5 lore. In just a few seconds, he stole the whole show.
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