Is a new City 6 tournament closer to happening?
Administrators and coaches of the Big 5 schools have been trying to find a new way to keep the basketball tradition alive, while also trying to find a way to reignite fan interest in the city tradition.
According to multiple reports Friday, that could be a step closer to fruition.
An initial story from the Athletic's Dana O'Neil cited a source that said the six city programs’ administrators and coaches had agreed to a new format that would involve splitting the original Big 5 teams, plus Drexel, into two three-team pods.
The teams in each pod would play each other in November, and the winners of each pod would match up against one another as the main event of a tripleheader, a Philly six championship game at the Wells Fargo Center on Dec. 2, 2023.
But not long after The Athletic’s report, the six city schools put out a joint statement on social media stating that talks are still ongoing.
“Administrators and coaches from the six NCAA Division I institutions in the Philadelphia area are aware of the current reports speculating on the future of Big 5 basketball,” the statement read. “Basketball is ingrained into the fabric of the city and administrators have held discussions about what future possibilities exist.
“However, no decision has been finalized and conversations are still ongoing. All institutions involved are committed to building upon the traditions of Big 5 men’s and women’s basketball and excited about the future of collegiate basketball in the city of Philadelphia.”
Reached Friday by The Temple News, La Salle head coach and former Temple coach and athletic director Fran Dunphy said there has not been "a lot of discussion amongst the coaches."
The proposed format is something fans would need to get used to, as the teams would not be playing each other in the Palestra like they have on some occasions in years past.
Another difference in the rumored format is the fact that the teams will not all play each other in a round-robin format.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Mike Jensen cited a source who said a meeting happened Friday that created some “alignment” and “excitement” and reported that the six city programs had received “a really exciting pitch from the Wells Fargo Center” about hosting the final day of the tournament.
Regardless of what ultimately happens, there needs to be a solution to the lack of fan interest and attendance. Temple’s Dec. 10 game at Penn drew just 3,252 fans to the Palestra, and only 3,246 fans were in attendance for the St. Joe's and Penn overtime thriller for the second half of the Big 5 doubleheader at The Palestra back on Nov. 30.