City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
—

It’s time for CoBL’s longest-running tradition: our annual Big 5 men’s and women’s awards, given out to the best players in the city’s six Division I programs. 

Without further ado…

~~~
Big 5 Men’s Player of the Year
Eric Dixon (Gr. | Villanova)

This was perhaps the easiest pick we’ve ever had for this award, and a deserving way for Dixon to end what’s been a terrific run in the Philadelphia suburbs between his four years at Abington and six at Villanova. The 6-foot-8, 265-pound combo forward was the nation’s leading scorer (23.3  ppg) while hitting 45.1% from the floor and 40.7% from 3-point range (103/253), a significant improvement over last year’s 34.6%. He also averaged 5.1 rpg and a career-best 1.9 apg, playing nearly 35 minutes per contest, and he scored 30-or-more points five times. 

Thanks to Villanova’s participation in the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament, Dixon ended his time on the Main Line atop Villanova’s scoring list (2,314 points, passing Kerry Kittles), ninth all-time in rebounding (904), tops in games played (162) and in all sorts of other places on the ‘Nova career list. Sure, it helped that he got 21 games in during the COVID year — though that only added 64 points to his total — plus a redshirt year before that, but the vast majority of his production came in just four seasons. He might not have a national title to his name like many of the other ‘Nova greats of the past decade, but there’s no doubting Dixon’s individual greatness in a Wildcat uniform.

~~~

All-Big 5 First Team
Xzayvier Brown (Soph. | St. Joe’s)
Brown built on a strong freshman season at St. Joe’s with an outstanding sophomore one. The 6-3 Roman Catholic grad earned all-Atlantic 10 First Team honors as he became an indispensable piece for the Hawks. Starting 30 of 32 contests, Brown averaged 17.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 4.3 apg on .420/.350/.897 splits, leading the A-10 in free-throw percentage. Already past the 1,000-point mark in just two seasons, he’s building a special career on Hawk Hill.

Rasheer Fleming (Jr. | St. Joe’s)
Speaking of Hawks who took a big step forward, Fleming had the best season of his college career as he continues to improve each year he’s in college. The 6-9 forward from Camden (N.J.) set new career highs in scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg) while hitting 53.1% overall and 39% (62-of-159) from 3-point range as well as 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals to earn A-10 First Team honors. He’s declared for the NBA Draft, and indications are his college career is over.

Jamal Mashburn Jr. (Gr. | Temple)
This was a tough call, because while Mashburn did lead the city in scoring, he also missed the Owls’ final 10 games of the season. Ultimately, his prolific scoring numbers — 22.0 ppg, second in the city and third in the country (if he’d qualified) on 42.9% from the floor and 43.1% from deep — were too much to ignore. Mashburn came to Temple from New Mexico with a high prolife and lived up to it, hitting double digits in all 23 games he played in, including more games of 20-or-more (16) than without, surpassing the 30-point barrier three times. 

Corey McKeithan (Sr. | La Salle)
McKeithan was certainly the most unexpected surprise of the Big 5 season. A secondary scoring option in three years at Rider, averaging 8.0 ppg last season with the Broncs, he almost doubled his output (15.9 ppg) and showed he can be a big-time scorer in his one year at La Salle, doing that on .420/.382/.913 splits, those 3-point numbers coming at volume (207 attempts). The 5-10 guard from Windsor (Conn.) hit 20-or-more 11 times, including a season-high 30-pointer against UMass in the A-10 tournament. 

Nisine ‘Wooga’ Poplar (Sr. | Villanova)
Poplar’s return home to the Philadelphia area was a successful one after three seasons at Miami (Fl.). The 6-5 wing, a graduate of the now-closed Math, Civics & Sciences, set career bests in scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg) while shooting .461/.387/.856. He saved his best for last, scoring a career-best 32 points in Villanova’s loss to Central Florida in the Crown quarterfinals. 

~~~

All-Big 5 Second
Jhamir Brickus (Gr. | Villanova)
“Jig” had a strong year in his only season in a ‘Nova uniform, averaging 9.3 ppg and 4.7 apg with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.46:1, the best of his collegiate career, while his 47.3% mark from 3-point range was also a career best. The Coatesville grad, who played four years at La Salle before his one year on the Main Line, finished his career with 1,589 points, 596 assists and 173 steals. 

Cole Hargrove (Jr. | Drexel)
Hargrove really came into his own this season in his first year as a starter, the 6-8 Methacton product starting all 33 games for the Dragons. He averaged 9.9 ppg and 7.5 rpg, but his 1.8 bpg and defensive versatility got him onto the All-CAA Defensive Team, as well as got him to Providence after he hit the transfer portal in the offseason. 

Kobe MaGee (Jr. | Drexel)
Like Hagrove, MaGee thrived in his first year as a starter for the Dragons. In 33 games (all starts), the 6-6 wing from the Lehigh Valley averaged a team-high 14.0 ppg while adding 5.6 rpg and 1.9 apg, while shooting 47.2% from the floor and 43.9% (82-of-187) from the 3-point arc. His best game of the season was perhaps a 28-point, nine-rebound effort against Colgate where he was 10-12 from the floor and 6-8 from 3-point range. 

Erik Reynolds II (Sr. | St. Joe’s)
The final year of Reynolds’ terrific career on Hawk Hill was strong, but not his best. The 6-2 senior guard averaged 16.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.6 apg, enough to make him St. Joe’s all-time leading scorer (2,175 points), but after making 38% of his 3-point shots the last two years, he was just 89-of-299 (29.8%) from deep, pulling his overall shooting number below 40% for the first time (38.0%). 

Ethan Roberts (Jr. | Penn)
Roberts didn’t look at all like he’d missed a year due to injury, the former West Point standout-turned-Drake transfer averaging 16.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 2.1 apg, all career best numbers, in his first season as a Quaker. A 6-5 wing, Roberts hit the transfer portal after the season but announced he’ll return to Penn to play for Fran McCaffery his senior year. 

Zion Stanford (Soph. | Temple)
Stanford built on a solid freshman campaign with a strong sophomore one. The 6-5 wing out of West Catholic averaged 13.1 ppg, double that of his freshman year, along with 4.5 rpg and 2.1 apg, hitting 45.5% overall and 34.9% from the 3-point arc, with more assists than turnovers as well. Like most of the Temple roster, he hit the transfer portal after the season, and just announced his commitment to Villanova. 

Honorable Mention
Sam Brown (Soph. | Penn)
Yame Butler (Sr. | Drexel)
Deuce Jones (Fr. | La Salle)

~~~

Big 5 Rookie of the Year
Deuce Jones (La Salle)

This one was a no-brainer. College basketball is getting older, and the availability for freshmen to step in and play big minutes right away has gotten scarce over the last few seasons. Jones was the only freshman in the city to average double figures in scoring, the only one really in contention for the award after earning A-10 Rookie of the Year honors, averaging 12.5 ppg and 4.2 rpg on .397/.333/.737 splits. He hit the transfer portal after the season, and is not expected to return to La Salle.

~~~

Big 5 Most Improved
Kobe MaGee (Jr. | Drexel)

Magee had a solid sophomore season, averaging 6.3 ppg for the Dragons in 18.2 mpg off the bench, hitting 35.4% of his 3-pointers. He figured to become one of Drexel’s featured pieces as a junior, but he did so with an efficiency that surprised. Though his shot attempts per game doubled, his 3-point percentage jumped up nearly nine points to 43.9%, making him one of the top shooters in the city and the Coastal Athletic Association.

Honorable Mention

Xzayvier Brown (Soph. | St. Joe’s)
Cole Hargrove (Jr. | Drexel)
Anthony Finkley (Soph. | St. Joe’s)

~~~