Philadelphia High School/College Basketball
Top City
Players in the Big 5 (1956-2014)
(Public, Catholic, Inter-Ac)
These teams represent Ted Silary's opinion of the
best Big 5 players from high
schools in Philadelphia's three city leagues (Public, Catholic, Inter-Ac)
through
the 2013-14 season.
There are eight lists on this
page. Please make sure to scroll down.
The Big 5 came into existence for the 1955-56 season, so players from
earlier
seasons are not included.
College freshmen were not eligible for varsity play prior to the 1972-73
season.
Statistics were primarily accessed from each school's media guide (via
the
Internet). The list of Big 5 HOF honorees is
here.
-- Ted Silary, Aug. 18, 2014 --
tedtee307@yahoo.com.
Return to TedSilary.com Home Page
| OVERALL | |||||||||
| FIRST TEAM | |||||||||
| Name | School | College | Year | All-B5 | MVP | B5 HOF | Points | Other | Record |
| Lionel Simmons | Southern | La Salle | 1990 | 4 | 3 | 1996 | 3,217 | 1,429 R | 100-31 |
| Guy Rodgers | Northeast | Temple | *1958 | 3 | 3 | 1973 | 1,767 | 340 A | 74-16 |
| Michael Brooks | W. Catholic | La Salle | 1980 | 4 | 2 | 1986 | 2,628 | 1,372 R | 72-46 |
| Wali Jones | Overbrook | Villanova | *1964 | 3 | 2 | 1973 | 1,428 | 233 A | 64-21 |
| Cliff Anderson | Edison | St. Joe's | *1967 | 3 | 1 | 1973 | 1,728 | 1,228 R | 66-18 |
| SECOND TEAM | |||||||||
| Name | School | College | Year | All-B5 | MVP | B5 HOF | Points | Other | Record |
| Jim Washington | W. Catholic | Villanova | *1965 | 3 | 1 | 1975 | 1,146 | 1,194 R | 66-19 |
| Bobby McNeill | N. Catholic | St. Joe's | *1960 | 3 | 0 | 1974 | 1,393 | 442 A | 60-21 |
| Donnie Carr | Roman | La Salle | 2000 | 4 | 0 | 2008 | 2,067 | 115 S | 43-67 |
| Hubie White | W. Phila. | Villanova | *1962 | 3 | 1 | 1976 | 1,608 | 754 R | 52-26 |
| Larry Cannon | Lincoln | La Salle | *1969 | 3 | 0 | 1973 | 1,430 | 347 A | 57-21 |
| THIRD TEAM | |||||||||
| Name | School | College | Year | All-B5 | MVP | B5 HOF | Points | Other | Record |
| Rashid Bey | Neumann | St. Joe's | 1998 | 2 | 2 | 2011 | 1,316 | 509 A | 73-49 |
| Mike Hauer | Bonner | St. Joe's | *1970 | 3 | 0 | 1977 | 1,496 | 976 | 49-32 |
| Aaron McKie | Gratz | Temple | #1994 | 3 | 1 | 2002 | 1,650 | 586 R | 60-34 |
| Rodney Blake | Bonner | St. Joe's | 1988 | 3 | 0 | 1993 | 1,679 | 818 R | 76-45 |
| Marvin O'Connor | Gratz | Villa./SJ | &2002 | 3 | 1 | 2013 | 1,776 | 215 A | 70-52 |
| *-Played when varsity careers were limited to three seasons. Frosh were allowed to play varsity starting with 1972-73. | |||||||||
| #-Also played three varsity seasons. | |||||||||
| &-Played at Villanova as a freshman (his stat totals include that season) | |||||||||
----
| PUBLIC LEAGUE PRODUCTS | |||||||||
| FIRST TEAM | |||||||||
| Name | School | College | Year | All-B5 | MVP | B5 HOF | Points | Other | Record |
| Lionel Simmons | Southern | La Salle | 1990 | 4 | 3 | 1996 | 3,217 | 1,429 R | 100-31 |
| Guy Rodgers | Northeast | Temple | *1958 | 3 | 3 | 1973 | 1,767 | 340 A | 74-16 |
| Wali Jones | Overbrook | Villanova | *1964 | 3 | 2 | 1973 | 1,428 | 233 A | 64-21 |
| Cliff Anderson | Edison | St. Joe's | *1967 | 3 | 1 | 1973 | 1,728 | 1,228 R | 66-18 |
| Hubie White | W. Phila. | Villanova | *1962 | 3 | 1 | 1976 | 1,608 | 754 R | 52-26 |
| SECOND TEAM | |||||||||
| Name | School | College | Year | All-B5 | MVP | B5 HOF | Points | Other | Record |
| Larry Cannon | Lincoln | La Salle | *1969 | 3 | 0 | 1973 | 1,430 | 347 A | 57-21 |
| Aaron McKie | Gratz | Temple | #1994 | 3 | 1 | 2002 | 1,650 | 586 R | 60-34 |
| Marvin O'Connor | Gratz | Villa./SJ | &2002 | 3 | 1 | 2013 | 1,776 | 215 A | 70-52 |
| John Baum | W. Phila. | Temple | #1969 | 3 | 0 | 1978 | 1,544 | 1,042 R | 61-25 |
| Doug Overton | Dobbins | La Salle | 1991 | 3 | 0 | 1997 | 1,795 | 671 A | 99-28 |
| *-Played when varsity careers were limited to three seasons. Frosh were allowed to play varsity starting with 1972-73. | |||||||||
| #-Also played three varsity seasons. | |||||||||
| &-Played at Villanova as a freshman (his stat totals include that season) | |||||||||
---
| CATHOLIC LEAGUE PRODUCTS | |||||||||
| FIRST TEAM | |||||||||
| Name | School | College | Year | All-B5 | MVP | B5 HOF | Points | Other | Record |
| Michael Brooks | W. Catholic | La Salle | 1980 | 4 | 2 | 1986 | 2,628 | 1,372 R | 72-46 |
| Jim Washington | W. Catholic | Villanova | *1965 | 3 | 1 | 1975 | 1,146 | 1,194 R | 66-19 |
| Bobby McNeill | N. Catholic | St. Joe's | *1960 | 3 | 0 | 1974 | 1,393 | 442 A | 60-21 |
| Donnie Carr | Roman | La Salle | 2000 | 4 | 0 | 2008 | 2,067 | 115 S | 43-67 |
| Rashid Bey | Neumann | St. Joe's | 1998 | 2 | 2 | 2011 | 1,316 | 509 A | 73-49 |
| SECOND TEAM | |||||||||
| Name | School | College | Year | All-B5 | MVP | B5 HOF | Points | Other | Record |
| Mike Hauer | Bonner | St. Joe's | *1970 | 3 | 0 | 1977 | 1,496 | 976 | 49-32 |
| Rodney Blake | Bonner | St. Joe's | 1988 | 3 | 0 | 1993 | 1,679 | 818 R | 76-45 |
| Tom Ingelsby | O'Hara | Villanova | *1973 | 2 | 1 | 1979 | 1,616 | 279 A | 51-30 |
| Mike Bantom | Roman | St. Joe's | *1973 | 2 | 0 | 1979 | 1,684 | 1,151 R | 60-24 |
| Frank Corace | Bonner | La Salle | *1964 | 2 | 0 | 1974 | 1,411 | -- | 48-26 |
| *-Played when varsity careers were limited to three seasons. Frosh were allowed to play varsity starting with 1972-73. | |||||||||
| #-Played three varsity seasons. | |||||||||
| #-Played at Villanova as a freshman (his stat totals include that season). | |||||||||
---
| INTER-AC LEAGUE PRODUCTS | |||||||||
| FIRST TEAM | |||||||||
| Name | School | College | Year | All-B5 | MVP | B5 HOF | Points | Other | Record |
| Jerome Allen | Episcopal | Penn | 1995 | 3 | 0 | 2009 | 1,518 | 504 A | 85-24 |
| Alvin Williams | Gtn. Academy | Villanova | 1997 | *0 | 0 | -- | 1,423 | 553 A | 95-37 |
| Tim Krug | Penn Charter | Penn | 1996 | *0 | 0 | -- | 138 B | 86-24 | |
| Paul Burke | Chestnut Hill | La Salle | 1994 | *0 | 0 | -- | 1,368 | 567 A | 58-54 |
| Mike Gizzi | Chestnut Hill | La Salle | 1998 | *0 | 0 | -- | 1,319 | 159 S | 38-73 |
| *-Earned second team honors once. | |||||||||
---
|
SHORT-TERMERS Played in Big 5 only in the first season (1955-56) or in just two seasons later due to transfer/sitout/early NBA entry |
|||||||||
| FIRST TEAM | |||||||||
| Name | School | College | Year | All-B5 | MVP | B5 HOF | Points | Other | Record |
| Hal Lear | Overbrook | Temple | 1956 | 1 | 0 | 1974 | 1,472 | -- | 53-26 |
| Joe Bryant | Bartram | La Salle | 1975 | 2 | 0 | 1981 | 1,118 | 612 R | 40-17 |
| Matt Guokas | SJ Prep | St. Joe's | 1966 | 2 | 0 | 1976 | 893 | 331 A | 50-8 |
| Marc Jackson | Roman | Temple | 1997 | 2 | 0 | 2012 | 1,001 | 565 R | 40-24 |
| Joe Sturgis | W. Catholic | Penn | 1956 | 1 | 0 | 1983 | 1,292 | 924 R | 48-27 |
---
|
HONORABLE
MENTION |
|||
| Name | School | College | Year |
| Steve Black | Overbrook | La Salle | 1985 |
| Nate Blackwell | Southern | Temple | *1987 |
| Rasual Butler | Roman | La Salle | 2002 |
| Dionte Christmas | Fels | Temple | 2009 |
| Jeffery Clark | Frankford | St. Joe's | *1982 |
| Mardy Collins | Gratz | Temple | 2006 |
| Steve Courtin | St. James | St. Joe's | *1964 |
| Bruce Drysdale | Lincoln | Temple | #1961 |
| Tyreek Duren | Neum.-Goretti | La Salle | 2014 |
| Kurt Engelbert | Lincoln | St. Joe's | 1957 |
| Rodney Green | Prep Charter | La Salle | 2010 |
| Lynn Greer | Eng. & Science | Temple | #2002 |
| Jim Huggard | W. Catholic | Villanova | 1961 |
| Dan Kelly | McDevitt | St. Joe's | 1970 |
| Pickles Kennedy | Lincoln | Temple | #1960 |
| Jason Lawson | Olney | Villanova | 1997 |
| Ralph Lewis | Frankford | La Salle | #1985 |
| Jim Lynam | W. Catholic | St. Joe's | *1963 |
| Ramone Moore | Southern | Temple | 2012 |
| Jay Norman | Mastbaum | Temple | 1958 |
| Steve Smith | Northeast | La Salle | 2006 |
| Joe Spratt | W. Catholic | St. Joe's | *1959 |
| Mark Tyndale | Gratz | Temple | *2008 |
| Randy Woods | Franklin | La Salle | 1992 |
| Tom Wynne | St. James | St. Joe's | 1963 |
---
| TOP 5 BY COLLEGE | ||
| LA SALLE | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| Lionel Simmons | Southern | 1990 |
| Michael Brooks | W. Catholic | 1980 |
| Donnie Carr | Roman | 2000 |
| Larry Cannon | Lincoln | 1969 |
| Frank Corace | Bonner | 1964 |
| PENN | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| Jerome Allen | Episcopal | 1995 |
| Mark Zoller | SJ Prep | 2007 |
| Tim Smith | W. Phila. | 1979 |
| George Schmidt | La Salle | 1959 |
| Paul Romanczuk | Carroll | 1999 |
| (Joe Sturgis | W. Catholic | 1956) |
| ST. JOSEPH'S | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| Cliff Anderson | Edison | 1967 |
| Bobby McNeill | N. Catholic | 1960 |
| Rashid Bey | Neumann | 1998 |
| Mike Hauer | Bonner | 1970 |
| Rodney Blake | Bonner | 1988 |
| TEMPLE | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| Guy Rodgers | Northeast | 1958 |
| Aaron McKie | Gratz | 1994 |
| John Baum | W. Phila. | 1969 |
| Pickles Kennedy | Lincoln | 1960 |
| Lynn Greer | Eng. & Science | 2002 |
| (Hal Lear | Overbrook | 1956) |
| VILLANOVA | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| Wali Jones | Overbrook | 1964 |
| Jim Washington | W. Catholic | 1965 |
| Hubie White | W. Phila. | 1962 |
| Tom Ingelsby | O'Hara | 1973 |
| Alvin Williams | Gtn. Academy | 1997 |
---
|
TOP 5 BY LEAGUE/ GEOGRAPHY |
||
| PUBLIC NORTH | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| T-*Guy Rodgers | Northeast | 1958 |
| SJ-Cliff Anderson | Edison | 1967 |
| T-Aaron McKie | Gratz | 1994 |
| SJ-Marvin O'Connor | Gratz | 2002 |
| LS-Doug Overton | Dobbins | 1991 |
| *-was located at 8th and Lehigh when he played | ||
| PUBLIC NORTHEAST | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| LS-Larry Cannon | Lincoln | 1969 |
| T-Pickles Kennedy | Lincoln | 1960 |
| T-Bruce Drysdale | Lincoln | 1962 |
| LS-Ralph Lewis | Frankford | 1985 |
| T-Dionte Christmas | Fels | 2009 |
| (SJ-Kurt Engelbert | Lincoln | 1957) |
| PUBLIC SOUTH | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| LS-Lionel Simmons | Southern | 1990 |
| T-Nate Blackwell | Southern | 1987 |
| LS-Rodney Green | Prep Charter | 2010 |
| T-Ramone Moore | Southern | 2012 |
| LS-Kareem Townes | Southern | 1995 |
| PUBLIC WEST | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| V-Wali Jones | Overbrook | 1964 |
| V-Hubie White | W. Phila. | 1962 |
| T-John Baum | W. Phila. | 1969 |
| LS-Steve Black | Overbrook | 1985 |
| SJ-Tony Costner | Overbrook | 1984 |
| (T-Hal Lear | Overbrook | 1956) |
| CATHOLIC NORTH | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| SJ-Bobby McNeill | N. Catholic | 1960 |
| SJ-Dan Kelly | McDevitt | 1966 |
| LS-Chip Greenberg | La Salle | 1982 |
| P-George Schmidt | La Salle | 1959 |
| SJ-Joe Gallo | N. Catholic | 1960 |
| (SJ-Mike Fallon | N. Catholic | 1956) |
| CATHOLIC SOUTH | ||
| Name | School | Year |
| LS-Michael Brooks | W. Catholic | 1980 |
| V-Jim Washington | W. Catholic | 1965 |
| LS-Donnie Carr | Roman | 2000 |
| SJ-Rashid Bey | Neumann | 1998 |
| SJ-Mike Hauer | Bonner | 1970 |