Zach Spiker is the reigning Big 5 Coach of the Year, an honor bestowed on the strength of a 20-win Dragons season and second-place conference finish. Hitting the 20-win plateau for only the 11th time in school history, Spiker’s team went 13-5 in the newly-renamed Coastal Athletic Association and dispatched Villanova at the Wells Fargo Center in the first game of the new “Big 5 Classic,” the all-day triple-header introduced by Dan Hilferty and Comcast-Spectacor in 2023.

Drexel is now a full Big 5 member, added in 2023 as part of the effort to reinvigorate the historic Philadelphia college hoops scene. Instead of six schools playing varying schedules, they now compete in two three-team pods, which culminates in a single-day finale to crown a de facto Big 5 winner. Last year, St. Joe’s took out Temple in the title game, La Salle claimed third with an overtime win against Penn, and Spiker’s Dragons opened with the massive upset.

This year’s classic takes place on December 7th, with Drexel joining Temple and La Salle in pod 1. Nova, Penn, and St. Joe’s will be in pod 2, and round robin play will wrap on November 30th. We caught up with Spiker this week to talk about the new Big 5 format, and touch on the changing landscape of college basketball in the NIL era.

Crossing Broad: Last year was Drexel’s first as a full member of the Big 5. What does that do for the program? What does being in the Big 5 mean and what’s the tangible effect?

Zach Spiker: There’s name recognition right away. We’ve been essentially in the footprint of the Big 5 for 30+ years. There’s been generations of players coming through Drexel that have had a chip on their shoulder, that they should have been in the Big 5 and belonged in it and I think the timing was right. With the new format, it fit nicely, to add a sixth team. And really, I see it as a win/win for everybody. It’s a win for the current format. We get back to those old school triple headers, at Wells Fargo Center, which has been an incredible host and amazing experience last year for all the teams. I also think there’s a little bit of a recruiting bump, like ‘hey this is who we’re going to play every year.’ We would play La Salle, on occasion we’d play Temple, but now we have the opportunity to play everybody. We’re part of this format that frankly, if we’re being honest, Philadelphia is the best city for college basketball in the country. Bar none. You’ve got six schools, so close to each other, and a lot of connections with the coaches as well.


CB: You have the Temple fan who follows the Owls, but might not give a shit about Villanova. Likewise, the La Salle student or alum is following what Fran Dunphy is doing over there, but not paying too much attention to St. Joe’s. The partisan nature of Big 5 fans being what it is, you have to throw in the fact that we’re in a pro sports town. Casuals like myself, we’ll pay attention to Drexel, Temple, Villanova when there are a lot of wins or a significant moment, but that kind of fell by the wayside in recent years. I think the inflection point was when Barstool game here in 2022 and did a tournament with three mid majors and Mississippi State, and that sold 5,000 tickets, and then a Big 5 doubleheader at the Palestra, which was on a weekday, did 3,000. We talked to Fran and Jay Wright last year and they both shared the thought that something had to change with the Big 5 setup. The tripleheader was the result.

Spiker: I do think people adapt to situations and scenarios because of experiences. I think the Big 5, in its current setup, with 6 teams, two three-team pods, and having a formula based on winning at home or on the road, Joe Lunardi is involved, , it all sets up for a big day at the Wells Fargo Center. I can’t imagine it’s a better situation to revitalize the partisan pride, the school passion, to get everybody there, whether it’s the band, the cheerleaders, the mascot. That’s a great day. It’s a great experience. For those hoop heads, they’re buying the ticket, they’re there at 11:30 a.m. and not going home until that championship game is over at 7:30 p.m. A great experience. I think it’s gonna be, as it continues to evolve, I would see that being something where people come from out of town to take in the Philly basketball scene. We already have coaches flying in in the fall for practice. We’ve had guys flying in from Texas, they see us practice in the morning, go to Penn at noon, they see La Salle, try to catch a scrimmage at Nova the next day. There’s some basketball junkies mixed in with the casuals that will see this like a destination, maybe a bucket list item for college basketball fans.

Would you agree with that?

CB: Yeah, I would. And the thing Fran was trying to sell last year, when this began, was the idea of having a day set aside for Big 5 basketball. Something that belonged to the Big 5 on an annual basis. It’s Big 5 tripleheader day and they own that day every year.

Spiker: I think the setup, the venue, and frankly the promotion – would we be talking about this if it was still like it used to be? There’s a set date, we’re focused, we’re excited about it, we’re one game from getting into our Big 5 season. We’ve got Colgate, then Temple and La Salle back to back.

CB: College sport is highly transactional these days, in the NIL era. Does it bother you, or it is what it is and you have to adapt to a new landscape?

Spiker: I would say the answer is yes and yes. Yes, it does bother me because it’s not maybe the initial reason why you get into coaching. And yes, you have to adapt. But then I think the third thing is – can you do both? I don’t think Drexel is going to outbid anybody in this market. We’re certainly adapting and evolving and being aggressive in the new NIL space. However, at the same time, I don’t want to always make it transactional. I don’t want it to just be a transaction. I wanna sell the fact that if you come to Drexel, we’re gonna get you better as a player, you’re going to get a high-end academic degree. We’re going to create some opportunities for you in the NIL space and maybe allow you a chance to be a pro beyond your college experience, and play overseas and in the NBA.

CB: I was thinking of John Calipari at Kentucky. It seemed like he had a new team every year because these one and done guys were going right into the draft. Now a lot of coaches are experiencing that, not because their players are going pro, but because the transfer portal is as active as it is, and the freedoms are what they are. That being what it is, is it hard to convince players of what you have here, beyond a one or two-year stop? And how do you pitch that to them?

Spiker: Well, recruiting is recruiting. And the target used to be high school kids, maybe a potential Junior College qualifier that you liked and knew and fit your academic model. Or maybe a guy you liked and recruited at another school who was going to sit out, right? Those avenues are open, maybe a few more, now you can see a guy that torched you one game (laughs) and now he’s in the portal and you’re talking to him. So there are a lot of different ways to look at it. But I refuse to just be transactional. I don’t think it’s healthy for Drexel or our program. We’re gonna continue to be transformational and talk to guys about coming here and evolving and being a better version of themselves, whether it be on the floor, off the floor, as a student, in the community. We’re gonna double down on that. Maybe that’s how I’ve been wired, the coaches I’ve been around. Had a chance to work with some really good coaches and that’s what they did. It was a different time, different era, so we need to adapt, but I still think there’s a young man that’s tired of moving every year, a young guy that wants to find a home and fit, and frankly find a family where they feel comfortable and belong and they’re gonna be invested in that to grow.

Here’s the full discussion: