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Villanova, in Philly or not?

Stalker

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There was a discussion on one of the local networks discussing whether Nova was "in" Philly or not. (Yikes I'm bored!)
As an outsider from So. Cent PA , I've noticed Philly's inclination to adopt anything within a 5-10 mile radius, claiming it as Philly's own. What do you guys think?
 
They are already recognized as a Philly team evidenced by the two parades. Technically they aren’t city based but Phila area.
 
They are already recognized as a Philly team evidenced by the two parades. Technically they aren’t city based but Phila area.
That's cool but I did get a laugh some years ago trying to claim Kobe (Lower Merion HS) and V Papale from Glenolden (Bucs!), but I get it.
 
There was a discussion on one of the local networks discussing whether Nova was "in" Philly or not. (Yikes I'm bored!)
As an outsider from So. Cent PA , I've noticed Philly's inclination to adopt anything within a 5-10 mile radius, claiming it as Philly's own. What do you guys think?

You sort of have to give it to them. They are part of City Basketball history with the Big Five. But I do hold the demise of the Big Five squarely on their shoulders.
 
You sort of have to give it to them. They are part of City Basketball history with the Big Five. But I do hold the demise of the Big Five squarely on their shoulders.
Paul.. I agree with you... Rollie got a little to big and wanted to leave the Big 5.. but instead of leaving he brought it down.. they could have always brought Drexel in.. might not have been the same but still a city Big 5.. plus being a Temple and St Joe's guy.. I automatically don't like them lol...
 
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That's cool but I did get a laugh some years ago trying to claim Kobe (Lower Merion HS) and V Papale from Glenolden (Bucs!), but I get it.
I don't know about Glenolden, but Lower Merion without question is part of the Philadelphia area, ten minutes from the city limits and closer to downtown than much of northeast Philadelphia. Kobe's father (Joe) played both his high school and college basketball in Philly.

I'm not sure the Big Five would have remained vibrant if Villanova had stayed--its glory days were in the sixties and early seventies--but it was certainly worth trying to sustain. There was nothing like it anywhere in the country. Anyone remember the night of the bomb scare and "Les will never die"?
 
Glenolden is very close to 69th street. It's probably closer to Philly than Lower Merion is.
I have always considered Nova a part of Philly growing up.
 
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Glenolden is very close to 69th street. It's probably closer to Philly than Lower Merion is.
I have always considered Nova a part of Philly growing up.
Thanks. Somehow Glenolden never stuck in my memory even though one of my grandmothers lived in Darby for a while.
 
Glenolden is very close to 69th street. It's probably closer to Philly than Lower Merion is.
I have always considered Nova a part of Philly growing up.
shfoot, I live 2 miles from Glenolden behind Ridley High making it a MAJOR reach to consider Interboro High Bucs associated with Philly. If they are, so is Strath Haven and Chester High. Guess you'd have to ask, besides the city limits where does the "Philly Area" stop.
 
shfoot, I live 2 miles from Glenolden behind Ridley High making it a MAJOR reach to consider Interboro High Bucs associated with Philly. If they are, so is Strath Haven and Chester High. Guess you'd have to ask, besides the city limits where does the "Philly Area" stop.
Stalker, I know this question isn't for me, but I would consider all of Delaware County to be in the Philadelphia area. For decades St. James High School in Chester was part of the PCL, and nobody I know thought they were coming close to "going out of the area" when they went to Chester to play them. In fact, SJP now plays in Chester for its home games. I'd also say all of Montgomery County is part of the Philly area. I can't speak for the further reaches of Bucks County but certainly most of the county thinks of itself as part of the area. The tricky County is Chester. At least most of it is part of the Philly area, but maybe some people in the western section thinks it's not.

Part of the way to think of it is to recognize old transportation (especially train) routes and patterns of migration. Lots of people who lived anywhere between Kensington and Mayfair moved to Bucks County and didn't for a second think they were leaving the area. Same for people from west and southwest Philly who moved to Delaware and southern Montgomery counties.
 
shfoot, I live 2 miles from Glenolden behind Ridley High making it a MAJOR reach to consider Interboro High Bucs associated with Philly. If they are, so is Strath Haven and Chester High. Guess you'd have to ask, besides the city limits where does the "Philly Area" stop.
Yes, and my daughter lives on the north side of Ridley near 422. From Morton Ave to Darby is 5 miles. From Interboro, your talking the same distance to Philly. If I hoop on 95N, I'm in Philly borders in 5 mins. The threads about Nova and there are a few Univ. around the perimeter of Philly. I agree the surrounding districts are part of the Philly culture.
 
Stalker, I know this question isn't for me, but I would consider all of Delaware County to be in the Philadelphia area. For decades St. James High School in Chester was part of the PCL, and nobody I know thought they were coming close to "going out of the area" when they went to Chester to play them. In fact, SJP now plays in Chester for its home games. I'd also say all of Montgomery County is part of the Philly area. I can't speak for the further reaches of Bucks County but certainly most of the county thinks of itself as part of the area. The tricky County is Chester. At least most of it is part of the Philly area, but maybe some people in the western section thinks it's not.

Part of the way to think of it is to recognize old transportation (especially train) routes and patterns of migration. Lots of people who lived anywhere between Kensington and Mayfair moved to Bucks County and didn't for a second think they were leaving the area. Same for people from west and southwest Philly who moved to Delaware and southern Montgomery counties.

The topic was for anyone tulla so welcome aboard as I was just trying to get a conversation going. A guy I work with went to St. James and I drive past SJP’s home field off Melrose in Chester going to work every day and we can’t be 10 minutes from the airport so everything certainly is on top of everything around here! Being from Gettysburg, this has always impressed me how on top of things everything is. I know, makes me sound like the hick I guess I am but you really can’t go from one town to another, eg, Milmont Park, Holmes, Folsom, Ridley Park, Morton, Norwood, Prospect Park etc and know you’ve left one for the other. Suppose my context is skewed.
 
Only in Philadelphia could we have an actual debate that a school 10 miles outside the city isn't a Philadelphia team. Across the country by any normal thinking measure would someone consider something 10 miles out part of the Philadelphia Metropolitan area? Here's a good rule of thumb someone once shared with me. Go into a house. Turn on the television. Tune into the ABC, NBC, CBS station. When the local news comes on where does it originate from? You are in that metropolitan boundary typically.

Is Allentown Philadelphia? We would all probably say no. Because to us there is a huge difference between say Ridley Park and Swathmore. However on the national broadcast Jim Nantz makes sure to tell the audience that the Guard from Michigan is from Allentown an hour from Villanova because nationally he would be seen essentially as a Philly kid.

A lot of Philadelphia people really dislike Villanova. I'm dyed in wool Delco and hold a degree from Villanova and St. Joes. Family connection to Villanova so a hoop fan since birth did some work for program as younger guy in Rollie days. Go to a lot of games. There are many times when I'm around other Villanova fans that where I look around and shake my head that I share a fandom with some folks that are decidedly unlike (and unlikable) most of the people I spend time with and are my friends. Of course I kinda have same feeling if I sit in an upper section of an eagles game only 180 degrees opposite feeling if that makes sense.

Villanova the most un Philly like of local schools. Been hijacked by North Jersey, New York, Massholes, etc. It's way different from it's roots and many from there come off as elitist. I get why true Phila people see it that way. But every school has changed as well. St. Joes won't even take a day commuter and the sticker price there is just as outrageous as Villanova. But most Temple and St. Joes folks cannot stand anything about Villanova.

Jay Wright is decidedly Philadelphia. His Dad is as Philadelphia as it gets. Don't let the looks and suits fool you. He's Philadelphia and one of the reasons he has never pursued another job. Met him when I was young and he was a nobody. Same guy today. Definitely someone you can root for and loves Philadelphia basketball.
 
I was born and raised in Warminster, which is now home to half the people born and raised in the Northeast. I live in upper Bucks now and am closer to Allentown, but wouldn't consider telling someone on a vacation, for instance, that I'm from Allentown.
I think these situations have to be taken on a per-case basis. Philadelphians are territorial and when there is doubt about whether something "belongs" to them it's often a matter of whether it's something they like or not. There is plenty of dislike for Villanova and the answer to this question is directly effected by how the respondent feels. Seems silly to even have this discussion to me, but...
 
Here's my rule of thumb for what's it's worth. If you are from the burbs and on vacation in let's say Florida or Vegas and you get to talking to someone and they inevitably ask you where you are from, I'd guess 99% of the people in Bucks , Montgomery , Chester or Delco answer ' Philadelpia '
 
So as far as the Abdur-Rahman/Allentown part of the argument, I think recruiting territory and geographic location are different. Never in a million years would I say Allentown is in the Philadelphia area. I think the Lehigh Valley is the first metro area north of Philly that is no longer feasibly "suburban Philadelphia". Frankly, I'd say more people in the Valley commute to New York than Philly and just as many if not more have New York allegiances if they're out of town. Certainly NYC is closer and easier to get to from the eastern part of the Valley than Philadelphia.

But Nova is the closeest big time hoops program to the Valley. Abdur-Rahman's best close to home option would have been Villanova, so I get why Nantz mentioned it. Just like when there is a big football recruit in the Valley, he's a "Penn State kid". State College is obviously pretty far, but it has a natural recruiting footprint in our part of the state. The Valley doesn't have enough great basketball players to be a Nova pipeline, but we're definitely close enough to be in their turf (though Darrun Hilliard from Liberty is the only kid I can remember going there, again, not a basketball hotbed).
 
Here's my rule of thumb for what's it's worth. If you are from the burbs and on vacation in let's say Florida or Vegas and you get to talking to someone and they inevitably ask you where you are from, I'd guess 99% of the people in Bucks , Montgomery , Chester or Delco answer ' Philadelpia '
Agreed Speed. Bucks, Chester, Delco, Montco and Phila Counties are the Delaware Valley which is Phila Metro area. We make up the main 4-5 million in the immediate area not counting South Jersey or Delaware
 
Only in Philadelphia could we have an actual debate that a school 10 miles outside the city isn't a Philadelphia team. Across the country by any normal thinking measure would someone consider something 10 miles out part of the Philadelphia Metropolitan area? Here's a good rule of thumb someone once shared with me. Go into a house. Turn on the television. Tune into the ABC, NBC, CBS station. When the local news comes on where does it originate from? You are in that metropolitan boundary typically.

Is Allentown Philadelphia? We would all probably say no. Because to us there is a huge difference between say Ridley Park and Swathmore. However on the national broadcast Jim Nantz makes sure to tell the audience that the Guard from Michigan is from Allentown an hour from Villanova because nationally he would be seen essentially as a Philly kid.

A lot of Philadelphia people really dislike Villanova. I'm dyed in wool Delco and hold a degree from Villanova and St. Joes. Family connection to Villanova so a hoop fan since birth did some work for program as younger guy in Rollie days. Go to a lot of games. There are many times when I'm around other Villanova fans that where I look around and shake my head that I share a fandom with some folks that are decidedly unlike (and unlikable) most of the people I spend time with and are my friends. Of course I kinda have same feeling if I sit in an upper section of an eagles game only 180 degrees opposite feeling if that makes sense.

Villanova the most un Philly like of local schools. Been hijacked by North Jersey, New York, Massholes, etc. It's way different from it's roots and many from there come off as elitist. I get why true Phila people see it that way. But every school has changed as well. St. Joes won't even take a day commuter and the sticker price there is just as outrageous as Villanova. But most Temple and St. Joes folks cannot stand anything about Villanova.

Jay Wright is decidedly Philadelphia. His Dad is as Philadelphia as it gets. Don't let the looks and suits fool you. He's Philadelphia and one of the reasons he has never pursued another job. Met him when I was young and he was a nobody. Same guy today. Definitely someone you can root for and loves Philadelphia basketball.
Gang Green, always enjoy reading your perspectives. I fully agree on the local news indicator.

Nitpicking, but Jay Wright is a Churchville, PA guy, in Bucks County, which makes him a Philly guy! Just had to get in a plug for his hometown and mine. Played baseball against Jay for many years and he was a little different than he is now. Gotta love the humble way in which he handles questions, but he was pretty brash as an athlete as a youth. He was good and he knew it. In fact, some of us liked his dad, Jerry, a lot better. Jerry was like Jay is now, easy to talk to and a regular guy.
 
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