Womhoops Guru’s Philly 6 Tabs Nova’s Dillon And Drexel’s Mallon Co-Coaches of the Year While ‘Nova’s Siegrist Named Top Player

Guru’s Note: As most of you on the local circuit know that traditionally besides the normal Big Five women’s weekly honors and postseason awards, Glenn Papazian at his Phillycollegesports.com site has gone one more in his coverage group to include Drexel, so, hence, though still informal, inherently there has been extra life to the brand Philly 6, a geographical term to cover all the city’s Division I men’s and women’s programs and in sports beyond basketball.

As for the honors weekly and postseason in women’s hoops, yours truly and KYW radio’s Matt Leone have contributed to the women’s balloting featured at Glenn’s site.

This past season Glenn chose to forego the the awards part of that coverage because of the absence of Penn from the competition, a consequence of managing Covid-19 protocols, and the wild stops, starts, last-minute cancellations and inserts involving the seasonal schedules, though things did settle somewhat after the new year.

Though, there was no Penn on the court, the Big Five did conduct balloting for men’s and women’s honors and recently released those results.

As it turned out, after receiving several calls seeking total season closure, not much had to be done to get Drexel inserted.

A call was made last week to Glenn, who gave his blessing and the Guru glanced to a year ago to see exactly what was his descriptive presentation. 

At some point there will be a redesign of this site allowing photographs, etc., in light of some new notoriety recently announced and to be received at the end of the summer.

That said, feel free to address what you may from the material that follows.

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

A year ago in March when the announcements came within 24 hours that Denise Dillon would be returning to her alma mater to succeed the legendary and retiring Harry Perretta at Villanova and that her longtime associate head coach Amy Mallon would succeed her at Drexel, few envisioned how challenging the 2020-21 season would be for everyone.

Yet by the season’s end, both experienced success with Mallon’s Dragons upsetting the top two seeds of the regular season to win Drexel’s second-ever Colonial Athletic Association crown and a place in the NCAA tournament, where they fought the good fight before being ousted by Georgia in San Antonio, Texas.

Villanova, meanwhile, battled in the upper tier of the Big East and upset DePaul in the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Connecticut. 

However, the Wildcats then fought their way to the quarterfinals of the WNIT in a revamped format of the tournament Dillon once won at Drexel, losing to the regular season CAA champion Delaware, which fell to the Dragons in the CAA title game.

Thus, for those performances, it is only fitting that Dillon and Mallon share the Guru’s Philly 6 co-coaches honor.

As for player of the year, in a Philly 6 setting, Drexel’s Hannah Nihill, mounted a challenge, but not enough for Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist to be dislodged from the honor she previously won in the Big Five women’s voting.

Still, the Big Five did not give a defensive player of the year award, but the Guru is doing so over here in the Philly 6 and this time that honor goes to Drexel’s Nihill.

Temple’s Jasha Clinton repeats her Big Five rookie of the year over here while Villanova’s Brianna Herlihy likewise repeats her Most Improved honor in the Philly 6.

Villanova’s Lior Garzon is the Sixth Woman honoree.

Two teams of six allow two top Drexel stars to be inserted in  first and second team positions with Nilhill landing on the Guru’s Philly 6 first team with Siegrist and Villanova teammate Herlihy, Clinton and her Temple teammate Mia Davis, and La Salle’s Claire Jacobs.

Drexel’s Keishana Washington makes the second team joining Saint Joseph’s Kaliah Henderson and the Hawks’ Katie Jekot, along with Villanova’s Sarah Mortensen, La Salle’s Kayla Spruill, and Temple’s Alexa Williamson.

Finally, some honorable mentions go out to Saint Joseph’s Gabby Smalls, the Hawks’ Katie Mayock, Drexel’s Mariah Leonard, Temple’s Asonah Alexander, La Salle’s Kate Hill, and Villanova’s Raven James.

Guru’s Philly 6 Postseason Awards

Co-Coaches of the Year: Denise Dillon (Villanova) and Amy Mallon (Drexel)

Player of the Year: Maddy Siegrist (Villanova)

Rookie of the Year: Jasha Clinton (Temple)

Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Nilhill (Drexel)

Most Improved Player: Brianna Herlihy (Villanova)

Sixth Woman: Lior Garzon (Villanova)

Guru’s All-Philly 6 First Team: Maddy Sigerist,  Brianna Herlihy (Villanova), Hannah Nihill (Drexel), Jasha Clinton, Mia Davis (Temple), Claire Jacobs (La Salle)

Guru’s All-Philly 6 Second Team: Keishana Washington (Drexel), Kaliah Henderson, Katie Jekot (Saint Joseph’s), Sarah Mortensen (Villanova), Kayla Spruill (La Salle), Alexa Williamson (Temple)

Guru’s Philly 6 Honorable Mentions: Gabby Smalls, Katie Mayock (Saint Joseph’s), Raven James (Villanova), Asonah Alexander (Temple), Mariah Leonard (Drexel), Kate Hill (La Salle)

**********

Top 20 Season Scoring Averages Since 1981-82 (Courtesy of Boop-Stats Vetrone)

Player  (School) Season Games Pts Avg.

Dale Hodges (Saint Joseph’s) 1989-90 31-G 855 27.6

Diana Caramanico (Penn) 199-00 28-G 694 24.8

Kristen Brendel (Penn) 1990-91 26-G 631 24.3

Gabriela Marginean (Drexel) 2009-10 31-G 727 23.5

Dale Hodges (Saint Joseph’s) 1988-89 31-G 725 23.4

Gabriela Marginean (Drexel) 2008-09 33-G 769 23.30

Susan Morgan (Saint Joseph’s) 2001-02 32-G 744 23.25

8th Maddy Siegrist (Villanova) 2020-21 24-G 548 22.8

Diana Caramanico (Penn) 1998-99 26-G 590 22.7

Susan Moran (Saint Joseph’s) 2000-01 28-G 633 22.6

Marilyn Stephens (Temple) 1983-84 27-G 606 22.4

Shelly Pennefather (Villanova) 185-86 31-G 685 22.1

Shelly Pennefather (Villanova) 1986-87 31-G 675 21.8

Diana Caramanico (Penn) 2000-01 28-G 607 21.7

Michelle Maslowski (Drexel) 2000-01 29-G 625 21.6

Tanaya Atkinson (Temple) 2017-18 33-G 654 21.1

Jennifer Cole (La Salle) 1991-92 33-G 685 20.8

Diana Caramanico (Penn) 1997-98 26-G 524 20.2

Mandy West (Penn) 1999-00 28-G 559 20.0

Linda Hester (La Salle) 1984-85 29-G 579 20.0