With the college basketball season tipping of locally Friday night, here are the people and things you need to know in the City 6 from A to Z.
A - Achraf Yacoubou - Joins Mouphtaou Yarou on the Villanova roster as another nightmare for writers and broadcasters to spellpronounce (it's Ash-raf Yah coo-boo). More importantly for Jay Wright, he's part of a five-pronged freshman class that will need to contribute in a big way if the Wildcats are going to reach their eighth straight NCAA tournament. Yacoubou has the best shooting stroke on a team hurting for outside shooters. He wears No. 24 - previously worn by Corey Stokes - who was Villanova's best shooter the past four years.
B - Bruiser Flint - The Drexel head coach wears the bull's-eye this season in the ultra-competitive CAA. Following their 21-win season a year ago the Dragons were tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the conference. They were picked ahead of teams like George Mason, Old Dominion, and last spring's national darling VCU. Flint's teams always rebound and defend, but scoring can be a struggle. This is his 11th season in charge at Drexel, and it should be the year he breaks down the door to the NCAA Tournament.
C - Carl Jones - The diminutive St. Joseph's guard has been the best player no one in the city has talked about for the past two seasons. That's the price you pay when your team has lost a combined 42 games the past two seasons. Jones has done his part, particularly on the offensive end. He averaged 17 points last year after scoring almost 10 per game as a freshman. The 5-11 Jones gets to the foul line whenever he wants, but needs to improve his shooting percentages. His production coupled with a maturing sophomore class could signal the beginning of the return to prominence for the Hawks in the Atlantic 10.
D - Dominic Cheek - Came to Villanova two years ago as the headliner of a freshman class that included Maalik Wayns and Mouphtaou Yarou. But Cheek has struggled to live up to those lofty expectations. He can change that this year, his first as a member of Jay Wright's starting lineup. The 6-6 swingman prides himself on defense, but Villanova is going to need him to score on a regular basis. He showed the potential of a big time scorer on Villanova's trip to Europe this summer. Whether that translates to the Big East is a question that will go a long way in Villanova's fortunes.
E - Earl Pettis - Provides much-needed leadership and experience for a young La Salle team. The Neumann-Goretti product is six years removed from high school - he prepped for a year then sat out a season after transferring to La Salle from Rutgers. He averaged just under 10 points last season, and will need to continue that solid production if the Explorers are going to surprise people in the Atlantic 10.
F - Frantz Massenat - A heady, instinctive point guard in the mold of his head coach, Bruiser Flint. Massenat directed the Dragons' offense as a freshman, which is easier said than done at Drexel under Flint. But the coach calls his sophomore floor general one of the best listeners he's ever coached. Massenat is a pass first point guard, he took just over four shots per game last season.
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G - Guards - Like most years in Philadelphia, good ones aren't in short supply. Temple's backcourt of Juan Fernandez and Ramone Moore ranks among the best in the country,and don't forget the Owls' other guards Khalif Wyatt and Scootie Randall (once he recovers from a knee injury). Penn's Zack Rosen will be a big factor in the Ivy League Player of the Year and Big 5 Player of the Year races, while Maalik Wayns is poised to become the next great Villanova guard under Jay Wright. We've already mentioned Jones and Massenat, and La Salle has a pair of good young guards in Tyreek Duren and Sam Mills.
H - Halil Kanacevic - Get used to saying (or trying to say) this name on Hawk Hill. Phil Martelli has been singing the praises of Kanacevic, who sat out last year after transferring from Hofstra. He'll be a sophomore eligibility-wise for Saint Joseph's and should be a contributor right away. He's a big body who can score and rebound. Much to Martelli's liking, he'll provide some toughness on the Hawks' frontline.
I - Inexperience - Could be the downfall of Villanova. Jay Wright does not have one senior in his rotation, instead he'll rely on his three juniors for leadership. Almost as notable as the lack of seniors is the Wildcats' will play just one sophomore - James Bell. It's not difficult to see that the freshman class of Markus Kennedy, JayVaughn Pinkston, Tyrone Johnson, Darrun Hilliard, and Achraf Yacoubou need to grow up in a hurry. Wright hasn't leaned on a freshman class this heavily since Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Curtis Sumpter and Jason Fraser came to the Main Line.
J - Juan Fernandez - A frontrunner for Big 5 Player of the Year honors. The senior guard has won a pair of Atlantic 10 titles and a whole lot of games in his career; including that long-awaited NCAA Tournament win over Penn State last March. The Argentinian came to Temple billed as Pepe Sanchez with a jump shot, and he's lived up to the expectations. But his shooting numbers dipped considerably as a junior. Look for him to put together a stellar senior season and lead the Owls to a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
K - Khalif Wyatt - Last year's Atlantic 10 6th Man of the Year figures to take on an even bigger role for Temple as a junior. Wyatt was instant offense off the bench last season. He averaged 10 points and shot over 42 percent from three-point range. He may not grab the headlines thanks to Fernandez and Ramone Moore, but he will be every bit as important to Temple making a run deep into March.
L - Langston Galloway - One of the best pure shooters in the city, coming off a solid freshman season for Saint Joseph's. He played over 34 minutes per game in his first season on Hawk Hill, and that number shouldn't decrease this season. Galloway is a perfect combination of size, speed and instincts for a guard. He leads a sophomore class that some feel will eventually complete the turnaround for Phil Martelli's program.
M - Maalik Wayns - After waiting in the wings behind Scottie Reynolds then Corey Fisher, Wayns takes the reigns to the Villanova program as a junior. His speed, explosiveness and ability to get to the basket takes a backseat to no one. But it's Wayns' decision making that will be the most crucial to the Wildcats. He's the only experienced ballhandler on the roster. He needs to stay out of foul trouble by avoiding reckless drives to the basket. If he's on the bench, Villanova will struggle running their offense.
N - NCAA Tournament - As in who will get there? For the past four seasons, it's been Villanova and Temple. It says here that both make it again this season with Drexel joining the party as well.
O - Openers - Villanova starts its season Friday against Monmouth at home, a game the Wildcats should win. St. Joseph's travels to Western Kentucky Friday, one year after the Hilltoppers beat the Hawks by 28 in Hagan Arena. La Salle hosts a Lafayette team they handled last season. Temple and Penn square off in a Big 5 match-up to start the season Monday at the Palestra. Drexel opens its season bright and early at 6 a.m. Tuesday at Rider, part of ESPN's 24-hour college hoops marathon.
P - Phil Martelli - Hard to believe this is Martelli's 17th season at St. Joseph's. Equally hard to believe it's been eight years since that magical run to the Elite 8 with Jameer Nelson and Delonte West. Martelli has taken his lumps the past three seasons, but seems to have the pieces to turn things around this season. The Hawks also have the benefit of building off that surprising run to the Atlantic 10 semifinals last March.
Q - Quakers - Penn's 13 wins last season represented a seven-win improvement from the previous year. Expect the win total to continue to increase in Jerome Allen's second full season as head coach. Allen has senior leadership in Zack Rosen and Tyler Bernardini. Sophomore Miles Cartwright should only improve after an outstanding freshman season. The Quakers have the firepower to compete with Harvard, Princeton and company for the Ivy League title.
R - Ramone Moore - He's gotten better every year at Temple. He doubled his scoring average from his sophomore season to junior season, and his senior year has all the makings of a special one. Moore is the prototypical Philadelphia guard, able to get to the basket and score from the perimeter. He compliments Juan Fernandez perfectly in the Owls backcourt, and his leadership and production is one of the biggest reasons Temple is the team to beat in the Big 5.
S - Samme Givens - Drexel's double-double machine averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds as a junior. Givens is a relentless competitor in the paint and on the glass. His game fits perfectly into what Flint preaches - toughness, defense and rebounding. Expect big things from Givens in his final season at Drexel.
T - Tyreek Duren - Coming off an extremely promising freshman season at La Salle. Duren's speed and quickness are his strengths, and his passing isn't bad either. He averaged close to five assists last season. Duren needs to pick up his outside shooting, but along with fellow sophomore Sam Mills offers a reason for optimism for Explorer fans. Duren and Mills could accomplish great things if they stay together in the backcourt for four years.
U - University City Rivalry - One of the best, if not overlooked, rivalries in the city is Drexel and Penn. The two campuses neighbor one another and the basketball is always intense. Sadly this season, we won't get a taste of it. A shame, considering both teams are on the upswing.
V - Villanova Big Men - Jay Wright's decade at Villanova has been marked by terrific guard play. That should continue with Maalik Wayns, but the Wildcats will have a decidedly different look this season. They'll be big. If Wright goes with 6-9 freshman Markus Kennedy along with 6-10 Yarou in the starting lineup, it will be the biggest frontcourt of the Wright Era.
W - Wright - Not Jay, Jerrell of La Salle. Wright was the city's player of the year as a high school senior at Dobbins. Now he'll try to carry that success over to the collegiate level. He'll have every opportunity to do so in a thin Explorers frontcourt. Keep your eye on Wright, who could make as big of impact as any freshman in the city.
X - X-factors - Drexel - a healthy Chris Fouch; La Salle - Sam Mills; Penn - Tyler Bernardini; Saint Joseph's - Ronald Roberts; Temple - a healthy Scootie Randall; Villanova - Dominic Cheek.
Y - Youth - It can be found in abundance at Villanova, St. Joseph's and La Salle. Youngsters are always the wildcards at the college level. Will the highly-touted ones live up to the hype? Will some overlooked newcomers make a big splash? We begin finding out this weekend.
Z - Zack Rosen - If you haven't made it out to watch Rosen in person, make it a point to do so. He's the consummate point guard - tremendous court vision, shoots the ball well, plays great perimeter defense. What the senior wants to do more than anything is win, which he hasn't done much of during his three seasons at Penn. That could change this year. It would be a shame if Rosen leaves campus as the best player never to win a Ivy League title in school history.
E-mail Sean Kane at skane@comcastsportsnet.com