Jameer Nelson highlights 2017 Big 5 Hall of Fame class

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Former Saint Joseph’s star Jameer Nelson and six others were announced as the newest class to be inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame on Thursday. Nelson, who played from 2000-2004, is the Hawks' all-time leader in points (2,094, averaging 20.6 per game his senior year) and assists (713). The Chester, Pennsylvania native led the Hawks to a 30-2 record (best in school history) and an Elite Eight appearance in 2004.

Joining Nelson as the 2017 inductees are players Randy Foye (Villanova), Lynn Greer (Temple), Carlene Hightower (La Salle), Ibrahim Jaaber (Penn), George Raveling (Villanova), and sportswriter Bill Lyon.

"This is a fabulous group of inductees,” Big 5 executive director Steve Bilsky said in a release. “I, like all fans of college basketball in Philadelphia, look forward to welcoming our 2017 inductees on the floor of the Palestra on April 17."

Foye, who played for the Wildcats from 2002 to 2006, was named Big 5 and Big East Player of the Year his senior season, leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight.

Greer, a Philadelphia native who played for the Owls from 1997 through 2002, earned all-conference and all-district honors, while also being named Big 5 MVP his senior year.

Hightower improved every season for the Explorers, as she increased her points per game output each year. As a senior, she was named the 2008 Big 5 Player of the Year after averaging 17.9 ppg.

Jaaber, the 2007 Big 5 Player of the Year, is considered one of the greatest guards in Penn history. He is on Penn’s all-time lists in scoring (sixth), assists (seventh) and steals (first).

Raveling is 12th in Villanova history in rebounding (835) and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's class of 2015 for his basketball contributions as a coach and executive.

Lyon has been a sportswriter for over 30 years and was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. 

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