Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia Big 5 has announced its Hall of Fame Class for 2025. Five former student-athletes and one member of the media will be inducted and recognized during the Men's Toyota Big 5 Classic at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday, December 6 and the Women's Big 5 Classic at Villanova's Finneran Pavilion on Sunday, December 7. The inductees are Dionte Christmas (Temple), Dante Cunningham (Villanova), Amy Griffin (La Salle), Sydney Stipanovich (Penn), Carlin Warley (Saint Joseph's) and Joe Juliano (Philadelphia Inquirer).
Amy Griffin, La Salle, 2014-18
Played at La Salle from 2014-18. She was thrice named First Team All-Big 5. The Atlanta native also earned First and Third Team All-Atlantic 10 honors. Griffin finished amongst the top of the leader board in several carer statistical categories, including first in FG made (678), second in blocks (151) , third in points, fourth in defensive rebounds (460), fifth in scoring average (14.9 ppg), eighth in FT made (321), and eighth in steals (187). Her 2016-17 season was arguably the best in program history. Griffin scored 588 points (second all time), converted 239 field goals (second all time), and recorded 54 blocks (third all time) en route to leading the team to its most wins since 1996.
Dionte Christmas, Temple, 2005-09
One of only four players in Temple men's basketball history to score over 2,000 career points, Dionte Christmas is still the only player to lead the Atlantic 10 Conference in scoring for three straight seasons. He is also one of only three Owls to lead his team in scoring for three seasons, joining fellow Big 5 Hall of Famers Mark Macon and Jim Williams. A prolific shooter, he is Temple's all-time three-point field goal leader and is the only Temple player to make 100 threes in a season, doing it twice. He also earned First Team All-Conference and Atlantic 10 Championship MVP honors in 2008 and 2009, and was named First Team All-Philadelphia Big 5 three times. Following his Temple career, he played professionally for nine seasons, including one season with the Phoenix Suns of the NBA.
Dante Cunningham, Villanova, 2005-09
Played on a pair of Elite Eight NCAA Tournament teams and was the top scorer (16.1 points per game) and rebounder (7.5 rebounds per game) on the 2009 team that reached the Final Four … Named BIG EAST Most Improved Player as a senior … Also named to the All-NCAA East Regional Team in Boston … Finished his career with 819 rebounds (13th all-time at VU) and also contributed 1,344 points … Played on teams that were 9-4 (.692) in four NCAA Tournament appearances and 15-1 in Big Five action (.938), earning four City Series titles … Selected first team Big Five as a senior and was the Big Five Rookie of the Year in 2005-06 … Connected on .524 of his career field goal attempts and never shot below .468 in his four seasons … Selected as the No. 33 pick of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and went on to appear in 715 games over the course of 10 NBA seasons before wrapping up his career overseas.
Sydney Stipanovich, Penn, 2013-17
Three-time Ivy League champion (2014, 2016, 2017) … Three-time all-Ivy…Three-time All-Big 5…2015-16 Ivy League Player of the Year and three-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year (first player in Ivy League history to earn both distinctions)... 2017 Second-Team All-Ivy… 2017 Second Team All-Big 5… Became the all-time career blocked shots leader in Ivy League history with 317 career blocks (men or women)… 2015-16 unanimous First-Team All-Ivy… 2015-16 Academic All-Ivy… 2015-16 First Team All-Big 5… Became Penn's all-time blocks leader (262)… Became the 21st player in school history to eclipse 1,000 career points… Five-time Ivy League Player of the Week… 2014-15 Big 5 champion ... 2013-14 Ivy League champion ... 2014-15 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year ... 2014-15 Unanimous first-team All-Ivy ... 2014-15 First-team All-Big 5 ... 2013-14 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and 2013-14 Ivy League Rookie of the Year (first player in Ivy League history to win two Player of the Year awards in the same season) ... 2013-14 Second-team All-Ivy ... 2013-14 Big 5 Rookie of the Year ... Six-time Ivy League Player of the Week and first freshman in Ivy history to win four Ivy Player of the Week awards ... Four-time Big 5 Player of the Week ... Eight-time Ivy League Rookie of the ... Set school record for blocks in a season and in a game ... Set Ivy League record for blocks in a game ... Penn's 2013-14 and 2014-15 Defensive Player of the Year.
Carlin Warley, Saint Joseph's, 1991-95
One of four players in Saint Joseph's history with 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, Carlin Warley was a three-time All-Big 5 honoree. His 1,138 rebounds are third all-time at St. Joe's and his 1,480 points are 22nd. A three-time All-Atlantic 10 member, Warley led the conference in rebounding three times, was in the top-20 of Division I twice and remains sixth on the A-10 career rebound list. Warley started all 114 possible games of his career on Hawk Hill, averaging 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds a contest. His best season came in 1993-94 when he posted career highs with 16.4 points and 11.4 rebounds a game, adding in 2.0 assists per outing.
Joe Juliano, Philadelphia Inquirer
May have covered more Big 5 games on deadline than anyone ever during his nearly 40 years at the Inquirer which included many years on both the La Salle and Villanova beats during glory days for both programs. Covered the 2016 and 2018 Villanova national titles. Also covered Penn State football in the fall and Penn Relays for 44 consecutive years in the spring. Temple alum. Member of US Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame, Class of 2022.
