McAdams honored posthumously with his induction into Big 5 hall

When the Big 5 Hall of Fame inductees for the Class of 2006 were announced a few weeks ago, much surprise struck those in the know in this great basketball city.

The surprise - some may say borderline shock - was that legendary announcer John McAdams was being inducted. Certainly not because he didn't belong, but because he wasn't already a member.

Last night at the Palestra, which McAdams lovingly called "college basketball's most historic gym," he was posthumously inducted into the Big Five Hall of Fame, along with former women's players Diana Caramanico, of Penn, and Jen Zenszer, of La Salle.

McAdams, hired as the Big 5 announcer by Dan Baker in 1981, died in his sleep in June 2005 at age 64. If you've seen your share of games at the Palestra, it's almost impossible to walk into the ancient gym and not recall hearing something like, "Pennsylvania basket by No. 12, Matt Maloney." With McAdams, no matter the game, whether at Penn, La Salle, Drexel or Saint Joseph's (and he worked at them all), the call was the same – school, number and name.

"This was the one award he cherished above all others," said Baker, who accepted on McAdams' behalf. "John received some nice accolades. He's in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame, but this was the one he wanted. He told me on a number of occasions that he hoped that he would be considered for this. So I'm glad they're doing this."

McAdams was not exclusively basketball. For years, he announced games for the Wilmington Blue Rocks and the Reading Phillies, along with college and high school football games. You could find him almost anywhere doing a basketball game during the winter months. During an announcing gig at Eastern University almost 10 years ago, he inspired Kevin Casey.

"I was at a basketball game, I think my sophomore year, and John was announcing," said Casey, who took over for McAdams as the La Salle P.A. announcer last season. "Our athletic director gave me John's number and I called him for advice. We talked a lot through the years. He was a real mentor to me. The greatest thing about John was, whenever you were talking to him, he made you feel like you were the most important person to him. Not many people have that wonderful characteristic."

Longtime friend Jack Scheur, who has seen more games at the Palestra than anyone in this city as a member of the Associated Press, said McAdams "was the quintessential announcer. John was always prepared and very meticulous with his work. And more than that, he was a great, great man."

Caramanico, now the girls' head coach at Penn Charter, remains Penn's all-time leading scorer (2,415) among men or women. Her 1,207 rebounds made her one of 101 Division I women's players to eclipse the 2,000-point and 1,000-rebound plateaus.

It was fitting that she and Zenszer were inducted together, as the two played AAU ball together from the time they were 11.

"This is such a big thrill for me, especially going in with Jen," said Caramanico, now married to former Penn player Geoff Owens. "To be included with all the great players, coaches and people of the Big 5 kind of leaves me numb."

Zenszer, now an FBI agent, left La Salle as its 10th all-time leading scorer with 1,290 points. A four-time All-Big 5 member and two-time Verizon Academic All-America, Zenszer burst onto the Big 5 scene when she led her team in points, rebounds and assists during her sophomore season. She led the Explorers to their last Big 5 championship in 1997-98. *