Phil Martelli Jr. makes his VCU coaching debut in an exhibition against Villanova
The Drexel Hill native is quite familiar with games at the Finneran Pavilion. “I mean, it’s huge to be able to come back here,” Martelli said.
The first thing Virginia Commonwealth coach Phil Martelli Jr. wanted to know when he walked into his postgame news conference Sunday was whether the Eagles won.
“Shoot, our offense looked like [the Eagles] offense for the first how many weeks,” Martelli joked as he sat down to address the media.
Martelli was raised in Drexel Hill, which means Philadelphia is in his blood. He grew up watching his father, coach Phil Martelli Sr., lead St. Joseph’s for 24 seasons. It allowed the younger Martelli to spend countless hours inside Big 5 venues as a child, player, recruiter, and now coach.
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With his father and family in the stands watching, Martelli led the Rams from the sideline for the first time in an exhibition game against Villanova. He is no stranger to the Finneran Pavilion, playing there in PIAA District 1 playoff games with St. Joseph’s Prep and later in college with St. Joe’s.
“I mean, it’s huge to be able to come back here,” Martelli said. “Any time is fun. Honestly, I was hoping to be back here while an NLCS or World Series run [for the Phillies] was going on, but that wasn’t in the cards. Playing here, coaching here, recruiting here, just being here for whatever, it’s special. It’s special to walk into those places.”
Martelli coached Bryant to an NCAA Tournament berth last season. He thanked Villanova coach Kevin Willard, who is also in his first season with a new program, for his willingness to play and host VCU. The Wildcats prevailed, 70-51.
“I really appreciate Kevin, his staff, and everyone here at Villanova for having us,” he said. “We make a lot of these calls to try and get games like this specifically for the regular season, but now with exhibitions, and there’s a lot of people that either don’t respond or come up with a reason not to play. They were very willing to play, and I’m very appreciative of that.”
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Before heading to shootaround on Saturday night, the Rams headed to Martelli’s parents’ house for dinner.
“To be able to do that and share that with the players and share that with my family will always be the ultimate for me,” he said.
With VCU in the Atlantic 10 Conference, the team will face two Big 5 programs: La Salle and St. Joe’s. The Rams will host Martelli’s alma mater and his father’s former program, the Hawks, in conference play on Jan. 19 (3 p.m., CBSSN).
VCU will return to Philadelphia on Feb. 11 to face La Salle (6:30 p.m., ESPN+).