Archive: September, 2011
For agreeing to play in the first night game in Dartmouth history on Saturday, the Penn football team will get to fly home after the game courtesy of the host program.
The contest, which is the Ivy League opener for both teams, was originally scheduled to be played at 1 p.m. Normally, Penn would take the bus both ways.
The flight will allow the Quakers to get home at about the same time it would have had the game time not been switched, and the team took the bus back to Philadelphia.
With just under six minutes left to play in his team's 30-21 loss to Villanova on Saturday, Penn coach Al Bagnoli had a decision to make.
Trailing 23-21, the Quakers had a fourth-and-one from their own 42-yard line.
Go for it. or kick the ball away? Bagnoli elected to punt.
Though his team came out with a victory over Penn Satruday night at Franklin Field, Villanova coach Andy Talley said on Monday that the Wildcats still have a long way to go.
'Nova defeated Penn, 30-21, in a game that was closer than the final score would indicate. It gave the Wildcats their first win of the season after three losses.
``We are not a very good football team," Talley said.
With a few swift dribbles, a step back and then a thrust towards the hoop, Tyreke Evans brought down the Palestra with his floating layup late in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s Battle for I-95.
Game organizer Rahim Thompson perched up from his floor seat in front of the scorer’s table and raised his hands to the sold-out crowd. Evans, a Chester native, finished an astonishing 18 points and 18 rebounds. Evans, a guard with wicked handles, grabbed a team-high rebounds despite being just six-foot-six inches.
“It was pretty cool, we’re all out there just playing,” said Evans. “It’s a lockout, got nothing else to do so we just went there and had fun.”
Earlier this week, Mark Tyndale said he had a free ticket through his connection with Phoenix Suns forward Hakim Warrick to Sunday’s Battle For I-95 at the Palestra.
Early in the second quarter of Sunday’s exhibition, Tyndale found himself with his knees bent and arms spread wide as he tried to contain NBA All-Star LeBron James. The former Temple standout received a text message earlier that day from Warrick asking him to join Team Philly.
“I was just happy to be out there with those guys and perform,” said Tyndale.
As a youth, Hakim Warrick spent many afternoons at the basketball gym inside the West Philadelphia Community Center. The dingy net by the window is where the now 6-foot-9 Warrick first attempted to dunk.
On Saturday morning, the Phoenix Suns forward returned to the center at 35th and Haverford Ave and stood in front of a group of area youth to stress the importance of their education. He was joined by Sacramento Kings forward and South Jersey native Jason Thompson.
“If it wasn’t for taking my education seriously, I wouldn’t be where I am,” said Warrick. “…I beat the odds, I know I’m very blessed.”
Nine years ago, LeBron James and St. Vincent-St. Mary's faced Maureece Rice and Strawberry Mansion at the Palestra in a high school game. The sold-out crowd saw the two stars put on a show, but St. V-M easily ran away with the score. In Sunday's Inquirer, we'll take a look back at that night through the eyes of high school scoring legend Maureece Rice.
The game capped off an all-day slate of boys’ basketball action featuring the area’s top-talent, including current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (Penn Charter), Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry (Cardinal Dougherty) and future Penn sharpshooter Mark Zoller (St. Joe’s Prep).
Lowry hung around for the night game and watched alongside future Temple standout Mark Tyndale, who had played earlier in the day with Simon Gratz.
As a high school junior, Kyle Lowry’s Cardinal Dougherty squad was passed up to play LeBron James and St. Vincent-St. Mary in a showcase game at the Palestra. Instead, Dougherty had to settle for a win over Chester while James routed Strawberry Mansion.
On Sunday, Lowry will get that chance. As a part of Team Philly, Lowry will face off against James and the rest of Team Mello in the “Battle for I-95” at the Palestra.
Lowry hasn’t been to the Palestra since his sophomore year at Villanova, when the Wildcats downed St. Joseph’s, 71-58 in February. Lowry jumped to the NBA that June and was selected in the first round by Memphis. He currently plays with Houston.
As reported three weeks ago by The Inquirer, Mt. Airy-native Mike Jones will officially face Sebastian Lujan on December 3 at Madison Square Garden.
The match will be the top bout in the undercard for the Antonio Margarito-Miguel Cotto rematch.
The winner of Jones-Lujan becomes the number one contender for the IBF Welterweight title, which is currently held by Andre Berto. Berto still needs to defend that title against Randall Bailey.
St. John’s recruit Norvel Pelle enrolled at The Phelps School Thursday afternoon, according to a source close to the situation.
The 6-foot-10, 200-pound power forward out of Dominguez High School (Calif.) was a member of the Red Storm’s 2011 recruiting class. However, Pelle and two other incoming freshmen, Amir Garrett and Jakarr Sampson, were ruled academically ineligible for at least the fall semester.
The source said Pelle will spend a year at the boarding school in Malvern and play for its post-graduate team.
