Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

Category: College Sports

  • Joe Walsh, Hall of Fame football coach and longtime West Chester teacher, has died at 75

    Joe Walsh, Hall of Fame football coach and longtime West Chester teacher, has died at 75

    Joe Walsh, 75, of West Chester, member of four athletic Halls of Fame, longtime high school and college football coach, retired health and physical education teacher at West Chester Henderson High School, mentor, and neighbor extraordinaire, died Tuesday, Jan. 27, of cancer at his home.

    Mr. Walsh grew up in the Farmbrook section of Levittown, Bucks County, and played football at the old Woodrow Wilson High School and what is now West Chester University. He got a job as a health and physical education teacher and assistant football coach at Henderson in 1972 and spent the next five decades coaching thousands of high school and college athletes, teaching thousands of high school students, and mentoring hundreds of friends and colleagues.

    He coached football, wrestling, lacrosse, and tennis at Henderson, and his football teams at Henderson and Sun Valley High School combined to win four league championships. He coached in 13 all-star football games and was named the Chester County area football coach of the year four times, the Ches-Mont League coach of the year three times, and the Del-Val League coach of the year once.

    In 1992, an Inquirer reporter asked him to describe himself. “I am an easygoing, volatile kind of coach,” he said with a big chuckle, the reporter wrote. “Actually,” he said, “I think I’m a player’s coach. I think my rapport with my players is my strong point.”

    Mr. Walsh (center) had many occasions to celebrate with family and friends on the football field.

    Former colleagues, players, and friends said in online tributes that Mr. Walsh was “an inspiration,” “a great coach,” and “a positive example for many, many young people.” On Threads, his brother, Russ, called him a “Hall of Fame human being.”

    “He was always there,” said John Lunardi, assistant principal at Henderson, who played quarterback for Mr. Walsh and served later as his assistant coach, “a steady, reliable role model, somebody who could be counted on no matter what.”

    In 20 years as head football coach at Henderson, from 1992 to 2011, Mr. Walsh’s teams won 131 games, lost 104, and captured three Ches-Mont League championships. From 1988 to 1991, he went 17-25 as head coach at Sun Valley and won the 1990 Del-Val League championship.

    His 2007 team at Henderson went 12-2, won the Ches-Mont title, and made it to the district championship game. “Our motto,” he told The Inquirer in 2004, “is no excuses, just results.”

    Mr. Walsh and his Henderson football team were featured in The Inquirer’s 1992 preview section.

    He coached the West Chester University defensive linemen as an assistant for seven seasons after leaving Henderson and was inducted into the university’s Killinger Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 2001. He entered the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Ches-Mont League Hall of Fame in 2018.

    In 2025, he was inducted into the Chester County Sports Hall of Fame, and colleagues there noted his “remarkable achievements and contributions to local athletics” in a Facebook tribute. He earned a standing ovation after speaking at the ceremony, and Henderson officials recognized his legacy with a moment of silence at a recent basketball game. They said in a tribute: “Joe Walsh was a Hall of Fame person in every possible way.”

    Mr. Walsh taught health and physical education at Henderson from 1972 to 2008. He organized offseason clinics to encourage all students to join sports teams and told The Inquirer in 1992: “I’ve always tried my best to get as many people out and make it enjoyable for them so they stay out.”

    He served as board president for the Killinger Football Foundation and cofounded W & W Option Football Camps LLC in 2001. “It wasn’t about the wins and losses for him,” said his wife, Pam. “It was all about the kids, and he was that way in all aspects of his life.”

    Mr. Walsh and his wife, Pam, had many adventures together and spent countless afternoons at football games.

    Joseph Richard Walsh was born Feb. 5, 1950, in Philadelphia. He lettered in football, wrestling, and track in high school, and graduated from Wilson in 1968.

    He earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education at West Chester in 1972 and played center on its two-time championship football team.

    He married Sharon Clark, and they had a son, Joe, and a daughter, Kelly. After a divorce, he married Pam Connor in 1978, and they had a daughter, Jen, and lived in Downingtown and then West Whiteland Township since 1985.

    Mr. Walsh enjoyed all kinds of fishing and golf. In 2023, he and his wife visited half a dozen college football stadiums on a wild cross-country road trip to Yellowstone National Park.

    Mr. Walsh enjoyed time with his children.

    They entertained often at home, and his gourmet soups were usually the hit of the party. He doted on his children and grandchildren, and never lost his sense of humor, they said.

    He was the best neighbor ever, friends said. He cleared miles of sidewalks and driveways with his snowblower every winter, hosted late-into-the-night firepit parties every summer, and could fix practically anything.

    Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer

    “He was gentle but strong,” his wife said. “He was kind and considerate, and he never badmouthed anybody. He truly was a great man.”

    In addition to his wife, children, brother, and former wife, Mr. Walsh is survived by seven grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, sisters Eileen and Ruth, and other relatives.

    Mr. Walsh rarely let the big ones get away.

    Visitation with the family is to be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, and from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 6, at DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home, 410 N. Church St., West Chester, Pa. 19380. A celebration of his life is to follow Friday at 10:30.

    Donations in his name may be made to the Joe Walsh Scholarship Fund, c/o the Athletic Department, West Chester Henderson High School, 400 Montgomery Ave., West Chester, Pa. 19380.

  • Penn lost significant talent to NCAA transfer portal, including this offensive trio

    Penn lost significant talent to NCAA transfer portal, including this offensive trio

    After Penn’s disappointing 6-4 finish in football, which resulted in the departure of longtime coach Ray Priore, the program saw several upperclassmen enter the transfer portal as they ran out of Ivy League eligibility.

    Some of those players moved on to bigger programs. As of now, seven former Quakers are committed to other schools.

    Headlining those transfers is a trio on offense: quarterback Liam O’Brien and wide receivers Jared Richardson and Bisi Owens.

    New coach Rick Santos looks to restore Penn football’s ‘championship standard’

    O’Brien is heading to Cincinnati, Richardson looks to make an impact at Duke, and Owens will join Purdue.

    “Having an opportunity at Penn to showcase what I could do and that translating into an opportunity like this,” O’Brien said, “I mean, the way college football is nowadays — it’s pretty much like the minor leagues to the pros. It’s almost like a childhood dream.”

    Meet the family

    The trio grew close in the summer after their freshman season at Penn but had to wait much longer before taking the field together.

    Richardson and Owens excelled during their sophomore year, while O’Brien battled injuries and served as a backup to Aidan Sayin. O’Brien didn’t get his opportunity on the field until his junior year, when Sayin suffered a season-ending elbow injury against Yale in 2024.

    “Penn is not a football-first school,” O’Brien said. “But you can make it one. The one thing Penn does is it provides you [with] opportunities to succeed in whatever you do, and both on and off the field. All of us have really taken advantage of that for good.”

    In 2024, Liam O’Brien broke Penn’s record for passing touchdowns and total touchdowns in a game.

    In his second start, O’Brien broke Penn’s record for passing touchdowns (six) and total touchdowns in a game (seven).

    After a full offseason, O’Brien, Richardson, and Owens powered the Quakers offense in 2025, finishing third in the Ivy League in passing yards per game and second in offensive efficiency.

    Wide receiver Jared Richardson is a second-team FCS All-American

    Richardson and Owens combined for the most yards (1,729) and touchdowns (17) among Ivy League wide receiver duos. Richardson ranked 13th in receiving yards (1,033), first in receptions per game (eight), and fourth in total receiving touchdowns (12) across all of the Football Championship Subdivision.

    “We came in together,” Richardson said. “We worked our tails off. All of us being successful, it’s nothing short of special. It’s a blessing for each and all of us.”

    New opportunity

    O’Brien is already on Cincinnati’s campus, preparing for spring ball. He’ll be competing for the starting job as the Bearcats also brought in quarterback JC French from Georgia Southern.

    “The quarterback room is seeing a big change-up,” O’Brien said. “They lost their starter last year, lost their backup from last year. So they brought me in and brought in the quarterback from Georgia Southern. Right now, it’s an open job, and may the best man win.”

    For Richardson, a quick exploration of Duke’s campus made him eager to cancel his other planned visits. He hopes to carve out a role for himself on a star-studded team that won an ACC championship this past season.

    He also still has dreams of playing in the NFL.

    Next season, Jared Richardson will play for Duke, which won the ACC Championship in 2025.

    “It’s not going to be easy,” Richardson said. “I’m embracing that. I don’t want it to be easy. I want to leave a legacy. That’s my goal behind playing football. I want to provide my family with a life that they never got to have. So that’s what drives me. I’m not afraid of working hard, sweating a little bit. I just embrace the grind.”

    For Owens, the chance to lead a young Purdue receiving corps was too good an opportunity to pass up. Plus, he wanted to make the leap to the Big 10.

    “Getting to play in front of at least 60,000 people every week,” Owens said, “it’s a lot different than playing at Franklin Field, which gets 7,000 on a good day. It’s been a complete whirlwind the past couple of weeks, but all trending in the right direction, and definitely more excited than worried or nervous, because this is another challenge for me to take on.”

    Goodbye, Penn

    The three will be leaving Penn with Ivy League degrees, but according to them, the most valuable part of their experience in West Philadelphia was the relationships they formed.

    “These Penn brothers are ones I will have for a lifetime,” Owens said. “I’m never going to forget that. So at the end of the day, Penn will always be my home.”

    O’Brien and Richardson echoed that statement and emphasized how special their bond is.

    “Building a relationship with these guys, it was awesome these past four years,” Richardson said. “It was a pleasure playing with Bisi and Liam, and these guys are my best friends. So I can’t wait to see what they do. I’ll be in their corner rooting for them.”

    “It’s going to be fun to keep in touch with everyone after and throughout this year,” O’Brien added. “After this year, and after the fall season, and just compare experiences. See what it was like. See who does what at the next level. Because I think some of the guys are going to do big things.”

  • After a journey from Division II to the CFP title game, Levittown’s David Blay sets his sights on the NFL

    After a journey from Division II to the CFP title game, Levittown’s David Blay sets his sights on the NFL

    FRISCO, Texas — Four days after a heartbreaking College Football Playoff national championship game loss, Levittown native David Blay was back in football pads.

    Last week, Blay, whose five-year career spanned three schools and two levels of college football, practiced against some of the other draft-eligible prospects at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

    His college career began locally at Division II West Chester, where he spent two years, then spanned two years at Louisiana Tech before he finished this past season with national runner-up Miami. Blay, a defensive lineman, played 22 snaps against Indiana in the College Football Playoff title game and finished with one tackle in the 27-21 loss.

    Blay, a graduate of Harry S. Truman High School, gained a unique perspective in all three stops along the way, which included two years (his first at West Chester and first at Louisiana Tech) when he didn’t see the field much.

    Forged in Philly, Southern Cal linebacker Eric Gentry breaks the mold at East-West Shrine Bowl workouts

    “For West Chester, time management, the process of doing things at certain times [at] the correct time, and doing the correct things,” Blay said about what he learned.

    “And then for [Louisiana] Tech, they taught me the brotherhood aspect, because when I transferred into Louisiana Tech, about six or seven defensive linemen alone transferred in there at the same time. So it was like everybody had the same vision, the same goal. So it was easy to play against somebody I can call my brother.

    “[With Miami], having camaraderie with the team wasn’t that hard. They’re outgoing guys, so bringing me in wasn’t that hard. Me, I’m more of — I guess you could say a quiet guy.”

    Miami and David Blay (11, at rear left) got past Jeremiah Smith (4) and Ohio State in the CFP quarterfinals on their way to an appearance in the title game.

    At Miami, snaps weren’t easy to come by for Blay, with potential first-round NFL draft picks Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor manning the edge rusher positions and Ahmad Moten and Justin Scott starting in the interior.

    Blay was on the field with Miami’s defense on 412 plays, according to Pro Football Focus. He played 443 defensive snaps in one fewer game in 2024 for Louisiana Tech.

    But Blay, who amassed 95 tackles (23½ for losses) and 11½ sacks in four seasons at Louisiana Tech and West Chester, carved out a consistent rotational role on Miami’s D-line during a playoff run that Blay “will remember for the rest of my life.”

    The 6-foot-2 and 302-pound lineman credits his discipline for refining his skills, which helped get him on the field at the Power Four level.

    “In terms of getting on the field and playing, I just really had to be real technically sound,” said Blay, who had 28 tackles (2½ for losses) in 13 games with Miami. “Like I feel as if going to Miami, the big thing there was [to be] technical, technical, technical. That’s the difference between the levels in my head.”

    Blay was joined by Indiana safety Louis Moore and Miami linebacker Wesley Bissainthe as players who appeared in the national championship game and also practiced at least one day at the Shrine Bowl. Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski also traveled to Frisco to interview with NFL teams but did not practice.

    Throughout his practice sessions at the Shrine Bowl, which wrapped up with the game on Tuesday night — the West won, 21-17, on a touchdown with 6 seconds left — Blay showed his strength capable of pushing the pocket as a pass rusher and standing his ground as a run defender against double-team blocks.

    “I give those guys a lot of credit,” Shrine Bowl director Eric Galko said. “And Wesley [Bissainthe] and David [Blay] are coming in like everyone else, they’re banged up, but they just played 16 games, right? Not 12, like other guys have.

    “And David’s done great, in the practice he had and in the interviews he has had, too. … I think David showed a lot of character — especially with the way the season ended, not on a victory, but on a loss — and he still said, ‘You know what? Now I’m on [to] the NFL.’ And to be focused here, I give the guy a lot of credit.”

    Downingtown’s Drew Shelton prepares for draft in Texas, joining an academy of sorts for NFL offensive linemen

    Added Blay: “Just the aspect that we’re getting better every day [motivates me]. You’re never at your best; in a sense you can always get better. And I also say to my mom, I’m trying to get her to understand the aspects of the game and how it could change your life.”

    Blay played his high school and the beginning of his college career about 30 miles from Lincoln Financial Field. An opportunity to play for his hometown Eagles would be “a dream scenario.”

    “Being around the crib, I could go work out, go practice, go do my job, and then essentially come home to the people I’ve seen my whole entire life,” Blay said.

  • St. Joe’s women get it done down the stretch to beat La Salle, 69-65

    St. Joe’s women get it done down the stretch to beat La Salle, 69-65

    St. Joseph’s built a 10-point lead with less than six minutes to play in an Atlantic 10 women’s game against La Salle on Wednesday night at John E. Glaser Arena.

    Then the Hawks offense went silent and La Salle began to mount a comeback. An and-one layup plus a pair of free throws from Explorers guard Aryss Macktoon made it a four-point game with less than two minutes remaining.

    But St. Joe’s (14-6, 5-4 A-10) warded off a La Salle comeback to earn a 69-65 victory. The Hawks outscored the Explorers by 26-3 in bench points and shot 44.8% from the field.

    “I think what you saw was a game of runs,” St. Joe’s coach Cindy Griffin said. “There was a lot of great offense out there. Not a whole lot of defense at times. But I was really pleased with how we came out in the second half, especially in the third quarter. We got a little space and we were able to make plays down the stretch.”

    Statistical leaders

    St. Joe’s had a balanced scoring effort with seven players scoring at least seven points. Guard Gabby Casey led the way with 14 points, with 10 coming in the second half. Emily Knouse added 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting in three-pointers. Forward Cecilia Kay had a team-high seven rebounds.

    La Salle guard Joan Quinn finished with a game-high 18 points against St. Joe’s on Wednesday.

    Guard Joan Quinn made 4 of 7 three-pointers and scored a game-high 18 points for La Salle (11-10, 4-6). Forward Kiara Williams contributed 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting and six rebounds. Macktoon, the Explorers’ leading scorer, was well guarded but managed 11 points and seven rebounds.

    Stinson comes up clutch

    After Macktoon’s and-one layup to cut St. Joe’s lead to four points, the Hawks were in desperate need of a basket to stunt the Explorers’ momentum. They turned to a player who was quiet offensively all game.

    Forward Faith Stinson did not score for the first 38 minutes but scored her first points when it mattered most. She got free on a cut and guard Rhian Stokes (11 points) delivered a perfect pass that Stinson converted to halt La Salle’s run.

    After its Big Three moved on, St. Joe’s women’s basketball leadership has a decidedly Philly flair

    The basket gave St. Joe’s breathing room.

    “You saw a senior post who had been there, done that,” Griffin said. “She came up big in the first game [against La Salle], and at the end of the day, we went to her, we found her. Rhian found her in the first game and I think that kind of sealed the game and it was just the same situation today.”

    Big second half

    The Hawks built a 24-17 lead with back-to-back three-pointers from Knouse, a freshman. However, the Explorers did not stay down long, thanks to Williams. She made two straight jumpers to cap an 11-2 run, which gave La Salle a two-point lead. The teams traded baskets to enter halftime tied at 32.

    St. Joe’s forward Cecilia Kay (32) battles La Salle forward Kiara Williams for a rebound.

    St. Joe’s jumped out to a 38-34 lead to open the third frame and never allowed La Salle to retake the lead. That lead ballooned to 10 halfway through the fourth quarter, and the Hawks’ strong second half helped them prevail.

    “I think we came out and it didn’t really go our way, but then we showed up in the second half with our grit, our toughness and staying composed and staying together to really come out and take a force in the first three minutes of the second half,” Casey said. “I think that was just really great, and that gave us momentum throughout the game.”

    Up next

    St. Joe’s returns home to take on Davidson (15-7, 7-2) on Sunday (1 p.m., ESPN+), while La Salle will travel to face Duquesne (7-14, 0-10) on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+).

  • Temple falls in overtime to Charlotte in critical American Conference matchup

    Temple falls in overtime to Charlotte in critical American Conference matchup

    Temple had a chance to break its tie for second place in the American Conference on Wednesday night against Charlotte. The Owls trailed once in the second half and at one point held an eight-point lead.

    It wasn’t enough, however, as the 49ers stormed back to hand Temple an 80-76 overtime loss at the Liacouras Center.

    The Owls (13-8, 5-3) were within striking distance with 17 seconds remaining in overtime. Then Charlotte guard Dezayne Mingo drilled a three-pointer that pushed the 49ers (12-9, 6-2) lead to five and squandered the Owls’ comeback hopes as they missed their final four shots.

    Temple coach Adam Fisher reacts to an official’s call against Charlotte on Wednesday.

    “We won the first half, but the second half, we had a couple lapses,” said Temple coach Adam Fisher. “This is a team we knew [to] try to keep them in the 60s. Great credit to Charlotte. There’s a reason they’re 6-2 [and] towards the top of the league.”

    Statistical leaders

    Guard Derrian Ford led Temple with 21 points, while guard Jordan Mason added 20.

    Charlotte center Anton Bonke stole the show with a career-high 25 points, breaking his previous high of 20, which he set against Temple on Dec. 30. Mingo also had 19 points off the bench while dishing out 10 assists.

    Temple won back-to-back games on the road, but tougher tests are coming

    What we saw

    Mason took charge of the Owls’ offense, and 14 of their first-half points were three-pointers.

    Temple’s defense had to deal with the 49ers’ size and height advantage. When Bonke attacked the paint, the Owls found themselves in foul trouble. They finished with 20 personal fouls.

    “Good job getting into some pick-and-roll spaces and they throw it up to him, and he’s huge,” Fisher said. “Great credit to him. He had 20 against us out there last time, when we won, we knew ‘Hey, they can’t make threes.’ When Harrison scores double figures, I think they’ve won every game. So they got a lot of weapons.”

    However, Temple did limit the American’s third-best team in shooting to make 9 of 24 attempts in the first half, going 4 of 9 in three-pointers. Charlotte shot 53.8% in the second, but went 3-for-12 in three-pointers.

    Temple kept up with Charlotte and trailed once in the second half and took an eight-point lead with under seven minutes remaining. But that advantage didn’t last.

    Game-changing play

    Temple had possession with 30 seconds remaining in regulation, leading 68-66, with a chance to put the game to rest. Guard Masiah Gilyard snagged a steal and it seemed like Temple would secure a victory.

    Gilyard attempted a dagger three-pointer, but it went off the mark and after a scramble for the loose ball, it got into the hands of Mingo. He found guard Damoni Harrison, who converted a layup to send the game to overtime.

    “It looked like almost a broken play,” Fisher said.

    Temple never recovered, as it went 1-for-6 from the field in the extra period.

    Up next

    Temple will host South Florida (13-7, 5-2) on Saturday (8 p.m. ESPN+).

  • Will Villanova end its NCAA Tournament drought? Here’s what the numbers — and Joe Lunardi — say.

    Will Villanova end its NCAA Tournament drought? Here’s what the numbers — and Joe Lunardi — say.

    Sunday is the first day of February, which means March is right around the corner, which means it is officially no longer too early to think about the NCAA Tournament.

    Villanova is 20 games through its 31-game schedule, and nine games through its 20-game Big East slate. The Wildcats, who host Providence on campus Friday night, are 15-5 overall and 6-3 in their conference matchups in the first season of the Kevin Willard era.

    School administration moved on from Kyle Neptune last March after a third consecutive season ended without an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Villanova officials believe the school should field a basketball team that perennially is in the at-large bid conversation, and three consecutive seasons without meaningful basketball was not acceptable.

    Right now, it’s hard to believe the drought could stretch to four.

    Villanova coach Kevin Willard is on pace to get the Wildcats back to the tourney.

    The Wildcats aren’t yet a lock, but it’s looking pretty safe for their fans to preemptively look into taking a PTO day or two for the third week of March.

    What are the numbers saying? We went to ESPN’s bracket guru himself, Joe Lunardi, for some help.

    ‘A very long leash’

    Saturday’s loss to No. 2 UConn in Hartford, Conn., was an “insurance policy” kind of game, Lunardi said. Villanova declined coverage. The Wildcats let an upset opportunity slip away in an overtime loss, but the result, Lunardi said, was a “wash.” Villanova was a double-digit underdog and lost by eight.

    “It didn’t hurt, and it didn’t help,” said Lunardi, who had the Wildcats as a No. 7 seed in his latest bracket projection released Tuesday morning.

    The metrics support that notion. Villanova barely budged in the NCAA’s NET rankings, where it was ranked 34th as of Wednesday afternoon, and at KenPom (27).

    What has to happen to stay on the right path?

    “All they really need to do is win games they’re favored, and they can even afford to lose [a few] of those,” Lunardi said. “If they go 6-5, they’re going to make it.”

    That’s some leeway.

    “That’s a very long leash given the fact that, frankly, the league is good but not great,” Lunardi said.

    Guard Acaden Lewis is among those who could land the Wildcats back in the dance.

    As things stand right now, Villanova likely would be favored in at least eight of its final 11 contests. Take care of six or seven of those, and there’s no need for a marquee win over UConn or St. John’s.

    While 6-5 the rest of the way probably would be a disappointment, Lunardi projects that a final record of 21-10 gets Villanova “at worst” a No. 10 seed. The Wildcats’ ceiling, meanwhile, is “probably a five,” Lunardi said.

    So, don’t count on the NCAA rewarding the Wildcats with a “home” game at Xfinity Mobile Arena to start the tournament.

    Villanova freshman Acaden Lewis is often praised for using his ‘off’ right hand. He’s actually right-handed.

    No signature win, no problem?

    Asked to put the resumé in perspective, Lunardi said: “I would describe it as a resumé of a regular good Jay Wright team, meaning a mid-single-digit seed, not a Final Four team. Everything has to go right to make the second weekend.”

    That’s probably a result any rational person in ’Nova Nation would have signed up for nine months ago.

    It also seems pretty accurate. Villanova is 15-5 because it mostly has taken care of business against teams it is supposed to beat. The nonconference schedule started with a loss to nationally ranked BYU, but then came seven consecutive games against teams well outside the KenPom top 100, including three dominant Big 5 wins.

    The Wildcats were then blown out by Michigan before traveling to Wisconsin to beat the Badgers in overtime, which was followed up with a road victory over Seton Hall to begin conference play. At the time, those were pretty good wins. Only the Wisconsin game has aged well.

    As of Tuesday morning, Seton Hall was Lunardi’s first team outside the field of 68 after a four-game losing streak.

    Forward Matt Hodge and guard Tyler Perkins have Villanova in good shape despite a near-miss against UConn on Saturday.

    It is a Villanova resumé without a signature win, and it might not need one. Why?

    “They don’t have the dreaded bad loss,” Lunardi said.

    Last year’s resumé had losses to Columbia, St. Joseph’s, and a down Virginia team. The year before featured losses to St. Joe’s, Penn, and Drexel. This year’s biggest blip currently is against a Creighton team that still is on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

    Show me the math

    Lunardi says his projections are pretty conservative and include some emphasis on past similar resumés. Right now, Villanova has more than an 80% chance of making the NCAA Tournament, according to Lunardi’s projections.

    On the more extreme side, the TourneyCast projections at Bart Torvik’s analytics site have Villanova at 96% to make the dance. Torvik’s numbers are based on thousands of simulations playing out the rest of the season.

    ‘We should have won’: Upset bid slips away from Villanova in overtime loss to No. 2 UConn

    “It’s too early to make anybody a lock,” Lunardi said.

    But it’s getting closer to that time.

    If there was anything to worry about right now for Villanova fans, it should be health. The Wildcats are a key injury or two — even minor ailments — from scrambling a bit. They don’t have a reliable backup center, for example. Their depth has taken a hit elsewhere, too.

    But those worries are hypothetical. Then again, all of this is.

    What about the rest of the Big 5?

    Villanova is the only one of the six Big 5 schools with an at-large path to the men’s NCAA Tournament. The others would need to win their respective conference tournaments. Of the bunch, only Temple (5-2) and St. Joe’s (5-3) entered Wednesday with a winning conference record.

    Villanova celebrates after a win over Xavier on Jan. 8.

    On the women’s side

    Similar story. Villanova (16-5, 9-3) was projected as a No. 10 seed on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble with an at-large bid in the latest ESPN women’s bracketology. No other team has an at-large path, and only Drexel (4-3) had a winning conference record entering Wednesday.

  • Diane Richardson is an advocate for the WNBA. She says Unrivaled will get Philly ready for its franchise.

    Diane Richardson is an advocate for the WNBA. She says Unrivaled will get Philly ready for its franchise.

    Temple coach Diane Richardson is not from Philadelphia. She spent much of her life in the Maryland and Washington region, which included several coaching stints in the area.

    When Richardson was hired at Temple in 2022, she got a taste of what the Big 5 — and sports in general — mean to the city. But seeing how Philly responded to the women’s side of the Big 5 intrigued Richardson. It made her want to grow women’s basketball even more.

    Richardson has become an advocate for professional women’s basketball and hopes to bring more eyes to the game, with a WNBA franchise set to come to Philadelphia in 2030. In the meantime, Unrivaled will make its first trip out of the Miami area and play at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday.

    ​“It really sets the tone for what Philly has to come,” Richardson said. “The WNBA is coming here in a few years and to have Unrivaled come here, the first place that they have come to, it really shows the support that’s here for women’s basketball and how Philly’s grabbing ahold of it. So I’m excited about it. I’m really excited about the representation. I’m excited for the young girls in Philly to be able to see that up close and personal.”

    Philly is Unrivaled women’s basketball doubleheader at Xfinity Mobile Arena is sold out

    Basketball was not always Richardson’s calling card. She was named one of the top female executives in the country in 1995, but she left her post as founder and chief operating officer of American Security Corporation to pursue a different passion, mentoring young girls through basketball.

    Part of Richardson’s inspiration to make that change came from former college basketball coach and current color commentator Carolyn Peck. Richardson crossed paths with Peck during a recruiting visit with a player while Peck was at the University of Florida and Richardson was coaching at Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Md. She was enamored by Peck’s drive to help young athletes.

    “I saw the care she had with her student-athletes and how she wanted to project women’s sports,” Richardson said. “I was just amazed and inspired that when you can be in a position like that, you can actually inspire other people. I left corporate America to coach because I saw her example. And I love what I’m doing now.”

    Richardson arrived on North Broad before the 2022 season and quickly got to work, not just with her new program, but with women’s basketball overall.

    Richardson bought into the Big 5 Classic, and when the format changed before the 2024-25 season, she was all for it. The the tripleheader has been held at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion the first two seasons. While Richardson believes the first two iterations have been successful, there is more to be done.

    “I think we could use some more exposure,” Richardson said. “We’re playing at Villanova and the guys are playing downtown [at Xfinity Mobile Arena]. And I think if we put enough money into it, enough marketing into it, and we can market it locally and get a lot of people there.”

    Mayor Cherelle Parker among those celebrating Unrivaled’s tour stop in Philly: ‘This is history in motion’

    Richardson also has her team engage with the community in women’s basketball events. The Owls held a camp with Skilladelphia, a basketball clinic for young girls, and attended a WNBA watch party with Watch Party PHL to see a game that featured Jonquel Jones, Natasha Cloud, and Kahleah Copper.

    Temple attended a WNBA watch party in July at Libertee Grounds.

    A key part of Richardson’s involvement over her four years at Temple has been the involvement of Jones and Copper. Jones, who plays for the New York Liberty, is Richardson’s adopted daughter and makes the trip to Philly whenever she can.

    She acted as a tour guide when the Owls went to the Bahamas in November. Copper, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, is from North Philly and has been a great friend of the program. She attended many practices during Richardson’s first two seasons.

    New York Liberty star Jonquel Jones (second from left), the adopted daughter of Temple women’s college basketball coach Diane Richardson, was courtside to watch the Owls play the Drexel on Dec. 7.

    Having professionals involved with the program has been beneficial for the team. It’s an opportunity to see what basketball can do for them.

    “Coach Rich is really great at networking,” said junior guard Kaylah Turner. “We’ll have little meetings here and there to meet this person and that person she wants us to talk to. She knows that every person has one thing that we can take away from, as far as lessons. We meet a lot of different people, and just watching her, she knows everybody.”

    Richardson brought her whole team to the Unrivaled announcement event on Oct. 2, when the pro three-on-three league announced it would visit the city on Jan. 30. Unrivaled is the next step to growing women’s basketball in the area.

    Richardson hopes a lot comes from Unrivaled, including gaining more women’s basketball fans.

    “I hope that the people who talk bad about women’s sports and the WNBA will see that this is true basketball,” Richardson said. “It’s not just some stuff on the corners. It’s not just AAU or church league. This is real professional basketball, and it should be respected as such.”

    After Unrivaled, the city will have four years to prepare to welcome its WNBA team. The support that has come from Unrivaled is encouraging, and Richardson believes that with continued marketing, Philly will be more than ready for a pro team.

    Temple coach Diane Richardson calls plays against Charlotte on Saturday.

    “With the WNBA coming here … we’re going to be exploding,” Richardson said. “To get Unrivaled sold out in a matter of days, that tells you we are ready for the WNBA. I think if we continue to have programs and events like that, it’ll get there, and I think we’ll have sold-out stadiums when the WNBA gets here.”

    In her short time in the city, Richardson has been at the forefront of the push to grow women’s basketball here. She hopes others will see the beauty in the sport, too.

    Philly has long been a special place for tennis legend Billie Jean King. And she wants to see the WNBA succeed here.

    “If they are a true sports fan, they will love women’s basketball,” Richardson said. “And it’s not just to say that it’s women’s basketball, but if you love sports, you’ll love women’s basketball, because it’s basketball.”

  • Temple won back-to-back games on the road, but tougher tests are coming

    Temple won back-to-back games on the road, but tougher tests are coming

    After consecutive losses, Temple needed to get back in the win column, and it took a road trip to Texas against two teams sitting at the bottom of the American Conference to do so.

    Temple battled with Rice last Wednesday, before winning, 69-65. The University of Texas at San Antonio gave the Owls a similar test on Saturday, but Temple prevailed, 70-64.

    The Owls (13-7) now are 5-2 in conference play and are tied with Tulsa, South Florida, and Charlotte for second place in the American. Florida Atlantic is currently in first place.

    Temple’s two-game homestand against Charlotte on Wednesday and South Florida Saturday will mark a true test for the Owls.

    Let’s evaluate where Temple stands after its road trip.

    Offensive lapses

    Temple’s offense has lacked balance.

    Against UTSA, the Owls made 37% of their first-half shots and didn’t score from the floor until more than three minutes into the game.

    Adam Fisher is fulfilling a dream as Temple’s coach. He hopes to be ‘here for a long time.’

    The second half was the opposite. Temple shot 51.9% from the field to take a 12-point lead, but another field-goal drought allowed the Roadrunners chip away at the Owls’ lead.

    Temple’s core played cohesively during its scoring burst, though. Guards Derrian Ford, Aiden Tobiason, and Jordan Mason recorded double figures in each game. Guard Gavin Griffiths had 12 points against Rice.

    Holding onto the ball

    Before their game against Memphis on Jan. 14, the Owls were among the least turnover-prone teams in the country. However, they had 14 against the Tigers and 15 against FAU, a season high.

    The Owls addressed their turnover issue and recorded six against Rice and nine against UTSA.

    Guard Jordan Mason has been leading the Owls’ offense this season

    A big factor was Mason returning to form. He had four turnovers combined in the past two games, after having as many turnovers (10) as points against Memphis and FAU. The San Antonio, Texas, native also scored 18 points against his hometown Roadrunners and added 15 points and six assists vs. Rice.

    The bench

    Temple’s offense takes a noticeable dip when its bench players hit the floor. The team is averaging 16.7 bench points and had just 19 during their road trip.

    Forward Babatunde Durodola and guard Masiah Gilyard have been the best options off the bench, but aren’t the biggest scoring punch, averaging 4.5 and 4.4 points, respectively.

    Temple’s Masiah Gilyard is averaging 4.4 points off the bench this season.

    With guard AJ Smith out for the remainder of the season because of shoulder surgery, the Owls lack scoring depth on the bench. Guard CJ Hines could have been an option, but he never played a game and was dismissed from the team on Jan. 16 amid a national gambling investigation.

    Wins against Charlotte and South Florida would go a long way if Temple wants a chance at securing the American tournament’s No. 2 seed, which grants a bye to the semifinals in the conference’s new format.

  • Temple showed resilience in historic comeback victory over Charlotte

    Temple showed resilience in historic comeback victory over Charlotte

    Temple’s hopes of beating Charlotte on Saturday seemed lost in the third quarter’s closing seconds. The Owls were trailing by 26 points, and they looked far from the team that had beaten South Florida just four days earlier.

    But something changed. A technical foul against Charlotte guard Princess Anderson with 17 seconds left in the third quarter seemed to be the catalyst of the Owls finding some momentum.

    Temple coach Diane Richardson found a lineup that worked and stuck with it through the final frame as the Owls mounted a furious comeback. They chipped away at the 49ers’ lead and were within one possession in the final three minutes. Temple took its first, and only, lead with three seconds remaining, when guard Tristen Taylor made two free throws to put her team up, 83-82.

    Charlotte’s halfcourt heave at the buzzer fell short, giving Temple (9-10, 3-4 American Conference) a spot in history. The Owls’ 26-point comeback was the largest in program history and tied for third-largest in NCAA women’s basketball history.

    “It showed the resilience we had; it showed we weren’t giving up,” Richardson said. “They just rallied together, not looking at the score, and executed. I’m really proud of them.”

    The Owls also showed resilience in their previous game against South Florida on Jan. 20, when they overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to snap a three-game skid.

    Aside from a much larger deficit vs. Charlotte, Temple looked disengaged on defense and was getting outworked for rebounds. The energy that helped push the Owls past South Florida was nonexistent for 30 minutes on Saturday — until their fourth-quarter lineup took the court.

    Richardson played Taylor, guards Kaylah Turner, Savannah Curry, and forward Saniyah Craig for all 10 minutes and forward Felicia Jacobs for nine minutes. Those five ignited spark the Owls’ comeback.

    Temple women earned a statement win over South Florida. But ‘we’re nowhere near done.’

    Jacobs and Curry came off the bench and made an impact, which Richardson has been wanting to see in conference play. Jacobs recorded three rebounds and was a team-best plus-23 in her minutes, while Curry made two three-pointers.

    “That’s why you saw subs,” Richardson said. “The people on the bench have to fight for minutes and they’ve got to show some kind of impact when they get in there to prove they are worthy of the minutes. They’ve been doing that all week.”

    While Jacobs and Curry made an impact, the comeback was powered by Taylor, who had the best game of her career.

    Taylor was playing well before the fourth quarter. She had 15 points and three assists through 30 minutes, but she took her game to another level in the final 10 minutes.

    Temple’s Tristen Taylor made the game-winning free throw against Charlotte on Saturday.

    Taylor poured in 17 points and made all six of her field-goal attempts, three of which were three-pointers. She also assisted on three of the other four made baskets in the quarter. When Temple needed her most, Taylor stepped up in the final minutes.

    She scored the Owls’ final 10 points and made the biggest play of the game to set herself up for the go-ahead free throws. Turner missed a jump shot, but Taylor soared in for the offensive rebound and was fouled on her putback attempt. Taylor made both free throws to close out Charlotte and finished with a career-high 32 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field.

    Temple, Villanova, and Penn State are among local schools beginning to pay athletes. Here’s how it’s going so far.

    “I think I went 50% from the free-throw line last game,” Taylor said. “I’ve been in the gym shooting free throws a lot this week, and I feel like when I stepped up there, I didn’t have any nerves just from practicing and being confident all week.”

    Despite winning, the Owls failed to play a complete game through four quarters, and it nearly cost them against Charlotte. Next up, Temple has a road test on Wednesday night (8 p.m., ESPN+) against first-place Rice (17-3, 9-0).

    Richardson knows her team can’t wait until the fourth quarter to play.

    “They’re playing really great basketball, but I think we’re playing good basketball right now, too,” Richardson said. “So we’ve got to go in there on their home court, and we’ve got to play Temple basketball from the top to the finish.”

  • Forged in Philly, Southern Cal linebacker Eric Gentry breaks the mold at East-West Shrine Bowl workouts

    Forged in Philly, Southern Cal linebacker Eric Gentry breaks the mold at East-West Shrine Bowl workouts

    FRISCO, Texas — If there were any doubts about whether Eric Gentry belonged in the NFL with size that is often compared to an NBA wing player, he quelled those concerns by the second practice of East-West Shrine Bowl workouts, which are composed of the best draft-eligible players from across the country.

    Gentry, who recently finished his college career at Southern California, sprinted downhill from his linebacker spot during the 11-on-11 period, hit the breaks two yards from the line of scrimmage when the offense ran play-action, and elevated to nearly intercept a Mark Gronowski pass over the middle of the field. The next play looked identical: Gentry flowed toward the line of scrimmage on a play-action pass, sank back a few feet, and elevated to again deflect a pass thrown his direction.

    The Philadelphia native and Neumann Goretti alum used every bit of his 6-foot-6, 221-pound frame and long arms. His height and more than 35-inch arms are in the 99th percentile, while his weight is in the first percentile among linebackers. He’s a unique player who has intrigued nearly every NFL scout and media member during Shrine Bowl practices.

    “We have a lot of value in guys that are really unique, and if their character matches their uniqueness on the field, those guys almost always hit the NFL,” Eric Galko, the Shrine Bowl director, told The Inquirer. “For Eric, we always saw that. He was one of our first invites at linebacker — we had no doubt he’ll play in the NFL. And I think what he’s showing this week in practice is that you can use him in a couple different ways. He can have a huge, huge impact because of how uniquely built he is.”

    Gentry is used to the doubts by now, having experienced the criticism throughout his football career. Most think he’s too tall and too thin to play linebacker. Others question his durability playing such a physical position.

    But through it all, he was focused on proving that the production and versatility he showed in college will follow him to the NFL. In one year at Arizona State and four at USC, he had nine forced fumbles, 26½ tackles for losses, nine sacks, and two interceptions.

    Downingtown’s Drew Shelton prepares for draft in Texas, joining an academy of sorts for NFL offensive linemen

    “I think of just making these [scouts] come get at me, making these teams come get at me — I feel more like I am going to be in the moment and make it all happen,” Gentry said before practices began. “I feel so happy to be able to be out here and do what I’ve got to do. Every 10 years, it’s a new generation of athletes, type of athletes that come around. I know I’m one of them. So every day, just showing it, every day, having that intuition, knowing that can’t nobody tell me no but me. I’m always telling myself, ‘Yes, I can do it.’”

    ‘Always magical’

    Football has been at the forefront for Gentry since he was 5 years old, but the journey to this weekend’s All-Star Game in Texas hasn’t been without its ups and downs.

    Recently, Quan Luck, Gentry’s mother, was going through some old Pop Warner pictures from her son’s early playing days. Many of the players in those pictures with Gentry, she said, are either no longer alive or in prison.

    The adversity that Gentry overcame to follow his dream of making the NFL still resonates with his mother.

    “It’s always magical watching my son, because the things that he’s able to do, most football players are not able to do, but it’s hard,“ she said. ”He just has [faced] a lot of adversity because of his build. … Because of so many coaching changes, he’s had to prove himself over again. But every single coach that he ever played for always spoke very highly of him and stated how he was a unicorn.”

    Southern California linebacker Eric Gentry prepares to rein in Utah running back Sione Vaki on Oct. 21, 2023.

    His mother also noticed how Gentry was “a different character” on the football field over the years. She was a college basketball player at Rutgers-Camden and thought her son might follow in her footsteps on the court.

    But Gentry wanted to be “something that nobody had ever seen” on the football field. Luck said Dwayne Thomas, Gentry’s former high school defensive coordinator, described his playing style as “playing basketball on the football field.”

    Philly’s Eric Gentry caused chaos in the middle of USC’s defense

    “Sometimes it’s like he’s the underdog for whatever reason. I don’t know why, but he just always proves them wrong,” Luck said. “People have so many questions about him. Is he too thin? Will he not make it? Is he too weak? Is he going to get pushed back? And he just proved to them that anything he wants to do, he does his best.

    “You can ask anybody from his team, they will always speak highly of him, that [football] is what he does every day.”

    Before winter storms ravaged most of the country, Luck, Gentry’s father, Eric Sr., and Thomas were set to make the trip to Frisco to watch him compete at the Shrine Bowl.

    Coming full circle

    During his three days of participation in Shrine Bowl practices, Gentry was one of the standouts among all players. He consistently made plays in one-on-one coverage and in pass-rushing reps during the team periods.

    An NFC scout, while watching Gentry, remarked that the Philly native “can be a good one” and would ideally want the linebacker to “get up to 240 pounds.” Another appreciated the “use of those long arms.”

    Eric Gentry (left) during the East-West Shrine Bowl practice on Saturday

    “I think Eric Gentry is kind of a choose-your-own-adventure player, like whatever he does in the draft process, whatever you care about as a team, you’re going to find value in as well,” Galko said. “I always tell NFL teams and guys, when you’re that big and long, you can make mistakes and still win the rep.

    “And I think with a player like Gentry, he can make mistakes and still make that play on the running back in the B-gap, or he can make that mistake and still bat the pass down. I think his length, wingspan, his mental aptitude, can make him a guy that early on in the NFL can contribute before he’s even reached his full potential.”

    One of Gentry’s agents is Chafie Fields, also a Philadelphia native, who has a close connection with his mother. Luck and Fields ran track and field together since they were 5 years old and the former Penn State and NFL wide receiver turned agent works for the Wasserman agency, which represents more than 100 NFL players.

    The journey is coming full circle for Gentry, one that is coming closer to reality in a few short months. Wherever he ends up, Philly will be at the forefront of his identity.

    “To be away and have my journey go on and just hearing people support me from back home — like a mythic legend, in a sense, because nobody sees me anymore — but just hearing everything that’s going on with me,” Gentry said. “My homie texted me not that long ago, actually, and he was like, ‘You don’t [get] on social media a lot, you don’t do a lot, but you don’t realize how much you are motivation to the people in the city.’

    “I never knew the true understanding of it, until you see, you hear people from back home. There’s so many people that know you back home and are talking about you. … I feel so great to be able to put on for the city and tell everybody and show everybody that Philly’s got it.”

    Added his mother: “The city made him. Part of his aggression is because he was raised in the city of Philadelphia. It’s not easy. People don’t understand to make it out of Philly is an accomplishment by itself.”