Sean Couturier hasn’t scored a goal since Dec. 7, a long, 27-game drought. He has only five goals and 21 assists this season, and just five points since the New Year, all assists.
He knows the skidding Flyers are looking for him to contribute more offensively.
“Probably gripping the stick at times when I get really good quality chances, I’m not finishing,” Couturier said. “Definitely need to be better and help out this team more offensively, producing goals. I think I’m still making plays out there. I just need more out of myself.”
Couturier hasn’t been scoring much, but he has been generating chances. According to Natural Stat Trick, Couturier’s expected goals for percentage of 57.08% at five-on-five ranks second on the team, behind rookie Denver Barkey. In other words, the Flyers have been outchancing their opponents with Couturier on the ice.
Part of his issue is luck — his shooting percentage sits at just 5.9%, down from 9.7% last year and well below his career average of 10.7% entering this season. The Flyers have generated 52% of the scoring chances with Couturier on the ice, but have been outscored by 32-28. Coach Rick Tocchet also pointed to Couturier’s movement as part of the reason for his struggles.
“I think with Coots, when he gets it in the offensive zone, especially behind the net, he doesn’t move his feet,” Tocchet said. “… When you move your feet, options open, when you stand still, options close, and that’s really what it comes down to. I think he has a habit of staring his option down. He doesn’t move his feet, and that’s habits.”
Tocchet and Couturier had a long conversation on the ice before practice Monday, and Couturier spent the practice working to implement those changes.
Over the last two games, Tocchet has moved the Flyers captain back down to the fourth line in order to test out Trevor Zegras at center. Moving Couturier down ultimately helped permanently sour his relationship with former coach John Tortorella, but Couturier said his communication with Tocchet has been positive. The two have had a number of conversations about his role and how he can best help the team.
“He’ll get his minutes,” Tocchet said. “I’ve just got to move him around.”
That includes using him on the penalty kill and for key late-game faceoff situations. Against Los Angeles on Saturday, Couturier started the game with Garnet Hathaway and Nic Deslauriers, but in the third was moved up to play shifts on Owen Tippett’s line and Travis Konecny’s line. Couturier ended up with 16 minutes, 29 seconds of ice time, fourth among Flyers forwards.
Flyers center Sean Couturier has played with Garnet Hathaway and Nic Deslauriers the last two games.
For his part, Couturier has been embracing the change as an opportunity to refocus on the fundamentals and get his offensive touch back.
“Getting back to the basics, it’s not a bad thing,” Couturier said. “Playing with [Hathaway] and [Deslauriers], they’re pretty hardworking guys that are structured, and they play hard and win battles. So I try to use that to my advantage and simplify my game.”
Breakaways
Konecny and Sam Ersson were the only Flyers missing from Monday’s skate. Konecny took a maintenance day, while there’s an “outside chance” Ersson could return before the Olympic break. Tocchet said the injury was “not super serious.” … Fellow goalie Aleksei Kolosov was recalled from the AHL. … Konecny was named the NHL’s third star of the week behind Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jared McCann.
Muhammad Ali plays with his 3-year-old daughter Maryum at his home in Cherry Hill, N.J., on Monday, June 14, 1971.
Sitting on 1.5 acres, the six-bedroom, five-bathroom estate features a kitchen with a large center island and custom cabinetry, a sun-filled greenhouse room, a spacious living area, and an in-ground pool and hot tub, with adjacent basketball and tennis courts. On the lower level of the home is a personal gym and a 12-foot wet bar.
Muhammad Ali, who was defeated by heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, leans back in a reclining chair in his new home in Cherry Hill, N.J., March 10, 1971, as he answered Frazier’s promise to fight Ali again. “Good, we got a rematch, maybe in seven months, might be sooner,” Ali said.
The Champion bought the home for $103,000 in 1971. He moved to Chicago a few years later, according to the New York Times, after his friend, Camden power broker Major Coxson, was shot and killed in his home down the road from Ali’s. A major franchisee of local McDonald’s bought the home from Ali for $175,000.
The backyard and pool area of 1121 Winding Dr. in Cherry Hill, the former home of prizefighter Muhammad Ali from 1970 to 1973. It’s now up for sale for $1.9 million in 2026.
The current owners, who purchased the Cherry Hill homein 2014, traded in the 1970s decor and design for a modern look, converting Ali’s koi pond intoacenterpiece courtyard and fire pit. However, the home retains Ali’s prayer room, which can be found in the lower level, lined with bookshelves.
The main draw is the ample entertainment spaces, includingthe basement bar.
The downstairs bar area at 1121 Winding Dr. in Cherry Hill, the former home of Muhammad Ali from 1970 to 1973. It’s now up for sale for $1.9 million in 2026.
“There’s a spiral staircase from the main level to downstairs and you walk right into this large bar area, with tables, chairs, and a large TV setup,” Nicholas Alvini of Keller Williams said. “It really is a great entertaining house.”
The kitchen, including a large island, at 1121 Winding Dr. in Cherry Hill, the former home of prizefighter Muhammad Ali from 1970 to 1973. It’s now up for sale for $1.9 million.
In recent years, the home has been used for short-term rentals, and“wild parties” led police to visit the home 97 timesbetween 2018 and 2019, according to an Inquirer report. In response, Cherry Hill township councilalmost adopted a ban on Airbnb rentals before eventually tabling the idea after community members spoke against it.
What will the 76ers do before Thursday’s 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline?
Will Daryl Morey, the president of basketball operations, continue his trend of making a trade even if it’s just to get under the luxury tax threshold? Or will he decide to keep intact the Sixers’ deepest team since the 2018-19 season?
We’ll learn more in the coming days. In the meantime, I’ll answer a few of your mailbag questions.
Missed out on the party? No worries. Submit questions for next time by tweeting @PompeyOnSixers on X with the hashtag #PompeysMailbagFlow.
Q: Can the Sixers void any of Paul George’s guarantees in his contract due to the suspension? — @MyAmbition_3
A: Thanks for starting the mailbag. This is a great question that many people have been asking me. Now, if George had a bonus for games played or point totals, he wouldn’t receive it if the 25-game suspension prevented him from reaching the required numbers. But overall, the Sixers cannot void his contract.
For a contract to be voided, there must be cause. The team could argue that this fits the definition of cause to void a deal, but it would lose.
To void a contract, the infraction would have to be something that impacts a player’s ability to continue his career. For instance, a team can void a contract if a player commits a serious crime and could face jail time. Another example would be if he sustained a career-ending injury away from basketball or training.
Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier was placed on unpaid leave following October’s arrest for his alleged involvement in an illegal sports gambling scheme. However, his contract was never voided. And, on Monday, Rozier won his grievance with the NBA and will be paid his $26.6 million salary for this season.
Sixers forward Paul George is serving a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA anti-drug policy.
Q: Is the George suspension a blessing in disguise as it relates to the Sixers’ cap situation? — @bsmallg1
A: Yes, it has been a blessing in disguise as it relates to the salary cap, especially the luxury tax threshold to avoid being taxed. The 35-year-old will lose $11.7 million during his suspension. As a result, the Sixers will have around $5.8 million in tax variance credit. It leaves the team about $1.2 million above the tax threshold.
If not for the suspension, the Sixers would be $7 million above the allowable threshold. In that instance, the expiring contracts of Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.3 million), and Andre Drummond ($5 million) would have potentially helped them duck the tax.
The problem is, all three are major contributors for a squad that headed into Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Oubre is the starting small forward and has been the team’s X factor. Grimes, a reserve shooting guard, was an early-season candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year. And Drummond, a reserve center, is the Sixers’ leading rebounder.
Now, the Sixers can avoid the tax by making a trade on the margins and avoid parting ways with any of their key rotation players.
In January, Sixers center Joel Embiid averaged 29.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 14 games.
Q: Is Joel Embiid’s recent scoring surge fact or fiction? — @wheat
A: There’s nothing fake about Embiid’s recent scoring surge. I do think the Sixers will always have their fingers crossed that he won’t suffer another injury. And that makes sense considering the 7-foot-2, 280-pound center’s injury history. But his recent stint has been the best stretch of his career since he suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee on Jan. 30, 2024.
Back to playing at an All-NBA level, the 2023 MVP finished with a season-high 40 points along with 11 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. Embiid averaged 29.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 14 games in January. His scoring average for that month ranked fourth in the NBA behind Los Angeles Lakers point guard Luka Dončić (34.0 points per game), Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.7), Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić (31.0), and Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards (30.1). Even that’s misleading because Jokić played only one game.
So it’s hard to say Embiid’s scoring surge is fiction.
Boston Celtics forward Chris Boucher (99) was a solid glue guy for Sixers coach Nick Nurse during their time together with the Toronto Raptors.
Q: What power forward could the Sixers target at the deadline? — @emkahe12
A: Boston Celtics post player Chris Boucher is a player the Sixers are reported to have some “exploratory” interest in, according to a HoopsHype report. A source downplayed the interest in the reserve power forward/center, who has appeared in only nine games this season with the Boston Celtics, averaging just 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.4 minutes.
However, he flourished in the last seven seasons as a reserve glue guy for the Toronto Raptors. Sixers coach Nick Nurse was Raptors coach during Boucher’s first five seasons in Toronto. Nurse was able to get the best out of the undersized post player, who averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 406 games as a Raptor.
Boucher signed a one-year, veteran minimum contract with Boston for $3.2 million, with a cap hit of $2.2 million.
Paul George’s shocking suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy does not necessarily upend the 76ers’ trade deadline approach. But it does change their situation heading into Thursday.
On one hand, the Sixers are now in more need of an immediate boost — particularly at the wing or frontcourt positions — to keep pace in a tightly packed Eastern Conference during George’s 25-game absence. On the other, it has become significantly easier for the Sixers to get under the luxury tax because George’s unpaid suspension will give the team a tax variance credit of nearly $5.9 million.
The Sixers’ roster construction remains top-heavy, with three players on long-term max deals in George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey. But it is always reasonable to expect the team’s president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, to pull off something at the deadline.
Here is a look at the Sixers’ most movable contracts, either to tinker with the roster or hit financial goals.
Kelly Oubre Jr. is averaging 14.2 points this season for the Sixers. It seems highly unlikely that he could be traded.
Expiring contracts
Kelly Oubre Jr.
Salary: $8.4 million
Before the George situation emerged, Oubre’s was viewed as the Sixers’ most tradable contract — especially if the front office was instructed to get under the luxury tax. Now he is vital to the current roster as a tenacious wing defender and offensive player who can slash to the basket — and he has upped his three-point percentage.
Oubre, who earlier this season missed seven weeks with a knee sprain, has been looking more and more like the player who was enjoying the best basketball of his 11-year career before his injury. He is back in the starting lineup and is averaging 14.2 points on nearly 50% shooting from the floor (36.9% from three-point range) along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals. He is also often tasked with a challenging perimeter defensive assignment.
Oubre’s skill set and production this season could have been attractive to win-now teams looking for that always-coveted wing spot. Rebuilding ones might have been enticed by a short-term commitment to Oubre. His name surfaced in trade rumors before the start of training camp, and was percolating in early deadline chatter in recent weeks.
Now it feels like a near certainty that Oubre will remain with the Sixers through the end of the season.
Quentin Grimes
Salary: $8.7 million
This comes with a massive asterisk because Grimes has the power to veto any trade after signing a one-year qualifying offer in October.
Additionally, any trade approved by Grimes would relinquish his’ “Bird” rights, which allow teams to offer their own players a higher salary in free agency. So unless the new destination appears to be an ideal long-term fit, it is unlikely Grimes would sign off on any trade-deadline move and instead enter unrestricted free agency this summer.
Grimes spent chunks of December and January in a rut, shooting 23.1% from three-point range in his last 12 games. Coach Nick Nurse recently said he was considering moving Grimes to the starting lineup in an effort to spark his production, although so far that has not transpired. He is another player who could see increased opportunity in George’s absence.
At his best, Grimes provides scoring punch at all three levels and is a tough perimeter defender. Even with a lesser role than during last season’s tank after arriving in Philly, Grimes should be one of the NBA’s better sixth men and a contender to play in closing lineups.
Sixers guard Quentin Grimes can veto any possible trade.
Andre Drummond
Salary: $5 million
What once looked like a resurgent Drummond season has turned into an odd role for the 14-year veteran. He starts whenever Embiid sits out for injury or load-management reasons, and does not play at all when Embiid is in the lineup. Drummond is averaging 6.8 points and 8.7 rebounds in 37 games with 17 starts this season.
That theoretically makes Drummond expendable — and perhaps the most likely (fringe) rotation player to depart at the deadline.
The Sixers could try to move Drummond to acquire a cheaper traditional center, or to land a player at a different position. That latter option would put a lot of trust in second-year big man Adem Bona to remain the consistent backup and become the spot starter when Embiid rests.
Bona is a high-energy rim protector and lob threat, but he still needs development as a rebounder and offensive player. The Sixers’ other center options would be of the small-ball variety in Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker, assuming both get converted to standard contracts.
Eric Gordon
Salary: $3.6 million
Gordon, on the tail end of a successful career, has played in only six games in his second season as a Sixer. Trading the 37-year-old in a salary-dump move would open up an additional roster spot that could be used to sign Walker or Barlow to a standard NBA contract.
One wrinkle: Gordon is close with rookie standout VJ Edgecombe, who played with Gordon on the Bahamian national team.
Sixers veteran Kyle Lowry paid an emotional visit last month to Toronto, where he won an NBA title.
Kyle Lowry
Salary: $3.6 million
Lowry is in his 20th NBA season. Like Gordon, he is on a veteran minimum contract. It feels less likely that the Sixers would let go of the Philly native and former Villanova star, given his primarily off-the-court role as a respected leader in the locker room and on the bench.
Worth keeping an eye on
Jared McCain
Salary: $4.2 million
Putting McCain on such a list seemed unfathomable early last season, when he was a Rookie of the Year front-runner. And perhaps his breakout shooting week has restabilized him as a contributor to the Sixers’ present and future.
Before that, McCain’s return from knee and thumb surgeries had been an immense struggle. He could not find his shot — making just 36.1% of his attempts from the floor and 33.7% from beyond the arc before going 13-of-20 from deep in his last four games — and had fallen out of the rotation.
Still, last season’s immediate flash, and the expectation that, with time, that rediscovered rhythm continues for extended stretches, still make McCain a valuable young player. He would be the type to be included in a blockbuster trade. But it does not make much sense to give him up in any other scenario, given that the Sixers could lose Grimes in free agency this summer.
Trendon Watford
Salary: $2.5 million (team option for 2026-27)
Watford is another lower-salary player who could be traded to get under the luxury tax. Although his minutes have been inconsistent throughout an injury-riddled start to his first season in Philly, he could become increasingly valuable in George’s absence because of his unique ballhandling and playmaking skills as a point forward. He has a triple-double this season, and totaled four assists in 17 minutes as a reserve small forward in Thursday’s win over New Orleans.
Moving Watford also could be a tricky topic to broach with Maxey, one of Watford’s close friends.
Trendon Watford gives the Sixers a versatile option at forward.
Justin Edwards
Salary: $2 million
Edwards was another feel-good story last season as the local kid who went from going undrafted to earning a standard NBA contract and significant minutes. But although Nurse has reiterated that he still “loves” Edwards’ game, he often gets squeezed out of the rotation when the Sixers are at relatively full strength. His contract is the type that could be used as salary-filler in a deal.
Johni Broome
Salary: $1.3 million
The rookie big man, who has spent the bulk of this season with the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats, is another lower-salary player who could be moved to get under the luxury tax.
There’s nothing like surprising news on the weekend to jar you out of a deep, deep freeze.
The first new flash came Saturday when we learned that the NBA had suspended Paul George for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug program. There’s more on our coverage of George directly below in this newsletter.
The second news flash came Sunday when Jeff McLane reported that the Eagles have yet to receive a final decision on whether Vic Fangio plans to return next season.
Will the molder of the team’s dominant defense retire? ”He keeps talking retirement, but he did the same last year,” an Eagles source told McLane last week.
The defensive coordinator, 67, has not responded to questions about his future since the end of the season, nor has the team. Just in case, the Eagles reportedly considered reaching out to two former coordinators about the job. More about the possibility of Fangio’s retirement can be found here.
Sixers forward Paul George will serve a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
Here’s what George said in a statement about his suspension:
“Over the past few years, I’ve discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication. I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates, and the Philly fans for my decision-making during this process.”
Just like that, George’s tenure with the Sixers is back to being recognized as a disaster, Keith Pompey writes.
The suspension will cost him $11.7 million. In the meantime, his teammates will try to pick up the slack for the star forward until he is eligible to return on March 25. “There’s a number of guys there to do it,” coach Nick Nurse said. “That’s where we are. We’ve been in this kind of next man up mentality for quite a while, and we’re going to have to dig in and do it again.”
Sixers fans reacted to the news about George in their own way. Said one: “We pick up a little traction and we’re doing our thing and something always bad happens to us. We have some sort of bad luck.”
Penn State held its first outdoor game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
Cold enough for you? There were 74,575 fans packed into Beaver Stadium on Saturday to watch the first outdoor hockey game at the home of the Nittany Lions. Bundled up in 16-degree weather at the game’s start (it only got colder), they witnessed No. 2 Michigan State’s 5-4 overtime win against No. 5 Penn State.
The atmosphere at the football stadium impressed Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky, to say the least. “I couldn’t believe it was a hockey game; I really couldn’t,” he said. “It just blew me away.”
Allen Iverson is flanked by former Sixers teammates Eric Snow (left) and George Lynch (right) during the tribute to the 2001 NBA Finals team.
On Saturday night, the Sixers paid tribute to the team that rolled all the way to the NBA Finals 25 years ago. Hip-Hop, the bad bunny mascot, returned to entertain the fans. Former team president Pat Croce acknowledged Hall of Famer Allen Iverson’s greatness but also paid tribute to a glue guy, Eric Snow. George Lynch, Theo Ratliff, and others took their bows. (And rest in peace, Dikembe Mutombo.)
Iverson acknowledged other key contributors that season: “We couldn’t have accomplished anything without the fans of Philadelphia, the best fans in the world.”
St. Joseph’s Dasear Haskins gestures to the student section after the Hawks beat La Salle on Saturday.
The St. Joseph’s Hawks have won six of their last seven games and might even find a way to the NCAA Tournament if they continue to climb in the Atlantic 10 Conference. That’s a remarkable turnaround when you consider that coach Steve Donahue, fired from the Penn job, suddenly inherited the Hawks’ head coaching chores in September. Jeff Neiburg writes about the rebirth on Hawk Hill.
Meanwhile at Division II Thomas Jefferson University, Chris Cervino has emerged as a TikTok influencer. Here’s how he did it.
Sports snapshot
Kahleah Copper goes to the hoop during the sold-out Philly Is Unrivaled doubleheader on Friday.
With forward Paul George (8) being suspended for 25 games, the Sixers hit another speed bump.
From Marcus Hayes:
It goes without saying that Paul George’s carelessness and selfishness are inexcusable. George told ESPN that he mistakenly took a banned medication to address a mental health concern.
We’re all in favor of addressing mental health, we’re also in favor of telling team doctors about every chemical you put in your body. That’s how you stay available. That’s how you earn that four-year, $211 million contract, the biggest free-agent deal in franchise history. There is simply no excuse.
From David Murphy:
Sean Mannion may not be the next Andy Reid. The Eagles didn’t hire the 33-year-old Green Bay assistant with the thought that he would become Reid. But Reid was Mannion at one point in time: an under-the-radar position coach without play-calling experience who was hired for a big boy job well ahead of schedule.
The Eagles will need Mannion to be a good play-caller but also a good coach, especially when it comes to his dealings with Jalen Hurts.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff McLane, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Ariel Simpson, Marcus Hayes, David Murphy, Jackie Spiegel, Jeff Neiburg, Isabella DiAmore, Sean McKeown, and Ryan Mack.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Could today be the day when we actually climb above freezing around here? I’ll believe it when I feel it. Thanks for reading. Stay warm and I’ll see you in Tuesday’s newsletter. — Jim
Steve Donahue sat back in his chair, a smile stretched across his face. St. Joseph’s had just beaten La Salle, 67-58, on Saturday, the Hawks’ sixth win in their last seven, and Dasear Haskins, who made six three-pointers and tied a career high with 20 points, was talking about the “A to B mentality” Donahue has drilled into his team.
“I told my mom I will A to B to practice the other day,” said Haskins, a redshirt sophomore who played at Camden High. “It’s like a lifestyle to me now. I think the guys are treating it like that.”
The motto is simple enough: “Whatever A is, you have to get to B,” Donahue said later. A can be something good. A can be something bad. St. Joe’s has just gotten a lot better at the getting to B, and it’s not surprising that it took a couple of months for that to happen, for the Hawks to look like the sum of all their parts, considering all that has happened since September.
Former coach Billy Lange abruptly left for the NBA. The roster that he worked hard to build would be playing for a new coach, Donahue, whom Lange brought on as his top assistant after the Delaware County native was fired following his ninth season at Penn. New coach, new roster, awkward timing. The Hawks started 2-3, had some ups and downs, then by mid-December their leading scorer, Deuce Jones, was no longer with the program.
They started Atlantic 10 play by losing their first two games. Then came a team meeting. Then came six wins in seven tries, a stretch that could be a perfect 7-for-7 if not for late-game execution on the road against a good VCU team.
Zoom out a little bit, and on a macro level this version of the Hawks is the B to whatever A was after they allowed Davidson to leave Hagan Arena with a 62-56 win on Jan. 3. The season could have gone sideways then, but it hasn’t. St. Joe’s is 14-8 overall and 6-3 in the A-10 and in fourth place in the conference.
St. Joseph’s coach Steve Donahue points to the student section after a 67-58 win against La Salle.
Perhaps, finally, Donahue’s team is taking on a little bit of his own personality, playing the way Donahue wants the Hawks to play.
“I like to think that,” Donahue said Saturday. But he also wanted to credit Lange for laying a foundation. Lange, Donahue said, “built a really good program here with really good people.” He pointed to the consecutive 20-win seasons and the program’s footing in the A-10.
“I’m grateful that I walked into this and have guys like [Haskins],” Donahue said. “That being said, I saw things that bothered me.”
“We lost three games where we were tied or up against good opponents with eight minutes left, and we didn’t get from A to B,” Donahue said. “We allowed the circumstances to change who we are. We’ve been through a lot, and since then I just see their ability to forget about personal expectations and figure out what needs to be done in that game.”
Saturday, Donahue said, was living proof.
La Salle did everything it could to take Derek Simpson out of the game. Simpson has been on a tear during this recent run, but the shooting lanes weren’t there, so the Hawks found Haskins on the weak side and the lefty made La Salle pay with six threes on seven attempts. Simpson still more than made his mark on the game with 13 points, six rebounds, and seven assists.
Hawks guard Dasear Haskins (7) reacts after a made three-pointer against Jerome Brewer and La Salle.
The feisty Explorers used an 11-0 run to make the game interesting late, but St. Joe’s battled through a couple of turnovers and closed the game with its free-throw shooting.
“When a game gets closer, we just want to get closer,” Haskins said. “We just come together, listen to our coaches, trust in our game plan, and just come together as a unit.”
Words that make Donahue smile.
“There’s a mentality now that we’re not going to be affected if something is going right for the other team and wrong for us,” Donahue said. “We’re going to move on and figure out how to win this game.”
Some of this recent success has a simpler explanation. It’s just a natural part of a team growing together. Simpson and Justice Ajogbor, both seniors, have been steady. Simpson, Donahue said, is the “heart and soul” of the team, and is no longer looking over his shoulder. But the other components of the team needed time. Jaiden Glover-Toscano barely played at St. John’s last season. Haskins is playing his second season of college basketball. The Hawks rely a lot on two freshmen, Austin Williford and Khaafiq Myers, and a backup center, sophomore Jaden Smith, who had a limited role at Fordham last year.
“The youth is catching up to the older guys and we’re blending,” Donahue said.
It’s the right time for it, considering the calendar just flipped to February. The Hawks have nine games left before the conference tournament in Pittsburgh. They have shown the ability to play with and beat some of the conference’s best, like Dayton and Virginia Commonwealth. There will, of course, be no trip to the NCAA Tournament without running the table in Pittsburgh, and doing so means getting through those teams and the juggernauts, St. Louis, which beat St. Joe’s by 23, and a George Mason squad the Hawks play on the road on Saturday.
That stuff will sort itself out when it’s supposed to. For now, the Hawks can just enjoy the ride.
“Winning is so fun,” Haskins said. “I love winning so much.”
The following is a list of players who began their NBA careers with 1,500 minutes, 650 points, 225 rebounds, 175 assists and a .534 true shooting percentage in their first 43 games.
Oscar Robertson
Larry Bird
Magic Johnson
Michael Jordan
Chris Paul
VJ Edgecombe
This shouldn’t need to be said, but the Sixers aren’t going to trade VJ Edgecombe for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nor should they. Which also shouldn’t need to be said.
Just in case, let’s say it again.
No Edgecombe for Giannis. No Edgecombe for anyone. No Edgecombe at the trade deadline. No Edgecombe in the offseason.
The conversation is worth having just to make sure we’re all on the same page. It isn’t every day that a superstar the caliber of Giannis hits the trade market. Even less often are the Sixers identified as a team that “intrigues” said superstar, as they were in a report by the Stein Line over the weekend. Giannis is smart to fancy the idea of teaming up with Tyrese Maxey, who has exploded into the realm of legitimate superstars this season. The Sixers would be foolish not to find out what it would take to land the perennial MVP candidate.
Draft picks, Jared McCain, maybe even Joel Embiid? Sure, let’s talk.
Edgecombe?
Nope. Click.
Tyrese Maxey (left) and rookie VJ Edgecombe give the Sixers a dynamic backcourt combination.
To be clear, this isn’t about Giannis. He’s in the midst of the most efficient season of his career, by virtually every measure. His .666 effective field goal percentage is 70 points higher than his career average and 46 points higher than his mark last season. While he largely abandoned his three-point shot after connecting on just 28.3% of his attempts from 2022-24, he already has more makes than he did all last season. His career-best .395 shooting clip from deep comes with a giant asterisk: a mere 38 attempts in 30 games. But, hey, making is better than missing. Giannis still does all of the stuff that has made him a top-five MVP finisher for a remarkable seven straight seasons. Rebounds, assists, steals — all of his numbers are at or above his five-year averages on a per possession basis. His 46.8 points per 100 possessions would be the highest of his career.
This is purely about Edgecombe. To understand his immense present and future value, you have to watch him on the court. It’s incredibly rare for a 20-year-old rookie to average 35.6 minutes per night for a team that is six games over .500 and has a legitimate chance to make a playoff run. It’s even rarer for said rookie to do it with the maturity and grace that Edgecombe exhibits at both ends of the court. And it’s rarer still for a rookie to possess that veteran-level basketball IQ while also possessing such an electric athletic upside.
Edgecombe’s polish is evident in two pieces of his stat line, beyond the top-line numbers. He is one 18 players in NBA history to have 178 assists and fewer than 80 turnovers in his first 43 games. That’s incredibly hard to do for any player who routinely has the ball in his hands, let alone a player who expends the amount of energy Edgecombe does on the defensive end of the court. Simply put, he is a winning basketball player, as evidenced by his cumulative plus-minus. The Sixers are outscoring opponents by nearly 1.5 points per game in Edgecombe’s minutes on the court. Again, very rare to see out of a rookie.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse knows what he has in rookie guard VJ Edgecombe.
The Sixers’ state of play in advance of this week’s trade deadline took a hard right turn over the weekend. It did so in a manner that was quintessential Sixers. Paul George’s 25-game suspension for a violation of the NBA’s anti-drug policy was the exact sort of nowhere-on-the-bingo-card development that has come to define the organization in the post-Process era. Unexpected? Only if you forget who you’re dealing with.
In our defense, the Sixers had done a heck of a job lulling us to sleep over the first half of the season. Maxey was an All-Star starter and MVP candidate while averaging an efficient 29.2 points and 6.9 assists. Embiid was playing basketball reminiscent of his MVP prime. Even George had bounced back from his disastrous debut season, shooting .382 from three-point range while averaging 16 points per night.
Yet the brightest development of them all has been the kid with the double sevens on his jersey. Edgecombe’s per-game numbers may not look like the stuff of legends: 15.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, a .510 effective field goal percentage. But keep in mind: What we are witnessing right now is the floor. At the very least, he is a winning basketball player who would have a spot in the starting lineup of any contending team. A good defender, a willing rebounder, a capable scorer, an improving passer. Combine that floor with the ceiling afforded him by his explosive physical gifts and you have the sort of player whose trajectory could easily follow Maxey’s into the realm of the NBA’s elite. That’s not the kind of thing a team can afford to trade away.
Xfinity Mobile Arena’s busy weekend ended with a bang as it hosted the annual Flyers Charities Carnival on Sunday. Less than 24 hours after the 76ers’ 2001 reunion night, the throwback hardwood floor was replaced with a mini hockey rink, a carousel, and a large Ferris wheel that served as the centerpiece of the event.
“When you think about it, we had a hockey game, Unrivaled, and we had an NBA basketball game,” said Comcast Spectacor Chairman and CEO Dan Hilferty. “Here we are the next day, celebrating a carnival with everything from a Ferris wheel and a dunk tank to all that goes along with a carnival.
“It’s a great thing. Flyers Carnival is all about the community and it’s all about our fans having the opportunity to meet players and do fun carnival things.”
Rachel Brown of Langhorne wears a Gritty headband as she pauses for a snack at the Flyers Charities Carnival at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Fans had the opportunity to play a number of favorite carnival games, including some water gun fun, Skee-Ball, ax throwing, and a dunk tank that featured WIP’s Hunter Brody. And for 12-year-old Ryan Reagoso, despite a cast on his left foot, the dunk tank was the perfect opportunity to show off his pitching arm.
“It was fun and I want to do it again,” Reagoso said.
Flyers players interacted with fans throughout the event — signing memorabilia, posing for photos, and competing in a number of games set up within the arena, including a challenge that gave fans a chance to shoot on the goalie. Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae participated in ax throwing and defenseman Cam York had a good day on the ping-pong tables.
“I think I went undefeated,” York said. “So, I don’t think I struggled much. But it’s super fun to interact with the fans. It’s something that’s a little bit different.”
The Flyers’ charity event has been going on since 1977. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet was able to experience the carnival in its earlier years when he was a player for the team. Now he has a good time experiencing it as a coach.
“It’s funny because I’ve seen some fans from back in the day when I played,” Tocchet said. “I’m just impressed with how much money they have raised throughout the years. It’s incredible how it started and where it’s gotten to.”
Fans wait for the doors to open for the Flyers Charities Carnival at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday.
For 13-year-old Michael Chaic, this has become a tradition started by his father, who grew up attending the carnivals. Sunday was the third carnival Chaic attended and he came prepared, bringing a Tyson Foerster game-used stick to get signed. But he did have his eyes set on another item up for auction.
“That signed [Matvei] Michkov helmet was pretty eye-catching,” Chaic said. “So, we’re probably going to have to put some raffle tickets in there.”
There were plenty of other items up for auction, including a team-signed decorative board, a Sam Ersson-signed set of goalie pads, and a Trevor Zegras-autographed replica stick. Fans could also get gift baskets full of the players’ favorite things. Some of the items featured in York’s favorite things basket were drink coasters, gummy worms, Uno cards, a signed hat, and a cat towel.
After putting a cat towel in his favorite things basket, Cam York had a message to all the cat people in the world pic.twitter.com/hEYK2K7WH4
“I feel like I’m known as the cat guy now,” York said. “But, I have three cats of my own right now. [The towel] is something I use around the house all the time. To all my cat people out there, stay strong. I love you guys and keep catting along.”
The event raises money for Flyers Charities’ efforts to support local families impacted by cancer and to grow hockey in communities that may not have it.
And with next year being the carnival’s 50th anniversary, fans can expect something special.
“We’re going to have some really special activities next year that we can’t share yet,” said Blair Listino, the board chair of Flyers Charities. “But, we’re going to make that a really special event because that is the 50th-year anniversary. And every year we get feedback from our fans. We get feedback from our players. We’re just going to try to make it more interactive and more special for all of them.”
Antoine Williams (right) poses for a photo with Flyers goalie Sam Ersson at the Flyers Charities Carnival.
Kolosov joining Phantoms
The Flyers loaned goalie Aleksei Kolosov to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League on Sunday. The move could hint that Ersson, who left Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury, is healthy enough to return.
Temple center Mohamed Keita entered the game against South Florida on Saturday with 5½ minutes left and the Owls clinging to a four-point lead. Forwards Babatunde Durodola and Jamai Felt had both fouled out, leaving the 7-foot-1 big man as Temple’s only option for the rest of the game.
Keita delivered. He knocked down two free throws with 30 seconds left, then came through with the decisive bucket for the Owls (14-8, 6-3 American).
Derrian Ford missed a jumper and Keita flew in for the tip-in with six seconds left. USF (14-8, 6-3) had a chance, but a desperation heave by Isaiah Jones wasn’t enough as Temple held on for a 79-78 win at the Liacouras Center.
“It was Coach [Adam Fisher] who told me to crash the board when [Ford] shot it,” Keita said. “So I just crashed, and then I’m happy it came my way and then scored.”
The Owls went nearly six minutes without a field goal at the end of the game, but Keita’s heroics helped them stay in the conference race. Temple is in a three-way tie for third place in the American with Florida Atlantic and USF.
“We all know if your shots are not falling, keep shooting and just keep playing defense,” said guard Aiden Tobiason, who scored a game-high 22 points. “That’s something we harp on the most, because that’s something you can control.”
Owls guard Masiah Gilyard shoots the ball against South Florida.
Temple’s depth has been tested, but the Owls rely on guard Masiah Gilyard and the 6-8 Durodola, with Keita coming in sparingly.
Those three helped Temple stay afloat on Saturday. Gilyard scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half and Durodola finished with seven points, seven rebounds, and a team-high five assists.
“[Gilyard] is a guy that does a lot of dirty work, getting offensive rebounds,” Fisher said. “I think any time you’re a player and you see the ball go in early on, an easy one, it makes the basket look a little bigger to you. I thought he’d made some big shots. But again, there’s just a trust like our guys, whoever’s out there, we believe in. I thought his minutes tonight were fantastic.”
Next up
Temple visits East Carolina (6-15, 1-7) on Saturday (noon, ESPNU).
MELBOURNE, Australia — Carlos Alcaraz is 22, he’s the youngest man ever to win all four of the major titles in tennis, and he had to achieve what no man previously has done to complete the career Grand Slam in Australia.
The top-ranked Alcaraz dropped the first set of the Australian Open final in 33 minutes Sunday as Novak Djokovic went out hard in pursuit of an unprecedented 25th major title, but the young Spaniard dug deep to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
“Means the world to me,” Alcaraz said. “It is a dream come true for me.”
Djokovic had won all 10 of his previous finals at Melbourne Park and, despite being 38, gave himself every chance of extending that streak to 11 when he needed only two sets to win.
Alcaraz rose to the challenge.
“Tennis can change on just one point. One point, one feeling, one shot can change the whole match completely,” he said. “I played well the first set, but you know, in front of me I had a great and inspired Novak, who was playing great, great shots.”
A couple of unforced errors from Djokovic early in the second set gave Alcaraz the confidence.
He scrambled to retrieve shots that usually would be winners for Djokovic, and he kept up intense pressure on the most decorated player in men’s tennis history. There were extended rallies where each player hit enough brilliant shots to usually win a game.
Djokovic has made an art form of rallying from precarious positions. Despite trailing two sets to one, he went within the width of a ball in the fourth set’s ninth game of turning this final around.
After fending off six break points in the set, he exhorted the crowd when he got to 30-30. The crowd responded with chants of “Nole, Nole, Nole!”
When Djokovic earned a breakpoint chance — his first since the second set — he whipped up his supporters again. But when Djokovic sent a forehand long on the next point, Alcaraz took it as a reprieve.
A short forehand winner, a mis-hit from Alcaraz, clipped the net and landed inside the line to give him game point. Then Djokovic hit another forehand long.
Alcaraz responded with a roar, and sealed victory by taking two of the next three games.
As he was leaving the court, Alcaraz signed the lens of the TV camera with a recognition: “Job finished. 4/4 Complete.”
Teamwork
After paying tribute at the trophy ceremony to Djokovic for being an inspiration, Alcaraz turned to his support team. He parted ways with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero at the end of last season and Samuel Lopez stepped up to head the team.
“Nobody knows how hard I’ve been working to get this trophy. I just chased this moment so much,” Alcaraz said. “The pre-season was a bit of a roller coaster emotionally.
“You were pushing me every day to do all the right things,” he added. “I’m just really grateful for everyone I have in my corner right now.”
Djokovic’s praise
Djokovic joked about this showdown setting up a rivalry over the next 10 years with Alcaraz, but then said it was only right to hand the floor over to the new, 16 years his junior, champion.
“What you’ve been doing, the best word to describe is historic, legendary,” he said. “So congratulations.”
Both players were coming off grueling five-set semifinal wins — Alcaraz held off No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Friday; Djokovic’s win over two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner ended after 1:30 a.m. Saturday — yet showed phenomenal fitness, athleticism, and stamina for just over three hours in pursuit of their own historic achievements.
Djokovic won the last of his 24 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2023 U.S. Open, his push for an unprecedented 25th has now been blocked by Alcaraz or Sinner for nine majors.
Rafa in the house
Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played some epic matches, including the longest match ever at the Australian Open that lasted almost six hours in 2012.
Nadal was in the stands Sunday, and both players addressed the 22-time major winner.
“He’s my idol, my role model,” Alcaraz said. To complete the career Slam “in front of him, it made even more special.”
Djokovic, addressing Nadal directly as the “legendary Rafa,” joked that there were “too many Spanish legends” in Rod Laver.
“It felt like it was two against one tonight,” he said.
One for the ages
At 22 years and 272 days, Alcaraz is the youngest man to complete a set of all four major singles titles. He broke the mark set by Don Budge in the 1938 French championships, when he was 22 years and 363 days.
He’s the ninth man to achieve the career Grand Slam, a list that also includes Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.
Alcaraz now has seven major titles — his first in Australia along with two each at Wimbledon and the French and U.S. Opens.
