Andre Drummond was in the 76ers’ locker room after shootaround on Tuesday when a couple of his younger teammates approached the center about his recent shoe deal news.
“All the young guys are already asking me for shoes like, ‘Yo, you signing guys?’” Drummond said with a laugh during a video call with The Inquirer. “I said, ‘Listen, man, I just announced it yesterday. Let me get my things in the works.’”
Drummond’s teammates were referring the Sixers center’s big news, which was announced a day earlier. The 14-year NBA veteran joined Stria Sport, a Chicago-based apparel and shoe company, as the company’s creative director and investor. Stria Sport, founded by Eric Porter in 2021, is described as an “athlete led performance, footwear, and apparel brand,” and has its roots in basketball, but has also released walking and pickleball shoes.
When his deal with the Jordan Brand was set to end two and a half years ago, Drummond, a two-time All-Star, began searching for his next move and had one goal in mind for his next sports apparel deal.
“I always had this dream in my mind of getting my signature shoe and I’m like, ‘Damn, how do I get to this goal?’ And it’s not going to get it through Nike, obviously, they have a ton of guys already. Jordan already has a ton of signature athletes already. I was with Adidas already,” Drummond explained. “I don’t think people in general understand how difficult it is to have your own signature shoe. And not only just one, having your own signature, but two, getting it to sell.”
As Drummond scrolled social media, he noticed that his stepbrother, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who plays professional basketball overseas, was a Stria Sport athlete and thought his shoes “were kind of cool.” He quickly sent out a message to Porter, but Drummond says the timing wasn’t yet right for a partnership.
A few months ago, Porter reconnected with Drummond to offer the Sixers’ center an opportunity to have a signature shoe and an equity stake in Stria Sport, which is also the official performance shoe for the Harlem Globetrotters’ 100th season. Drummond called the proposal “a home run.”
Eric Porter (left) and Andre Drummond will work together closely on Porter’s brand Stria Sport.
“We’ve been very patient on who we want to partner with,” Porter said. “We spent the last couple years really laying out our foundation of where we really want to take this thing and what is our niche. To me, we’re partnering with Andre Drummond the creative, more than just the basketball player. … Very few people make [it to] the NBA, and he’s worn all these brands. And who else would you rather get information from than someone who’s been doing this their entire life? And so it’s exciting that he gets to bring his experience with my experience, and we’re teaming up.
“This isn’t just a shoe endorsement deal or he has equity. It’s, he’s going to be overseeing everything, and that’s what he had asked. He was like, ‘I don’t want to just do my own shoe, and that’s it. He wants to be a part of it all.’”
For Drummond, who is averaging 6.8 points and 8.6 rebounds across 46 games for the Sixers, the opportunity to be hands-on in the process of creating a signature shoes and building up the brand was a key part of joining Stria Sport. He’ll be a key decision maker for not only the brand’s basketball division, but will work directly with its pickleball players, including Gabe Tardio, the No. 1 ranked men’s doubles pickleball player in the world.
Beyond having a signature shoe, Drummond says he wants “to fully immerse myself and truly show the brand that I believe in it.”
“This is something I want to pass down to [my kids]. It’d be cool for them they play basketball to have their own shoe. Who can say that?” Drummond said. “That’s when people can go to school and say, ‘Damn, I got my own shoe. Like, my dad owns a shoe company.’ Like, that’s not normal. So for me, that’s how I envision it. I’m thinking about the later in life.
“It’s about building a community, building something that’s way bigger than the Andre Drummond brand … I’m not doing it to get fans. I’m not doing it for people to just buy my shoe. I want to build a real, organic community of people who genuinely care about what this brand is about.”
Andre Drummond signed on with Stria Sport on Monday as the company’s creative director.
The next step for Drummond and Porter is creating a signature shoe for the 6-foot-11 center, which they say is already in “the design and development stage now.” Drummond, who will be an unrestricted free agent this year, hopes to unveil the shoe by the beginning of the next NBA season, with plans to tease the shoe throughout the summer and training camp.
There are also plans for Drummond and Porter to expand and bring on more athletes down the line, too.
“People want to be different, and not everyone wants to wear what everyone else is wearing. And that’s where we’ve had our success,” Porter said. “The notion of being different, and having the confidence to wear something that no one else is wearing, or because we’re a smaller brand giving us a chance. We’re confident in what we’re making, I think what we have in the works right now over the next 12 months, is really exciting.
“We are going to look to grow, whether it’s bringing on more athletes, signing teams, groups. All of that is in the works.”
Wrexham AFC, the Welsh soccer team owned by Philadelphia native Rob Mac (the former Rob McElhenney), is coming back to town this summer.
And this visit will be its highest-profile one yet.
Subaru Park will host a friendly between Wrexham and Sunderland of the English Premier League at 7 p.m. on Aug. 2. And the Red Dragons also could be a Premier League team by then. They’re currently sixth in England’s second-tier Championship with 11 games to go. If they hold on, they’d go into the playoffs for promotion to the top flight.
Wrexham will play three games in the U.S. this summer, all on the East Coast, with the final match here. It also will face Leeds United on July 25 at Tampa’s NFL stadium and Liverpool on July 29 at New York’s Yankee Stadium.
Rob Mac (left) at a tailgate event for his beloved Eagles last fall.
Wrexham last came to Subaru Park in the summer of 2023. At the time, the club had just been promoted from England’s fifth tier to its fourth, League Two, so it played the Union’s reserve team instead of a higher-level squad. But the game still drew around 15,000 fans, with the vast majority wearing red. Mac called it “a dream come true.”
Liverpool’s visits to the United States always draw big crowds, with Philadelphia among the examples. Two years ago, the Reds’ friendly against Arsenal drew 69,879 fans to Lincoln Financial Field, the largest soccer crowd in the stadium’s history. That record likely will stand for a while, since see some seats will removed near the field for security and logistics reasons because of the World Cup.
Leeds coming over also will be of interest. It’s the first time the historic English club has come to the United States since its return to Premier League prominence in 2020. (In fact, it will be Leeds’ first visit to the U.S. in 29 years.)
It could also be the first time Medford native Brenden Aaronson plays in the U.S. with Leeds, if he stays at the club through the summer and depending on his summer schedule post-World Cup.
Medford’s Brenden Aaronson (left) playing for Leeds United against Manchester United in January.
After facing Wrexham, Leeds will play Sunderland in Harrison, N.J., on July 30, just 11 days after the World Cup final in nearby East Rutherford. They’ll then head to Chicago to play Liverpool at Soldier Field on Aug. 2.
The Union are off on July 30, which would make it easier for fans around here who want to see Aaronson play in person.
Kickoff times and broadcast details aren’t set yet.
All of the games are being run by TEG Sport, the promoter that brought Arsenal-Liverpool here. The company will open up presale tickets on March 10, and fans can register here. Sales to the general public will start March 12.
Wrexham’s friendly against the Union’s reserve squad in 2023 drew over 15,000 fans to Subaru Park, the vast majority rooting for the Welsh club.
The full schedule of games in the tour is below.
Saturday, July 25: Wrexham vs. Leeds United at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.; Liverpool vs. Sunderland at GEODIS Park, Nashville
Wednesday, July 29: Liverpool vs Wrexham at Yankee Stadium, New York
Thursday July 30: Leeds United vs. Sunderland at Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, N.J.
Sunday, Aug. 2:Sunderland vs. Wrexham at Subaru Park; Leeds United vs Liverpool at Soldier Field, Chicago.
Tyrese Maxey tried to explain to rookie teammate VJ Edgecombe that, in matching up against the towering Victor Wembanyama, “TV don’t do him justice.”
Yet Edgecombe still needed to experience life against the 7-foot-4 San Antonio Spurs superstar for himself. Edgecombe, a typically fearless athlete, got an early taste when he attempted to drive into the paint and visibly hesitated, as if uttering a massive “nope!” with Wembanyama lurking at the rim.
Wembanyama’s presence contributed to the 76ers’ early deficit in a 131-91 loss Tuesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. It again exposed the Sixers’ center conundrum without star Joel Embiid, who missed a second consecutive game with an oblique strain. And the game got so out of hand that Wembanyama only needed to play 24 minutes, 7 seconds, yet still stuffed the box score with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, eight rebounds, four assists, six blocks, and three steals.
So what does it feel like to (try to) face Wembanyama, anyway?
Wembanyama was different the instant he entered the NBA as the first overall draft pick of the 2023 draft, with that height and wingspan blended with athleticism and blossoming skill on both ends of the floor. Sixers starting forward Dominick Barlow, who spent his first two NBA seasons with San Antonio, described a then-rookie Wembanyama as “phenomenal” and already “one of the best I’ve ever been around.”
Now in his third season, Wembanyama has developed into an MVP candidate and Defensive Player of the Year front-runner for the surging Spurs (44-17), who have won 12 of their past 13 games and look like NBA Finals contenders.
The 22-year-old delivered highlights, despite limited minutes in Tuesday’s nationally televised matchup, including a spinning dunk while rolling to the basket. Even when the Sixers (33-28) pulled off a positive play against him — when Edgecombe (who later left the game with back soreness) swiped the ball from Wembanyama’s grasp and sent a slick pass to Maxey for a finish in transition — Wembanyama came right back with an emphatic alley-oop dunk.
And Wembanyama quickly torched fill-in starting center Andre Drummond, who lasted less than six minutes of game action and was a stunning minus-14.
In the game’s first minute, Wembanyama stuffed the typically imposing 6-foot-10 Drummond at the rim. Drummond then picked up two fouls in eight seconds, sending him to the bench for the remainder of the first quarter. Drummond missed all four of his three-point attempts and finished 1 of 7 from the floor.
When asked what makes Wembanyama special besides his physical stature, Drummond said, “Especially when you have that type of stardom, you can kind of do whatever you want.”
“He gets touched, he gets a foul call,” Drummond said. “That’s not an excuse. You’ve got to find ways to stop those types of players.”
The early whistles on Drummond meant the Sixers needed to turn to Bona, whose priority was to not commit any “dumb fouls,” he said. Though the second-year big man performed admirably in his first stint (four points, two rebounds) and then started the second half, the game unraveled too quickly for that to register. He finished with six points and six rebounds in 22:09.
Beyond those center matchups, there were subtle (and glaring) ways Wembanyama impacted a Sixers offense that shot 34.7% from the floor and 10 of 42 from three-point range.
They entered Tuesday hoping to draw on their experience with opposing centers leaving Barlow free outside the three-point arc, which Wembanyama often does against nonshooters to remain near the basket. Coach Nick Nurse believed his team did a “decent job finding shots” early, though creating those looks via kick-out passes required patience as seconds ticked off the shot clock.
Maxey added that the Sixers needed to “just live with certain shots,” particularly in the corner. The rare instances in which Maxey did get Wembanyama to switch onto guarding him, Maxey got to the rim because “the paint is wide-open.” But when Wembanyama lingered in the middle, it allowed opposing guards such as Stephon Castle — a dynamite defender in his own right — to pressure Maxey aggressively.
Maxey compared the approach to Embiid’s defensive prime, when the Sixers’ perimeter players felt free to ramp up their on-ball intensity because of the anchor behind them.
The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama blocks a shot (one of six on the night) by Tyrese Maxey.
“It took [the Spurs] a couple years to kind of learn that and kind of figure out how to build a defensive system around [Wembanyama],” said Maxey, who finished with 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting and eight rebounds. “And they have, and it makes them better. …
“What [the guards] want you to do is try to go by them, and they know they got Wemby down there. That’s a good strategy.”
Nurse most lamented the Sixers’ dreadful second quarter when his team “didn’t do anything very well” and offered “no resistance defensively.” The Spurs scored 46 points on 73.9% shooting from the field, while the Sixers went 1 of 9 from long range and committed five turnovers.
It’s why the score was lopsided by halftime. And why Wembanyama could watch from the bench by the 4:21 mark of the third quarter, his night complete.
The Sixers will see Wembanyama again on April 6 when they visit San Antonio, Texas, for a matchup that could be crucial in determining playoff seeding in a tight middle of the Eastern Conference.
And now their full roster knows what it feels like to face the towering MVP candidate in real life, since, per Maxey, watching him on television does not do him justice.
“It probably takes a little bit to get used to,” Nurse said, “to figure out what you’re going to do.”
From the retro opening to the “Roundball Rock” theme to the 1990s-style graphics, everything NBC put together was pitch perfect. Even the retro scorebug captured the feel of NBC’s heyday covering the league in the 1990s and early 2000s, though back then the network didn’t keep the score on the screen out of fear of driving viewers away during blowouts like Tuesday night.
ROUNDBALL ROCK INTO BOB COSTAS CALLING PLAY-BY-PLAY! Feels like the old days. 👏
In their first season broadcasting NBA games since 2002, NBC assembled a who’s who of former talent for Tuesday’s broadcast. Bob Costas, calling his first NBA game in 24 years, ably weaved back and forth from nostalgia to the action on the court, at least until the Spurs put the game out of reach in the third quarter.
“It’s been nothing but pain for the Sixers tonight,” Costas said alongside longtime NBA analysts and former coaches Mike Fratello and Doug Collins.
Costas also managed to squeeze the line “Two great Dicks” into the broadcast, referencing famed sportscaster Dick Enberg and former NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol.
“Two great Richards,” Costas jokingly added.
Bob Costas knew right away what happened when he paid tribute to "two great Dicks" at NBC in Dick Ebersol and Dick Enberg during the Spurs blowout over the 76ers.
Initially, NBC planned to bring back Marv Albert, but the iconic NBA announcer had some health issues related to his voice and was unable to participate.
Former NBC host and reporter Ahmad Rashad (who once played a preseason game for the Sixers alongside Charles Barkley) also wasn’t part of the broadcast. It’s not clear why Rashad wasn’t in South Philly alongside his former colleagues Tuesday night, but Costas gave him a special shoutout during the broadcast.
“One of my favorite people I ever worked with in any sport,” Costas said. “Great company, terrific sense of humor. A lifelong friend.”
The connections past and present were everywhere. Sixers point guard Kyle Lowry, among the few players on the court old enough to have watched the NBA in the 1990s, was drafted by NBC analyst Mike Fratello when he was still head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2006.
Heading into halftime, Spurs point guard Dylan Harper was interviewed by longtime NBC reporter Jim Gray, who interviewed Harper’s father, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, many times over the years.
“It really is Throwback Tuesday now,” Costas joked during the broadcast. “We’re now talking to the sons of guys we covered.”
Doug Collins should be calling more NBA games
Doug Collins speacks to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Ashlyn Sullivan ahead of Tuesday’s Sixers-Spurs game.
As far as the nuts and bolts of the broadcast, Collins was on top of things all night. In the first quarter, the former Sixers player and head coach quickly pointed out after a Wembanyama block it was the 24th game this season he’s had at least three blocks, leading the NBA.
Later in the first half, when Costas mentioned the Thunder as one of the few teams that might challenge the Spurs in the playoffs, Collins quickly noted San Antonio won four of their five games against Oklahoma City this season.
During the second half, with the game well out of reach for the Sixers, Collins recalled back to his own coaching days trying to get thrown out of a game he could no longer watch.
“One of the old-time referees ran by the bench, stopped me, and said, ‘Listen, I know what your doing. You’re trying to get thrown out. You’re going to stay here and watch the same crap I’m watching,’” Collins recalled. “I couldn’t even get thrown out!”
In recent years, Collins has divided his time between homes in Arizona and West Chester, where he’s able to watch his grandchildren play basketball. Collins said he’d love to come back and call more games, but some health issues with his feet and legs have held him back.
Interestingly, a lot of Sixers fans probably missed NBC’s throwback coverage, since NBC Sports Philadelphia’s broadcast was a strictly 21st century production featuring regular announcers Kate Scott and Alaa Abdelnaby. But most viewers probably changed the channel by the third quarter anyway.
Scott and Abdelnaby will be back Wednesday to call the Sixers’ game against the Utah Jazz at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Sixers standings
Eastern Conference
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Upcoming Sixers TV schedule
Wednesday: Jazz at Sixers, 7:30 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia)
Saturday: Sixers at Hawks, 6 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA TV)
Monday: Sixers at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia)
Tuesday, March 10: Grizzlies at Sixers, 7 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia)
Thursday, March 12: Sixers at Pistons, 7 p.m. (Amazon Prime Video)
Saturday, March 14: Nets at Sixers, 1 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia)
Sunday, March 15: Trail Blazers at Sixers, 6 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia)
Racing has always been in Lavar Scott’s DNA, stemming from the auto repair shop in Carneys Point, N.J., that his grandfather, Wayne Scott Sr., founded in 1978.
His older brother, mother Sonia, aunts and uncles, and even Wayne all raced growing up, mostly in drag racing. Scott began his racing journey when he was 5 years old on dirt tracks across Pennsylvania and Delaware. In trying to follow his older brother’s footsteps, Scott quickly developed an affinity for the sport, one that would lead to him becoming one of just a handful of Black NASCAR drivers.
“I just raced all my life and fell in love with the sport, just from the fact that when we show up to the racetrack when I was younger, show up with the cars that my grandfather worked on, helped build, and it was a family effort, family team,” Scott told The Inquirer recently. “We [would] drive to the racetrack together, and then doing that and winning races like that, you don’t find that other type of love and I guess gratitude for something like in any other sport that I played.”
Lavar Scott (center) shown with his grandfather and mother after winning a race during his childhood.
Scott raced on dirt tracks until he was 14. When he turned 15, he transitioned to racing on asphalt tracks to try and seriously pursue a career in racing, which meant moving to Charlotte, N.C., to make that happen.
From those humble beginnings, Scott, now 22, has risen quickly. Six years ago, he was accepted into the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program and is working his way toward racing at the highest level. Last month, Scott began his first year racing full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, the second-tier of the sport.
“[I] became really good, worked hard at it, had a chance to move down south at 16 to become part of the NASCAR diversity program and be a part of Rev Racing,” Scott said. “I raced for Rev for five years throughout the ranks of late models, ARCA legends, [and] just had a really good few years with them. I was rookie of the year in 2024 in the ARCA [Menards Series].
“It all comes from racing back at home in the Pennsylvania area. We used to race there three times a week. It was a full-time job really as a kid racing. And that’s what got me to this point, was doing it consistently.”
Scott, whose racing journey will bring him back to the area later this year, is just the third active Black driver in the sport. He joins NASCAR star Bubba Wallace and fellow O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Rajah Caruth, who went through NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program with Scott. The two have continued their friendship on and off the track, and leaned on one another as they try to grow the sport.
“I think me and Rajah go through so many things and we kind of battle it together,” Scott said. “We’re really in a team a little bit, trying to change the whole dynamic of motorsports and bring more of us alike in the sport.
“And it’s so good to have someone like him to do it with, because Rajah is a not only a great driver, but he’s a great person. … I really connect with [him], aside from just being a professional athlete together. He’s not just a teammate or just a friend, like he’s someone that we really going through this stuff together and figuring out, and it’s really cool.”
And as he’s continued to level up, he’s also started to give back.
Scott, who races with Alpha Prime Racing, entered a partnership with Philadelphia-based Urban Affairs Coalition last fall, a nonprofit which aims to “unite government, business, neighborhoods, and community leaders to improve the quality of life, build wealth, and solve emerging issues in urban communities.”
Through this partnership, UAC is launching Team Racing-2-Education, with the goal of introducing young people to careers in engineering, data analytics, automotive tech, and media production within motorsports.
Lavar Scott’s No. 45 car is decorated with the logo of the Philly-based nonprofit Urban Affairs Coalition.
“Lavar represents the dreams of every kid. He represents the opportunity that every kid should have. And ultimately, we are in the business of changing and saving lives and making dreams come true through the nonprofit sector,” said Arun Prabhakaran, the president of the UAC. “The partnership really arose around this idea of, ‘How do we create enough visibility for a story like this to be able to change the way that America thinks about motorsports?’ They should think about motorsports, and see, ‘I could become a petrochemical engineer.’ They should see, ‘I could become a designer and design cool looking race cars.’”
And while Scott is behind the wheel of his own car, he is also a perfect example, having gone from “a 5-year-old who was racing on a dirt track to arguably one of the most decorated motor sports athletes and NASCAR athletes in the region’s history,” Prabhakaran added.
For Scott, he sees the local interest, but hopes the partnership can open more eyes to the many motorsport jobs that don’t involve making a series of left-hand turns.
Lavar Scott shown with young fans after winning at the Limerock Dirt Speedway in New York last August.
“I know in the Philadelphia market, there is so much interest in motorsports, but I want to expose more and make it more known to people,” Scott said. “I think anything you want to do … happens in motorsports, whether it’s like a designer, somebody working with tires, shock guys, social media.
“Every avenue that you can take in this world applies to motorsports in some way or form.”
When will Lavar Scott compete near Philadelphia?
Scott’s debut season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series began at the Daytona 500 in Florida on Feb. 14, where he finished 16th. But that was his third overall race in NASCAR’s second-tier series.
Scott made his debut at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, last July, finishing 28th in the formerly named Xfinity Series, and raced again in September at the Xfinity Series at World Wide Technology in Madison, Ill., where he finished 19th.
The South Jersey native finished 28th at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks ago and finished 22nd at the Circuit of the Americas this past weekend, which is just outside of Austin, Texas.
South Jersey’s Lavar Scott shown before the Daytona 500 in February.
He will compete at Dover Motor Speedway this season on May 16 and will race at Pocono Raceway on June 13. Scott is looking forward to being close to home for both tracks, with Pocono being less than two hours from his hometown and Dover just under an hour from where he grew up.
“Dover and Pocono, they’re fun tracks. Dover more so fits my driving style. It’s kind of really aggressive,” Scott said. “I like tracks like that where really a lot of it depends on the driver. And then Pocono, racing out in Pa. again, it’s always cool. It’s a big track. It’s definitely error dependent, so you got to be smart there. …
“It’s a lot around those weekends that matter to me and make it more than — I won’t say other weekends — but it’s an emphasis, and I definitely have those weekends circled on the calendar.”
The NFL Scouting Combine doesn’t have quite the same participation that it had before the COVID pandemic, which was further illustrated last week. Several position groups were impacted by the number of players opting to test athletically at their pro days, which made for historically low testing numbers for all but one position group in Indianapolis.
But for those who did test, it was an opportunity to showcase their skill set in front of NFL personnel for the latest piece of the scouting puzzle. From an Eagles perspective, there were a few potential targets whose stock was impacted.
With free agency looming, here are some of the risers and fallers leaving the combine:
The predraft process for Johnson has helped elevate his draft stock. Johnson, a sticky coverage player in man and zone coverages who also is competitive at the catch point, showed he was an elite athlete, too, with his athletic testing.
At the combine, Johnson ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, jumped a 38-inch vertical, leaped 10 feet, 6 inches in the broad jump, and tied for the most bench press reps among cornerbacks with 17. He interviewed well for NFL teams meeting with him in Indianapolis.
His predraft rise is similar to that of Quinyon Mitchell, a Group of Four player who continued checking boxes at every stop. Johnson won’t go as high as Mitchell did in 2024, but he has some late first-round buzz coming out of the combine.
Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
Freeling, though he has just 16 career starts, feels like he is slipping from the Eagles’ range in the first round. His final game at Georgia, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Ole Miss, was the most complete performance of his career and he now seems unlikely to get out of the top half of the first round.
#Georgia OT Monroe Freeling says he’s met with the #Eagles this week along with 18 other teams. Told us about how he picked up yoga because his mom convinced him to do it during the pandemic.
Also a former basketball player in high school and he compared playing defense in… pic.twitter.com/WnSIdketEv
Freeling tied for the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash among offensive linemen at the combine (4.93 seconds), third-longest broad jump (9-7) and fifth-highest vertical (33.5 inches). He slipped a few times during the on-field drills but still looked like a natural athlete with light feet.
He is going as high as No. 6 overall to the Cleveland Browns in post-combine mock drafts, which indicates just how highly he is thought of in draft circles.
Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana
Cooper was a popular Day 2 draft pick for several teams before the combine, including the Eagles, but after hearing the buzz in Indianapolis about the Indiana wide receiver, it is becoming increasingly unlikely he makes it beyond Round 1.
Cooper only ran the 40-yard dash (4.46 seconds) and participated in the vertical jump (37 inches), but he has checked several boxes for NFL teams and has the skill set and production to match his speed.
Cooper played primarily in the slot in college, but his vertical catching ability and strong hands with defenders draped over him will translate. Even if the Eagles end up addressing wide receiver early, there’s a good possibility Cooper is off the board by the time they pick in the first round.
Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy (3) has struggled to sufficiently answer questions about his recovery from injury.
Fallers
Jermod McCoy, DB, Tennessee
When healthy, McCoy is one of the best defensive backs in this draft class, but he missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL and elected to skip the combine. Nailing down his draft stock has been difficult because teams are not sure if he is the same player, athletically, postinjury.
He falls on this list because of the questions surrounding his long-term health, as opposed to other first-round corners including LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Clemson’s Avieon Terrell.
Stash McCoy’s name in case he doesn’t test as well as expected during his pro day on March 31. The Eagles showed last year with Jihaad Campbell that they are willing to take a swing on a player who had injury concerns before the draft.
After a strong Senior Bowl performance, Hunter, a disruptive, run-stopping defensive tackle, was getting late first-round buzz and even appeared in our first mock draft of the cycle. But his subpar testing numbers may hinder him from going that early in the draft.
Hunter’s 40-yard dash time (5.18 seconds) was as expected for a player who is 6-3, 318 pounds, but jumping a 21.5-inch vertical and 8-4 broad isn’t a first-round athleticism profile. Coupled with his limited pass rushing ability, Hunter feels closer to a late second-round player rather than back end of the first.
Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame
Like Hunter, Fields was starting to get some late first round, early second round buzz after a standout week in Mobile, Ala., to begin the draft cycle. But even for a taller receiver (6-4, 218), he didn’t run as well as many expected in the 40-yard dash (4.61 seconds), though it’s not the end-all, be-all.
He did have some nice explosive jumps (38 inch vertical, 10-4 broad) along with an excellent three-cone time (6.98 seconds). But during on-field drills, he had some tightness in his hips when he tried to sink them while changing direction.
Fields still likely will get drafted on Day 2, could start early in his NFL career, and might be a nice option to replace A.J. Brown if the Eagles trade the star receiver. But it would be surprising to hear Fields’ name called in Round 1 in April.
Other notes
Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, a consistent riser during this process, met with the Eagles during the combine and had a strong testing performance on Sunday. He could be one of seven tackles drafted in the first round, along with Clemson tackle Blake Miller, with whom the Eagles also met in Indianapolis. Miller also had a strong testing day.
#Clemson RT Blake Miller says he has met with the #Eagles and tries to model his game after Lane Johnson’s explosiveness and consistency.
“Being able to kind of go pick his brain, get his opinion on technique, and then also to how he approaches taking on some of the league's… pic.twitter.com/8kDK4t1S62
Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman solidified himself as a first-rounder with elite testing at the combine and seems likely to be the second safety selected after Caleb Downs. His range starts in the late teens, with the Minnesota Vikings picking 18th. College teammate Kenyon Sadiq, the draft’s top tight end prospect, also seems to be trending up as a potential top-20 selection, which could be out of the Eagles’ range.
Utah tackle Spencer Fano, who could be an Eagles draft target, showcased his snapping ability after position drills on Sunday, which could give him the versatility to play center, guard, or tackle. Teams like the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, who lost their centers this offseason, could be in play for Fano if he doesn’t get drafted inside the top 15.
As you may have heard on Tuesday, Johan Rojas tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug and is facing an 80-game suspension by MLB.
Rojas plans to appeal the suspension, and the MLB hasn’t yet contacted the Phillies about his status. The center fielder was scheduled to play for the Dominican Republic in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, but didn’t join the team in Miami over the weekend.
The Phillies’ outfield depth would be diminished by a suspension to Rojas, as Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford, and Adolis García are locked into outfield spots, while Otto Kemp hasn’t been a full-time outfielder.
A situation like this wouldn’t be a huge deal for some teams. The Phillies, however, are not one of those teams. They don’t have a choice but to scavenge for someone who at least looks like a center fielder, writes columnist David Murphy.
In other news, with the World Baseball Classic opening on Thursday, former Phillies pitcher Phillippe Aumont will return to the mound with Team Canada. The 37-year-old left baseball to become a farmer. Now, he’ll get the chance to face his old team in a tuneup.
Safety Reed Blankenship (32) and linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) could both require replacements during the free-agency period.
Change is coming to the Eagles’ defense. Of the Eagles’ 19 pending unrestricted free agents, nine are on defense and four — Jaelan Phillips, Nakobe Dean, Reed Blankenship, and Adoree’ Jackson — were starters for most of the 2025 season.
Some positions have more clear-cut internal replacements than others. Some pending free agents are likely higher priorities for retention than others.
Andrea Peterson has been at the helm for Neumann Goretti for 12 seasons.
Andrea Peterson is in her 12th season at the helm for Neumann Goretti. She is the most accomplished girls’ high school basketball coach in the area.
Somehow, she manages to run her childcare business in Delaware County, coach Neumann Goretti, which is really a 12-month long responsibility, runs her AAU Philly Legacy program, while raising her sibling’s three children, easily working between 70 to 80 hours a week during the four-month high school basketball season.
Flyers right wing Owen Tippett skates the puck against the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 5.
Owen Tippett has style. On Saturday, the Flyers’ social media accounts had a picture of Tippett in his gameday fit, sporting a Kith sweater, baggy black jeans, and sunglasses. He followed that up with a Canadian tuxedo, fittingly in Toronto, on Monday.
Now, this isn’t about fashion, instead it’s about the old-fashioned mantra: “If you look good, you feel good,” and right now, the Flyers need to Tippett to step up with Travis Konecny’s status up in the air.
Even without their leading goal scorer, the Flyers have won three straight after a 3-2 shootout win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Here are four numbers to know.
Lavar Scott grew up in Carneys Point, N.J. and raced on dirt tracks across Pennsylvania.
South Jersey’s Lavar Scott grew up racing on dirt tracks with his family. When he turned 15, he wanted to pursue a career in racing, which meant moving to Charlotte, N.C.
Six years ago, he was accepted into the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program and worked his way toward racing at the highest level. Now he’s one step from the sport’s top tier — and is already giving back to the Philly area.
Sports snapshot
Villanova forward Matt Hodge will undergo surgery to his right knee and miss the rest of the season.
Future implications: With Matt Hodge sidelined for the rest of the season, Kevin Willard will need to weigh some short and long term decisions.
Give an assist: Point guard Derek Simpson is a key contributor in St. Joseph’s turning around its season.
Title holder: Cardinal O’Hara graduate Maggie Doogan was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year for the consecutive year.
Let’s compare: A sellout crowd in New York brought another great atmosphere to Unrivaled. But it couldn’t top Philly’s spectacle.
🧠 Trivia time answer
The Eagles drafted first-round wideouts in back-to-back years in 2020 (Jalen Reagor) and 2021 (DeVonta Smith). Prior to that, who was the last receiver they drafted in the first round?
Reddit AMA with Flyers reporter Jackie Spiegel ahead of NHL trade deadline.
What are the Flyers’ plans for the NHL trade deadline?
You can ask that question and more during a Reddit AMA with the Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel on Wednesday in the r/Flyers Subreddit.
What you’re saying about NFL free agency
We asked: Which of the Eagles’ pending free agents should Roseman prioritize re-signing? Among your responses:
Dollars and sense drives these decisions. We have no tight ends and few edge rushers on the roster today. Signing Goedert and Phillips makes sense if their contracts fit the budget. The pressure is on Howie to again figure it out, make the right moves and keep the Super Bowl window open. — Tom E.
Bring back Goedert, Dean and Phillips — why are they so intent on moving on from Goedert? None of the other tight ends on the roster contributed at all last year.— Richard E.
Phillips and Dean are players that the BIRDS should resign. Dean is the play caller for the D and is tough. Phillips brings that outside rush which we desperately need.— Tom G.
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert is set to become a free agent.
Free agent must keepers: P Braden Mann, OLB Jaelan Phillips, TE Dallas Goedert, LB Nakobe Dean. Dump List- T. O. 2.0 WR A. J. Brown. Off to the Raiders or New England. Enough with his disruptive nonsense.— Ronald R.
Make it a priority to resign Dallas Goedert who had his best season this past year 60 receptions for 591 yards and 11 TD’s. At 6-5 256 he make an excellent target. When Brown and others were failing Dallas was there for Hurts when he most needed him. — Everett S.
All of them. — Paul D.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Scott Lauber, David Murphy, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Matt Breen, Ryan Mack, Kerith Gabriel, Jackie Spiegel, Jonathan Tannenwald, Joseph Santoliquito, and Devin Jackson.
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.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for getting your morning started with me. Kerith will catch back up with you in Thursday’s newsletter. — Bella
Of the Eagles’ 19 pending unrestricted free agents, nine are on defense, and four — Jaelan Phillips, Nakobe Dean, Reed Blankenship, and Adoree’ Jackson — were starters for most of the 2025 season. So, more than one-third of the defensive starters could depart Philadelphia, come the start of the new league year on March 11, requiring Howie Roseman to fill their roles either externally or internally.
Some positions have more clear-cut internal replacements than others. Some pending free agents likely are higher priorities for retention than others. Because the Eagles are set to have approximately $13 million in cap space at the start of the new league year, even those priority players could be difficult to keep, depending on their open-market demand.
Ultimately, the Eagles could part with the majority of those midrange to big-ticket free agents if they want to extend players like Jordan Davis or Jalen Carter this offseason (and others in coming years such as Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell, and Jalyx Hunt).
Here’s a look at where the Eagles stand with their pending defensive free agents and which potential additions might pique their interest:
The market for Jaelan Phillips could be robust.
Edge rushers
The biggest defensive domino of the Eagles’ offseason (and the one that likely will fall first) is Phillips. The 26-year-old pass rusher is one of the better players in this year’s pending free agent class, given his youth, his on-field impact, and the premium position he plays.
Of the Eagles’ pending free agents, he ought to be the biggest priority to retain. He seamlessly transitioned to a new defense at the trade deadline, and while he didn’t post gaudy sack numbers (two in eight games), he made the players around him better. His injury history could be cause for concern for any organization, but he made it through the 2025 season healthy while playing over 70% of the defensive snaps with the Miami Dolphins and the Eagles.
Phillips could have other suitors, though, which may drive up his asking price and push him out of the Eagles’ range. The Athletic projected his next contract at four years, $98 million ($24.5 million per year), while Spotrac is more conservative at three years, $52 million ($17.3 million per year). The reality could lie somewhere between those figures.
Whether Phillips returns or not, the Eagles must add edge rushers through free agency and the draft. Hunt and Nolan Smith are the only two players at the position who were on the active roster in 2025 and are under contract next year. Brandon Graham, Joshua Uche, Azeez Ojulari, and Ogbo Okoronkwo are pending free agents.
Besides Phillips, some of the other free-agent edge rushers worth considering include:
Bradley Chubb: On Feb. 16, the Dolphins released Chubb, who turns 30 in June, so he is available now if the Eagles are interested. The veteran edge rusher has ample experience playing for Vic Fangio, first with the Denver Broncos from 2019 to 2021 (including a Pro Bowl season in 2020) and in 2023 with the Dolphins. He rebounded in 2025 from an ACL injury sustained the year prior to collect 8½ sacks in 17 games.
Khalil Mack: Another former Fangio pupil (with the Chicago Bears). Mack just turned 35, so it seems unlikely that the Eagles would go after him if they also decide to bring back the soon-to-be-38-year-old Graham for another year. But if they move on from Graham and Mack is looking to add a title to his long list of career accolades, the Eagles could make sense as a landing spot. Despite suffering an elbow injury that kept him sidelined for five games in 2025, Mack finished with 5½ sacks and 32 tackles for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Maxx Crosby: OK, he isn’t a free agent, and his contract with the Las Vegas Raiders is staggering. But according to Sports Illustrated, Crosby could be a candidate for a trade, and the Eagles are among the teams “keeping tabs on his availability.” This would be the splash that Roseman explicitly said was unlikely this offseason. Still, Crosby has had offseason surgery the last two years, which could impact the return for him in a trade. One can dream of what the five-time Pro Bowler would look like in Fangio’s defense, even if it would take some serious maneuvering to pull off.
Other names to watch: Arnold Ebiketie, Boye Mafe, Kingsley Enagbare
Could Riq Woolen be a fit opposite Quinyon Mitchell at corner?
Cornerbacks
The Eagles are set with DeJean and Mitchell returning as starters, but the secondary has a hole at the second outside cornerback spot. Jackson, 30, is poised to become a free agent after holding down that starting role for the majority of the 2025 season.
As the season progressed, Jackson’s play improved. He could be a candidate to return to the Eagles in 2026 if they believe he can continue to play at a high level. They also could open the competition internally to Kelee Ringo, who vied for the job last training camp, or Mac McWilliams, who trained at outside cornerback and at nickel in practice last season.
Or, they could go the external route through the draft or free agency. Seeing as the Eagles have a number of long-term needs on offense (especially at tight end and on the offensive line) that could require premium draft capital, will free agency be the best route to acquire an outside cornerback?
Riq Woolen: The 26-year-old Woolen was one of the members of the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning “Dark Side” defense. He excelled at locking down his opponent, allowing the fewest yards per snap among outside cornerbacks with at least 250 coverage snaps entering Week 18, according to Next Gen Stats. Woolen is one of the better man coverage cornerbacks in the league, and while the Eagles play mostly zone, they deployed one of the higher rates of man coverage in the NFL in 2025 (24.5%; No. 12, according to Sharp Football Analysis).
Eric Stokes: Stokes covers two squares on the Roseman Prospective Target Bingo Card: draft pedigree and Georgia ties. The 27-year-old cornerback was the Green Bay Packers’ first-round pick (No. 29)in the 2021 draft. His early career with the Packers was marred by injury, but he stayed healthy as a starter with the Raiders last season. Stokes’ 77.2 passer rating against ranked 14th in the NFL among cornerbacks with at least 500 coverage snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Asante Samuel Jr.: If the Eagles can’t afford Woolen or Stokes, Samuel could be an option. Samuel, 26, underwent spinal fusion surgery last offseason and returned to action with the Pittsburgh Steelers in November. He started three games (in six appearances) in 2025, bringing his total career starts to 50. So long as the Eagles aren’t spooked by his injury history, he could compete for the starting gig on a low-cost deal with the team his father played for from 2008 to 2011.
Other names to watch: Josh Jobe, James Pierre, Benjamin St-Juste
Kam Curl (3) could pique the Eagles’ interest.
Safeties
Is this the end of the “Exciting Whites”? Blankenship, 27, is set to become a free agent after four seasons (three as a starter) in Philadelphia.
He has a special story with the Eagles, signing with the team as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State in 2022 and playing his way into a prominent role on defense. But he could earn a payday elsewhere — Spotrac projects his next contract at two years, $14.4 million ($7.2 million per year), while The Athletic estimates his potential deal at four years, $42 million ($10.5 million per year).
If Blankenship walks, the Eagles will be in the market for a safety who can start alongside Drew Mukuba, who is coming off a season-ending fibula fracture. However, given Blankenship’s body of work over the last few seasons and the lack of depth in the room, he could be one of the Eagles’ priorities ahead of free agency.
The Eagles lack internal replacement candidates, so they may have no choice but to spend money at the position. Sydney Brown could compete for the job again, but he struggled to hold it down at midseason while Mukuba was sidelined.
Marcus Epps: The 30-year-old safety usurped the starting job from Brown for four of the Eagles’ final five regular-season games and fared well in limited action. He could return on a relatively inexpensive, short-term deal while the Eagles add youth to the position through the draft.
Kam Curl: It seems unlikely that the Eagles would break the bank for a safety, so the addition of Curl would be a long shot, given that he’s one of the best in this free-agent class. Still, he’s worth checking in on, as he will be just 27 years old in 2026 and has 86 career starts, including 33 over the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He is a versatile, intelligent player who could provide an upgrade to the Eagles’ back end.
Kevin Byard: Could a reunion be on the horizon? Even at 32, Byard won’t come cheap, given his standout 2025 season with the Bears (including a league-high seven interceptions). But the Eagles evidently liked him enough to acquire him from the Tennessee Titans during the disastrous 2023 season. He would be better positioned for success under Fangio.
Other names to watch: Jaquan Brisker, Coby Bryant
The exit of Nakobe Dean (17) seemingly would pave the way for Jihaad Campbell in the starting lineup.
Inside linebackers
No one from the Eagles defense in 2025 exceeded expectations more than Dean. The 25-year-old inside linebacker began the season on the physically unable to perform list because of the patellar tendon tear he sustained in the 2024 wild-card round. Entering the season, he faced questions about whether he would return to the level of play he achieved before his injury.
He never appeared limited upon his return to action. While most homegrown players of Dean’s caliber would warrant an attempt at an extension, the Eagles could move on from him this offseason. Jihaad Campbell, the 31st overall pick out of Alabama in 2025, is on standby to succeed Dean as the starter alongside Zack Baun.
After Campbell and Baun, the Eagles have solid depth at the position under contract in 2026, including Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Smael Mondon. Even Chance Campbell, a 2022 sixth-rounder out of Ole Miss, built a strong reputation throughout his season on the practice squad. It seems unlikely that the Eagles will make any major additions to the unit in free agency.
The Neumann Goretti girls’ basketball team bus was almost as quiet as the church the players were in a day earlier. Everyone sat in their usual places.
Saints coach Andrea “Petey” Peterson was in the front right seat, her hair in its familiar bun, her head resting on her outstretched arm across the windowsill, her AirPods in, a way to insulate herself from the world that Saturday morning in early December. The day before had been her mother’s funeral.
In the back, the Neumann Goretti team whispered, the volume down from the blaring noise that typically wends through the bus during chartered away trips. None of Peterson’s players were surprised that their coach was on the bus with them, traveling to their season opener against St. Mary’s on Long Island in New York.
“I remember that trip,” said Saints senior guard Kamora Berry. “I remember seeing Coach Petey’s hair bun in the back of the bus and thinking we have to do this for her. There was no doubt in my mind she would be there that day. She is so strong. I would be a mess. Anyone would be.
“Think about it. Coach Petey is on a bus with us going to a game the day after her mother’s funeral. Who does that?”
Apparently, Andrea Peterson.
She is in her 12th season as Neumann Goretti’s head coach. She is the most accomplished girls’ high school basketball coach in the area, with six state championships, including last season’s first Class 4A title in school history (plus two in Class 2A and three in 3A), two Catholic League championships, and six District 12 titles.
In 2015, Peterson was named the national Naismith Coach of the Year, guiding the Saints to a 30-0 finish and a No. 1 ranking nationally by USA Today. Her team will compete in the first round of the state Class 4A playoffs on Saturday against Susquenita of Perry County.
Somehow, she manages to run her childcare business, Christopher’s Footprints, in Norwood, Delaware County, coaches Neumann Goretti, which is really a 12-month long responsibility, runs her AAU Philly Legacy program, all while raising her sibling’s three children on her own, and easily working between 70 to 80 hours a week during the four-month high school basketball season.
Who does that?
Apparently, she does.
Peterson says she derives her wrought-iron will power from her parents, Thomas and Alice, who were in ill health and died within 133 days of each other last year, though in many ways she channels old-world coaches like the raspy-voiced John Chaney and towering John Thompson.
Her friends and family joke there is a cuddly side to her, you just have to peel away the prickly cactus thorns. She has no filter. What she says, she means. She is demanding. Unbending. Stubborn. And incredibly loyal and giving.
The loyal and giving side, Peterson says, comes from her mom, who temporarily fostered three children one Christmas after their family house burned down. The diamond-hard edges, she laughs, comes from Thomas, a Vietnam veteran who fought PTSD most of his adult life and worked countless hours in baggage claim at Philadelphia International Airport.
Her players say that if you do not know Coach Petey, she can be intimidating and cold. Peterson will also be the first to acknowledge that she is not looking to be anyone’s buddy, because no one comes between her and her players. And she wins. She has won many times with players from hard, sometimes unimaginable backgrounds.
Legendary Westtown coach Fran Burbidge has known Peterson since she was 11, a pigtailed stubby little girl who played tackle football for the Brookhaven Jets. She’s the sixth of seven children and wanted to be like her older brothers, Joey and Chris.
Burbidge remembers when his daughter Chrissy played for the AAU Comets and Cardinal O’Hara and Peterson was playing for the Philadelphia Belles and Archbishop Carroll. Burbidge became good friends with her father and followed Peterson’s path to Carroll, where she won two Catholic League championships, one time canning a free throw with 5.3 seconds left to win the 2003 PCL title over O’Hara.
Burbidge, who has known Peterson for 30 years, now coaches against her.
“Through coaching AAU and here at Westtown, I have coached a lot of different kids, from a lot of different backgrounds, and there are certain things that you have to deal with as a coach, and with Andrea, she coaches great kids at Neumann Goretti, but she coaches kids who take the train home at night and kids that are homeless,” Burbidge said.
“She coaches kids who come from some rough situations. I don’t think a lot of people understand that about Andrea and what she does, because she’s been so successful as a basketball coach.
“Because Neumann Goretti, under her, has been so successful, they have the misconception Neumann Goretti is a basketball factory with talented kids that flock to them. It’s a lot more complicated than that.”
Andrea Peterson coaches her team during practice in January.
Peterson had players, according to many associated with the program, who were from broken backgrounds, some homeless and some abused, and a few survivors of domestic abuse.
She was a four-year starter at Carroll for Hall of Fame coach Barry Kirsch. How Peterson maintains everything she does is beyond him. Kirsch knew of her tireless work ethic as a player, which she continues as a coach.
She has an ability to relate to city players, because in many ways, she comes from the same rowhouse working-class existence as they do.
“Andrea always understood the game beyond her years,” Kirsch said. “You never had to explain anything to her. She was like having a coach on the court in high school. Her teammates respected her and loved her. You could see then Andrea was going to be a great coach. The relationship she has with her players is beyond reproach.
“She does not want the attention on her. She wants it on her team. Andrea has always been incredibly hard on herself, because I had her as a student. Maybe it’s why she takes on Neumann Goretti, because no one in the Catholic League has a harder job than her. Look at Carroll, O’Hara, [Archbishop] Wood, they get players from solid homes, and she is dealing with kids with challenging situations.”
‘Focused on the moment’
Peterson originally grew up in Brookhaven and moved to Norwood. She was one of seven in a three-bedroom home, with the five girls sleeping in bunk beds, and Joey in a separate room. After her older brother Christopher passed away on Mother’s Day 1994 in a car accident, when Peterson was 10, their mother, Alice, began sleeping by the door.
Alice, one of 10 children with South Philadelphia roots, would get so nervous watching Andrea play at Carroll she would rock back and forth in her seat. She did not know much about basketball, so she would yell, “Score that touchdown,” at Andrea’s games. Alice and Thomas more than a few times put up the family rent so Andrea could play summer AAU basketball.
“Seeing my mom at my games, knowing I was her baby girl in these big games, made me happy. My parents always made sure I had what I wanted, and that is what drives me today,” Peterson said. “I was spoiled. We never wanted for anything. But as you get older, you realize how life really is, and what your parents sacrificed. We knew we weren’t living in a mansion.”
Growing up, Joey would take “Angie,” as her family calls her, to Norwood Park to play with grown men when she was 13 on the asphalt courts. Peterson would get knocked around, and Joey never ran to pick her up.
“That’s where Angie got her toughness, and we weren’t about to help her up,” Joey said. “I think it’s why Angie was able to get on that bus the next day after our mother’s funeral. That tells you who she is, and about her commitment.
“I have to tell her to slow down sometimes. Our whole family tells her that. It is nonstop, between the basketball, the daycare, taking on our dad a few years ago, and now my sister’s kids. She is able to get focused on the moment in the moment.”
Andrea Peterson ends practice with a line up, doing special hand shakes with her players on Jan. 14.
Peterson first went to St. John’s University out of Carroll but decided to come home to care for her parents, who were in ill health. She transferred to Drexel, where she received her undergraduate in sports management and graduate degree in higher education, becoming the first college graduate in her family.
One time Peterson quit basketball while in grade school, because she felt that her father was living too vicariously through her and that nothing was good enough in his eyes.
They had a heart-to-heart to settle their differences. Peterson felt that was a coming-of-age moment.
“I was always stubborn, like my dad, and if that conversation doesn’t take place, I don’t know if I would have left basketball, but I wanted to show him I could do this on my own,” said Peterson, who wore the No. 22 because it was Christopher’s birthday and her daycare business is named after him.
“I knew what I had to do to get a college scholarship. I knew I was in love with basketball, and I knew that was where my path would go. I was told I wouldn’t make it at St. John’s. I was considered too small, too slow. I love being told I can’t do something. You can tell me 10 things, nine positive and one negative. I’ll hear the one negative and turn that into a positive.
“I hear it every year that Neumann Goretti isn’t good enough. You do not have to like us, but you have to respect my kids and our program, and the culture that we built.”
Thomas wanted more for his daughter, and he was even coaching her while she was coaching. Thomas would keep the articles written about his little “Angie” tucked under his bed.
During the last months of her father’s failing health, Peterson was his sole caretaker. Before he died, she said, he told her, “Thank you for making me proud.”
Andrea Peterson won her second PCL title as Neumann Goretti’s head coach on Feb. 23, 2025.
After each practice this season, her players have made it a habit to hug Peterson and tell her they love her.
“We know what Coach Petey has been through,” Berry said. “It’s why we dedicated this season to her. She buried both her parents last year and never missed a practice or training session. She was always there for us. We have to be there for her.
“I think high school players take for granted what their coaches do. We don’t. Coach Petey was on the bus with us going to a game the day after she buried her mother. I mean, who does that?”
Dylan Harper scored 22 points and Victor Wembanyama needed only 10 to help the San Antonio Spurs bounce back from their first loss in 12 games and rout the 76ers 131-91 on Tuesday night.
The Spurs hit 18 three-pointers and wrapped their annual rodeo road trip with a 5-1 record. They had won 11 straight games overall before they lost Sunday to the New York Knicks.
There were no worries in Philly about a losing streak. San Antonio never trailed and led by 49 points at the end of the third quarter.
Devin Vassell hit six three-pointers and scored 22 points for the Spurs.
Tyrese Maxey scored 21 points for the Sixers. They scored only 11 points total in the third quarter.
The Sixers played again without Joel Embiid as he sat out the second of a scheduled three straight games with a strained right oblique. The 76ers were also without the suspended Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. (illness), which left them undermanned and greatly overwhelmed from tip against the superior Spurs.
The Sixers lost VJ Edgecombe after he had a hard landing on his back on a three-point attempt in the first half.
The Spurs put on a show in front of Bob Costas, Doug Collins and more familiar broadcasters as part of a throwback night for NBC’s NBA coverage.
Sixers’ Adem Bona (right) and Spurs’ Luke Kornet battle for the ball in the first half of Tuesday’s game.
The Sixers would like to throw this one back.
Carter Bryant buried a three for to push San Antonio’s lead to 60-36 in the first half and the Sixers were booed off the court headed into a timeout. Harper scored 14 points in the half to take a 78-53 lead — all done without forward Harrison Barnes, who had his 364 consecutive games played streak end when he woke up from a nap with a sore ankle.
The Sixers host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., NBCSP) for the second night of a back-to-back.
