HARTFORD, Conn. — Devin Askew drove into the paint with Villanova trailing Connecticut by just one point inside two minutes to play. The defense collapsed, so Askew kicked the ball to the wing and into the waiting hands of … Kevin Willard.
The Villanova coach pounded the basketball onto the court with two hands. One of Villanova’s 11 turnovers came at an inopportune time.
The Wildcats later had a lead with less than a minute on the clock, and they still did take the second-ranked team in the country to overtime, but Askew’s turnover was one of many little moments that didn’t go Villanova’s way in a 75-67 loss at PeoplesBank Arena.
Where to start? There was Acaden Lewis’ out-of-control drive down two in overtime with just over a minute to go. Back in regulation, Bryce Lindsay missed an open runner in the paint shortly after the Askew turnover. Then Villanova’s leading scorer, who was held to three points and didn’t make any of his eight attempts, had a three-point attempt blocked in a tie game with less than 30 seconds to play.
Villanova started overtime with a Tyler Perkins three-pointer, then got the ball back when Perkins drew a charging foul. But instead of building on the lead, Lindsay had his pocket picked by Silas Demary Jr., leading to a runout dunk from Tarris Reed Jr. Perkins’ triple, 12 seconds into overtime, was Villanova’s only made basket of the extra session.
Villanova guard Bryce Lindsay shoots as UConn forward Alex Karaban defends on Saturday.
“It just hurts,” said Villanova senior big man Duke Brennan, who struggled last week with the size and physicality of St. John’s but battled back in a big way Saturday. He had 16 points and 14 rebounds and, perhaps most importantly, made eight of his nine free-throw attempts in 40 minutes. “We fought until the end. That’s a great team over there.”
To be sure, there were things Villanova did well enough to win. You don’t take the No. 2 team in the country to overtime without doing things correctly. The Wildcats had answers for a lot of UConn’s offensive action. They held Alex Karaban, who averages nearly 14 points, off the scoreboard for the first 30 minutes (though he did finish with 17 points).
Perkins had 16 points and 10 rebounds and continued to be the physical and experienced guard presence Villanova needs. Askew, too, continued his strong stretch of games with 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists before he fouled out in overtime. Matt Hodge followed up consecutive games being held to four points or less with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from three-point range, including a corner three that gave Villanova a 61-59 lead with just over a minute to go.
UConn guard Braylon Mullins is guarded by Villanova guards Bryce Lindsay (2) and Malachi Palmer (7) on Saturday.
But then came another costly error. Demary missed a driving layup, and Villanova couldn’t secure a rebound, allowing Reed to tip in the tying basket.
In the end, UConn made the plays when it mattered. Solo Ball, who led all scorers with 24 points, hit arguably the game’s biggest shot, a three-pointer with two minutes left in overtime that turned a one-point Villanova lead into a two-point deficit.
It is hard for Villanova to win when Lindsay doesn’t make a shot and Lewis goes 1-for-13 from the field. Yet, it nearly happened anyway.
“We’re a young team,” Willard said. “Guys were trying to make plays. We got to the rim. We didn’t finish at the rim, and I thought we had some opportunities at the rim.”
Villanova made 5 of 15 layup attempts.
“We’re still going down and playing high-level defense,” Willard said. “If we can continue to build on that, then we’ll get out in transition and get some easier buckets.”
It was the closing minutes that Willard said he needed to “get better at.” Lewis was seemingly benched for a large stretch of the second half. Brennan was in foul trouble. The Wildcats are a team without much depth.
“I got to put the right lineups out there at times and I’m learning a lot about certain guys and what to do,” Willard said. “At the end of the day, we don’t do a free throw box out, and we don’t get a huge rebound when we’re up four with about six minutes to go. … Sometimes to get there on the road you got to make sure you finish possessions, and I thought there was three or four times where we didn’t finish possessions with rebounds.”
An encouraging game nonetheless?
“No,” Willard replied. “I don’t like losing. We should have won that game.”
UConn guard Solo Ball, who led all scorers with 24 points, dribbles around Villanova guard Tyler Perkins on Saturday.
The reality for Villanova is Saturday’s loss is one that won’t necessarily hurt. A road upset helps a lot more than an eight-point overtime loss stings as far as the meaningful metrics go. The Wildcats are 15-5 overall and 6-3 in Big East play. They started the day rated 25th at KenPom and were still there by late Saturday afternoon. They have rest ahead before a Friday home game vs. Providence, and plenty of winnable games on the calendar as they continue to hunt for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Plus, two more shots at the conference’s elite. On consecutive Saturdays, Villanova took St. John’s and Connecticut to the brink.
“The good thing about conference is you play every team twice,” Brennan said. “We get another shot at those dudes. St. John’s we felt like we didn’t play good at all, all throughout our program. This game we felt like we really battled.
“It feels like it got away and we felt like we were there the whole game. There are certain little things that come down at the end of the game where it can flip one way. It wasn’t on our side tonight.”
DENVER ― Three games. Three different outcomes. Five out of six points.
Not a shabby week for the Flyers, who lost six straight before heading west and took on three of the NHL’s best. Not a shabby week for, really, anyone, facing the gauntlet of the Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Mammoth, and Colorado Avalanche in three consecutive games.
Coach Rick Tocchet and his players have often talked about lessons. Here are five lessons the Flyers learned this week that could help propel them forward as the season heads to the Olympic break.
1. Owen Tippett has been unleashed
Speaking with The Inquirer after his introductory press conference, Tocchet said, “I think Owen Tippett is a guy who I feel has another level in him. I think he’s a prototypical big, fast winger. Can we unleash him?”
If you hadn’t noticed it in the past few weeks, it smacked you in the face Friday: Tippett is officially unleashed.
“He’s a big-time player,” Sam Ersson said postgame. “He makes big-time plays at the right time when we need it. And he’s that guy who can score from anywhere. He just doesn’t need much. And you give him the finger, he’ll take the whole hand.”
Standing in the Flyers locker room at Ball Arena after the game, Tippett’s hand was filled with pucks after the winger notched his second career hat trick. His first came after his initial shot was blocked, but he stayed with it and sniped it past Mackenzie Blackwood from the right circle. The second came on the left side off the rush, and his third, which sealed a 7-3 victory over Colorado, was a short-handed goal through the wickets.
His four points — he also assisted on Denver Barkey’s power-play — showed everything he’s been doing well for weeks. Since Dec. 20, Tippett leads the Flyers in goals (nine) and is two points back of Travis Konecny’s team-leading 15. He also ranks third in hits (29).
“I think I’ve been pretty happy with my game the last couple of weeks, just doing all the little things and not really worrying about kind of points or scoring or just knowing they’re coming,” he said. “So obviously, it’s nice to have three [goals]. But more importantly, it’s about the win.
2. Keep the foot on the pedal
On Wednesday, the Flyers learned the hard way on how letting up can change a game. Losing 5-4 in overtime, they faltered despite having 3-0 and 4-2 leads before Utah scored twice in the third period, including the game-tying goal in the last minute.
“We talked about it as a team. I think, like, sometimes when the pressure comes, instead of folding, it’s when you have to play your best hockey,” defenseman Cam York said after morning skate in Denver. “I felt like when the pressure hit, we didn’t play our best hockey … [and] it’s mental. I think sometimes when we get a lead, we like to just kind of let them do their thing a little bit more, instead of just keeping our game going. So I think that’s the biggest piece for us.”
Flyers defenseman Cam York said against Utah, “I felt like when the pressure hit, we didn’t play our best hockey.”
On Friday, the Flyers did not let up. They scored three goals on seven shots in the final frame, including two goals in the first two minutes of the period to break open a 3-3 game.
“[Friday], there were about four or five guys … who stood on the bench and said some key things,” Tocchet said. “Usually, we’re a fairly quiet bench. But the guys who were talking don’t talk that much, and it was really inspiring for me to hear them say that.
“Jamie Drysdale stood up and said, ‘Let’s enjoy this moment. Like, we’ve got to enjoy these pressure games. That’s why you play the game. You don’t want hide from it.’ When he said that, I think maybe that gave everybody a little bit of ‘Yeah, let’s enjoy it, let’s not be nervous about it.’ And I think that helped.”
3. Stop taking penalties
For the love of hockey, the Flyers need to stop taking penalties.
Penalties happen, of course, and is every penalty a legitimate call? Absolutely not, as the officiating has been downright dreadful this year. However, there are certainly penalties that could have been avoided.
The good news is that the penalty kill has been much better. It went from a league-worst 60.6% from the holiday break through Sunday to 85.7% across the three games this past week.
The bad news, since Monday’s 2-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights — where one of Konecny’s two goals was a shortie — the Flyers lead the NHL in times shorthanded (14). They’ve spent the second-most time on ice shorthanded at almost 8 minutes a game, with only Utah, which played that one game against them, having more at 8:30.
Part of why the penalty kill has been better was because they have more structure — playing the diamond Tocchet likes while being smart with their aggressiveness — and part of it was Ersson. According to Natural Stat Trick, across the last three games, the Flyers allowed 36 shot attempts, 19 shots, 21 scoring chances, and 10 high-danger chances.
Samuel Ersson has contributed toward improving the Flyers’ penalty kill.
They allowed just two power-play goals against, with one coming from a high-danger spot — and none of the three shot attempts from in tight by Colorado, which kept feeding the bumper, got through. On the flip side, they do have two short-handed goals this past week and five on the season.
“We scratched and clawed. It was a tough game; got to kill two penalties right off the start. We had to kill a bunch of penalties tonight,” said Tocchet of the Flyers taking two penalties in the first five minutes and four in the game. “And I’m not going to blame the guys on the penalties, but I really felt they grinded it out killing those penalties.”
4. Bobby Brink is a catalyst
Could Brink be the straw that stirs the Flyers’ drink? Brink missed six games and the Flyers lost them all. Brink returns on Monday, and the Flyers go 2-0-1. Coincidence?
Whether or not there is a correlation, Brink doesn’t just bring a balance to the forward lines; he brings speed, a dogged determination, and pressure that creates turnovers and puts the opposition on its heels.
“There’s a guy like Bobby Brink, I think the last couple of games, he adds a lot of speed,” Tocchet said following morning skate at Ball Arena. “If he gets the puck, you see him through the neutral zone, separating himself. Those are the things we’re teaching our players to do.
While right wing Bobby Brink was sidelined for six games, the Flyers lost six straight.
He notched yet another goal — he has two in three games since returning from a concussion — on Friday for a career-high 13 this season. It was a pivotal moment as it regained the Flyers’ lead 32 seconds after the Avalanche tied it up 2-2. It was his work ethic, alongside Noah Cates, that led to the goal.
Skating in on a two-on-one, Brink fed Cates, who didn’t get good wood on the pass. But the centerman stayed with it as he and Brink worked together down low and around the net before Brink used his feet to keep the puck loose. The 24-year-old winger got the puck atop the crease and roofed it.
5. Never give up on Ersson
It wasn’t an easy one to close out the road trip — as Ersson said, “You kind of get those flashbacks from the Utah game” as the Avalanche kept pressing. But while they may have bent slightly, the Flyers didn’t break — in large part because of their goaltender.
According to Natural Stat Trick, entering the week, Ersson had the worst save percentage (.854) among goalies with at least 1000 minutes played this season. His Goals Saved Above Average (-18.35) and high-danger save percentage (.750) were second-worst in the NHL, better than only Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues.
With Dan Vladař injured and Aleksei Kolosov allowing three goals on three shots last Saturday to the New York Rangers, the net was Ersson’s. He took hold of it as he started three straight for the first time this season — and the first time since late March.
This past week, among the 37 goalies who played at least 60 minutes, every one of his stats rose. His save percentage was 24th (.897), his GSAA was 26th (-0.41), and his HDSV% was 18th (.846). Most impressive was that his high-dangers goals saved above average rose from -6.67 to 1.04. He tied Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks, Tocchet’s old team, for the most high-danger shots faced this past week (26).
Ersson was modest postgame on Friday, saying it was “all about just making those timely saves,” but it’s clear he’s seeing the puck well. Always a goalie who likes to see shots early to get into the game, on Monday, he had his fifth first-period shutout of the season when he stopped 11 pucks by Vegas on the way to the win. On Friday, he made 17 saves — several of which were masterful as the Avalanche put quick snapshots and peppered him from the slot and in tight — for his sixth clean first period.
“Yeah, obviously, you get a lot of action early, and I think that helps to settle in,” he said. “Every game has its own challenges. And, you know this team is so good [that] they’re going to make a huge push to come back, and they did. And how we dealt with it in the team, [we] just kept believing in ourselves.”
Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson had his fifth first-period shutout of the season when he stopped 11 pucks by Vegas on Friday.
Long known for his tough mental game and often praised for it by former coach John Tortorella, the turnaround was not unexpected from the Swede or his new coach.
“He was down in dumps, and he knew that he wanted to get his game going, but he worked at it. Spent a lot of time with [goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh], with video, and I got to give him credit,” Tocchet said.
“He had a smile on his face there about three games ago — I didn’t see him kind of moping around — I like that. A lot of things were being tested, and some of the demons in him, and that’s where you got to face it, and I think he did. He was solid in net.”
The local answer starts with the U.S. women’s soccer team’s longtime popularity here, even though none of its senior players are from the area anymore.
That was proven again when the Americans came to town in October. There were quite a few Rodman jerseys in the stands, even though she wasn’t on the squad. She has genuine, cut-through star power, the first American women’s soccer player to reach that peak since the era of Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Carli Lloyd.
In the year and a half leading to the 2027 World Cup, we’ll find out if any of Rodman’s current compatriots will meet her up there. Sophia Wilson will certainly be a candidate when she returns from maternity leave. Catarina Macario’s bright star will grow even brighter if she comes back to the NWSL this summer, as has been rumored lately. Lily Yohannes is meeting the hype as a young phenom.
Sophia Wilson (right) was out of action last year as she welcomed her first child.
But there’s another piece too, one which could have a big impact locally.
The NWSL would like to have a Philadelphia team if an ownership group steps forward.
“We love Philadelphia,” commissioner Jessica Berman told The Inquirer on Friday. “We think Philadelphia will be a great NWSL market one day, and certainly among the cities that would be in contention.”
The subject no doubt gave Berman a few minutes of respite from a grilling about the league’s controversial High Impact Player rule. That fracas won’t die down any time soon, not least because the NWSL Players Association has taken the league to arbitration over it.
But at some point down the line, there will be other subjects to discuss, and expansion is always on the list. The league is adding teams in Denver and Boston this year, and will add Atlanta in 2028.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman.
When Atlanta’s team kicks off, Philadelphia will be the only city that had teams in the two prior leagues, the Women’s United Soccer Association (2001-03) and Women’s Professional Soccer (2010-11), but lacks an NWSL team.
Meanwhile, the WNBA will launch an expansion team here in 2030, and the Unrivaled basketball circuit has sold out Xfinity Mobile Arena for a doubleheader this Friday. That puts more proof on the table that Philadelphia fans have an interest in women’s sports.
A group of investors has been working on a local NWSL expansion bid, but has not yet been willing to talk publicly about it.
That leaves Berman waiting along with everyone else.
“We do not have any news to break, or current timeline, or plan of when that might happen,” she said. “But I know I’ve shared with you before: we love that city, we know and believe a women’s soccer team in the NWSL would be successful there. And we look forward to the day when the circumstances are right.”
Maybe giving Bryce Harper better protection will return him to “elite” status.
The most intriguing tidbit the Phillies provided Tuesday in their Hot Stove state of the union news conferences concerned how the run-it-back lineup will be organized.
The Phils led the National League in batting average and finished second in OPS as they won their second consecutive NL East title. That offense was led by a lineup that generally featured Trea Turner leading off, Kyle Schwarber batting second, and Harper batting third. Harper has spent most of his career batting third.
This year might be different.
“Yeah, I’ve got some ideas,” said manager Rob Thomson. “I’ve got to talk to the players about it, but you could see a change this year, flipping those guys around a little bit.”
Asked later if the changes could involve Harper moving out of the three-hole, Thomson said, “Yes.”
A change might do him good.
A wrist injury and a steady diet of breaking balls — a career-high 41.3% — led to Harper’s worst season since 2016. His .844 OPS was 22nd in baseball and more than 50 points below his .911 career OPS entering 2025.
This dip in production led Phillies president Dave Dombrowski, in his postseason news conference in October, to cast Harper as “a quality player” who didn’t “have an elite season like he has had in the past.”
This upset Harper, who, nine days later, told The Athletiche was “hurt” by the comments and the resulting fallout. That included speculation that the Phillies might be better off trading Harper — media-fueled speculation, and something the Phillies never considered.
Dombrowski has said he had a conversation with Harper in November and emerged from that discussion believing that their relationship was fine.
Then, on Dec. 26, Harper posted a TikTok video of himself hitting in a batting cage while wearing a sweatshirt that said, “NOT ELITE.”
Thomson said Tuesday that Harper had been hitting in late December, earlier than usual, to better prepare for the WBC … and, maybe, to make Dombrowski eat his words.
“I think he’s motivated. I really do,” Thomson said. “I think he’s motivated to play for his country, and I think he’s motivated to win a world championship.”
Will Harper be motivated to move from the No. 3 spot?
His career OPS while batting second is .791 in 1,010 plate appearances, though those numbers reflect him as a much younger player. In his most recent stretch of hitting No. 2 — 14 games last season — Harper’s OPS was .900.
Schwarber, meanwhile, has a career OPS of .882 when batting second and .816 when batting third, though he only has 209 plate appearances batting third. For what it’s worth, Schwarber’s OPS in the cleanup spot is .937 in 475 plate appearances.
Fair point
Dombrowski might have put his foot in his mouth in October, but he’s right. Harper’s production lagged in 2025. He’s 33 this season.
A lineup change might be just what the Topper ordered.
This isn’t the first time Harper’s spot in the lineup has come into question with spring training looming. In fact, this time last year nobody knew who would hit where, exactly. The three previous seasons, Schwarber had been an unusual leadoff hitter — low-average, high-power, few RBIs.
The Phillies were eager to harness Schwarber’s power (they did: he led baseball with 132 RBIs last year) and replace him up top with Turner or Bryson Stott. If that didn’t work, they hoped their best hitter since ,might be willing to do the job.
Harper was not interested in that.
“Obviously, I’m a three-hole hitter, and I have been, but whenever they’ve told me to hit two or four, I’ve done that in the past,” Harper said last spring. “I like to see pitches before I hit, seeing what the guy’s going to do.”
It’s unlikely Harper will be asked to hit leadoff this season, considering last year Turner won both the job and the NL batting title, hitting .304.
But it seems extremely likely that Harper and Schwarber will switch, at least occasionally. Both bat left-handed, but Schwarber hit 23 homers off lefties last season with a .962 OPS, both records for left-handed hitters. Of course, he did this with Harper usually standing in the on-deck circle.
And when Harper came to bat, pitchers knew the No. 4 hitter wasn’t much of a threat. Usually, it was a right-hander like Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, or Alec Bohm, all of whom struggled in 2025. Early in the season, it was Schwarber.
Who now?
This season, $10 million free agent Adolis García will probably get the first chance. He’s hit mostly cleanup the past four years. He’s a right-handed hitter. He has power potential, averaging just over 30 home runs for the Rangers from 2021-24.
No other player makes sense, especially since Thomson will want to maximize the number of appearances for his would-be elite players, Schwarber and Harper.
So, ultimately, who will protect whom? It will be one of the more interesting story lines at spring training.
It also might not be determined by the end of the Phillies’ preseason. The WBC could occupy Harper for two full weeks right in the middle of spring training.
That might be irrelevant. In a make-or-break season for a Phillies core that has underachieved the past three years, it sounds like Thomson might juggle the lineup every day of the season if he feels like it, preference and feelings be damned.
Philadelphia and its famously indefatigable, fanatical followers of all things pro sports, you have a test coming at you with the speed of a Tyrese Maxey breakaway.
Then will come the test. Can, and will, Philadelphia and its often-notorious rabid fans land on the right side of the WNBA story, embracing not only a specific team, but the general concept of women’s professional sports?
Billie Jean King, for one, has thoughts.
In two interviews, King — one of the most celebrated sports icons of any generation and an inductee into multiple Halls of Fame — explained how she planted roots in Philadelphia long ago and has yet to pull those roots up. Yes, she’s moved around the globe, with stops at Wimbledon, Roland Garros, Australia, and beyond. She is a fixture at the U.S. Open every summer in New York, a whirling dervish who refuses to slow down, even at 82 years old.
She wants to see Philadelphia become the next successful chapter in the chronicles of the WNBA story, proving all the more, even more that women can succeed on basketball courts, by measuring success one purchased ticket at a time.
“I just hope that comes true,” said King of a pro team other than the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers lighting up South Philadelphia’s sports complex. “If it does come there, then the fans better make sure they support it because the other [new] teams now, they really have great support.”
Elton John in a Philadelphia Freedoms jacket and Billie Jean King in 1974.
Her conversations about the possibilities of basketball’s best women playing for Philadelphia have been ongoing for seemingly a lifetime. “We’ve been talking to people about that forever on that subject,” King said, mentioning her wish that famed Philadelphians like Wanda Sykes and others from the entertainment industry help draw attention to the sport. (As for ownership, she again points to Sykes, and Sykes’ wife, Alex, saying “I know they’d love to invest.”)
Having just helped establish the Professional Women’s Hockey League, having dabbled in ownership of tennis tournaments, King knows what lies ahead for ownership of a new franchise and for a fan base that is particularly particular.
“Philadelphia, it’s a rough market,” King said, “because notice when the Phillies are winning, everybody shows up. When they’re not winning, very few show up. What you need is an organization like the Cubs, whether they win or lose, they fill the place. That’s what Philadelphia has to do. That’s what you need the fans do. They gotta have to want to do that to support their city.”
Her presence is not just the stuff of tennis lore. She is not a fixture in baseball, ensconced in the major leagues as a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. When not seated in the front row near the Dodgers’ dugout at Chavez Ravine, chatting it up with Magic Johnson and Sandy Koufax, she could be seen standing next to Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts on podiums as she and her team celebrated the last two World Series championships.
Billie Jean King (left) and Magic Johnson take in Game 1 of the NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals.
And for King there is no offseason. She sits on the board of directors for the 3-year-old PWHL, a creation of the Dodgers’ ownership. She applauds its million-plus ticket sales per season as heartily as she celebrates baseball championships.
She also is closely following the startup of the new women’s professional baseball league being backed by Major League Baseball. King has no stake in that league. Yet. But upon learning that none other than Mo’ne Davis, the multifaceted Philadelphia athlete of Little League fame, was attracted to the new league’s tryouts certainly attracted King’s attention.
Yet as King began the second of our interviews for this article, she leaned into the Zoom video camera and declared that she was wearing the Phillies’ maroon, a transplant from the West Coast stubbornly proud of her adopted city.
King remembers watching the Phillies play at Veterans Stadium, falling back on the dreams of a little girl who wanted to play baseball as much as did her brother, Randy Moffitt, a former big league pitcher who died earlier this year.
King also reminisces about Coaching 101 conversations she’d have with Sixers great Billy Cunningham while the two watched the Flyers skate their way to Stanley Cup championships. Just two Hall of Famers talking hoops. King also wished to have played the sport, but for that glass ceiling that limited girls’ and women’s access to the game.
That so many memories of teams rooted in Philadelphia can make her smile reminds one to never doubt how much Billie Jean King still has invested in emotions, heart, and soul in this city after six-plus decades.
“As a child, when I was growing up, I read everything I could on the history of women’s tennis and men’s tennis,” King said. “And there is so much history in Philadelphia. … And the junior championships used to be there. If you wanted to be the No. 1 junior in the world, you had to play at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. They had the junior nationals, and you had to win that tournament to be No. 1 in the country. I never won.”
That didn’t mean the city failed to win over King. “I’ve been going there since I was 15,” she said fondly. And when she returned as an adult, she did so as a world-renowned champion, coming back to play for and coach the Philadelphia Freedoms in 1974, the inaugural season of the World Team Tennis league.
Billie Jean King was a player-coach for the Philadelphia Freedoms.
These ventures make it feel like coming home whenever she passes through Philadelphia, she said. And now, she sees a city she loves about to take on a fight she’s waged her whole life.
Like many a WNBA team, their NBA counterparts will be counted on greatly to help the Philly team take flight. The franchise owner is Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Sixers, with Comcast Spectacor holding a minority stake.
Yet King cautions, too, that “in Philadelphia, you’ve got to have the big bucks. You’ve got to be in it for the long, long haul.”
Why that matters is this: The WNBA has shuffled the deck in four expansion eras in its 29 seasons. Philadelphia will join as part of its fourth expansion.
The league’s history on moving or disbanding franchises is no secret. Neither is its willingness to go in another direction quickly, no matter the size of the market the league chooses to flee.
The league has relocated and rebranded five teams. Only three of the original eight teams remain. As the WNBA looks to grow to an all-time high of 18 teams by 2030, it is betting much on Philadelphia — the only city among the nation’s six largest metropolises to have never had a WNBA team.
New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) looks for an outlet as Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas during a WNBA playoff game last fall. Jones’ and Thomas’ teams are two of the three inaugural WNBA franchises still in their original homes.
Right now, the model every future expansion team will be chasing is the Golden State Valkyries.
The Valkyries set a record for victories in an expansion team’s first season and made the playoffs, another first for an expansion team, all while selling out its slate of home games.
“So they did it right, and you’ve got to do it right,” said King of the team fronted by the NBA Golden State Warriors.
“You’ve got to have enough money and then you’ve got to set up everything right. Like, where are they going to play? Make sure they get good dates,” she said, noting that WNBA franchises often are second, third, or fourth in pecking orders in arenas often shared by other teams. “It’s a very difficult world to be in sports, financially, especially if you’re trying to help get a new sport in the area.”
That largely sums up what fans of women’s sports can expect when the WNBA lands here.
Can it work? Will it work? For Billie Jean King, just trying will be worth the effort as she keeps endorsing getting women not only on the courts, ice, playing fields, but in the seats of power.
“I’ve been in business forever,” she said. “My former husband and I owned tournaments from 1968. I always did the business side. It really helped me to lead. I said yes [because] the way to do it was to embrace it with everything I’ve got. The way to do it is to know all sides of something, and not because I’ve been an owner, a coach, a player. I’ve been in a lot of situations not only to have a better life, but to create opportunities for others. It’s just more enriched when you have a life where you have empathy and compassion for each person’s situation.”
In King’s world of sports, it’s always a must that fairness be made available to women. It won’t be long until the City of Brotherly Love gets its opportunity to agree with one of its most famous adopted sisters. At last.
I have invited two Inquirer journalists who I knew could answer this week’s question — Sam Ruland, who has gone to Clearwater for Phillies spring training and frequents the Shore, and Amy S. Rosenberg, a Shore resident and The Inquirer’s Shore correspondent.
Have a question of your own? Or an opinion? Email me.
Evan Weiss, Deputy Features Editor
This week’s question is:
What’s a better vacation: a week at the Jersey Shore or spring training in Clearwater?
Amy S. Rosenberg, Life & Culture Reporter
I’d say if you’re talking about February or March, definitely opt for spring training. We’ve got almost nothing for you down here.
I‘m always really envious of people who go to spring training. Do people envy me for living at the Shore? Maybe. Maybe not.
So maybe it’s easier for me to say definitely take that spring training trip! Then in the summer take day trips to free beaches (Atlantic City, Strathmere, Wildwood) and sit there with the games on audio. That’s just a lovely day at the beach.
Sam Ruland, Features Planning and Coverage Editor
I went to Phillies spring training in Clearwater in 2023, splitting a house Airbnb with friends, doing the full baseball-all-day, casual-night-out routine.
Clearwater felt special because it was a treat: a few days of baseball optimism, warm weather when Philly is still miserable, and no expectations beyond watching baseball and drinking beer.
I think both of these experiences are so different though! Spring training wouldn’t fill the void of missing a week down the Shore in the summer. Spring training is spring break!
Amy S. Rosenberg
Which is more expensive?
Sam Ruland
Depending on when you book flights, it can be cheap. But if you don’t plan far enough out, you can easily end up dropping close to $1,000 on airfare … to Florida. Which feels wrong.
Amy S. Rosenberg
I would have guessed the Shore would be the more expensive. I really miss the old minor league Atlantic City Surf that played on Albany Avenue at the Surf Stadium, a lot of times with fireworks, and their own mascot, Splash. You didn’t need to leave the Shore to have the full experience, especially for little ones. Mitch Williams was the coach one year.
I typically spend about $38 each way to get to Florida from Atlantic City, just saying.
Sam Ruland
WOW!
Amy S. Rosenberg
(Don’t tell anyone about ACY, the world’s greatest airport.)
Sam Ruland
We spent about $200 on roundtrip flights. But when we considered going last year the prices were wayyyy higher.
Amy S. Rosenberg
As someone who’s a Philly sports fan, though transplanted, I sometimes find it hard to get into the teams in the early season, so for me, going to spring training would be a great way to guarantee a full season immersion, which sounds heavenly.
But if you’re stuck up north, and into basketball, Atlantic City hosts the MAAC 10 tournament, which is a great lead-up to March Madness. A lot of times, the teams that win are sleeper upsets in the main tournament, like St. Peter’s Peacocks. Atlantic City people had a head start on that.
Sam Ruland
I think the Shore is probably more money for a full week — no question. But for some reason, it also feels like you get more out of it. And I say that as someone who loves the Phillies deeply and does not enjoy admitting this.
Amy S. Rosenberg
When you’re down in Clearwater, do you get any beach time? Is there even a beach in Clearwater?
(I’m not really a west coast Florida person.)
Sam Ruland
Yes, there are beaches, but for us the days revolved around games and schedules. The beach was there in theory; spring training energy very much took over in practice.
Amy S. Rosenberg
I feel like spring training vacation is something you should do but not every year maybe.
Evan Weiss
Yeah, I think if it’s something you’ve always wanted to do … go for it. Then go down the Shore next year.
Sam Ruland
Agreed! Spring training is a great trip — but the people who go every year usually don’t have to choose. For friends or couples, Clearwater is perfect. For families, the Shore just makes more sense, even if it costs more.
Amy S. Rosenberg
I think it would be an awfully long summer without that trip down the Shore.
Sam Ruland
I mean Jersey Shore in March vs. Clearwater in March, I think yes, Clearwater. You’re not going to Shore that early!
Amy S. Rosenberg
Yeah, March is kind of bleak. Lots of contractors building very expensive homes on land where cute bungalows used to be. I am surprised to see my summer neighbors showing up on long winter weekends though.
Evan Weiss
So if it’s spring training vs. peak summer down the Shore, do you both side with the Shore?
Sam Ruland
Peak summer Jersey Shore, 1,000%. No hesitation. Hoagies on the beach, Shore showers, no shower happy hours, ice cream every night, boardwalk walks for no reason. That’s unbeatable. But in March, being in Clearwater with the Fightins just feels right.
(But one over the other, I think I have to choose Shore.)
Amy S. Rosenberg
I think it’s OK to take a summer off and go to spring training, especially if people in the traveling group are into it. You won’t be banned from the Shore. There are weekends and free beaches and ways to do it without breaking the bank. And if the Phillies go deep in the post-season you can join the locals on the beach with the twilight games on, order a pizza, and you’ll feel like the beach is a South Philly street where everybody’s on their steps listening.
(Just bring a sweatshirt.)
This conversation has been edited andcondensed for length and clarity.
The offseason is only two weeks old, but it’s already been an interesting one for the Eagles.
Kevin Patullo was removed from his role as offensive coordinator two days after their season-ending playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and the search for his replacement is underway.
Patullo’s post isn’t the only one in need of filling, though.
We’re keeping you updated on the comings and goings and the entire Eagles offseason at The Inquirer with news and analysis on the team as it goes through a critical offseason. This week’s update will start with the latest on the coaching front.
Coaching staff changes
The Eagles have interviewed multiple candidates for the offensive coordinator opening, and some of those candidates have landed elsewhere. We’ll get to the state of the OC search momentarily.
But the Eagles are also in need of a new defensive backs coach after the Dallas Cowboys plucked Christian Parker, a highlyregarded 34-year-old up-and-comer to be their new defensive coordinator. It had always seemed like a matter of time until Parker, who was also the defensive pass game coordinator, was lured to a better job with another team, and that time came now.
Christian Parker has long been heralded as the member of the staff primed for a bigger role.
Parker, of course, has been instrumental in helping the Eagles develop their two young All-Pro defensive backs, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. As far as candidates for that job go, it’s unclear what external candidates the Eagles might consider, but one internal candidate, safeties coach Joe Kasper, is a possibility.
As for the offensive coordinator spot, the search rolls on.
Two new names were added to the list this week when the Eagles on Wednesday interviewed longtime Andy Reid assistant and former Bears head coach Matt Nagy. They also reportedly requested to interview current Bears defensive coordinator Declan Doyle, a 29-year-old who has been a fast riser.
The candidate list has lost a few names. Zac Robinson was hired by Tampa Bay, and Mike McDaniel appears headed to the Chargers if he doesn’t get a head coaching gig. Brian Daboll, who the Eagles interviewed, is also in the running to be a head coach and, according to The Athletic, will likely land in Tennessee as the OC if he doesn’t. Still, Daboll probably should be considered a candidate until he officially isn’t one.
Other names on the list include Jim Bob Cooter, Josh Grizzard, Mike Kafka, and Bobby Slowik.
Since the last offseason update, special teams coordinator Michael Clay, whose contract was set to expire, was re-signed by the team.
Additional offensive coaching staff changes could occur, too, depending on the eventual OC hire.
Will Reed Blankenship be back with the Eagles in 2026?
Roster decisions (updated Jan. 17)
Scheduled free agents
The Eagles have 20 pending free agents, 10 on offense, nine on defense, and punter Braden Mann.
Offense
TE Dallas Goedert: Goedert reworked his deal last offseason to stay with the Eagles and scored a career-best 11 touchdowns, an Eagles tight end record. Considering the Eagles don’t have any tight ends on the roster, they may look to bring the 31-year-old back after he got through the season relatively healthy.
WR Jahan Dotson: The little-used third receiver could find a new home this offseason. WR3 is a tough position on this team behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and it seems unlikely the Eagles will find it worth bringing Dotson back.
OT Fred Johnson: Johnson left for free agency after last season, but the Eagles traded for him before the season for some insurance at tackle, and they needed it. It remains to be seen how the Eagles approach the draft and free agency, but Johnson’s return would put an experienced body on the depth chart.
TE Grant Calcaterra: As mentioned, the Eagles don’t have any tight ends. Calcaterra has been productive when the Eagles use him as a pass catcher, but he’s not a great blocker, and the Eagles need their tight ends to block.
OL Brett Toth: The do-it-all lineman has been a valuable asset in Jeff Southland’s offensive line room. He can fill in at any position.
TE Kylen Granson: Granson was a big part of the Eagles’ special teams, despite having a limited role in the offense. The tight end position is in flux, but Granson could return as a depth piece.
OL Matt Pryor: The Eagles brought back a familiar and experienced face in the offseason for some depth. Pryor gave that and provided positional versatility. But he wasn’t all that great in relief.
RB AJ Dillon: Dillon started the season in the mix to get snaps behind Saquon Barkley, but he fell out of favor after the Eagles traded for Tank Bigsby. Dillon was inactive for most of the second half of the season and logged just 12 carries. The Eagles are pretty set at running back with Barkley, Bigsby, and Will Shipley.
QB Sam Howell: The Eagles weren’t comfortable with Kyle McCord as QB3, so they acquired Howell before the season. Will McCord be ready after spending the 2025 season on the practice squad?
FB Ben VanSumeren: VanSumeren changed positions from linebacker to fullback and made the 53-man roster, but his season ended on the opening kickoff in Week 1. The Eagles signed Kansas City’s Carson Steele to a futures contract. Will they bring back VanSumeren and have a fullback competition?
Defense
EDGE Jaelan Phillips: The deadline acquisition stepped in right away and was a difference-maker along the defensive line. The Eagles need a top-end edge rusher to add to a unit that has Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith under contract. Phillips would make sense.
LB Nakobe Dean: Dean returned from patellar tendon surgery in the middle of the season and looked like he didn’t miss a beat. But the Eagles drafted his replacement last season in Jihaad Campbell.
S Reed Blankenship: Blankenship has been a big part of the defense for the last four years. He has started 50 games and is a leader. The Eagles are thin at safety, but it remains to be seen what Blankenship’s market looks like and if the Eagles will be in the mix.
CB Adoree’ Jackson: Jackson was up and down in training camp and to start the season, but he played his way into a starting job opposite Quinyon Mitchell. He’ll be 31 next season, and the Eagles probably want to get better at CB2.
S Marcus Epps: Epps stepped in as a starter after Drew Mukuba went down. He’ll be 30 before the season starts, though he could find his way back to the Eagles and compete for a job.
EDGE Brandon Graham: Graham came out of retirement and briefly changed positions when Jalen Carter went down and the interior needed a boost. Will he go back into retirement?
EDGE Joshua Uche: Uche seemed to be playing his way into a bigger role when the Eagles brought Graham out of retirement, which forced Uche to a lesser role. The Eagles are thin on the edge, though Uche seems to be more of a depth piece right now.
EDGE Azeez Ojulari: Ojulari ended up behind Uche on the depth chart and then missed most of the season after being placed on injured reserve.
EDGE Ogbo Okoronkwo: Okoronkwo made the team out of training camp as a depth edge rusher but suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4, the only game in which he played.
Special teams
P Braden Mann: Mann had a great season. He ranked fifth in the NFL in punt average (49.9 yards). It would make sense for the Eagles to want to bring him back.
Jordan Davis, left, and Jalen Carter could both be in consideration for new deals.
New deals?
There are a few players under contract who could be in the running for a new contract with the Eagles.
DT Jordan Davis: The Eagles picked up Davis’ fifth-year option last offseason and he remains under contract for the 2026 season. But after a breakout 2025 season, he likely earned himself a lot of money.
DT Jalen Carter: The Eagles likely will do what they did with Davis and pick up Carter’s fifth year, but it might be time for an extension now. Carter didn’t have his best season after a dominant 2024. The Eagles may be able to sign him to a more team-friendly deal, though Carter and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, may opt to play 2026 on his current deal and revisit the big-money deal next offseason.
DT Moro Ojomo: Ojomo is set to play the final year of his four-year rookie deal in 2026. The seventh-round pick has been a major success story. Will the Eagles look to lock him up beyond 2026? Will they be able to afford all of these defensive linemen with big contracts coming in the future for other defensive stars like Mitchell and DeJean?
Contracted players who could be on the way out
The Eagles have some players on the 2026 roster who may not be here when training camp starts.
K Jake Elliott: Elliott has had two consecutive seasons where he didn’t perform well enough. His 2025 field goal conversion rate was just 74.1%, the lowest of any kicker who played a full season.
WR A.J. Brown: Will his frustrations with the offense cause him to ask for a trade? It would be a costly move for the Eagles, but they’ve willingly taken on dead cap in the past. The Eagles would have a big hole to fill if it came to that.
RT Lane Johnson: Johnson remains one of the best tackles in football, but his availability was an issue this season. He missed the final eight games of the season after suffering a Lisfranc injury in his right foot. The Eagles probably would love him back, but Johnson will be 36 in May and won’t play forever.
QB Tanner McKee: Will the Eagles look to ship McKee to another team for a draft pick? McKee’s Week 18 performance didn’t help their cause.
CB Kelee Ringo: Ringo remains under contract on his rookie deal, but he seems like a change-of-scenery candidate. He has struggled to get on the field with the Eagles, though he has been great on special teams.
2026 free agency targets (updated Jan. 17)
What do the Eagles need most? What kind of players will be on the market?
First, the Eagles need to know what happens with the futures of key offensive players like A.J. Brown and Lane Johnson.
At the moment, they have just over $15 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap. That’s not a lot, but Howie Roseman has shown the creativity to use void years and spread cap hits out over multiple seasons.
Free agency begins March 11.
Position groups and players to target
Offensive line: Will Johnson return? Will Landon Dickerson ever be healthy again? Can Cam Jurgens bounce back? Big questions facing the Eagles, who need to restore their offensive line this offseason. Reinforcements likely will come via the draft, but free agency offers some options.
Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith, for example, has dealt with injuries but could provide insurance for Johnson and help the Eagles bridge their way to the next young tackle. Old friend Isaac Seumalo fits that bill, too, at guard. Same with Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio.
Wide receiver: Regardless of what happens with Brown, the Eagles could use some more help at receiver. They won’t be playing in the George Pickens pool, and probably not Alec Pierce, either, but what about Romeo Doubs, Kendrick Bourne, or Van Jefferson at WR3?
EDGE: Jaelan Phillips should be at the top of the Eagles’ wish list. Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith are the only two edge rushers under contract. The Eagles will draft at least one rusher, but they need a top-end talent like Phillips. If not Phillips, other top options would be Trey Hendrickson, Odafe Oweh, Boye Mafe, Joey Bosa, and Khalil Mack. There’s always the possibility of Roseman figuring out a way to trade for Maxx Crosby, too.
Tight end: Dallas Goedert may be in the running to return. But if not, the Eagles could eye someone like Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts, who finally played to his potential this season. Pitts attended Abington and Archbishop Wood before playing at Florida in college. Other free agents include Isaiah Likely, David Njoku, and Tyler Higbee. The Eagles probably will use a draft pick on one, too.
Cornerback: Quinyon Mitchell eventually will re-sign at the top of the market, and you don’t see many teams spending that type of money on two players at this position. But there are some options the Eagles could target, like Tariq Woolen, Roger McCreary, and Jamel Dean. Will those players be too costly? We’ll see.
Safety: Reed Blankenship has been solid for the Eagles, but he’s not great in coverage. The Eagles could be looking to pair Drew Mukuba with a better player on the back line, and they could look to do that via free agency. Old friend Kevin Byard has been really productive with the Chicago Bears, though he could command a bigger contract than the Eagles are willing to give out. Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Curl could be an option.
The 2026 NFL draft (updated Jan. 17)
The Eagles’ needs here will become clearer after free agency, though our Devin Jackson looked at a few potential targets at pick No. 23.
The draft will take place beginning on Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh.
Before that, there are some other key dates and events to look out for.
The East-West Shrine Bowl is on Jan. 27; the Senior Bowl is on Jan. 31; the yearly NFL Scouting Combine begins on Feb. 23; and teams have until April 15 to conduct visits, tests, and interviews with prospective draft picks.
League meetings (updated Jan. 17)
The annual league meeting is from March 29 to April 1 in Arizona. It is there that the Tush Push likely will be another big topic of conversation and could meet its demise.
But the Eagles’ lack of success using their signature play this season could result in some teams backing off a little bit. We’ll see.
There’s also another league meeting May 19 and 20 in Orlando.
2026 Eagles schedule (updated Jan. 17)
The Eagles’ opponents are known. They play home games vs. their three divisional opponents (Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Giants), as well as other games vs. the Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Houston Texans.
Besides their three NFC East road games, the Eagles also travel to play the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans.
It remains to be seen if the Eagles will get an international game.
The schedule is due out in May, but international dates will likely be released prior to that.
DENVER ― Standing in the hallway outside the Flyers locker room on Wednesday in Utah, coach Rick Tocchet said his team needed to learn “how to play winning hockey.”
Two nights later, they handed the NHL’s No. 1 team its second regulation loss at home this season. The Flyers wrapped up a three-game road trip with an impressive 7-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche, leaving the new “Death Valley” through Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Denver, with five out of six possible points.
It wasn’t easy, especially in the first period against Colorado’s high-octane offense, but Sam Ersson put on a show.
The Flyers’ goalie committed robbery several times as he faced 17 shots, including a torrent of high-danger chances by the Avalanche in the opening frame. Across the full 60 minutes, he would stop 32 of 35 shots on the way to his eighth win of the season.
Just 45 seconds into the game, the Flyers were shorthanded after Travis Konecny took a hooking call. Although the Avalanche entered the night ranked 26th on the power play, they still have guys like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar who can score at will.
But Ersson stood up to the task. He stopped Martin Nečas with his glove and then stoned not just a Victor Olofsson snapshot from the bumper but Nečas on the rebound at the right post.
At even strength, after Konecny couldn’t control the puck and lost it in the Flyers’ end, Ersson had to make a save on a tipped shot by Gavin Brindley. But then he made a beauty of a glove save as the rebound went back to Brindley in the slot for the quick shot. With 3:33 left in the period, he made another impressive save, snaring a quick shot by Brock Nelson after the puck popped out to him in the slot.
Owen Tippett got the Flyers on the board first with a snipe from the right circle. The forward got the puck and skated through the neutral zone, going one-on-one with Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski.
The speedster pushed Malinksi back and then put on the brakes. After the blueliner blocked the initial shot, Tippett picked up the loose puck and beat goalie Mackenzie Blackwood stick side.
Philly took a 2-0 lead with 63 seconds to go in the opening frame on a power-play goal by Denver Barkey. The second power-play unit of Cam York, Matvei Michkov, Tippett, Noah Cates, and Barkey had a great shift by maintaining pressure and composure.
Tippett sent the puck down to Matvei Michkov at the goal line by the right post. The Russian winger then fed it up to Barkey, who was waiting patiently in the right circle, and sent off a quick shot. The youngster, who scored his second career goal, also had the primary assist on Tippett’s goal.
Colorado is the NHL’s best for a reason, and they tied things up in the second period on goals by Parker Kelly and Olofsson. Christian Dvorak turned the puck over to Kelly in the Flyers’ end before Kelly finished the play by scooping up a rebound. Olofsson scored his goal after he got the puck and skated down into the left circle, beating Ersson glove-side.
But the Flyers did not break, and 32 seconds after Olofsson tied it 2-2, Bobby Brink gave the Flyers another lead.
Skating in on a two-on-one, Brink fed Cates, who didn’t get good wood on the puck. But he tracked it down, and he and Brink played catch before Brink used his feet to keep the puck loose. Brink, who returned to the lineup on Monday after missing six games with a concussion, got it back atop the crease and roofed it for his 13th goal of the season. He set a new career high.
Two-time Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar tied it back up 1:11 after Brink scored, but the Flyers came out for the third period on fire. They clearly learned from their mistakes in Wednesday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth and did not sit back.
Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov, center, puts a shot on Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood, left, as Cale Makar covers in the second period.
Tippett scored his second of the game 56 seconds into the final frame to give the Flyers a 4-3 lead. Sean Couturier intercepted the puck near the Flyers’ blue line and started the rush up the ice. Tippett got the puck and kept it as Barkey went to the net. The power forward skated into the left circle and beat Blackwood glove side.
Sixty-four seconds later, Michkov notched his 11th goal of the season as he tipped in a point shot by Emil Andrae to make it 5-3. As the Flyers worked the puck around the boards, Michkov skated to the bottom of the left circle and planted himself perfectly for the deflection.
But the Flyers weren’t done finding the back of the net — led by Tippett, who would snag the second hat trick of his NHL career. Killing a penalty by Barkey, Tippett picked off a pass attempt by Makar inside the Flyers’ blue line and took off. He skated down the ice and put the puck five-hole for his 18th goal of the season.
And then the 21-year-old Michkov, who was skating well all night and had his legs, would add an empty-netter to seal the win. Konecny picked off a pass attempt — akin to his two goals against Vegas on Monday — before pulling the veteran move and passing the puck to Michkov for his second two-goal game of the season.
Breakaways
Forwards Nikita Grebenkin and Nic Deslauriers, and defenseman Hunter McDonald were the healthy scratches. … The Flyers have a three-game point streak. … Jamie Drysdale, Cates, and Michkov were all plus-3 on the night. … Tippett tied his career high with four points. … Garnet Hathaway got his first assist of the season on Michkov’s first goal, giving him two points in 44 games this season. … Konecny extended his point streak to four games (three goals, three assists).
Up next
The Flyers head home for a meeting with the New York Islanders on Monday (7 p.m., NBCSP).
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is accusing Mississippi coach Pete Golding of tampering with transfer player Luke Ferrelli and said Friday he has forwarded evidence to the NCAA.
“If you tamper with my players, I’m going to turn you in. It’s just that simple,” Swinney said during a news conference. “I’m not out to get anybody fired, but there has to be accountability and consequences for this type of behavior and total disregard for the rules.
“If this happened in the NFL, which is an actual league with rules, they would be fined, they would take draft picks, they hit the cap, whatever,” Swinney continued. “This is such a terrible example for young coaches in this profession. … To me, this situation is like having an affair on your honeymoon.”
Ferrelli, a former linebacker at California, entered the transfer portal on Jan. 2 and committed to Clemson four days later. Ferrelli subsequently enrolled, began classes, and began attending meetings and workouts, Swinney said.
Ferrelli reentered the portal on Jan. 22 and committed to Ole Miss.
“You can’t sign with the Browns and practice a week, and then the Dolphins call you and say we’re going to give you a little more money and you say, ‘See ya, boys,’ and go play for the Dolphins. That’s not the real world,” Swinney said.
Ole Miss athletic officials did not respond to Swinney’s allegations when contacted on Friday by The Associated Press.
NCAA vice president of enforcement Jon Duncan said in a statement that the association “will investigate any credible allegations of tampering and expect full cooperation from all involved as required by NCAA rules.”
Swinney alleged that Golding maintained contact with Ferrelli after the linebacker had enrolled at Clemson, even texting, “I know you’re signed, but what is your buyout?”
When Swinney found out about it, he said he initially told Clemson general manager Jordan Sorrells that he wanted to give Golding “some grace” because the Rebels’ coach was newly promoted after Lane Kiffin left for LSU over Thanksgiving weekend.
Swinney asked Sorrells to tell Ole Miss officials “that we know what’s going on, and if he doesn’t cease communication, I’m going to turn him in. I really thought that would be the end of it, but it wasn’t.”
Swinney said Ferrelli’s agent confirmed that Golding had continued reaching out to the player, so Clemson officials asked for copies of the text messages.
“The agent communicated that if we were to add a second year at $1 million to the already agreed-upon deal with Luke, then they would gladly give us whatever we need to turn Ole Miss in,” Swinney said. “Jordan, appropriately, said, ‘No, we’re not doing that.’”
Clemson athletic director Graham Neff said the university’s main reason for making the allegations public was to spur changes to the college football calendar and related rules — or lack thereof — that have contributed to upheaval across the sport.
“The NCAA was surprised a school was willing to come forward as directly and transparently as we were,” Neff said. “We need to look real hard at how we got here, but (also) how to get out of it.”
Neff added that Clemson was exploring its legal options.
“This is not about a linebacker at Clemson,” Swinney added. “I don’t want anyone on our team that doesn’t want to be here.
“It’s about the next kid and about the message being sent if this blatant tampering is allowed to happen without any consequences.”
Swinney also called the January transfer portal window “stupid,” saying it causes “flat-out extortion in some cases” because players and schools are making major decisions during “such a short period of time, right in the middle of when people are trying to play bowl games, playoff games, et cetera.”
If the system is not reformed, Swinney warned, there will be unintended consequences for players who transfer among multiple schools while chasing short-term financial payouts — particularly if they don’t make it to the NFL.
“We’re going to have some screwed-up 30-year-olds … that have no degrees, that have spent their money, that can’t play football anymore and aren’t connected to anything,” Swinney said.
DENVER ― There’s been a lot of discourse regarding Matvei Michkov.
It ranges from his ice time to his spot on the power play to his deployment at certain times during the game. The latest one is about which wing he plays on.
When he was drafted to the NHL, and for most of his first season with the Flyers, Michkov played on the right wing. This year, like at the end of last season when he played on a line with Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny, he’s largely been skating on the left.
“Yeah, I mean, listen, he’s struggling, so you’re looking for all different things,” coach Rick Tocchet said about moving him across the ice. “But the bottom line is, we got him to play with some pace. That’s it. I know everybody wants him to score and all that stuff. You’ve got to be [in] positions to score.”
Traditionalists will tell you that Michkov should be playing on the left side anyway as a left-handed shot. A lot of it is more about where to line up on faceoffs and in defensive-zone coverage, as a left-handed stick will be able to use the walls and protect the puck to get it out on the left side.
A left-handed left wing is preferable to many coaches in the defensive zone because it typically pits a lefty against a right-shot defenseman, so they have their stick on the same side — and in the shooting lane — as the defenseman when they try to close them down.
“Whether it’s right or left, it really doesn’t matter. It’s just to line up,” Tocchet said. “When you’re in the offensive zone, it doesn’t matter where you [start]. So I think everybody makes a big deal. But through the neutral zone, for me, the faster you can go on your forehand is the better [side]. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go to the other side.”
Across the first 14 games of the season, Michkov lined up on the right side. He had two goals and seven points while averaging 14 minutes, 52 seconds a night. The first of those goals came in Game 4 of the season, and his second came in Game 14 on Nov. 6 against the Nashville Predators.
The next game, on Nov. 8 at home against the Ottawa Senators, he lined up on the left side with Couturier and Bobby Brink. He has stayed on that side of the ice since, regardless of his linemates — although he is back with Brink, but now with Noah Cates as the center.
Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet and winger Matvei Michkov have had there disagreements about deployment and responsibilities this season.
At the onset of the switch, it seemed to be working too, as the 21-year-old winger had five goals at five-on-five in the first 10 games and six overall. But over the next 24 contests, he managed just two. Across the past 34 games since switching to left wing, Michkov has 17 points (eight goals, nine assists). He missed one game in January after taking a puck off his foot and has been skating on average 14:30 a night.
“I think there’s been some [better] pace in his game, but I think there’s more,” said Tocchet. “I know he had like [seven] shots last game, but a lot of them are just from the outside, just thrown on the goalie. I want more from him. I want him to do a deep delay, get out of there, move your feet, things like that.”
Matve Michkov’s event map during five-on-five from Wednesday’s loss to the Utah Mammoth.
When delving into the analytics, he is producing at the same 0.50 points per game clip when on the left and right, but he has gone from 0.14 goals per game to 0.24 goals per game since the shift. His shooting percentage has also risen from 7.7% to 11.1%, while his shots per game have risen from 1.86 to 2.12.
According to Natural Stat Trick, at five-on-five, he has also seen his individual shot attempts rise from 2.43 to 3.41 per game, his individual high-danger shot attempts go from 0.71 to 1.03, and his individual scoring chances from 1.5 to 1.82.
Although there are several factors to look at aside from shifting right to left — e.g., linemates, time on ice, the fact that he’sprobablyin better shape now that he’s further removedfrom his offseason ankle injury — statistically, he seems to have been slightly better on the left.
But regardless of side, Michkov’s production hasn’t been anywhere near as good as last year, when the talented youngster averaged 0.79 points per game and led all rookies with 26 goals. The Flyers will hope that starts to change as they close in on the Olympic break (Feb. 6-24).
Breakaways
Nicolas Deslauriers and Hunter McDonald stayed on the ice late, with the veteran showing the youngster some fighting techniques. … Dan Vladař shared a net with Aleksei Kolosov at morning skate as he inches closer to a return from an undisclosed injury. … Sam Ersson (7-8-5, .858 save percentage) was to start in goal against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.
