Indexed locally for search — headlines, people, teams, and short excerpts from reporting originally published in The Morning Call (1998–2010). Full article text on mcall.com; DRE'S TAKE links out and does not republish Morning Call copy.
In the 1970s, Artie Owens often gained inspiration to run hills and practice sprints from watching the Philadelphia Pioneers track team and U.S. Olympic speedster Bob Hayes on Wide World of Sports. The means of motivation worked as Owens went from a three-sport star athlete at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →N ow that it’s known that I will be playing against the Harlem Globetrotters, it has resulted in e-mails and calls from people saying, “Don’t get dunked on” or “You had better score.” Never mind that just playing on the same court as the world-famous Globetrotters is honor…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →N ow that it’s known that I will be playing against the Harlem Globetrotters, it has resulted in e-mails and calls from people saying, “Don’t get dunked on” or “You had better score.” Never mind that just playing on the same court as the world-famous Globetrotters is honor…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen Iverson was the Philadelphia 76ers’ version of Lil Wayne during the 2000-2001 NBA season, using his crossover dribble and fearless drives to make the Wachovia Center rock like a hip-hop concert. Fans jammed the arena while Iverson and the Sixers rolled on the court,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Three games, three carries, 14 yards. That was the extent of Austin Scott’s brief and disappointing experience with the Cleveland Browns in the 2008 preseason, a far cry from what happened nearly every time he touched the ball six years earlier. And for Scott, his ex-coaches Rob…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Three games, three carries, 14 yards. That was the extent of Austin Scott’s brief and disappointing experience with the Cleveland Browns in the 2008 preseason, a far cry from what happened nearly every time he touched the ball six years earlier. And for Scott, his ex-coaches Rob…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Eagles are loaded with young bucks. Baggy jeans, smokin’ warm-up suits, stylish sneakers, expensive jewelry. They sport it all. Aside from all the bling-bling, the Eagles’ young players, led by second-year pro DeSean Jackson, also play with enthusiasm and beg-for . It’s all…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Eagles are loaded with young bucks. Baggy jeans, smokin’ warm-up suits, stylish sneakers, expensive jewelry. They sport it all. Aside from all the bling-bling, the Eagles’ young players, led by second-year pro DeSean Jackson, also play with enthusiasm and beg-for it. It’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A llen Ive rson returned to the Sixers on Wednesday, the team he deserves to eventually retire from, right before his No. 3 jersey is retired. He’s back where chapter upon chapter of his great shots, drives, hard falls and unyielding fight were scripted over 10 memorable…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen Iverson returned to the Sixers on Wednesday, the team he deserves to eventually retire from, right before his No. 3 jersey is retired. He’s back where chapter upon chapter of his great shots, drives, hard falls and unyielding fight were scripted over 10 memorable seasons.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Eagles’ hitting seemed a little harder, especially from new middle linebacker Will Witherspoon, who made an impact early and stayed on a seek-and-destroy mission throughout a Monday Night Football matchup against the Washington Redskins. He had a 9-yard interception return…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Former high school quarterbacks from Emmaus and Parkland will meet for the first time in college on Saturday in Orono, Maine. A major streak will be on the line. Defending Football Championship Subdivision champion Richmond (5-0 overall, 3-0 Colonial Athletic Association) enters…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jeremy Maclin forgot to request the football from the official after scoring his first career NFL touchdown on Sunday. He tossed the ball to the official and ran off the field. Nobody reminded the Eagles’ standout rookie wide receiver, either. “I don’t even know where they’re…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Thump , crack, smack. Get ready Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jeremiah Trotter can’t wait to prove that he’s still a forceful middle linebacker. On Monday, six days after being signed to a contract to rejoin the Eagles for the third time in his career, Trotter practiced at the team’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Donovan McNabb now has an A-team of offensive talent with a line eager to block, mash and clear the way to help him finally get his finger fitted with the one ring that has eluded him and every Philadelphia Eagles quarterback before him. And that’s a Super Bowl ring. McNabb, who…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →All the talk about his touches being limited, about him now being 30, about his numerous injuries and whether he can still be an effective running back has motivated Eagles running back Brian Westbrook. The way Westbrook knows how to end all that talk is by proving that he’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One addition, another subtraction. That’s what the Philadelphia Eagles did on Tuesday, marking the second time in a three-day span that they added and released a player. At least this time they cut and added at the same position — tight end. Today, when the Eagles practice at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Passion to play for the Eagles burns deep in the heart of backup quarterback A.J. Feeley. But with three-time Pro Bowler Michael Vick now on the team and with Kevin Kolb coach Andy Reid’s designated No. 2 quarterback for now, Feeley’s second tenure with the Eagles appears to be…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jeremy Maclin has a short memory. It’s better that way for the Eagles’ No. 1 draft pick, who has fumbled in both preseason games and has yet to demonstrate his breakaway speed in a game. But Maclin’s confidence has not been shaken. He was too much of a playmaker at Missouri for…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Kevin Kolb has not been forgotten. He’s still considered the Philadelphia Eagles second-string quarterback, even though Michael Vick is now here. Vick was signed while Kolb was sidelined with a medial collateral sprain in his left knee. The injury forced the third-year pro from…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The hard, attacking style of defense the Philadelphia Eagles pride themselves in playing backfired in the first half against Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning on Thursday night at Lucas Oil Field. One week after being sacked three times in six plays against the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The list of breakdowns for the Philadelphia Eagles is long. In fact, it is so long it could stretch a good distance on Broad Street in South Philly. Frustrated and perhaps winded from a marathon preseason game, Philadelphia coach Andy Reid broke down the Eagles’ 23-15 loss to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Michael Vick telegraphed four straight passes. Three were intercepted and another batted down at the goal line during the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice Sunday at the team’s NovaCare Complex. To someone not aware that he was running the scout team offense against the first…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Donovan McNabb lobbied for Michael Vick, and Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid, team president Joe Banner and owner Jeffrey Lurie not only listened but acted on McNabb’s wish by opening their heart and wallet. But signing Vick is not about cost. It’s about McNabb — who enters…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh’s football team can now have the Goodman Campus practice fields back to itself. The Philadelphia Eagles ended training camp Wednesday and returned to South Philly, carrying back with them truckloads of equipment following a 17-day stay in Bethlehem. Unfortunately, the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s only a preseason game, but tonight’s meeting of the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field has a lot of intrigue. The showdown between Donovan McNabb, the yet-to-win-a-Super Bowl quarterback against Tom Brady, the two-time Super Bowl MVP, is…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes is the only man in the Lehigh Valley who almost made Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive lineman Jamaal Jackson melt in his place. Jackson is 6-foot-4, 330 pounds. That would have been a lot of melting. “I had never met a professional boxer,”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →At the University of Cincinnati, the game plan for tight end Brent Celek was to block first then block again. That’s usually the main job of a tight end. But the Philadelphia Eagles have discovered that the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Celek also has good hands and can make a nifty…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A second Eagles player has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee, another blow to the team during a training camp in which there have been season-ending injuries, a death and an arrest. Rookie tight end Cornelius Ingram, a fifth-round draft pick from the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The arrest of defensive end Juqua Parker hours earlier did not appear to dampen the mood of Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie as he made his annual state of the team address Wednesday morning at Lehigh University’s Goodman Campus. Lurie said it was “improper” to talk about…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nothing has changed in the way Jeremy Maclin dashes into the heart of the secondary to make a spectacular catch-and-run. The Philadelphia Eagles’ first-round draft pick from the University of Missouri missed the first nine days of training camp while his contract was being…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Asante Samuel has returned to being a menace on the field. Good thing for the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense, bad for wide receivers who have to try to break free from the Pro Bowl cornerback, who’s in his second season with the team. The tweaked hamstring that forced Samuels to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Philadelphia Eagles No. 1 draft pick Jeremy Maclin was finally signed to a contract late Monday night and can now make plans to fly back from Missouri to join his new teammates in Bethlehem. Maclin, a two-year standout at the University of Missouri, has missed eight days of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His teammates gave him props, fans cheered, but former Penn State defensive lineman Josh Gaines is not getting overly excited about his 15-yard interception return of a lazy A.J. Feeley pass Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field. But it was the last big play in the Eagles’…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Remember Allen Iverson’s famous practice quote from 2002? “We’re talking about practice,” the former Philadelphia Sixers’ guard said in response to being criticized by then-coach Larry Brown about his practice habits after the Sixers’ were eliminated in the first-round of the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Rain forced the Philadelphia Eagles to shorten their Sunday morning practice, limiting what they could work on at Lehigh University’s Goodman Campus. The team, however, also practiced Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Earlier Sunday, one note of discontent…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Church Van was gassed up on a hot Saturday morning, but not to make a charitable run. Leonard Weaver, the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting fullback nicknamed “The Church Van,” blocked and ran with force during practice at Lehigh University’s Goodman Campus that made some…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Kevin Curtis refuses to become the forgotten wide receiver in the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. He wants to return to the level he reached in 2007, his first season with the team, when he excelled with career highs in catches (77) and touchdowns (8). On Thursday at Lehigh…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The University of Florida won the national football championship last season and all tight end Cornelius Ingram could do was watch from the sidelines because of an injury. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during practice — on a noncontact play — before the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Moise Fokou had a mean streak when he played linebacker at the University of Maryland. Nothing has changed now that he’s with the Philadelphia Eagles. Rookie running back LeSean McCoy from the University of Pittsburgh, an elusive open-field runner, found out just how feisty…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Veteran offensive lineman Stacy Andrews’ career with the Philadelphia Eagles began on Monday, minus his brother Shawn, a veteran Eagles lineman. But Stacy, who was an offseason free-agent pickup from the Cincinnati Bengals, did not mind that his older brother (by one year) was…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem has become a favorite home away from home for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who opened his 11th consecutive training camp at Lehigh’s Goodman Campus on Monday. “I enjoy being here in Bethlehem,” McNabb said following the morning practice. “The people…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It rained so hard Sunday that it seemed Eagles coach Andy Reid was going to have to take a boat to his first news conference of training camp at Lehigh University’s Goodman Campus. Then the sun came back out and Reid appeared. The coach, entering his 11th training camp, would…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Donovan McNabb enters his 11th season as the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, closing in on another 30-something club. Actually, a 30,000-something club. The five-time Pro Bowler, who turns 33 in November, enters training camp at Lehigh University on Monday with a stronger cast…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Philadelphia Eagles fell one game shy of playing in the franchise’s third Super Bowl last season. That they even made it to the NFC Championship Game, following a 5-4-1 start that included a midseason benching of quarterback Donovan McNabb, was impressive. Though they lost…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Anthony Gonzalez was in Liberty High’s weight room Tuesday afternoon when he was told to take a break by his coach. It ended up being the best break of his life. Three U.S. Army recruiters were waiting for him, very important paperwork in hand. Gonzalez’s teammates crowed…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning didn’t have to give Phillipsburg quarterback Keith Kullman any tips. “Our guys had it going on,” Manning said Sunday, following Gatorade’s Replay football game between Easton and Phillipsburg at Lafayette College’s Fisher Stadium. Indeed.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Brian Westbrook recalled the one high school football game he wished he could play again. The Eagles running back also expressed envy over the Easton and Phillipsburg players who will get the chance to settle the score over their Thanksgiving Day game 16 years ago that ended in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Former Allen High basketball star Ray Barbosa received the phone call Wednesday night that he hoped he’d get nearly his whole life. His agent, Pedro Perez, called Barbosa and told him he’d been drafted by the Bayamon Cowboys of the National Superior Basketball League in Puerto…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Philadelphia Force assistant general manager Erin Statmore is looking for a big sparkle in her life. She’ll have it if the Force win the National Pro Fastpitch league championship tournament in Kimberly, Wisc. this weekend. “I’m looking to fly back with a diamond ring on the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Ray Barbosa did not pack light. The University of Maryland Baltimore County guard has enjoyed the aura that surrounds the NCAA Tournament ever since arriving here Wednesday night and plans on soaking up as much of it as possible. UMBC, seeded 15th in the Midwest Region, plays…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Terrence Roderick has finally moved on to a bigger stage, albeit a stage that is 800 miles away from Allentown, his closest friends and the guarantee that he could get a nice, fresh haircut any time he wanted it. But the former Allen High basketball star is happy with the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray has his first fan in Chicago, and it’s a guy who for 24 years had held the distinction of being the last Lehigh Valley athlete drafted into the NBA. Now 46 years old and with a surgically repaired left knee that prevents him from playing basketball anymore, former…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Thaddeus Young had a curfew that extended past midnight when he was in high school in Memphis, Tenn. But don’t think the 76ers’ first-round draft pick (12th overall) was out doing something wrong. Quite the contrary. Young, who turned 19 on June 21, could be found in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray waited while Ohio State’s Greg Oden, Florida’s Joakim Noah, China’s Yi Jianlian and four other 7 footers were drafted into the NBA in the first and second rounds Thursday night. Gray, a 7-2 center from Emmaus High and the University of Pittsburgh, had been projected…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray is on board with draft analysts, who are predicting Ohio State’s Greg Oden and Texas’ Kevin Durant to go No. 1 and 2 in tonight’s NBA draft. “They can play basketball and they will be great,” Gray said. “They will be the No. 1 and 2 picks in the draft, let’s face it.”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray is now two days away from a new basketball home. The 7-2 center from Emmaus High School and the University of Pittsburgh has traveled all over the country since the first week of June to work out for NBA teams. He makes his last stop today in Utah, and then he’ll fly…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray didn’t attempt a 3-point field goal in his college career at the University of Pittsburgh, except in practice. But he seemed comfortable shooting from beyond the arc in a four-player workout before Philadelphia 76ers’ assistant coaches Thursday in the team’s practice…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray is not out to prove anybody wrong, especially mock draft experts, who each week post on Web sites their predictions of where players will likely be drafted in next month’s NBA draft. Gray is not out to prove them wrong because he doesn’t care what they think. “If you…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray had another night of honors, winning an award that was based as much on his academic excellence as his athletic accomplishments on Tuesday night in New York. Gray, the University of Pittsburgh’s 7-0 senior center and Emmaus High graduate, received the Aeropostale…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It didn’t take long for Aaron Gray to be spotted and asked for his autograph on a cold, snowy Monday. In fact, less than a minute after Gray walked down his slippery steps and up an icy hill, he was warmly greeted by his neighbor. She had a special request from her son. “DeAndre…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray plans to buy his mother, Sandy, a 41-foot boat, and his father, Michael, a plain white Ford truck. Gray plans to buy those gifts next year, because he’s likely to be quite wealthy after the NBA draft in June. Gray has a bright future as a professional basketball…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray has a passion for everything in the city of Pittsburgh, except the Super Bowl-champion Steelers. “I was never an Eagles fan,” Gray said with laughter. “I was never a Steelers fan. I’m a Raiders fan.” But Gray loves the fans who cheer on the Steelers because a lot of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray will try to lead Pittsburgh to the Big East Conference title before trying to play center in the NBA. The 7-0 Emmaus High graduate decided on Sunday to return for his senior season at Pitt. The NBA’s early entry draft deadline was 5 p.m. Sunday. Since Gray did not…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Breathe easy, Lafayette. Fran O’Hanlon won’t be cleaning out his office anytime soon — not even for the temptation to return to Philadelphia. O’Hanlon said Monday that he’s happy as Lafayette’s men’s basketball coach and not a candidate for the vacant job at the University of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray is closer than ever to turning his childhood dream to play in the NBA into reality. The 7-foot center from Emmaus is coming off a standout junior season at Pittsburgh and is being projected by some NBA draft experts as a mid-to-late first-round pick in June. Gray…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins, a former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, and former Philadelphia 76ers center Darryl Dawkins both went straight from high school to their respective professional leagues. Neither got to experience college, something both men said Thursday…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh’s student fans have a chance to prove that they are more loyal than fairweather Wednesday night. They have a chance to get rowdy and become a more effective “sixth man.” They have chance to prove that Stabler Arena is a place you need to bring earplugs to rather than a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron Gray tried to bring down the basket early in the game Wednesday night. He got the ball just outside the lane, made a swift move, then rose way over Rutgers center Byron Joynes to dunk. But Joynes fouled Gray, preventing the emphatic finish. But Gray stayed aggressive,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →This college basketball season will not be devoid of upsets. They’re already happening, and the biggest so far was Bucknell’s 74-69 win over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome last Tuesday. Lafayette pulled off another stunner on Sunday afternoon, beating favored Princeton on the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Temple coach John Chaney wants the names of the eight Atlantic 10 coaches and media members who picked the Owls as the league’s preseason favorite. Better yet, he’d like them to have psychological check-ups, because he’s not sure they were thinking clearly when they gave the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Darryl Dawkins coached the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs to United States Basketball League titles in 2001 and 2004, and had hoped that his success would land him a job as a head coach in the NBA Development League. He’s still hoping. In the meantime, Dawkins will try to win another…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The big dog — at least the biggest one on the University of Pittsburgh’s basketball squad — wanted the ball a whole lot more last season. It just didn’t happen. But 7-foot Aaron Gray, the former Emmaus High standout center, won’t have to beg for the ball much next season. Gray…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The United States Basketball League enters its 20th season on shaky ground. It has shrunk from 11 teams to eight and went into the 11th hour to try to revive the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs, the team it once considered its flagship operation. As of Monday afternoon, the defending…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Temple’s season of underachievement will likely end tonight in a first-round NIT game against Virginia Tech. But the major question after the game probably won’t center on what the Owls need to do to get better for next season. It probably will be on why Temple coach John Chaney…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Tom Brennan clipped the nets Saturday one final time at Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vermont. Now he’s going dancing one final time in the NCAA Tournament. Brennan, a Phillipsburg native, will not coach past this season, his 23rd overall and 19th at Vermont, an America East…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →PIAA playoff rookie George Washington can’t wait to play Easton in the Class 4A Eastern semifinals at 7 tonight at Northeast High’s Charles Martin Stadium in Philadelphia. But the Eagles (12-0) aren’t talking smack because they’re just happy to be in the chase for what would be…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →If he were ever hired as an NBA assistant or head coach, Darryl Dawkins would probably wear a different suit for every home game. Many of them would be colorful. “He has 90 suits,” his wife Janice said. “The best way to describe his closet is Skittles, like a big bag of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The childhood hardships of Saint Joseph’s guard Delonte West were so bad that he didn’t even own a basketball. That didn’t stop him from often having one in his hand, either dribbling or shooting. How he got the balls is a story West told Thursday night without shame, about six…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →What could have been for Saint Joseph’s basketball next season is now what will not be. Guard Delonte West has decided to skip his senior season and remain in next Thursday’s NBA draft. His decision means that the Hawks, who went 27-0 in the regular season and 30-2 overall, will…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Saint Joseph’s junior guard Delonte West is waiting for an invitation that will require no special dress code, nor the need to buy a present. Instead, he’ll just have to bring his game, stronger than ever, if he’s invited to the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago June 8-11. Amid…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The great Wilt Chamberlain and the famous Harlem Globetrotters once dazzled crowds at Liberty High’s Memorial Gymnasium. Former Philadelphia 76ers center Darryl Dawkins hopes to do the same today, but he’ll have to rely on his Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs players. The ‘Dawgs will…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Heaven received a prayer from the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs Tuesday night that may forever go unanswered. The prayer is that Saint Joseph’s guard Jameer Nelson goes from his postseason sweep of all the major national player of the year awards to wearing a ValleyDawgs uniform in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →You can not stop a team that plays defense as well as it does offense. And you can not tell Saint Joseph’s that it doesn’t deserve to be the No. 3-ranked team in the country. Perfection says so. The Hawks’ bid for a 27-0 regular season remained alive with an 81-67 Atlantic 10…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There are arenas that are great because of their style, seating capacity, or crowd noise. Lafayette College’s Kirby Sports Center is not exactly a state-of-the-art facility. It lacks the pizzazz of other venues because of its lack of theater-type seating and has a seating…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The University of Connecticut is no longer No. 1 in all major polls today, but the Huskies will still be the best team Lehigh will play this season. And one of the toughest ever. Lehigh did play Georgetown and Patrick Ewing in the 1985 NCAA Tournament, losing, 68-43, and the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh University senior Matt Logie might get his chance to play in the same game with, and maybe even pop a jumper in high school phenom LeBron James’ face before Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady or any of the other NBA stars do. That’s providing James, the projected first pick of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Darryl Dawkins’ nickname growing up was “Goofy.” This, despite the fact that Dawkins towered over most of the people calling him names and trying to embarrass him on the outdoor basketball courts in Orlando, Fla.He lacked coordination, charisma, and toughness. His mother used to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jameer Nelson, the magnificent Saint Joseph’s point guard, wants the ball in his hands and T.J. Ford of Texas in his face. He wants to prove in the NCAA Tournament that he can easily dribble through traps, as he has done all season, set up teammates with unbelievable passes, and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Saint Joseph’s has a blazing backcourt, led by All-American candidate Jameer Nelson and shooters galore. The Hawks also have a coach, Phil Martelli, who does as much cheering as anyone with pompons. Their 22-5 season includes a 4-0 record against Philadelphia rivals, giving them…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Austin Scott turned into Kid Scott on Tuesday afternoon at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel grand ballroom. He just couldn’t believe that he was in the same room with athletes and coaches he has seen so often on television. Nor could Scott believe that later Tuesday the Maxwell…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →About the only thing that kept Justin DeBerry from practicing in those scorching Tucson, Ariz., summers was a dust storm. Outside of that, the Lafayette College guard shot jumpers in his backyard for hours, unconcerned about heat stroke despite 100-degree temperatures. “You get…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →All that matters now to La Salle University forward Rasual Butler is to hear his name called in Wednesday’s NBA Draft. Then the post-college life that he has been thinking about since his last NCAA game, a 28-point outburst against Richmond in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Off to the side, Mark Lesko stood. Other players were loafing around, some were showboat dunking, throwing the ball off the back wall inside the Lehigh Carbon Community College gymnasium, catching it and then jamming. Others were swishing jumpers from way out. But some of those…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →You have to know that the United States Basketball League is all about giving unsuspecting players a chance to play professionally when a former towel boy is drafted by the defending league champion. Good thing it was in the seventh round, 61st pick overall that the Pennsylvania…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Some players have shown up at the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs tryout camps the last two weeks with a support team which has included girlfriends, wives and family members. Juwan Justice, a 6-4 guard from East Stroudsburg University, has traveled to Lehigh Carbon Community College…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The telephone at the Pennsylvania VallyDawgs headquarters in Easton rang more often than usual Tuesday, but not all the calls were from people wondering if head coach Darryl Dawkins was really serious about wanting to coach at Lehigh University. Inquiring minds, mostly those of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The marketing department at Lehigh University would probably have some fun promoting the men’s basketball program, perhaps billing it as “chocolate delight,” if the man formerly known as “Chocolate Thunder” is hired as the school’s next head coach. Don’t laugh. This is serious.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Billy McCaffrey should get out his notepad and scribble down a few things from Kort Wickenheiser, mostly about details of how to move up in the college basketball coaching ranks as an assistant coach before becoming the man in charge. Sometimes the game really is about paying…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Scoring at will has come so easy for Temple Univwersity guard Lynn Greer over the last two seasons that it’s hard to imagine that there was once a time when the slick All-America candidate warmed the bench. That’s because it was a long time ago. “When I was in middle school, I…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Billy Hahn wants the administration, fans and anybody else associated with the La Salle University men’s basketball program to know that he’s a construction worker, not a miracle worker. He wants everybody to allow him to build and to have patience as he tries to lead La Salle…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Maryland Terrapins and the Florida Gators, ranked No. 2 and No. 6 in the preseason Associated Press poll, are looking to get off to perfect starts. Unranked Arizona, the defending national runner-up will be looking to gain confidence with at least five freshmen playing…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The tranquility of early mornings in the wild is something East Stroudsburg senior punter Adam Hostetter loves just as much as placing punts inside the 20-yard line. The only difference is there is no pressure when he’s hunting and fishing. It’s just him and his outdoors…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nothing like chillin’ in a beach town, even on a rainy Saturday afternoon. What made it even better for forwards Matt Harpring and Robert “Tractor” Traylor is that they were being swarmed by autograph seekers and media, a pleasant experience that neither could have anticipated…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A day after being ousted from the NBA playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers starting power forward Tyrone Hill told the organization he was considering opting out of his lucrative contract before later deciding to stay. On Friday, however, the organization decided to bid farewell to the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Unsettled business remains for the Philadelphia 76ers, with the futures of coach Larry Brown and team president Pat Croce topping the list. But the 79ers settled one major issue Wednesday, sealing guard Aaron McKie’s seven-year, $42-million contract, and figure to settle another…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The gymnasium at the Philadelphia 76ers’ draft headquarters at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic College had nearly emptied Wednesday night/Thursday morning when the phone rang around 12:20 a.m., drawing immediate attention. Everyone knew it was Maurice Cheeks calling. It…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Waiting, waiting, waiting. That’s what the media throng did. That’s what Philadelphia 76ers fans did. That’s also what Sixers coach Larry Brown and general manager Billy King apparently did as well before selecting a non-impact player with the 26th pick in the NBA Draft…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Waiting, waiting, waiting. That’s what the media throng all did. That’s what the Philadelphia 76ers’ fans did. That’s also what Sixers coach Larry Brown and General Manager Billy King apparently did as well before selecting a non-impact player with the 26th pick in the NBA Draft…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They are old enough to vote and fight for their country, so it’s easy to understand why these 18- and 19-year-olds believe they should be allowed to fulfill their dreams and play in the NBA. Nobody discourages young tennis players from turning pro, some of whom are already rich…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A big cloud of uncertainty hovers over the Philadelphia 76ers organization. And it has nothing to do with whom they will choose in the NBA draft, June 27. The most pressing matters are whether coach Larry Brown will return for a fifth season and whether team president Pat Croce…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Cheerleading is not something Craig “Speedy” Claxton figured he’d be doing a lot of this season after he was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 20th overall pick in last June’s NBA draft. But there he was Sunday night, his heart pumping just as hard as those of the 10…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nobody can possibly know all that’s going on inside Allen Iverson’s head as the clock ticks down to the first Game 7 playoff game of his five-year career. Winning is obviously his main concern, but he has to have so many other things swirling around. His veins are probably…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Free at last … free at last Sixers forward Jumaine Jones is free to just play, no longer looking to the bench to see if coach Larry Brown is trying to find space for him to occupy. The days of hardly playing appear to be over. He certainly waited a long time to become a factor,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Indiana Pacers can beat the Sixers. You know it. Everybody knows it. It’s happened twice in the last two Eastern Conference semifinals, 4-love, 4-2. The Pacers still have Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose, Lethal Weapons I and II, and the two jump shooters know that the only way…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Sixers’ iron man needs three more games to complete his goal. Pain will not hold him back, even if it’s in his neck or shoulder, as it was last Monday when George Lynch got thumped by the Boston Celtics’ Antoine Walker. Just 6:54 remained in the fourth quarter when Lynch…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs knew whom they wanted most and they made all the chess moves earlier in the day to ensure they got him in Tuesday night’s United States Basketball League draft. Head coach Darryl Dawkins made the announcement at the ValleyDawgs’ draft headquarters at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs will soon be on the loose. Once off and running, they won’t stop until the end of June, maybe a day into July if they advance to the United States Basketball League championship game. The ‘Dawgs, who are entering their third season — all with former…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Kevin Ollie stood at halfcourt, waving his arms for his teammates to hold onto the ball, not attempt another shot in the closing seconds of the Sixers’ 96-88 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night at the First Union Center. Actually, Ollie should have been rushing…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Another offensive answer may have been discovered by the Sixers in a 79-69 victory over the Miami Heat Wednesday night before a sellout crowd of 20,562 at the First Union Center. The answer was Rodney Buford, a second-year pro who was signed on Dec. 23 as an insurance policy a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The final 24 hours before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline were dreadful for Philadelphia 76ers coach Larry Brown. Almost as dreadful as they were for the players who were wondering if they were about to be dealt away from the team with the league’s best record and from teammates…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →After waiting 58 days and missing 15 home games, Sixers center Matt Geiger couldn’t wait to get the ball in his hands, score a basket, and hear the crowd cheer. His first basket, a layup, off an Eric Snow pass 1:33 into the game Sunday against the Phoenix Suns at the First Union…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →At 21, Lamar Odom has a brighter vision of the future for the Los Angeles Clippers than almost anybody outside of the organization could possibly have. Others look at the Clippers and see seven straight losing seasons, and an agonizing current season that has included losing…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jerry Stackhouse is just like all prolific scorers. Every shot looks good to him. And the former No. 1 Philadelphia 76ers draft pick who’s been wearing a Detroit Pistons uniform the last three seasons, doesn’t get tired of shooting. Actually, Stackhouse believes the only way the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Waiting for a mid-term grade is a lot easier when the marks that have led up to it are excellent. Over the first half of the NBA’s 82-game regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers collected several high honors. Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie were selected Players of the Week in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →While All-Star guard Allen Iverson won’t be doing what he does best during the holiday season, Rodney Buford will be opening the one gift he had been hoping for since being waived by the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 2. That gift is the opportunity to play in the NBA again, and not…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Money, fame and highlight-reel dunks are far from what Sacramento Kings forward Chris Webber is out for these days. These are the not-so-rowdy days for Webber in Sacramento, his NBA home the last three seasons. There is no Latrell Sprewell or Rod Strickland to bring the growl…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →All the proof has been provided. More will surely follow over the next four months of the NBA season before the playoffs begin. By then, the Philadelphia 76ers should be sitting pretty high, in all likelihood as Atlantic Division champions and as the top seed in the Eastern…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It hasn’t become so bad at Washington Wizards home games that fans are wearing paper bags, but boos are routinely heard around the MCI Center. A sellout crowd of 20,674 packed into the Wizards’ Nov. 3 home opener against the New York Knicks, an 80-76 Washington loss. Over its…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They have to watch what they say, and be careful what they do, on and off the court, otherwise NBA players, coaches and owners are subject to fines by commissioner David Stern and his discipline board. That’s the way it looks, that’s the way it has been, and that’s the way it…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They were veteran players for hire and they have not been costly. Rick Mahorn. Billy Owens. Harvey Grant. And now Vernon Maxwell. Maxwell, who was signed by the Philadelphia 76ers four days before the NBA season started, joins Mahorn, Owens, Grant — all players who were signed…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →For most people who admire legendary past African-American basketball players, names such as the late Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving and Michael Jordan probably come to mind first. That’s because they are revered…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The look from coach Larry Brown came, then the hand wave for Juan ‘Pepe’ Sanchez to take off his warm-up suit and check into his first NBA regular-season game. It was a moment that probably led to cheers in Sanchez’s native Argentina. It was a moment the rookie guard from Temple…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen Iverson showed up in his baggy clothes, hair nicely braided and with an attitude that gained immediate notice. Then, without being asked, he said to everybody gathered around, ‘I’m the captain.’ That took place on the Philadelphia 76ers’ media day, and it was a firm…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No slaps on the wrist in the NBA. The commissioner’s law prohibits it, especially for the unremorseful. That point was made emphatically clear Wednesday when NBA Commissioner David Stern punished the Minnesota Timberwolves for their fraudulent contract negotiations with power…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A lot of unbelievable stuff happens in pickup basketball games, especially in big cities, where the wannabes play with NBA players, and the ensuing shootouts can be real crowd pleasers. Philadelphia 76ers veteran guard Aaron McKie invited the team’s No. 1 draft pick, Craig…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The next time they play on this court and rouse the fans in the First Union Center, wins and losses will count much more. Whether 1-0 or 0-1 following their season-opening game Halloween night in New York, when the Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Toronto Raptors Nov. 1 at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Forget about Allen Iverson’s controversial ’40 Bars’ hard-core rap single. What about Philadelphia Sixers’ No. 1 draft pick Craig ‘Speedy’ Claxton, the 20th overall pick in the June NBA draft from Hofstra? With his strong performance in the Sixers’ 92-87 victory over the San…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His Web site opens with “The Wonderful World of Nazr.” At times in the past, it most certainly was wonderful for 6-foot-10 center Nazr Mohammed. In 1997 he won a national championship at Kentucky, and his world was again brightened in the June 1998 NBA draft when he was selected…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Healthy or not, Allen Iverson is expected to join valuable two-way guard Aaron McKie, shot blocker Theo Ratliff, Canadian Olympian Todd MacCulloch and the rest of the Philadelphia 76ers Oct. 3 when the team opens training camp at Penn State University. Iverson, the 6-foot guard…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Former Dieruff and NFL player Mark McCants and Dieruff alumnus Jamie Smith have joined Geraldine Ross in an effort to help give former Dieruff star Anthony Ross an athletic and academic life past high school. All Ross, the slick 6-foot-1 guard who completed high school at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron McKie is as professional as they come on the basketball court, and he maintains respect and clean behavior off the court as well. On Friday night at the First Union Center, McKie’s season came to an end when the Philadelphia 76ers were beaten 106-90 by the Indiana Pacers…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Aaron McKie is as professional as they come on the basketball court, and he maintains respect and clean behavior off the court as well. On Friday night at the First Union Center, McKie’s season came to an end when the Philadelphia 76ers were beaten 106-90 by the Indiana Pacers…
· Andre D. Williams
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