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.
“I’m 5-3, between 105, 109 pounds,” she said following a blowout win in the 400-meter dash in a tri-meet at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium Monday afternoon. A junior, Smith is in her first year running track and she has quickly gone from a sprinter nobody knew anything…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →That’s because the Lehigh Valley SportsFest, entering its 14th summer, has never had a mission, in writing, to promote health and fitness. It does now and SportsFest president and founder Ray Atiyeh believes that all bases are now covered in his growing effort to promote the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The spotlight belonged to Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks were the last team to meet the media and the last team to practice at the Ford Center on Wednesday. But tonight, the Patriot League champions hope to make history by becoming the first 16th seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Less than an hour ago, Lehigh practiced for the final time in preparation for its NCAA Tournament first-round game against Kansas Thursday night at the Ford Center. Barring the biggest upset in tournament history it was the last practice of this season, but the Mountain Hawks…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Pride and jubilation extended from one former Lehigh 1,000-point scorer to another Sunday night during the NCAA Selection Show. Ed Cahn, 1955 Lehigh graduate and the first 1,000-point scorer in school history, stood off to the side, his eyes focused on the big screen television…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Respect is not something you’d think would have been hard for Plymouth-Whitemarsh, undefeated and the No. 1 team in the state before Sunday, to earn. But Plymouth-Whitemarsh, led by 6-10 St. Joseph’s-bound center C.J. Aiken, is not nationally ranked, probably wasn’t even given…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →East Stroudsburg’s Robby Pines, nicknamed “Big Shot” was fouled by Mansfield’s Big Unit, 6-foot-6, 284-pound Yusseff Carr. Just five seconds in overtime remained. Calm and determined, Pines converted both free throws that clinched East Stroudsburg’s 67-65 victory Wednesday night…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →East Stroudsburg’s Robby Pines, nicknamed “Big Shot” was fouled by Mansfield’s Big Unit, 6-foot-6, 284-pound Yusseff Carr. Just five seconds in overtime remained. Calm and determined, Pines converted both free throws that clinched East Stroudsburg’s 67-65 victory Wednesday night…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →East Stroudsburg’s Robby Pines, nicknamed “Big Shot” was fouled by Mansfield’s Big Unit, 6-foot-6, 284-pound Yusseff Carr. Just five seconds in overtime remained. Calm and determined, Pines converted both free throws that clinched East Stroudsburg’s 67-65 victory Wednesday night…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh forward Zahir Carrington was already working the paint with vengeance. Then, he rocked the backboard with two dunks within one minute, five-second span in the early minutes of the second half at Stabler Arena, rousing the crowd of 3,849. That really got Carrington pumped…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh forward Zahir Carrington was already working the paint with vengeance. Then, he rocked the backboard with two dunks within one minute, five-second span in the early minutes of the second half at Stabler Arena, rousing the crowd of 3,849. That really got Carrington pumped…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The only team Kutztown could not floor with its push-it-to-the-metal style of play was Villanova. Several of the big boy Division I programs have had the same problem. So, there was no shame in Kutztown losing, 110-84 on Nov. 5. Besides, it was only a scrimmage, played at the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The only team Kutztown could not floor with its push-it-to-the-metal style of play was Villanova. Several of the big boy Division I programs have had the same problem. So, there was no shame in Kutztown losing, 110-84 on Nov. 5. Besides, it was only a scrimmage, played at the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom senior Darrius Webb was one of the most exciting and effective running backs in the Lehigh Valley over the last two seasons. On Wednesday, Webb joined a cast of star players from around the state with his selection to the Pennsylvania sports writers’ Class 4A all-state…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Will Witherspoon expressed the feelings of a battered boxer who needs time to heal. It’s not what the Eagles linebacker expected, but there he was on Sunday at his locker at the team’s NovaCare Complex, emotional pain rooted in his heart. “I live and die by the 24-hour rule and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Will Witherspoon expressed the feelings of a battered boxer who needs time to heal. It’s not what the Eagles linebacker expected, but there he was on Sunday at his locker at the team’s NovaCare Complex, emotional pain rooted in his heart. “I live and die by the 24-hour rule and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →D ash, flash, creating a bi g splash. That’s become the nature of the Eagles offense, a unit that shattered the New York Giants defense Sunday night in the Meadowlands, sparked by by one quick scoring strike and so many other goodies pulled out of the bag. DeSean Jackson going…
· 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 →Lehigh senior guard Marquis Hall, the Patriot League preseason men’s basketball player of the year, has added muscle, which is a good thing because he’ll have more weight on his shoulders this season. Hall joins senior forward Zahir Carrington in a quest to lead the Mountain…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Sometimes when Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb turns over in his bed he feels a little pain from the cracked rib he suffered running for a 3-yard touchdown late in the third quarter against Carolina in the season opener in September. Sometimes he’s reminded that he’s not fully…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Eagles have landed in California and will not have any time to stray away from the business they are there to handle. Conventional thought might be that the Eagles (3-1) have more of a relaxed attitude than normal heading into Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders (1-4),…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The top two playmakers, Liberty seniors Anthony Gonzalez and Jarrod West, had already made their share of standout plays in their final homecoming game Friday night at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Senior kicker Jordan Roman then joined in the fun when he booted a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom senior tailback Darrius Webb is always only one missed tackle at the line of scrimmage from going the distance. That’s because trying to tackle the speedy, elusive Webb is tough once he gets into the open field. He displayed his talents over the previous two seasons at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic football players and coaches did not dwell on what happened at the end of last season. The Vikings’ parents, on the other hand, probably stewed for a while over the school administration’s decision to reject an Eastern Conference Class 3A playoff invitation.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was 48 minutes of grueling, smashmouth, hard-hitting football for Emmaus. And it was at Cottingham Stadium, where the ghosts of storied years past are not supposed to turn against Easton. Not when the Red Rovers are first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line. Actually, Easton…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Tonight’s first half could be just as uneventful as last week’s for Michael Vick. But in the second half, Vick will be more than just a wildcat experiment in the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense for their final preseason game against the New York Jets tonight in the Meadowlands. He…
· 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 →PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick is not the Eagles’ center of attention this week. The offense as a whole may get overshadowed this week by the intense battle between Omar Gaither and Joe Mays for the starting middle linebacker position. Mays, a second-year pro from North Dakota…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Wide receiver Brandon Gibson put on a slick open-field move. Stunned, cornerback Asante Samuel slipped and went down. His teammates laughed. Samuel fired back. It was verbal sparring in a jokingly manner, something the Pro Bowl cornerback has been doing a lot of this preseason.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →For the 10 minutes that the Philadelphia Eagles allow photographers and cameramen to shoot during practices at the team’s NovaCare Complex, Michael Vick, the backup, has been zoomed in on more than Donovan McNabb, the undisputed starter. It’s been that way since Vick’s first…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A season of high expectations for the Philadelphia Eagles’ is not totally lost because of the rash of injuries in training camp which may have prevented total chemistry and consistency from being developed. It’s three days before the first preseason game and not three days…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Attack at will. That was the mentality of the Eagles defense under Jim Johnson the previous 10 seasons and nothing figures to change now that his understudy, Sean McDermott, is the defensive coordinator. McDermott is not yet the mastermind Johnson was considered around the NFL,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Watch out for wide receiver DeSean Jackson when he cuts to the inside or curls to the outside. Be even more alert when the game is on the line and the Eagles have to go deep and you’re a cornerback trying to cover the speedy Jackson one-on-one. Since his first practice at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Linebacker Omar Gaither came to the defense of Jason Babin following the Philadelphia Eagles’ morning practice Thursday at Lehigh’s Goodman Campus. For the second straight day, Babin, a defensive end who was signed to a contract on Tuesday, tangled with an offensive lineman,…
· 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 →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 →It was disaster at hole No. 10 for Paula Creamer, the American star and Pink Panther of women’s pro golf. After a triple-bogey on 10, Creamer dropped her head, her eyes watered and her game continued to go south in third-round play of the U.S. Women’s Open on Saturday at Saucon…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The U.S. Women’s Open was stirred by Creamermania on Friday. And Ochoamania. And Kerrmania. Paula Creamer, though, had the most frenzied support as the 22-year-old from Pleasanton, Calif., played with flamboyance during the second round at Saucon Valley Country Club. She was…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Alexis Thompson and Jessica Korda are too young to expect the world, but both feel like they’re on top of it after un-kid-like first rounds of play at the U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday. Both admitted to being nervous when they arrived at Saucon Valley Country Club for the 64th…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One race on tired legs that Wilson senior Anthony Davidson lost by a slim margin did little to detract from the astounding two-week period he had running the 400-meter dash. No Lehigh Valley sprinter had ever run under 48 seconds in the 400 — and Davidson did it three times over…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Editor’s note: Today we begin a weekly series of Q&As;, including video, on participants in Gatorade’s Easton-Phillipsburg Replay football game at 3 p.m., April 26 at Lafayette College’s Fisher Field. Gatorade required The Morning Call to submit questions to players in advance…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The DeSales men’s and women’s basketball programs earned a piece of the national spotlight over the weekend during the NCAA Division III’s championship weekend. Darnell Braswell, the ex-Allen High star, wished that it would have been because of what he and his teammates…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh University women’s basketball team went on a sightseeing tour of New York City Thursday night. Something unexpected happened. “We went to David and Buster’s and watched American play Villanova,” said sophomore guard Erica Prosser with a sparkle in her eyes on Friday…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh’s Sue Troyan is a a two-time Patriot League coach of the year who takes more pride in being an even better mom. Her husband, Fran, Lehigh’s softball coach, and her three children can attest to that. The players she coaches, mentors, and is essentially a second mom to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s Brown and White against Maroon and White. It’s Bethlehem against Easton. For the first time since 1997, it’s Lehigh against Lafayette for the Patriot League women’s basketball tournament title at 6 tonight at Stabler Arena. It seemed like an unlikely showdown when the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The DeSales men’s and women’s basketball teams, the Muhlenberg and Moravian women’s teams, are all NCAA Division III Tournament-bound. The DeSales men and women and Muhlenberg women earned automatic berths by winning their conference tournaments over the weekend. The Moravian…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There’s no reason a student-athlete with a burning passion to play college basketball has to give up on his dreams just because he does not have the money to attend a four-year institution, or needs to improve his academics before making that important jump. That’s what…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Muhlenberg College women achieved Centennial Conference perfection. It wasn’t easy. Deadlocked 65-65 with Ursinus in the final seconds last Saturday, freshman guard Alexandra Chili drilled a 3-pointer that lifted the Mules to a 68-65 road win and became the first team to go…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland senior field hockey player Kyle DeSandes-Moyer signed her National Letter of Intent inside the school’s auditorium on Wednesday. Kisses from her mother and father followed, in addition to extended pound-pounds of the hand with her father, which drew laughter.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh’s 73-64 upset loss at Princeton on Wednesday night must be forgotten quickly as well as tough non-league defeats to Rider and Stony Brook, both teams the Mountain Hawks should have also beaten. But at 10-4, Lehigh is off to its best start since 1925 and the expectations…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty football coach Tim Moncman called his team the “Land of the Misfit Toys” because of the diverse lifestyles his players have. Here’s another name: state champions . It wasn’t easy to accomplish. After all, Liberty lost in the PIAA Class 4A final in 2005 and 2006. But the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Hours after Liberty’s dramatic 28-21 overtime win over Bethel Park in the PIAA Class 4A title game in Hershey on Saturday night, Hurricanes coach Tim Moncman had a gift from his neighbor waiting for him when he came home. “I got home at 2:30 and the next-door neighbor had taped…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Having to pick a poison is never a good thing. It’s usually devastating either way you look at it. George Washington High, the Philadelphia city champion, swarmed to the line of scrimmage and contained the rushing attack that has made Liberty so potent all season. No problem for…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland senior Jaleel Clark made one Liberty coverage player miss, then he eluded another and continued to race up field en route to a 38-yard punt return Friday night. It was his only memorable play in the Trojans’ 19-0 loss in the District 11-2 Class 4A subregional…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty enters its first-ever district playoff game against Parkland tonight with two senior linebackers who are determined to have fun. Never mind that fun for Daryl Klotz and Horvin Latimer is administering punishment. “We like to tackle and hit people,” Latimer said. “Yeah,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh basketball fans, circle Dec. 2 on your calendar. Saint Joseph’s University and its colorful coach Phil Martelli will be visiting Stabler Arena in one of the Mountain Hawks’ biggest non-league home game in years. Fittingly, Saint Joe’s bus trip to Bethlehem comes during a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton is a proud football program with a winning tradition that’s much longer than any other Lehigh Valley Conference team, but the Red Rovers’ administration and coaches did not let their pride get in the way of making a smart decision that will benefit their players. Which is…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Some high-profile athletes have transferred from one Lehigh Valley Conference school to another in recent years for athletic reasons. A fuss was made about most, and rightfully so since they were blatant, which has put District 11 officials under the gun more to try to stop…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Freedom snapped a 12-game losing streak against Parkland last week, which raised the Patriots’ confidence level entering tonight’s Lehigh Valley Conference showdown against Northampton at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Both teams are 4-1, 3-1 in conference play, but…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton has played two teams it was supposed to crush. The Red Rovers did just that, beating Stroudsburg by 27 points and Dieruff by 35. Now Easton (2-0, 1-0) hosts two-time defending Lehigh Valley Conference champion Parkland on Friday night at Cottingham Stadium. It’s Easton’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Fair or not, Nazareth football coach Rob Melosky knows that he can’t prevent people from judging his every move because that’s expected when you are a high-profile coach. Melosky’s public perception soared, perhaps more so in the negative than positive last month, when he was on…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s been a decade of memorable games and streaks, of championship glory and the agony of defeat in state title games for District 11 football teams. History was made in 2002 when Parkland, behind Austin Scott’s state-record 53 touchdowns and 3,846 yards rushing, became the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He’s a Big 33 replacement player, but Parkland quarterback John Laub is also a proven winner. Last season, he led Parkland to a 15-1 record and PIAA Class 4A runner-up finish. It was his first season as a starter, and Laub ran coach Jim Morgans’ Wing-T offense to near perfection…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Larry Holmes returned to the spotlight Saturday, signing autographs, pictures, posters and other boxing memorabilia. This afternoon, the former heavyweight champion will brave the heat to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The buildup to the moment has been…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Larry Holmes fought until age 52, beating Muhammad Ali once and Earnie Shavers twice along the way before retiring for good with a 10-round unanimous decision over Eric “Butterbean” Esch on July 27, 2002. Now, six years after whipping the fat off Butterbean in Norfolk, Va.,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Wilson teammates Anthony Davidson and Adam Eckhart were the only District 11 male athletes to win gold medals in the PIAA Track and Field Championships last weekend at Shippensburg University. Davidson won the Class 2A 400-meter dash and Eckhart won the triple jump. Catasauqua’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He’s not all hulked up, but Palmerton sprinter Austin Cseh had all the speed and endurance necessary to prevail over Wilson’s Anthony Davidson in a thrilling race to the finish line in the finals of the 400-meter dash at the Colonial League Track and Field Championships on…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Ruth Gaal has glittered every time she’s attended a Special Olympics event over the last 32 years. Her son Michael, who has Down syndrome, began in Special Olympics at age 6 and has competed at local, state, national and international levels. “I can still picture that smile on…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One of the most gratifying 11-day spans in Rob Melosky’s life was capped off Tuesday when he was introduced as Nazareth’s new head football coach. Austin Scott, the greatest football player Melosky has ever coached, had rape charges against him dropped on April 18, and the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Ray Barbosa’s mother, sister and stepfather each sat near-motionless in the RBC Center as the minutes in his college basketball career counted down Friday. Unable to shake free from a suffocating Georgetown defense, Barbosa missed shot after shot, and his University of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Concerned and nervous, Pam Tillett sat still in the stands amongst raucous University of Maryland-Baltimore County fans Saturday afternoon at RAC Arena. Her son, UMBC senior guard Ray Barbosa from Allen High, was focused on the court, trying to help his teammates stave off a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Scott Coval did not have a happy ending Saturday to his 400th career game as a coach at DeSales. That’s because the Bulldogs had a collapse on both ends of the court in the final 10 minutes and lost to King’s College, 71-62, in the Freedom Conference tournament final at Billera…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →American University guard Garrison Carr appears to be the leading candidate to win the Patriot League’s player of the year award. How can he not be? Carr, who’s gone from bench warmer in his first two seasons to the most feared guard in the league as a junior, is averaging 18.3…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lafayette has to play five more Patriot League war games, which is the way conference games tend to be throughout the country this time of season. Once the surprise team in the league after starting 5-1 for the first time since 1998-99, Lafayette has now lost three straight…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh junior center Melissa Rich was in her comfort zone with 5.4 seconds remaining Saturday night at Stabler Arena. The game against Army was tied at 57-57 and she was at the free-throw line. “I put everything out of my mind and said, “Another free throw, another practice,’ ”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Editor’s note: This is the first in an occasional series of in-depth interviews with Lehigh Valley sports figures. Thirteen games into his first college basketball head coaching job, Lehigh coach Brett Reed is trying to develop a Patriot League championship contender out of a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Boston College kicker Steve Aponavicius has a simple game plan for tonight’s Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla. “Just to go out and put the ball through the uprights,” said Aponavicius, an Easton High graduate, who’ll be making his 22nd career start when the Eagles (10-3) meet…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Brendan Beal paused, gathered himself and then rejoiced at the news that made his Friday. The Liberty High senior linebacker, who posted 113 tackles in his one season with the Hurricanes, was named Gatorade’s 2007-08 Pennsylvania football player of the year. “I’m definitely…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The District 11 Class 4A trophy is owned once again by Parkland, but the Trojans want more hardware for their awards case before this season ends. They sure played like it Friday night. Behind a balanced offensive attack, led by seniors John Laub and Kale Sweeney, Parkland…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A showdown between two Lehigh Valley Conference powerhouse teams could be only one week away. Liberty and Parkland need to win tonight in District 11-2 Class 4A subregional semifinal games to set up a battle between the two stalwarts. Neither team will admit that they’re looking…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty quarterback Anthony Gonzalez accounted for more than 200 yards of offense, wideout Joey Orlando made circus catches and tailback Ahkeem Smith gained the tough yards. All three owe gratitude to big Levi Brown and the other Hurricane offensive linemen for the way they…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Emmaus boys soccer, field hockey and swim teams may have reasons to be jealous of football stars C.J. Billera, Joe Davis and their teammates. That’s because Emmaus football is starting to steal the spotlight those winning programs have long enjoyed, and it may stay that way,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Boston College kicker Steve Aponavicius is still waiting for the perfect scenario: Final play of the game, win or lose on his field-goal attempt. Maybe that moment of make-or-break pressure will come Thursday night when Boston College, ranked No. 2 in both the Associated Press…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Central Catholic quarterback Thad Kosciolek was mesmerized the first time he walked into the Central Catholic athletic halls. “My first tine ever at Central I was walking through the coaches room, and they have all the state championship pictures of all the state championship…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty senior Ahkeem Smith is ready to carry the offensive load, and his teammates, on his shoulders. It’s a big task, especially considering one of his teammates is 6-3, 315-pound two-way tackle Levi Brown. But Smith has waited four years to be in the spotlight and to be a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Adam Bednarik enters his final year at West Virginia like a boxer trailing on points, but confident he can win the last round and still come out on top. “My family, as I was growing up, especially my dad, always instilled in me to never give up, never stop fighting, and ever…
· 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 →Liberty High senior linebacker Brendan Beale requested the No. 1 for his jersey and was granted his wish without debate or jealousy. “I’m not cocky, but I’m confident that I’m No. 1, and that’s how I want to represent,” said Beale, a transfer from Roxbury High in New Jersey,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty High senior linebacker Brendan Beale requested the No. 1 for his jersey and was granted his wish without debate or jealousy. “I’m not cocky, but I’m confident that I’m No. 1, and that’s how I want to represent,” said Beale, a transfer from Roxbury High in New Jersey,…
· 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 →Villanova’s chase for the Big East tournament title ended Thursday afternoon in Madison Square Garden. But memories from the ninth-seeded Wildcats’ 62-57 loss to top-seeded Georgetown in the quarterfinals will linger for a while. That’s because Villanova (22-9) went from missing…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Winning battles for rebounds and loose balls, Villanova closed its regular season with an emotional 78-75 Big East Conference victory over Syracuse at the Wachovia Center Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Curtis Sumpter, plagued by knee and other injuries over the last three…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was a finish that left Lehigh stunned and steamed Wednesday night. Freshman Josh Miller made a running bank shot after the buzzer sounded (as video from Lehigh’s Web site, lehighsports.com, showed) that lifted Army to a 47-46 win over Lehigh in the Patriot League tournament…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh University center Jason Mgebroff didn’t return with a bang in his first game of 2007 on Wednesday night. But coach Billy Taylor was not discouraged by the five points Mgebroff scored in the Mountain Hawks’ 56-53 overtime win over Colgate in a Patriot League matchup in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Going head-to-head with Villanova coach Jay Wright or any other Division I coach for a recruit would not appear to be all that enjoyable for Kutztown University coach Bernie Driscoll. After all, Kutztown is a Division II school, while Villanova competes in the Big East…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Muhlenberg senior Chris Pothering and Moravian junior Megan Kocon aren’t too concerned about their statistics. Just playing their role and contributing as much as possible is good enough for them. “I look at basketball right now and I just love having the outlet, having the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nowadays, Lehigh’s Jose Olivero is being guarded tougher, sometimes by two defenders, by opponents and, as a result, he’s being dropped to the hardwood more than ever. He’s paying the price for being good, for being a returning All-Patriot League player, for being able to create…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Every day of practice is a grueling test for West Virginia offensive lineman Jake Figner. That’s because Figner, who’s 6-5, 300 pounds, goes up against teammates are who are just as big and dominating. He was never tested to the limit when he was at Northwestern High, but then…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Joe Semanoff has not experienced the best of luck in Las Vegas this week. But it’s not because he’s lost money. Semanoff, a backup junior running back at Brigham Young and former Lehighton High star, has been disappointed with the weather. “[Monday] night we got a little snow,”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Players are always asked to exhibit sportsmanship and the same should be demanded of coaches. A handshake before, and especially after a game, is a good place to start. A few good words to each other isn’t a bad idea, although there are Lehigh Valley coaches who probably want to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty High coach Tim Moncman and Wilson coach Bret Comp have identical 27-3 records over the last two seasons. For the second straight season, both men have also led their teams into a PIAA championship game in Hershey. It is the first time in Lehigh Valley football history…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There will be television cameras at Fisher Field on Thanksgiving Day, and that alone tells you that this isn’t just another game, just another meeting between Easton and Phillipsburg. This is meeting No. 100, which in our psyche adds another layer to a rivalry that already means…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh women’s basketball team is picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League, which eliminates the pressure of great expectations. The Mountain Hawks were picked to be a contender last season, but ended the season as a team in disarray. They lost four non-league games by…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jose Olivero is now the “Lone Star” in Lehigh’s backcourt. And he’s been a star since arriving on the Bethlehem campus in 2003. As a freshman, Olivero hit a jumper with 3.9 seconds left that lifted Lehigh past American, 59-57, for the Patriot League tournament championship at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland, Easton, Liberty and Bethlehem Catholic, start your engines. It’s time to begin the more serious chase on the road to Hershey. Each Lehigh Valley Conference team is heavily favored to win its first-round playoff game this weekend. Parkland (10-0), Easton (9-1) and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bob Stem was nearing his exit from a diner in Easton when an older woman walked by and expressed her high school football loyalty in a very sharp, yet also funny, tone. “Bad luck Thanksgiving,” the lady said. “I wouldn’t be an Easton rooter if I didn’t say that.” The man with…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Brothers Oscar and Justin Rivera used to play roughhouse football in their parents’ living room growing up and, as a result, they’d often shake up the furniture. The brothers are now two-way starters at Liberty, and their coach, Tim Moncman, has demanded all season that they…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Andres Morales, Andrew Lee, Rich Jarnagin and Mike McClarin, all big playmakers with voices that carry on the sidelines and in the locker room, are not around to fire up their teammates at Liberty High, anymore. They graduated in June, but somebody else better try and find a way…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A national television audience will watch Steve Aponavicius do what he used to do for fun before soccer practices at Easton High two years ago. And that’s kick a football. However, Aponavicius, a walk-on at Boston College, won’t just be kicking the ball over a fence on Thursday…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Northampton coach Teko Johnson wasn’t too quick to delete one particular e-mail from his inbox this week. He enjoyed knowing whom it was from and everything it suggested. “I got an e-mail this week from the coach at Colorado, and it was, “Are you willing to take a risk, are you…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton coach Steve Shiffert will not be surprised if he’s visited soon by a ghost in his sleep. If it happens, he knows exactly who it will be, and why it will happen. For the first time in school history, Easton had a girl suit up and play, and senior Brittany Ryan played a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →As the 100th Thanksgiving Day meeting between Easton and Phillipsburg draws nearer, memories of the rivalry’s greatest games, players, and coaches come flooding back. There have been scoreless ties in 1944 and 1967, unexpected blowouts, like Easton’s 31-0 victory in 2004 in a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nobody is going to overlook Whitehall this season. The Zephyrs have too much size to be ignored as a contender for the Lehigh Valley Conference title, along with Liberty, Easton and Parkland. “We think we have kids who can be competitive and that are powerful,” said Whitehall…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Star quarterback Alex Atiyeh may have thrown his final high school pass. Atiyeh, a junior quarterback at Bethlehem Catholic last year, has transferred to Allen and had hoped to take over in the Canaries’ wide-open offensive set this season. But the District 11 Athletic Committee…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Amy Heffner ignited the Parkland girls rally from an eight-point deficit with steals, deft passes and the type of all-around hustle that could help her get on the radar screen of Division I scouts. Her Trojans teammate, Erin Anthony, has already received D-I offers, and the 6-0…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →John Babb’s lingering memory about his amateur boxing debut at SportsFest X will be over the decision he wasn’t awarded Saturday. Many fans may remember most the Scottish kilt and socks that Babb wore during his Pennsylvania Golden Gloves super heavyweight novice division bout…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty quarterback Dan Persa has made his college choice and is now focused on trying to lead Liberty to a state championship next season. “We got there last year,” he said. “We just need to finish the job this year.” Finish it, that is, before Persa, who established a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Give Rushane Scott a paint brush — or anything else to draw with — and he’ll craft an image of exactly what he plans to accomplish at the PIAA Track and Field Championships. Allen’s star senior sprinter will paint a picture of himself winning the Class 3A title in the 100 and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh coach Billy Taylor is playing a waiting game to see if he’ll be offered the vacant men’s basketball head coaching job at the University of Pennsylvania. Taylor confirmed in a statement released by Lehigh officials on Thursday that he has been contacted by Penn athletic…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Easton seniors Colin Brett, Derrick Lambert, Alex Nourse and Gerald Lebar have formed an awesome foursome. They have the area’s best time in the 3,200-meter relay (8:28.5) and they are the catalysts on a Red Rovers team that’s 3-0-1 in the LVC. The Red Rovers still have to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The greatest athletic accomplishment of his life was over, and Parkland’s Tyrone Faverey and his mother, Karen, were driving back to the Lehigh Valley from Shippensburg. There was no music blasting, no horns honking. “I fell asleep,” said Faverey, who won the PIAA Class 3A high…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Ray Barbosa, the former Allen High star, probably knows more about Cinderella George Mason University than Michigan State, North Carolina, Connecticut, or even CBS analysts Billy Packer and Jim Nantz. The soon-to-be former James Madison University guard should know all about the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The ride from the Main Line to the Wachovia Center was short, but still long enough for Villanova seniors Allan Ray and Randy Foye to reflect. The two sharpshooting guards will make their final appearances in this building as college players this weekend in NCAA Tournament…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The only thing missing was a drum roll. Everything else was there — blowing trumpets and cheering fans and, as the moment of truth neared, heartbeats that raced off the charts. This was not the frenzied final seconds of a very big game. This was exuberance about the history made…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Lehigh coach Billy Taylor hopes his season isn’t over, that the Mountain Hawks’ 19-12 record puts them in contention for a National Invitational Tournament bid. It’s nice to hope and it would certainly be a major boost for the Patriot League’s profile if Lehigh received a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Fittingly, Lehigh guard Jose Olivero’s father was in the stands at Alumni Hall at the United States Naval Academy Wednesday night when Olivero dived out of bounds for a loose ball and crashed into a scorer’s table. Appearing unfazed, Olivero rose quickly and went back to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Rich Jarnagin entered Liberty High School four years ago as a skinny freshman, but one with a lot of potential. He became stronger and faster and this year made several game-breaking plays on both sides of the ball to help Liberty go 13-2 and finish as the PIAA Class 4A…
· 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 →The stage is never as big, the spotlight far from blinding, but Moravian coach Mary Beth Spirk has always considered the NCAA Division III playoffs just as important as March dancing that Division I teams do. That’s why Spirk and her players are dreaming big now, hoping that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Muhlenberg coach Dave Madeira knows a Division I player when he sees one, and his eyes lit up when he first saw Lehigh junior guard Jose Olivero catch the ball, turn and bury a 3-pointer with such ease on Wednesday night. Not just once, not just twice but five times in Lehigh’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Liberty quarterback Dan Persa showed up at Carl’s Corner steak and sub shop a few blocks from school earlier this week and saw an NBC-10 television reporter interviewing the owner about the football team Persa has helped lead to the PIAA Class 4A championship game. He was awed.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →An error in judgment was made by a PIAA official, and it will probably prevent Liberty senior Andres Morales from playing in the PIAA Class 4A championship Saturday in Hershey. It’s a game he’s dreamed about playing in his whole life, and he will spend tonight doing what he has…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His fist was closed and he was steamed, but Liberty senior Andres Morales says he did not do anything that warranted his being ejected from Saturday’s PIAA Class 4A Eastern final at J. Birney Crum Stadium. But Ted Deptula, the back judge, thought Morales threw a punch, and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Andrew Lee is like a magnet when it comes to the spotlight. He loves being in it. Whether he’s playing football, doing the pole vault, or in a classroom at Liberty High, Lee is often the center of attention “You never see him without a smile on his face,” said Liberty football…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →For 33 years, including 23 straight at Temple, Hall of Fame coach John Chaney has never gone into a game and had fun. Before tipoff, Chaney’s suit coat is off, his tie is loosened, and his sleeves are rolled up. Soon, he revs into high gear, screaming, stomping his feet and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →John Gross does not experience quiet nights, the way he did growing up in Slatington. As a starting offensive lineman for Temple, he doesn’t experience many victories either. The Owls are 0-6 this year and have gone 7-34 in his four seasons. That’s not what he was used to in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →There were times Saturday afternoon when Sam Hollenbach felt as if he was in his parents’ living room back in in Sellersville when he dropped back into the pocket. Hollenbach, the University of Maryland’s starting quarterback, was just that comfortable trying to find and connect…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Steve Shiffert may be known to his players as a perfectionist, intense, and at times, intimidating. But last November, Shifffert’s soft side came out after a loss to Neshaminy in the PIAA Class 4A Eastern final. Shiffert, 53, cried for extended minutes, along with his players,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The end zone was within sight. Tyler Chomik just couldn’t reach it. The Moravian College senior had already rumbled 42 yards on an interception return, one of two long-distance runs he had in the Greyhounds’ 49-14 rout of winless Juniata Saturday afternoon at Rocco Calvo Field.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Larry Holmes has finally put his guard down. One reason is because he now knows how well thought of he is by longtime boxing commentators Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant. And he now knows how one of the men he once bloodied en route to a 13th-round technical knockout in a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Domenique Price’s name will be on the back of his Pennsylvania uniform tonight at the 48th annual Big 33 Football Classic at HersheyPark Stadium. He’ll get to keep the jersey, and the memories of his week in Hershey may never fade, but Price is lucky to be on Pennsylvania’s…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The International Olympic Committee has struck out with players, coaches and other supporters of baseball and softball in the Lehigh Valley. That’s the response to the IOC’s decision to eliminate baseball and softball from the 2012 Olympic Games in London. “It’s actually very…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Erika Smith is a former Miss Pennsylvania contestant, but don’t let her astonishing looks fool you. She’s more than just glamorous. When her school day as an English teacher at Dieruff ends, she prefers to tie up her hair, throw on sweats and head across town to J. Birney Crum…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Frank Banko has not visited Bethlehem Area School District Stadium much since graduating from Liberty High in 1937. But he was there Thursday morning, recalling pleasant memories of when he rumbled on the grass field as a JV football player. “That was in the first few years that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Most minor league basketball players pray for an invitation to an NBA training camp. Allentown’s Sammy Barona just hoped for an opportunity to play for the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs of the United States Basketball League. He’s finally on the roster and more excited than ever…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →They have no fear of North Carolina. Not of Sean May, the Tar Heels’ dominating wide-bodied center. Not of Rashad McCants, the guard with incredible speed and shooting range. In fact, the Villanova Wildcats fear no player that will be wearing the Carolina baby blue uniform in…
· 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 →Bucknell coach Pat Flannery did not allow his spirits to be dampened after losing to Lehigh 57-54 on a Joe Knight 3-pointer at the buzzer Sunday at Stabler Arena. Flannery had missed three games because of an undisclosed medical condition. He hated being out, hated not having to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Perhaps the person who makes up the Patriot League schedule overlooked the fact that Lehigh and Lafayette are two neighboring teams with a storied rivalry. Otherwise, the first league meeting between the two would not have been scheduled for 8 tonight at Stabler Arena while both…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Pennridge High senior tailback Ryan Greiser, The Morning Call’s player of the year, received an expected honor but at an unexpected position Saturday. And Parkland’s 6-4, 310-pound, two-way standout lineman Morgan Thomas, finally got his due. Greiser and Thomas were selected to…
· 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 →Villanova University has the best three-guard rotation in the Big 5 in juniors Allan Ray, Randy Foye and sophomore Mike Nardi. And the Wildcats also have the confidence that they will win the city title for the first time since 2001. The ‘Cats also want to contend for the Big…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Parkland High football team will look to rebound from a disappointing 3-7 season without the coach who, two years ago, led it to the PIAA Class 4A championship. The Parkland High School administration announced in a press release Friday that Rob Melosky will not be retained…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →No matter where he travels these days, Saint Joseph’s senior guard Pat Carroll believes people will know where he plays college basketball, as long as he’s wearing anything with SJU on it. That’s recognition earned from last season’s magical run that included a 27-0 regular…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Everything seemed so to be going along as planned for Travis Mohr on Friday in Athens — until the end. That was when fear shook him. After four years of chasing a second Paralympic gold medal in the SB6 100-meter breaststroke, and despite his fervent desire to break his own…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →North Penn, the defending PIAA Class 4A champion, and Mount Carmel, a Class 2A powerhouse with five PIAA titles since 1994, will both be playing in the Lehigh Valley Saturday night. Whether that’s good news or bad for the Lehigh Valley Conference teams they are playing remains…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Nobody threw up or fainted at Easton High. Nobody took lunch break and decided not to return for the afternoon practice. Most of the 108 players on the practice field were in good shape and brought good attitudes as far as coach Steve Shiffert was concerned as the high school…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Please, not another inning. Nobody from Birches yelled that out, but shortstop Brendon O’Connor sure thought it a few times against Boyertown in the American Legion Region 2 Tournament semifinals Friday night at Hackett’s Park in Easton. He probably wasn’t alone. After all,…
· 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 →Central Catholic coach Donnie Roberts may be one of the luckiest coaches in the history of the McDonald’s Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic. He has a quarterback for every situation. If you like pass-happy offenses, which Roberts does, he has quarterbacks who can…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →So many times during his high school career, Parkland senior Steve Stern sensed that he was being stared down by opposing sprinters. He was probably right. At just 5-8 and without any bulging muscles, Stern just didn’t care what other sprinters thought because he was confident…
· 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 →In 1997, Lafayette College’s Winston Davis was the skinny 15-year-old high school sophomore with the crazy hops participating in the Kingdom of the Sun Slam Dunk Contest in Florida. But, that year the the older players, like one 18-year-old Jumaine Jones, had even crazier hops…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Saint Joseph’s finally ran out of magic in this magical season. Overtime had seemed so possible, so within a great shooter’s distance when consensus All-American Jameer Nelson pulled up inside the circle to attempt a game-tying shot with one second left Saturday night at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A meeting at the line of scrimmage between Freedom’s 6-6, 297-pound Ryan Ehrie and Northwestern’s 6-5, 290-pound Jake Figner might have been a grueling matchup, testing more than just the strength of both. It could not happen because Northwestern played in the Colonial League…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The major changes at Lafayette College this season are in defensive toughness, rebounding and depth. But the one component in the Leopards’ game that has not changed is perimeter shooting. The Leopards are still hot as the desert from the outside, especially seniors Justin…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Now that Easton has played it’s all-important Thanksgiving Day game against Phillipsburg, losing 26-23, the Red Rovers (11-2) appear headed for an extremely difficult mission Saturday night. Up next is high-powered and defensively stingy North Penn (13-0) in the PIAA Class 4A…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The picture painted of the Lafayette College women’s basketball program over the last two seasons has been ugly. The images of back-to-back 3-25 seasons will do that. It was a devastating experience for coach Tammy Smith, who had never endured a losing season before coming to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh University women’s basketball team appears to have a mountain of a task trying to replace the Patriot League’s all-time career rebounding leader, Anne Tierney, at center. Tierney, who was voted to the league’s first team three straight seasons, was also the Mountain…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The purity, spirit and competiveness of college basketball are what continue to drive Temple coach John Chaney. The Hall of Fame coach, who is seven victories short of becoming the 15th coach in Division I history to reach 700, believes all that is right about the game will be…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The green light that will allow players to race up and down the court and shoot at will, will be on just about every time the Kutztown University men’s basketball team takes to the hardwood this season. “We want to push the ball up and down the court, get the game into the 80s,”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A look at each sideline instantly revealed the difference between the Bethlehem Catholic and Freedom programs. Bethlehem Catholic had more than twice as many players as Freedom and seemed to develop more swagger as the Lehigh Valley Conference Northampton Division game continued…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One game in 2001, another in 2002. Both were District 11 Class 3A boys soccer championship thrillers that just didn’t go Pleasant Valley’s way. The Bears were upstaged by Emmaus, 1-0 in 2001 and 3-2 by Parkland in 2002. “Both of them were real tough games,” said Pleasant Valley…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Salisbury junior forward Jason Yeisley is being talked about by Colonial League coaches more than any other player in the league. And it’s for good reason. Yeisley has scored 53 goals the last two seasons, and may be just as prolific dialing up net as he leads the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Following the third straight year that the McDonald’s Lehigh Valley Football Classic has been postponed because of inclement weather, Bethlehem Catholic coach Chuck Sonon recalled a fitting joke he heard on a New York City sports radio station. “What do you call the day after…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Ace Custis experienced the disappointment of his basketball career following a 16-point, eight-rebound performance in just 23 minutes during a 2001 summer league game with the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs had 17 players on the roster that summer, and, though he played well,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs coach Darryl Dawkins is battling the tough odds of joining John Lucas and Eric Mussleman as the only United States Basketball League coaches to be hired as head coaches in the NBA. Is Dawkins ready? He says yes. Is he qualified? He says yes. Is his 88-54…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The world became Larry Holmes’ to splash around in on June 9, 1978, but the woman he wanted to join him refused. Diane Holmes, who was not yet married to Larry when he won a 15-round split decision over Ken Norton to become the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bethlehem Catholic sprinter Frank Trovato has already rented his tuxedo, shined his shoes and has limousine service set up for him and his prom date for Friday night. Trovato even has plans for his girlfriend to ride with him from the Lehigh Valley to Shippensburg University…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Former Kutztown University forward Sammy Barona is living a dream as a basketball player in the Dominican Republic. But it’s not the dream he sees with his eyes closed, the one the 27-year-old Allentown native has been chasing the last four years while he has played…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →First-year Lehigh coach Billy Taylor is ready and confident as he leads the Mountain Hawks into the Patriot League tournament this weekend. These are the games that can lead to tears trickling down the faces of the losers and exuberance overwhelming the winners. It takes three…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Webster Dictionary definition of ugly was played out early and often in the Lehigh-Bucknell Patriot League game Tuesday night at Stabler Arena. Both teams shot a barrage of bricks and had no rhythm from the opening tip-off on. But despite shooting 38 percent from the field,…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Two tough road losses last weekend to Holy Cross and Colgate did not spoil what was a successful first half of play in the Patriot League for the Lehigh men’s basketball team. The losses — 63-39 at Holy Cross and 77-68 at Colgate — have the Mountain Hawks waiting impatiently to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh men’s basketball coach who seemed to be tailor-made for the position will have the opportunity to prove himself and his team to the man who taught and motivated him back in Illinois. Dennis Taylor, whose son Billy is in his first season as Lehigh’s coach, will make…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Parkland High’s all-everything running back Austin Scott has fallen into countless daydreams while watching ESPN’s SportsCenter. Often he hears the voices of Stuart Scott and Chris Berman ringing through his mind. Stuart Scott, the master of airwaves slang, is saying, “Did you…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Holy Cross’ upset of Boston College and Lafayette’s stunning defeat of the University of Massachusetts have done little to improve the Patriot League’s extremely low Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), and as a result, only the league tournament champion appears likely to advance to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He is now an all-everything to Central Catholic on the hardwood, and it’s a role that Central Catholic senior Jim Curran handled well in a physical Lehigh Valley Conference game against rival Whitehall Tuesday night at Rockne Hall. Helping rouse Curran even more were the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →First-year Lehigh men’s coach Billy Taylor decided he’d rather have his wits and the moxie of his players tested the second game of the season with a road trip to Big Ten power Illinois Saturday night than to play Wagner. The Engineers played Wagner the second game of the season…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Kevin Easterling was selected to play in the 1984 Big 33 Football Classic after rushing for nearly 1,200 yards his senior year at Dieruff, and he believes his son could have similar success at the Colonial League school he currently attends. But Easterling is worried that the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →You can look at his braids, his thuggish attitude, shake your head in disappointment over his allegedly throwing his wife out of the house naked, but don’t think that Philadelphia 76ers’ guard Allen Iverson has lost marketing appeal. What does it tell you when Reebok, the shoe…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Donnie Roberts might have looked like a maintenance worker to people driving or walking by on American Parkway the way he was manicuring the Central Catholic High practice field Saturday. More people might have thought the same of Roberts following the opening day of football…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The financial stability was there all season. The emotional stability never was. The mixture was a bad combination for the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs, one that led to disgruntlement within the organization, failure on the basketball court, and ultimately, a disappointing finish to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The rumble is on. The raging bull that is Mike Tyson is fighting the heavyweight champion with the glass jaw, Lennox Lewis, late tonight at The Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn. No heavyweight championship bout has had this much hype since Tyson and Evander Holyfield went “tooth-to-ear”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A one-on-one matchup between former NBA centers Darryl Dawkins and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might have been just as entertaining as the United States Basketball League game both men coached in Thursday night Stabler Arena. Just imagine, Abdul-Jabbar scoring on perhaps the most…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The five tattoos on the body of Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs guard Quincy Wadley are not there just for looks. Neither are the rubber bands he wears around both wrists. “Everything has a meaning,” Wadley said. “I don’t just put anything on. The one last tattoo that I will get, that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The future fast lanes of District 11 athletes may have been paved by Bethlehem Catholic’s Eddie Scipio and his supporting cast of Golden Hawks sprinters in the PIAA Track and Field Championships last weekend at Shippensburg University. Scipio, a senior three-sport star, anchored…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Athletes in The Morning Call’s circulation area from District 11 and District 3 who have legitimate shots of winning medals in the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University today and Saturday probably spent most of Thursday reflecting on what they need to do…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Saucon Valley’s Casie Williams is an all-around athlete with an odd love for fast food at McDonald’s. She loves to order large french fries, toss them in a bag, heavily salt them, shake up the bag and um … um … get her eats. “I go there a couple times on the weekend, sometimes…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He’s 28 years old, personable, vigorous on the recruiting trails, and he’s the first African-American head coach at Lehigh University. He’s also married with a baby girl due in early June. Billy Taylor is also much more than that to University of North Carolina-Greensboro head…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Pat Brogan played as a freshman at Lafayette College in the mid-1980s, then got cut the next season. Now, he’s Fran O’Hanlon’s top assistant coach at Lafayette. If a similar pattern follows at Lehigh, then Brogan will end up being the Engineers’ next head men’s basketball coach.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His university asked him to stand out more than he does on the basketball court, to project what Lehigh is about in an astute and more vocal way than most student athletes. Bobby Mbom did that time and again, speaking to national scholars entering the school, serving on the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s time for Lehigh University to consider making a change in philosophy and make history by hiring its first African-American head men’s basketball coach and just the second ever in the Patriot League. Maybe Lehigh search committee chairman Glenn Hofmann should first look at…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The guessing game of who’s in, who’s out, and who needs to do what to get into the good graces of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee has heated up as college basketball enters its final two weeks of the regular season. Locally, Lafayette (13-12) and Lehigh (4-21) can only…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Lehigh losses keep coming, many of them by close margins. Whether by two points, the Engineers’ narrowest setback, or by their season-worst defeat of 19 points, little consolation is gained. Lehigh remains in the Patriot League basement with a 1-7 record and is 4-17 overall…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →At times, the Patriot League opener between Lafayette and Bucknell seemed to be a battle of who could play the ugliest Wednesday night at Davis Gymnasium. There were hard falls, sloppy handling of the ball, and so many stretches where neither team seemed to know what to do with…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Now that the Patriot League games are set to begin, the Lehigh and Lafayette men’s teams believe they will triumph more often than fail the rest of January and February. And March, if one is still alive following the league tournament. Never mind the previous 13 games for Lehigh…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Darryl Dawkins walked into Larry Holmes’ business office on Wednesday to visit his good friend, the ex-heavyweight champion, and he ended up receiving the most stunning phone call of his post-playing career. Angel East, Holmes’ secretary, told Dawkins that somebody from the NBA…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Maybe some of the “ballers’ from the ‘hood where Rich Baker grew up have succumbed to negative influences, and had their dreams of playing Division I basketball shattered. But not Baker. He continued to improve his slashing and shooting skills at Stroudsburg High en route to…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →As the 2002 part of the college basketball season rolls in, let’s take a capsule look at what has gone on and what is expected of Division I teams in the Lehigh Valley/Philadelphia/University Park areas. Lehigh — Playing against weaker teams has enabled the Engineers (3-8) to…
· 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 →What happens when the head basketball coach goes on a rampage, criticizing one player in particular in front of everybody in the gymnasium? Both are boiling, the coach from repeating himself and not getting expected results, and the player from being berated by a man other than…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bewilderment rocked the Penn State campus two weeks ago when Yale beat the Nittany Lions on the basketball court. It has happened before. It’s just that nobody on the current Nittany Lions roster or head coach Jerry Dunn was even born when the Bulldogs beat Penn State 33-31 in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Temple coach John Chaney looked quickly at center Ron Rollerson, who will be in the spotlight more than ever over the next two games, shoved the microphone closer to him and demanded that the 6-10 senior turn up his volume. Kind of like the way Rollerson turned up his game after…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was a game that was lost in a crushing way, kind of like The Grinch waiting for everybody to go to sleep before stealing gifts. Only this was a game Lafayette had control over, holding leads of seven points in both halves. But carelessness with the ball and missed layup…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Three recruits with ball-handling skills and from far away places will be joining Lehigh’s men’s basketball program next year. They are not just average players, either, to hear Engineers coach Sal Mentesana tell it. He has been all decked out in a suit and tie to see them all…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Opening the basketball season with opponents his team would be favored to beat is not something that entices Lafayette coach Fran O’Hanlon, even if that decision ultimately leads to the Leopards getting blown out. After opening its season at Albany of the lightly-regarded…
· 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 Atlantic 10 Conference has seven new coaches and a new member from Richmond. But the best thing the upgraded 12-team, realigned conference has is two nationally ranked programs in Saint Joseph’s and Temple. And the two rival Philadelphia schools have two rival Philadelphia…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jameer Nelson’s celebrity status extended well past the Saint Joseph’s University campus before he even made his first collegiate basket last Nov. 17. He didn’t even need to win the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year award or play on last summer’s gold medal-winning USA Junior…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allentown Central Catholic graduate Danny Marakovits and Parkland High product Brad Szalachowski turned cheek on what other people thought and used hearts that are actually larger than their abilities to make the rosters of Division I teams as walk-ons. Right now, Marakovits, a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jay Wright, the ex-Hofstra head coach, knew he was taking over a Villanova basketball program that was going to be thin in the backcourt, not particularly strong in the frontcourt and lacking an on-court leader. But the only thing the soon-to-be 40-year-old head coach of the…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A perfect series is far easier to accomplish on a Saturday afternoon in college football than a perfect game. Accomplishing a perfect season is not easy at all. Hope of it was erased for Kutztown four games into the season with a 36-7 road loss to Clarion. Until then, Kutztown…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →You can look at the 102 losses in five seasons and wonder why Sal Mentesana continues to have passion for his job as coach of the Lehigh men’s basketball team. “I’ve never questioned what I do,” the 53-year-old Mentesana said. “I love this. My passion for the game has not…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Discussions of football and war have been persistent at the house of East Stroudsburg University coach Denny Douds. Especially this week. America is striking back for the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11 and Douds and his coaching staff are preparing the Warriors for a key…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He’s a co-captain on the field, a bookworm off it. Maintaining a balance between athletics and academics is something Kutztown senior linebacker Alex Daecher has not had a problem with since entering college five years ago as a freshman. He’s been successful at both, leading…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →“Go, Nick, go.” That’s a cheer Parkland junior Nick Pinchek has waited two years to hear more regularly than just a few times a game when he would be given token handoffs. No, the game plan has changed at Parkland. Pinchek is now a key part of the game plan, the running back on…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Austin Scott waits and wonders, hoping that he will play high school football for Parkland again this season. One doctor says no. Another will give his opinion on Monday. Tonight, however, Scott will sit and watch. His nerves may be unsettled when the Trojans play host to Pocono…
· 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 →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 →George Lynch is just as gritty as his Philadelphia 76ers teammates Eric Snow, Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie, all of whom could legitimately receive a doctor’s note to take the rest of the month off from work. Lynch, who fractured his left foot in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant will have at least four games to dazzle the world with their skills in the NBA Finals, which began with Game 1 Wednesday night at the Staples Center. And NBA Commissioner David Stern is ready to be dazzled. Stern made special note of how impressed…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He had a large ice pack wrapped around his right knee, and a bewildered look as question after question flowed his way. Then, there was his voice — almost as soft as he has played in many games this season. But his coach, his teammates — and fans of the Sixers, too, probably —…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was again Game 2 of a Sixers postseason series that was the charm. Again it was because Allen Iverson was unstoppable. From 45 points in Game 2 of the previous round against the Indiana Pacers to 54 in Wednesday night’s 97-92 victory over the Toronto Raptors, Iverson has…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →His statistics do not measure up to the man who has gone from the troubled streets of North Philadelphia to the glamour lights of the NBA. Through it all, Sixers guard Aaron McKie has remained humble and thankful for the people in his life who’ve helped elevate him to the player…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Welcome to the second round of the NBA playoffs, Toronto Raptors. Want to know how to handle the boiling pressure? Just ask Allen Iverson or Larry Brown, the star player and head coach of the Sixers, who’ve failed to make it out of the Eastern Conference semifinals the last two…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen Iverson showed up in military fatigues for the elimination playoff game against the Indiana Pacers last year. That was Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Philadelphia, and the Sixers lost 106-90. Tonight, Iverson and the Sixers stand a solid chance in Game 4 of…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allen Iverson is headed back to Indianapolis for the first time since his much-publicized racial incident Jan. 28, and he says that he’s more concerned about helping the Sixers gain a one-game series edge than how the Indiana Pacers’ fans perceive him. Sitting with a toothpick…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →He used to wag his finger in a scolding motion after blocking shots, until NBA officials made him stop taunting opponents. But center Dikembe Mutombo hasn’t stopped blocking and altering shots, or recording intimidations, a statistic the Sixers resurrected after the 7-2 veteran…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It’s the game that slipped away, leaving the Sixers depleted and in a must-win situation against the Indiana Pacers heading into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference first-round series at home Tuesday night. The Sixers can’t afford to lose, not with Game 3 to be played in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The regular-season feats of Sixers guard Allen Iverson concluded Wednesday night with him on the sidelines. His NBA-leading numbers — 31.1 points and 2.5 steals per game — became official following the Sixers’ 92-86 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the First Union Center. Iverson is…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Sixers are going to Indianapolis with everything to gain and a lot to lose. It’s mostly about mind games, especially since the Sixers (55-25) and Indiana Pacers (40-40) will meet in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, which will start either Saturday or…
· 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 →Four years after deciding to quit the Easton High football team because so many factors were against him — including being outweighed by 23 pounds by the kicker — Nathan LaBuda was engaged in a high-stakes collegiate boxing match against a defending national champion. LaBuda, a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Jumaine Jones had a lot of people shaking their heads in disappointment over his futile defensive attempt against Orlando’s Tracy McGrady in the closing seconds of the Sixers’ one-point loss Wednesday night. From the top of the key, McGrady had taken Jones with ease, driving and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Philadelphia 76ers cleared one hurdle in their last game, reaching the 50-win mark for the first time in 11 years by beating the Golden State Warriors 102-89 Friday at the First Union Center. Today, they must try to keep that momentum going by beating the Indiana Pacers in a…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →NBA Coach of the Year candidate Larry Brown is in line for another possible distinction, and the Sixers coach is happy that other people associated with pro and college basketball in this city are in line with him. Brown, who has close to 1,200 professional and college victories…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Toni Kukoc found himself engaged in a battle with somebody in the Sixers organization other than coach Larry Brown. The confrontation was tougher, only because it was against ex-teammates. But that’s part of competition. Kukoc can accept that. He admits to being a little bitter…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The ultimate professional sits on a stool at his locker inside the First Union Center before every home game with a towel on his lap, reading either a newspaper or a book. He appears content to do this until the final 45 minutes before game time, when the locker room closes to…
· 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 →Central Catholic seniors Daniel Hinds and Andrew Guman handled the ending with poise — not celebrating too much — just walking off the court slowly following the Vikings’ 59-41 victory over Blue Mountain in a District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal Friday at Dieruff High. Whitehall…
· 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 →There were big shots, one after another. There were devastating fastbreaks, capped by behind-the-back or deftly delivered passes for dunks. There were defensive stands, incredible in the hard, fierce way they were carried out. Whatever it took, the Sixers had the means and…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Two of the game’s biggest, most glamorous and most talented stars are here this All-Star Weekend, and everybody is shaking their heads at the Los Angles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. They see Bryant, an immensely talented 6-7 swingman who can take control of a game…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Larry Brown’s genius and leadership is not restricted to his coaching career or his family life. Brown also works wonders on the golf course, something Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich had the pleasure of finding out last summer while the two were coaching the USA Dream…
· 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 →Allen Iverson is a tough man in a basketball uniform, unwilling to rest his aching body for extended periods of time. He proved that when he returned to the Philadelphia 76ers lineup five days after dislocating his shoulder to score 29 points against the Golden State Warriors…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Sixers coach Larry Brown and superstar Allen Iverson, who squabbled so much last season that doubts repeatedly circulated about them being able to co-exist on the same team, are now headed to Washington together. And on the ride with them will be 6-10 Theo Ratliff, whose long…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The Bethlehem Catholic defensive scheme is to force its opponent to wilt from its 1-3-1 trapping zone, and then lure that opponent to sleep with its patient offense. If you are Allen and you like to run and rely on your athleticism to carry you to victory, then you are in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Vacation time would be a welcome sight for the Philadelphia 76ers right now, but the NBA schedule affords them only today and Monday off before they must take their aching bodies and depleted lineup out West for games this week against Utah, Golden State and Sacramento. They’ll…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →One minute remained in a blowout win over Columbia at Miami Arena on Nov. 21 when Danny Marakovits was told to take off his University of Miami warmup suit and check into his first collegiate basketball game. What could he do in a minute? That really didn’t matter. He was going…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →A little playing time is all Nazr Mohammed wants. He’s getting it, but he could get a lot more if he were on a team other than the Sixers. Don’t blame Philadelphia coach Larry Brown. He has tried to find a better home for the 6-10 Mohammed, a third-year pro from the University…
· 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 →An end to futility had to come for one of the East Penn Conference cellar dwellers Friday night in Emmaus. It would not come without a price. ‘I got punched in the face one time,’ said Emmaus defensive lineman Kevin Short. But Short did a lot more hitting than receiving in…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Allentown rapper Vincent Eggleston wishes he could go one-on-one with Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson. Eggleston, whose non-explicit ‘My Life, My Love, My Music’ CD will soon be released, knows that Iverson wouldn’t be able to hang with him, or relate to the audience…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The pitches kept coming. The holes kept opening — some wide, some narrow. Parkland’s Austin Scott kept going, bursting or spinning through holes, and then often outracing or hurdling over Northampton defenders. ‘He’s unbelievable,” Parkland wide receiver Tim Massaquoi said.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Johnny Santiago has run the ball one way since he began playing competitive football for the Bethlehem Saints at age 6. ‘When I get the ball I look for the hole,” said Santiago, a senior tailback at Freedom. ‘I just want to run through (the defender ), right through his back.…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →It was the final drill of Parkland High’s exhausting varsity morning football practice, and many of the players were running half-speed. That had head coach Rich Sniscak disgruntled. ‘We’re 45 minutes over schedule, so I know you won’t make it because you’re mentally weak,”…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Bob Stem, the highly successful head football coach at Bethlehem Catholic, has won 201 games in 26 seasons. Obviously, what Stem and his staff have done is working. The results, year-in and year-out prove it. Jim Morgans, the head coach of Central Catholic’s 1993 and 1998 state…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →The idea in scholastic athletics is to provide an arena, playing field or surface where a student-athlete can look to achieve maximum results. Personal or for the team. But an athlete can not experience thrills or disappointments without tough competition — at least something on…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →Every year, Emmaus or Parkland — many times both teams — seem to have a swimmer that’s All-Water, that is someone able to swim many events extremely well. This high school swim season it’s Parkland junior Chris Johnson, a key member on the Trojans’ 200 and 400-yard relay’s that…
· Andre D. Williams
Read on mcall.com →