Sixers’ Practice on Hawk Hill

Here are some photos of the Sixers workout at St. Joe’s this afternoon. (photos by Sam Koch ’11)

Men’s Basketball News and Notes: Nelson in, Rivera out again

A pair of former St. Joe’s hoopsters has been grabbing the headlines this past week, for very different reasons.

The Sporting News honored Nelson's achievements on Hawk Hill.

Former standout Jameer Nelson, ’04, was honored by The Sporting News as part of their All-Decade Team. Nelson, an All-Star last season with the Orlando Magic, was named to the first team along with guard Jason Williams of Duke, forwards Kevin Durant of Texas, Joakim Noah of Florida, and center Tyler Hansborough of North Carolina.

Nelson is coming off a career year, averaging 16.7 points and 5.4 assists per game while bettering his career averages across the board in route to his first career All-Star game.

The news is not as good for DJ Rivera, ’10. The former St. Joe’s and Neumann-Goretti guard was dismissed along with four other players, including fellow Philly native Malik Alvin of Simon Gratz, from Binghamton this week for undisclosed reasons.

Rivera led the Bearcats and America East in scoring last year at 20.2 points per game en route to the NCAA Tournament. He left St. Joe’s after two largely unproductive years, which included a semester on the bench for academic reasons.

The other three players dismissed were Corey Chandler, Paul Crosby, and David Fine. They follow Tiki Mayben, who was arrested late last week on drug charges. Mayben, Rivera, and Alvin were all starters on last year’s team, which has experienced so many legal problems they have garnered the nickname “UNLV East” by New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick.

“If any of the young men in our program don’t respect the decisions that have been made or the rules we have in place, then they need to move on with their lives,” said head coach Kevin Broadus in a statement.

-Matthew De George ’10

Waiting for the Fat Lady to Sing

With the Baseball Prospectus giving the Phillies a 99% chance of reaching the playoffs, both analysts and fans have been looking towards the postseason, figuring out pitching rotations and scouting possible playoff matchups. However, as a fan who has watched the last two seasons with amazement and delight, I’m here to say hold on, we’re not there just yet.

The Phils still have a few hurdles to climb before the club drapes the lockers with plastic and pull out the four dollar champagne bottles. First of all, their upcoming schedule is not exactly a cakewalk. After one final game against the Brewers this afternoon, the Phillies have four at home against the Houston Astros, a team who recently swept the Phillies in Houston, and then three at home with the Marlins, who the Phillies seem to beat only when down in Land Shark Stadium. The Astros have lost five of their last six, so hopefully they will continue their losing ways once they get to Citizens Bank Park. If the Astros do come in playing a little downtrodden, then the Phils could easily take three of four from Houston. A series victory would most likely mean that the Phillies can bust out the 2009 NL East Champions gear, while a sweep would guarantee it.

Analysis: Stagnant offense may be Hawks’ undoing

After 189 offensively-empty minutes spent at Finnesey Field this weekend, the Saint Joseph’s women’s soccer team’s problems have become quite obvious. Overall the Hawks are a solid team, but their undoing is a stagnant offense that doesn’t look ready to withstand the rigors of Atlantic 10 play.

Their system amounts essentially to a 4-3-3 highlighted by one center forward and two wing forwards leading the attack. The offense largely relies on balls played into the central striker and runs made by the wing forwards and overlapping midfielders off that possession. It’s a system borne out of necessity by a lack of space for midfielders to attack the center of the pitch and a lack of quality service from wide players.

But the ability to succeed with this system requires, well, a lot more running. The Hawks are often caught flat-footed and unable to latch onto passes played through. There are a lot of people waiting around for something to happen instead of actively making something happen. When those unexpected opportunities do arise, a St. Joe’s player is usually a step slow to the ball.

Hawks hold Quakers to double-overtime stalemate

O'Malley and Summers were rock solid against Penn. (photo by Matthew De George, '10.)

Despite enjoying the better chances throughout the game, the Saint Joseph’s women’s soccer team was unable to breakthrough against Penn, instead settling for a scoreless draw.

Christine Neal, ’13, notched 2 saves for her third shutout of the year. Her opposite number, Penn keeper Caroline Williams, was equally stellar, with 6 saves of her own.

The Hawks (2-3-2) looked to have more attacking impetus in a slow-starting first half. Lauren Sawyer, ’11, had the first noteworthy attempt of the night, firing high from about 20 yards out.

Most of the flair going forward was provided on the left side of the pitch thanks to Maggie Lupinski, ’11, and Danielle DeBernardo, ’10. DeBernardo volleyed just over the bar on 26 minutes, while four minutes later, Lupinski fed a nice through ball into Sawyer who was just a step offside. DeBernardo had another go at goal on a shot that was deflected several minutes later.

Delonte West arrested on gun charges

Former Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball star Delonte West, ’05, was arrested last night on weapons charges in Maryland.

West had a stellar season with Cleveland last year after three exceptional years on Hawk Hill.

West, who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was riding his motorcycle on the Capitol Beltway in Upper Marlboro,Prince George’s County at around 10 p.m. when he was pulled over for speeding after cutting off an officer. West was searched and found to be in possession of two loaded handguns, one in his pocket and one strapped to his leg, as well as a loaded shotgun in a guitar case slung on his back. A police spokeswoman told the Associated Press that West was cooperative throughout the process. He was released on bail early Friday morning.

Maryland law prohibits the carrying of a concealed weapon and the transporting of loaded guns.

“We have been in communication with Delonte and his family,” said Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry in a statement. “We are gathering more information and will not have further comment until the appropriate time.”

West was the second leading-scorer on St. Joe’s 2003-04 “perfect season”, averaging 18.9 points and 6.7 assists per game in the nation’s best backcourt alongside Jameer Nelson, ’04.

He was drafted by Boston with the 24th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft and is set to enter his sixth season in the league. After three years with Boston, he was traded to Seattle and subsequently to Cleveland, where he just completed his first full season as a Cavalier.

He established himself as a starter in Cleveland this year, averaging 11.7 points and 3.5 assists per game while shooting a hair under 40 percent from three-point range. He missed 18 games last season with a fractured wrist, and was sent home by the Cavs last year during training camp for a mood disorder which he was at one time receiving treatment for.

He has been an important figure in the renovation of the Fieldhouse and the new Ramsay Basketball Center. The men’s basketball team lounge is named in his honor.

– Matthew De George ’10

America’s parenting pastime

How do you liven up a boring game against the Washington Nationals? Try cute little kids.

That’s the recipe the Phillies used on Tuesday, and it’s landed the little girl and her family on NBC’s Today Show tomorrow morning.

The father, Steve Monforto of Laurel Springs, N.J., is a lifelong Phillies fan and season-ticket holder. But through all the games he’s seen, it was the first foul ball he had ever caught. And as quickly as he reached over the railing to snag the fly ball off the bat of Jayson Werth, he was watching fly right back toward the field of play out of the hand of his three-year-old daughter, Emily.

After the ball flew off, Monforto quickly hugged his daughter to reassure her everything was ok. As far as the ball, there were a host of Phillies’ executives, seated a few sections over in the 300 level and including General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., who quickly came over to replace it.

-Matthew De George ’10

A Welcome Return of the Old Raul

As the bleeding finally stopped with last night’s win against the Nationals, the Phillies looked to start up a winning streak tonight in the second game of a three game series against the Nats. With the help of Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz’s solo home runs, the Phils were able to pull out a win in Washington by a score of 5 to 6.

After two tough starts, Cliff Lee looked much better tonight, throwing seven-plus innings, giving up 10 hits and five runs (four earned) while striking out four and not allowing a walk. His command looked much better tonight, and despite some bad luck with hits dropping in, he was able to stay in control of the game.

Weekend Round-up, September 8

In lieu of this week’s printed edition (thank you, Labor Day!), here’s a rundown of what we should have been covered in the world of St. Joe’s sports this week:

-The St. Joe’s women’s cross country team acquitted themselves well at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Lid-Lifter Invitational, finishing third in the seven-team field. The University of Maryland took the overall win, followed by West Virginia, who are ranked number 2 in the country but rested their top nine runners for this meet.

Leading the way for the young Hawks’ squad was a group of four veterans who finished three seconds apart. Kathleen Casey, ’12, crossed the line in ninth place (19:08.16), followed closely by Aimee Chegwidden, ’11, (19:08.67) in tenth out of the 62-runner field.

Time to Worry?

After another Brad Lidge blown save last night, the Phillies needed a win this afternoon to split a four-game series at the Houston Astros. However, the offensive funk struck again for the Phillies as they lost their third straight game to the Astros, 3 to 4.

Coming off of 19 straight scoreless innings, fans were hoping Cole Hamels would able to complete his third straight shutout. While he looked good early on, Hamels was roughed up with a three-spot in the fifth inning, and ended up lasting six innings, allowing four earned runs, striking out six and walking two on his way to earning the loss. Former Phillie Michael Bourn proved to be the bane of existence for the Fightins’, as his stolen bases in the fourth and fifth innings led to two runs that were the difference in the final score. There were a few bright spots in today’s game however, as Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco, and Jayson Werth all had solo home runs today.