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WrestleMania 32 (AKA WrestleMania Star): A Ranting, Raving Rundown

4/1/2016

Guest post by Dan Aleksander

I’m back again this year with my terse breakdown of WrestleMania, which comes to you live this Sunday from Jerry World aka AT&T Stadium, live on the WWE Network and pay-per-view.

Here's a terse run down of this year’s supercard from the professional wrestling juggernaut:

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Saint Joseph’s Falls Just Short of Upset Bid Against Oregon

3/21/2016

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Special might not be enough to describe the season that was for the Saint Joseph’s Hawks.

Following a 13-win season in 2014-2015, expectations were low for the Hawks. That is, with everyone except themselves. With a lineup largely the same as a season ago, the Hawks came together, determined to turn heads.

They would do just that.

Behind Atlantic 10 Player of the Year DeAndre’ Bembry and A-10 Most Improved Player Isaiah Miles, the Hawks improved by 15 wins, earning a matchup with #1 seed Oregon in the round of 32 on Sunday night.

After battling through early foul trouble and some suspect calls, Saint Joseph’s strung together a 15-4 run midway through the second half to take its first lead of the game with 8:11 remaining. The Hawks would continue their frenzy, building a lead as large as seven and putting Oregon on the ropes.

In the end, however, the Ducks strung together a few solid plays down the stretch to eek out a 69-64 win over the Hawks. While the season may have come to a close for Saint Joseph’s, the Hawks left Spokane with nothing to hang their heads about.

“They came into this building as champions, they're going to leave as champions, and I've been honored to work with each of them since August,” Saint Joseph’s Coach Phil Martelli said. “And that doesn't change, the result tonight doesn't change that. We wish Oregon well going forward and hope that we'll be watching them advance to Houston.”

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Bembry and Miles Guide Saint Joseph’s Past Cincinnati

3/18/2016

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From the opening tip Friday night in Spokane, Washington, it was evident that DeAndre’ Bembry was not quite ready to call it a season. That’s understandable given the 2,545 mile-trek Saint Joseph’s made across the country for the game.

But for Bembry, it is clear that the long flight was not the reason he wanted to win. It was for his teammates.

Part of the pair of Hawks’ veterans, with Isaiah Miles, that has sparked a resurgence on Hawk Hill after a 13-win season a year ago, Bembry poured in 20 first half points before taking on the role of a facilitator in the second half. With the clock winding down and Saint Joseph’s trailing Cincinnati 76-75, Bembry found Miles, who stroked a three to give the Hawks a two-point lead with just nine seconds remaining.

Cincinnati would make one last push, slamming the ball home at the buzzer for what would’ve tied the game and forced overtime. Octavius Ellis’ fingertips were still on the ball when the lights went red, however, and the referees ruled the basket no good.

Ball game. Saint Joseph’s.

“DeAndre’ found him,” Saint Joseph’s Coach Phil Martelli said. “He had Caupain the whole first half. So he had 20 and Caupain did not score, until I took him out with like eight seconds left in the first half. “So he’s a really, really special player. But he’s even more special as a teammate and as a leader. Like they’re hopping around in there, when he comes in, and he said, ‘oh no, no, no, this is for Zeke, I want this for Isaiah.’”

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Comparing 2016 NCAA Tournament Teams to Cement Mixers

3/15/2016

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The Magical World of Witchcraft and Wizardry: The 2016 NCAA Tournament

3/14/2016

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As we muggles all look to make brackets to win the glorious ESPN Tournament Challenge, here are some teams to keep in mind and aid you in your bracket, in terms of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter characters.

Harry Potter, also known as Carolina, is the powerhouse of this tournament. Harry stumbles along his journey to defeat the Dark Lord, (loses to Northern Iowa, Duke, Notre Dame, Louisville, and Texas) but never ceases to disappoint. Harry consistently proves to his enemy, and the Wizarding world, that he is in fact the chosen one. Hicks, Berry and Jackson have all stepped up to show the depth and character of this team extends further than stars Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson. With guidance from the all-wise coach Roy Williams, Carolina has the talent and character of Harry Potter. This is a team every can admire and demands respect, sounds a lot like Harry Potter huh?

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Villanova, Temple and Saint Joseph’s Head to NCAA Tournament

3/13/2016

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Three Philadelphia teams will be heading to the NCAA Tournament this week, as Villanova and Temple earned at-large bids to the Big Dance and Saint Joseph’s earned a bid by winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament Sunday afternoon.

Villanova
After falling to Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament Championship, the Wildcats slipped to a #2 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova will open play in Brooklyn on Friday against UNC Asheville, with a potential matchup with Temple looming in the second round.

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Saint Joseph’s Dominates VCU for A-10 Tournament Title

3/13/2016

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Having seemingly done enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after a win over Dayton on Saturday, Saint Joseph’s showed up to the Barclays Center looking even hungrier on Sunday.

With VCU standing between the Hawks and their second Atlantic 10 Tournament Title in three years, Saint Joseph’s came out swinging.

Aaron Brown scored 10 points in the opening minutes to help Saint Joseph’s jump out to a 16-10 lead, and the Hawks’ veterans would keep their feet on the gas peddle from there. After taking a nine-point lead to the locker room at the half, the Hawks would grow their lead to as much as 21 on their way to an 87-74 win and the A-10 Tournament crown.

“But the basketball, like that was special,” Saint Joseph’s Coach Phil Martelli said. “The ball movement, the shot confidence, and you’re all right, it started right in the beginning, we took the ball at them, and we knew that they would be fierce.”

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Saint Joseph’s Defeats Dayton To Advance to A-10 Final

3/12/2016

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With their NCAA Tournament hopes still up in the air, Saint Joseph’s entered the Barclays Center Saturday afternoon with the goal of moving one step closer to taking the decision out of the Selection Committee’s hands.

Behind stellar performances from seniors Isaiah Miles and Papa Ndao, the Hawks would do just that. Miles poured in 26 points, while Ndao hits four timely three-pointers to fuel Saint Joseph’s 82-79 victory over Dayton to advance to the Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship on Sunday.

“It’s kind of special, but in a way it’s just another day,” Ndao said. “I feel like until we win a championship, I feel like every game is just a game, just to get there. It’s a push to what we want basically.”

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Saint Joseph’s Storms Back To Beat George Washington

3/11/2016

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Saint Joseph’s NCAA Tournament hopes had taken quite a few hits coming into the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.

Following consecutive losses to St. Bonaventure and Duquesne to close the regular season, the Hawks found themselves struggling at the worst possible time.

Things would not look any better in the early going Friday against George Washington. With the Colonials connecting from beyond the arc at will, the Hawks’ tournament hopes were dwindling even further by the minute.

Despite trailing 49-35 at the half, however, Saint Joseph’s would dig deep, storming all the way back for an 86-80 win to advance to the semifinals on Saturday.

“At halftime we thought about it, but we stayed confident,” Isaiah Miles said. “Like Coach (Phil Martelli) said, everyone kept their eyes up. Everyone kept their head. We were confident. We knew the game wasn’t over. We knew we had a whole other half. And again, we are playing for our lives because it’s win or go home, so that’s also in play in our minds.”

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Free Agent Frenzy: Day 1

3/9/2016

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Chaos. Confusion. Excitement. Arousal. All of those terms (minus the last one) can be used to sum up the first day of free agency in the NFL. Also referred to in many circles as Adam Schefter's wet dream, the first day of NFL free agency represents an opportunity to change the fortunes and direction of many franchises. Some teams make it rain and spend a ton of moolah on the best available players, while others laugh and just pick up a couple players of need and build through the draft instead.

While there are many shiny new toys ready to be purchased, the buyer better beware before investing their money in these players. Every year, we see some teams (cough cough Dolphins cough cough) give a star free agent a ton of money, only for it to blow up in their faces as the team doesn't improve and their cap space shrinks.

Overall though, I think the Eagles did a pretty good job on day 1. I know that in today's NFL that day 1 is really stretched over the prior two weeks and today is just the day a lot of these deals just get finalized today, but the Eagles came in with a strategy and executed it well over the first fortnight of free agency.

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