After back-to-back regular season first place Colonial Athletic Association finishes in 2012 and 2013, the Drexel University men’s soccer team experienced two consecutive seasons of subpar play.

In 2014, the Dragons finished second to last in the CAA, posting a 1-6-1 record in conference play and a 5-10-3 record overall.

Drexel’s struggles continued into 2015 when the team finished the season last in the CAA with a 2-6-0 conference record and a 3-15-1 overall clip.

Despite the team’s performance in recent years, the Dragons have high hopes for 2016. Drexel only lost three players, Francisco Palma, Nick Bolton and Bayley Winkel, this past spring.

Palma was a key fixture in the Dragon’s offense last season. He led the team in shot attempts and was second on the team in points.

With Palma gone, junior midfielder Colin McGlynn will likely have more responsibility on the offensive side of the ball this year for Drexel. As a sophomore last season, McGlynn started just nine games, but he led the Dragons with five goals and a 0.250 shot percentage. He also had the highest shot-on-goal percentage, 0.500, of any Drexel player who attempted at least 10 shots.

McGlynn will share time on the field with junior Erik Alexandersson, who, in just two seasons with the Dragons, has a decorated resume. Alexandersson was named to the CAA All-Rookie team after his freshman year in 2014 and received a Third Team All-CAA selection after his sophomore year in 2015. He also was awarded a spot on the 2016 preseason All-CAA team and will be transitioning from midfielder to outside back this season.

Senior goalkeeper Tyler Afflerbach will return to action with an opportunity to move up in the ranks of Drexel’s all-time saves leaders. Afflerbach enters 2016 with 179 career saves, which is the ninth most in Drexel soccer history. If Afflerbach is able to record 32 saves this season, he will move ahead of Dan Mckendry and Cory Robertson and take sole possession of seventh place in the Dragon’s record book.

It is possible for Afflerbach to move up further on the list, but he would need to match his single-season career high of 66 saves just to tie Mike Haberman’s sixth place total of 245 saves. Last season, Afflerbach shared time in goal with sophomore keeper Jacob Jordan. Jordan outplayed Afflerbach in 2015 by posting more saves, 52 to 48, and a higher save percentage, 0.754 to 0.696, despite playing fewer games, 9 to 10. However, Afflerbach’s career credentials would indicate that 2015 was an off year for him, and it is likely that the senior keeper will begin the 2016 season as the Dragon’s starter.

While the Dragon’s have a large number of returning players from last season, they also have solid incoming group of seven new face. This group will include centerback Eden Ben Hemo, goalkeeper Cameron Sanders, midfielder Robert Smith, forward Carlos Cuevas, center back Daniel Klemm, and outside backs Martin Farias, Warne Lewis and Charles “Strick” Newsom.

“They have addressed some of the immediate needs of our team and we are confident in the character and ethics of each recruit. They will be strong additions to our young team, and I look forward to participating in their development over the coming years,” head coach Doug Hess said July 22.

Hemo has a chance to make an immediate impact for the Dragons. While he is academically a freshman, he served two years in the Israeli Navy before arriving on campus at Drexel. He offers a combination of experience, high defensive intellect, and a strong leadership trait, according to Hess.

Carlos Cuervas, a 5’8 forward from Orlando, Florida, is capable of providing an offensive spark for Drexel during his freshman year.  

“We have seen him impact games by attacking through both the middle of the field and in wide open spaces. Carlos is an exciting player to watch in the final third and will add a good complement to our attack,” Coach Hess said.

Drexel’s season will kick into gear Friday, Aug. 26 when the team travels to New York to take on St. John’s University. The Dragons will have their first home game Tuesday, Sept. 9 when they take on the University of Rhode Island Rams 7 p.m. at Vidas Field. All of Drexel’s home games will be played at Vidas this season.

In the July 22 issue, I revealed my predictions for how the first third of the 2016 NFC East schedule would pan out. And so, it is my pleasure to now bring to you my predictions for the second third of the season.

Before I get into predictions for Weeks 6 through 11, I’d like to briefly recap each teams estimated performance in Weeks 1 through 5.

The Dallas Cowboys won their first four games, but lost in Week 5 at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, which gave them a 4-1 record and sole possession of first place. The New York Giants, who were in second place after the first third of the season, had an upset victory on the road against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5, which brought their record to 3-2. The Philadelphia eagles split their first four games to go 2-2, but did not play in Week 5 due to a bye. The Washington Redskins got off to a shaky 0-3 start to the season, but they rebounded in Weeks 4 and 5 and improved their record to 2-3

(DAL 4-1, NYG 3-2, PHI 2-2, WAS 2-3)

Week 6:

The Eagles meet with Washington at FedExField for a Sunday afternoon matchup. Washington has won each of its last three games against Philadelphia, and that streak remains intact in Week 6 of 2016. Kirk Cousins throws three touchdown passes, two of which end up in the hands of former Eagle Desean Jackson, and the Redskins beat the Eagles 34-20 as they improve to 3-3.

The Giants take on the Baltimore Ravens at home in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In a game that the Giants will likely be favored in, due to the fact that their win in Week 5 was an upset victory on the road against the Green Bay Packers, they come out out and play poorly. Eli Manning throws two interceptions, and Rashad Jennings loses a fumble on a crucial fourth quarter drive, dooming the G-Men to a 24-21 loss. New York remains in second place above the Redskins due to the head-to-heads tie-breaker.

Dallas hits the road to take on the Packers in a Sunday afternoon rematch of the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff game in which the Cowboys lost due to a controversial “dropped” touch-down pass by Dez Bryant. Tony Romo still has lingering symptoms from his back injury in Week 5, so he is only able to play through the first half. With Romo out of the game, the Cowboys stand no chance against Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay’s passing attack. The Packers beat the Cowboys 38-17.

(DAL 4-2, NYG 3-3, WAS 3-3, PHI 2-3)

Week 7:

The Giants travel all the way to London to play the Los Angeles Rams Oct. 23 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Eli Manning was the winning quarterback in the NFL’s inaugural “London game,” and his experience from that game will help him tremendously. In a game that is dominated mostly by defense through the first three quarters, Manning and the Giants’ passing attack comes to life in the fourth and delivers a touchdown in the final minute of the game to life New York to a 16-13 come from behind victory.

The Eagles play the Minnesota Vikings at home and are no match for the “Purple People Eaters.” Adrian Peterson runs for more than 150 yards and Minnesota’s dominant defense smothers Philadelphia for a 31-7 victory.

Finally at .500, Washington plays road game against the Detroit Lions. Josh Norman bates Matthew Stafford for a pick-six in the first quarter, the Washington doesn’t look back. Cousins throws two touchdowns en route a 24-13 Washington victory.

After losing back-to-back games in Weeks 5 and 6, with Tony Romo injured in both of them, Dallas has a much needed bye week.

(DAL 4-2, NYG 4-3, WAS 4-3, PHI 2-4)

Week 8:

It’s Washington’s turn to travel overseas, where they play the Cincinnati Bengals. The rainy conditions and loose turf on the pitch of Wembley Stadium make it difficult for Kirk Cousins and Washington’s passing attack. The Bengals capitalize by intercepting Cousins three times, and their defense leads them to a 23-10 victory.

The Eagles travel to Dallas for a Sunday Night Football Showdown and a rematch of a 33-27 overtime victory against the Cowboys in Week 8 of 2015. Romo is at full strength after the bye week and shreds the Eagles secondary by throwing for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns. Overtime is not necessary. Dallas wins 35-17.

New York has their bye week.

(DAL 5-2, NYG 4-3, WAS 4-4, PHI 2-5)

Week 9:

The Eagles travel to MetLife Stadium to take on the Giants. In recent history, Philadelphia has had New York’s number. Not only have the Eagles won each of their last four regular season games against the Giants, but they’ve also won their last three games on the road against New York. Due to the pressure their defensive front seven creates on Eli Manning, Philly’s streak of dominance over the G-Men continues with a 28-14 victory.

Dallas travels up North to take on their second AFC opponent in 2016, the Cleveland Browns. Romo has four touchdown passes at half time, and the Cowboys dominate the browns in a 42-20 victory.

Washington rests on its bye week.

(DAL 6-2, NYG 4-4, WAS 4-4, PHI 3-5)

Week 10:

In their first game off of their bye week, the Redskins get their turn to take on the dominant Vikings defense in a home game Nov. 13. The Redskins’ offense meets the same fate that the Giants’ and Eagles’ did. Cousins throws two as Washington loses to the Vikings 28-7.

The Eagles get an opportunity to avenge their heartbreaking 2015 Week 1 loss as they take on the Atlanta Falcons at home in Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia gets off to a quick 14-0 start after a first quarter interception, thrown by Matt Ryan. However, Julio Jones goes for 100 yards in the second half, and the game is knotted 23 with two minutes remaining. While driving the Falcons for a game winning field goal, Ryan throws a pick-six, dooming the Falcons to a 30-23 loss.

Dallas begins a difficult five game stretch on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In a game that features two of the NFL’s most high-powered offense, and two of the worst defensive secondaries, the Steelers and Cowboys trade touchdowns all throughout the first 55 minutes of the game. Romo throws two touchdowns to Bryant and Roethlisberger throws three touchdowns to Antonio brown. However, Pittsburgh gets the ball last, and Big Ben leads the Steelers on a five minute drive for a game winning field goal. Dallas falls to Pittsburgh 38-35.

The Giants play the Bengals at home for a Monday Night Football matchup Nov. 14. New York’s defensive end Olivier Vernon has a big night, sacking Andy Dalton twice and forcing Cedric Benson to fumble. Odell Beckham Jr. shines on the big stage and leads the Giants offense with 140 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. New York wins 24-16.

(DAL 6-3, NYG 5-4, WAS 4-5, PHI 4-5)

Week 11:

In their final of matchup of three consecutive home games, the Giants take on the Chicago Bears. Giants rookie Sterling Shepard has his first big game in the NFL, catching passes for over 100 yards and two scores. Trailing by nine with five minutes to go, Jay Cutler throws a fourth quarter interception to seal the Bears fate. New York wins 26-17.

The Eagles travel to the west coast to play against the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle’s causes Sam Bradford to throw four interception, and Russell Wilson evades Philadelphia’s pass rush to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. Seattle wins convincingly 37-10.

Dallas plays host to the Ravens and takes control of the game in the first 30 minutes. Ezekiel Elliott runs for 80 yards by halftime against a Ravens defense that ranked 26th against the run in 2015. Despite Elliott’s success, Romo takes a hard hit from Baltimore Linebacker C.J. Mosley, which forces Romo to leave the game. Despite the departure of Romo, the Cowboys win 31-21.

Washington takes on the Packers at home in a Sunday Night Football rematch of their 35-18 loss to Green Bay in the 2015 NFL Playoff Wild Card round. Once again, Rodgers and the Packers prove to be superior to Cousins and the Redskins. Rodgers throws four touchdown passes as the Packers win 35-24.

(DAL 7-3, NYG 6-4 WAS 4-6, PHI 4-6)

Through Week 11, Dallas holds a one game lead over the Giants. Despite both teams having the same overall record, Washington is ahead of Philadelphia due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Throughout the Super Bowl era, the NFC East has been the NFL’s most successful division.

The four teams in the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins, have won a combined 12 Super Bowls and have appeared in a combined 20 Super Bowls, both of which are records amongst NFL divisions.

However, in recent years, the “NFC BEast” has turned into the “NFC LEast.” The last time a team from the NFC East won the division in back to back seasons was when the Eagles did so in 2004.

Take a second to think about that. The day the Eagles clinched the 2004 division title, the Detroit Piston were the reigning NBA Champions, Daunte Culpepper was the NFL’s passing yards leader, Albert Pujols had yet to win a regular season MLB MVP award, and LeBron James had yet to be named an NBA All-Star.

In the last five seasons, all four teams in the NFC East have won the Division at least once. During that span, the Redskins are the only team to win the division twice — in 2013 and 2015 — which is astonishing given the fact that the Redskins 31-49 regular season record since the beginning of the 2011 season is the worst in the NFC East. The Cowboys have the best regular season record since the start of 2011, but that isn’t saying much when you consider they’ve gone 40-40 in that stretch.

Given recent history and the current roster situations for the four teams within it, predicting who will win the NFC East in 2016 is a daunting task, so I would like to take this opportunity to say, as Barney Stinson does so well, “Challenge accepted.”

Over the next few weeks, I will break down the schedules of all four teams in the NFC East and offer my “way too early” predictions for how the season will play out. This week, I’ll focus on the first five weeks of the season.

Before analyzing each team’s schedule, let’s take a look at each team’s strengths and weakness.

On paper, the Dallas Cowboys are a force to be reckoned with. They have the best offensive line in football, a top 10 quarterback, a playmaker at receiver, and a rookie running back who can be an instant difference maker. In a Madden franchise mode where you can turn off injuries and suspensions, the Cowboys, based solely on talent, would be the clear favorites to win the division in 2016. However, injuries and suspensions are a reality the Cowboys will have to face this season. America’s team should be specifically concerned about the health of quarterback Tony Romo. With Romo another year older, 36, and coming off of a season in which he fractured his clavicle not once, but twice, his health is a legitimate concern.

The Washington Redskins, who will enter the 2016 season as the NFC East’s defending champion, made several key moves in the offseason to improve their roster. They added pro-bowl corner Josh Norman through free agency to anchor their defense. They drafted Josh Doctson, a six-foot-three-inch wide receiver with play making potential to add a new dimension to their offense. Nevertheless, questions remain about whether or not Kirk Cousins can repeat his performance from last season, a year in which he led the NFL in completion percentage.

The New York Giants had one of the league’s most explosive offenses last season. Eli Manning looks to be rejuvenated by Ben McAdoo’s implementation of the west coast offense. Concerns for the Giants are on the defensive side of the football. Last season, the Giants’ defense gave up the fourth most yards in NFL history. This offseason, New York spent over $200 million on free agents Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison, Janoris Jenkins, Jasper Brinkley and Keenan Robinson in the hopes of improving their talent on defense. The Giants will also be faced with having to adjust to a new head coach, a challenge they haven’t had since Tom Coughlin went to New York 2004. While Ben McAdoo has been on the Giants staff for the past two season, there is no way of telling how his leadership will affect the team until we see them on the field.

The Philadelphia Eagles strengths are on defense. Philadelphia locked up Fletcher Cox this offseason, and their front seven, which includes Cox, Connor Barwin, Bennie Logan and Vinny Curry can be one of the most formidable pass rushes in the league. The question marks for the defense are with the secondary. It will be interesting to see how Sam Bradford performs with the new offense. It is also a fair question to ask whether or not Bradford will be the starter by the end of the season. With Carson Wentz in the waiting, and Bradford being injury-prone, it’s plausible that Wentz will be playing quarterback halfway through the season. Is the rookie ready to handle being Philadelphia’s signal caller?

With each teams pros and cons noted, it’s time for the predictions.

Week 1:

The Philadelphia Eagles will open the 2016 season 1 p.m. Sept. 11 at home against the Cleveland Browns. Based solely on the fact that they’re playing the Browns, Philadelphia will win their home opener and begin the Doug Pederson era on a high note.

The New York Giants will travel to Dallas Sept. 11 and open their season against the Cowboys for the third time in four years. Historically, the Giants are 0-7 against the Cowboys in season openers, and 2016 does not look like the year they will break into the win column. Due to suspensions of various key defensive players for Dallas, Eli Manning and the Giants will put on an offensive display at Jerry World. However, with Tony Romo and Dez Bryant at full health, the Cowboys will outscore the G-men 31-28 and claim yet another opening day victory against New York.

The Washington Redskins will play at home in the first Monday Night Football game of the season Sept. 12, with their opponent being the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cousins and his offense will produce three touchdowns, but Pittsburgh’s high-powered offense will be too much for Washington’s defense to handle. Washington will begin 2016 with a 35-24 loss to Pittsburgh.

(DAL 1-0, PHI 1-0, NY 0-1, WAS 0-1)

Week 2:

The Giants will play their home opener Sept. 18 against the New Orleans Saints. It will be a rematch of New York’s 52-49 loss in a historic offensive shootout with the New Orleans last season. The money that New York spent to improve their defense will be more than worth it. Manning and his offense will find success again against the Saints en route a 38-24 victory.

Dallas will travel to Washington riding high off the momentum of a fourth quarter comeback against the Giants in Week 1. The Redskins were the 26th ranked defense against the run in 2015, so they are likely to struggle against the Dallas offensive line. Ezekiel Elliot will eclipse the 100 yard rushing mark for the first time in his career. Controlling the game with their ground attack, Dallas will cruise to a 27-14 victory over the Redskins.

Philadelphia will go on the road to Soldier Field for a Monday Night Football matchup with the Chicago Bears Sept. 19. The Eagles and Bears will battle back and forth for most of the game, but a fourth quarter interception by Sam Bradford will doom the Eagles to a 26-17 loss.

(DAL 2-0, NY 1-1, PHI 1-1, WAS 0-2)

Week 3:

When Washington takes on the Giants at Metlife Stadium Sept. 25, it will be the first time in the 2016 season that the rivalry between Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman is revisited. While Norman was able to get into his head last season, Beckham still had four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. Beckham will win the one-on-one battle with Norman this time around. Eli Manning is also on a hot streak in home games against the Redskins. Manning has a combine 95.4 passer rating and has led the Giants to victories in each of his last four home games against Washington. He will do so again in Week 3, with the final score being 31-21 in favor of the G-Men.

The Eagles will host the Pittsburgh Steelers Sept. 25. Philadelphia’s pass rush will disrupt Ben Roethlisberger early on, but the Steelers offense will come to life in the second half. Pittsburgh will beat the Eagles 28-24.

Dallas will play host to the Bears for the Sunday Night game. Against a defense that gave up the fourth most passing touchdowns in 2015, Romo will throw three scores and lead the Cowboys to a 33-24 victory.

(DAL 3-0, NY 2-1, PHI 1-2, WAS 0-3)

Week 4:

After going through a stretch of three tough opponents to open their season, the Redskins will finally catch a break Oct. 2 when they take on the Cleveland Browns. Kirk Cousins will come to life and throw for nearly 400 yards while leading Washington to a 33-17 win against the Browns.

Dallas will go on the road to play the San Francisco 49ers. Dallas will choose to ground-and-pound against a run defense that was amongst the worst in the NFL in 2015. Colin Kaepernick will find some success against Dallas’ secondary, but it won’t be enough to overcome the Cowboys three-headed monster of Romo, Bryant and Elliot. Dallas wins 26-17.

The Giants will travel to Minneapolis for a Monday Night Football matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Last season, with Odell Beckham Jr. suspended, the Giants were completely shut-down by the Viking’s defense and lost in a 49-17 blowout. Manning struggled without Beckham and threw a season high three interceptions in that game. However, even with Beckham active, the Giants will be no match for Minnesota’s defense. The Vikings will beat the Giants 30-14.

Philadelphia is on their bye this week.

(DAL 4-0, NY 2-2, PHI 1-2, WAS 1-3)

Week 5:

Calvin Johnson’s decision to retire will be a big help to the Eagles in their Week 5 road game against the Detroit Lions. Without having to worry about Johnson, who scored three touchdowns against Philadelphia in last years’ Thanksgiving game, the Eagles will be able to keep Detroit’s offense in check. Ryan Matthews will lead Philadelphia’s offense with two rushing touchdowns. The Eagles will beat the Lions 24-20.

On the road against the Baltimore Ravens, the Redskins will get their second win of the season. Kirk Cousins and Joe Flacco will battle for the first three quarters of the game. However, Josh Norman’s pick-six in the fourth quarter will seal the deal in Washington’s 27-17 victory.

Dallas will play the Cincinnati Bengals at home, and the Cowboys will take control early on in the game. However, Romo will leave the game with back spasms, giving Cincinnati an opportunity to come from behind in the second half. After a game tying drive in the final minute of the fourth quarter, Andy Dalton will lead a game winning touchdown drive in overtime, and the Bengals will beat the Cowboys 27-20 to give the Cowboy’s their first loss of the season.

When New York travels to Wisconsin for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Green Bay Packers, the Giants will have the odds stacked against them. Aaron Rodgers will have his receiving corp at full health. However, in typical Giants fashion, New York will steal a road game they have no business winning. Manning has a history of playing well in big games at Lambeau field, and that will continue in 2016. New York’s defense will also show their full potential for the first time, sacking Rodgers three times en route to a 30-21 victory over the Packers.

(DAL 4-1, NY 3-2, PHI 2-2, WAS 2-3)

Through Week 5, the Cowboys will be a dominant force in the NFC.

The post Markowitz: NFC East Regular Season Predictions appeared first on The Triangle.

While it may not have been a literal explosion, Kevin Durant’s decision to sign a two-year $54.3 million contract with the Golden State Warriors was the equivalent of a fireworks show for basketball fans around the U.S. July 4.

Durant, the 2014 NBA Most Valuable player, chose to part ways with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that was eliminated from the 2016 playoffs after blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Warriors in the Western Conference finals.

“I am at a point in my life where it is of equal importance to find an opportunity that encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth,” Durant wrote on The Players Tribune July 4.

The signing was exciting news to Warriors fans who, just two weeks earlier on June 19, watched their team become the the first in NBA history to lose in the Finals after taking a 3-1 series lead.

By adding Durant, the Warriors became clear-cut favorites to win the NBA championship in the 2016-2017 season, with Vegasinsider.com giving them 5-7 odds to do so. Golden State won a record 73 regular season games in 2015-2016 without Durant, so there is no telling how good they can be with him.

While the Bay Area rejoiced, fans of other teams across the league, specifically of the Oklahoma City Thunder, were enraged. Similar to what happened when LeBron chose to leave Cleveland six years ago, videos of Thunder fans burning Durant’s jersey emerged on the internet.

“I’m viewing it as the weakest move I’ve ever seen from a superstar,” ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said July 4. “Three different times he was 48 minutes removed from getting to the NBA finals by winning the Western Conference. Three times he failed, particularly in game 6, and you depart for the team that beat you when you’re on the cusp of getting to the finals yourself. Or ultimately winning a championship for the franchise that you’ve been with since you’ve come into the NBA. I think it’s incredibly weak.”

Smith was not alone in expressing his distaste in Durant’s decision. NBA analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley also weighed in with his opinion.

“Just disappointed with the fact that he weakened another team and he’s going to kind of gravy train on a terrific Warriors team. Just dissapointed from a competitive standpoint,” Barkley said July 6.

With Durant gone, the Thunder will likely look to move their star point guard Russell Westbrook in a trade this coming season. Westbrook, who many consider to be a top-five player in the league, is in the final year of his contract with OKC and can be a valuable trade commodity for a Thunder team that may need to consider rebuilding.

While the Warriors starting lineup, which now includes 2-time reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry, former MVP Kevin Durant, three-point marksman Klay Thompson and triple-double machine Draymond Green, looks good on paper, there is no guarantee the Warriors will win it all in 2017. In order to make room for Durant’s contract, Golden State had to trade center Andrew Bogut and release forward Harrison Barnes, both of whom were key front court role players for the Warriors in their back-to-back finals appearances. In response to the loss of Barnes and Bogut, the Warriors signed forward David West to a veteran’s minimum contract of 1 year $1.29 million in an attempt to regain depth in their front court.

Despite Durant’s move to Golden State being the biggest story from the NBA this week, several other notable free agents were signed.

Perhaps the the biggest surprise in free agency was the Memphis Grizzlies decision to sign point guard Mike Conley to a five-year, $153 million contract, which is the largest in NBA history. Despite being the best available point guard on the free agent market, Conley, in his nine-year career, has never been an all-star.

Dwight Howard decided to sign with his hometown Atlanta Hawks for a three-year, $70.5 million contract July 1.

While the Hawks gained a one big-man in Howard, they lost another as Al Horford chose to sign a four-year, $113 million contract with the Boston Celtics July 2. The addition of Horford will likely bolster a Celtics’ roster that was devoid of a star big-man since the departure of Kevin Garnett in 2013.

Staying on the topic of big-men, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki decided to resign with the team he’s played with for the past 18 seasons by signing a two-year, $40 million contract July 5. Veteran Pau Gasol departed the Chicago Bulls and signed with the San Antonio Spurs for a two-year, $30 million contract July 4.

The post Durant’s move to Golden State shakes up NBA landscape appeared first on The Triangle.

“I’m locked and loaded,” Kyrie Irving said as he hit his twelfth straight three-point jumper at an Elmora Youth League basketball tryout in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

“I’m locked and loaded baby,” he said again, draining his 13th straight. Then his 14th. Then his 15th.

This was in November of 2009. At the time, Irving was a 17-year-old high school phenom coming off of his junior season when he led his St. Patrick’s high school basketball team to a New Jersey State Championship.

Irving was widely recognized as a top-five college-recruit in the nation, and was committed to play at Duke University. At this youth basketball league tryout, he was attending in support of his godbrother Josh Green, a seventh grader at the time who ended up becoming a basketball teammate of mine that season. “[Being Irving’s godbrother] was cool,” Green recounted to me June 20. “He taught me a lot, like the importance of having a good work ethic and taking the game seriously enough to the point that if I wanted to play on a bigger stage I would be ready for it.”

While almost every other kid at the tryout had no idea who Kyrie Irving was, I was in sheer awe of his presence. I had the great fortune to watch Kyrie develop his skills earlier that year on Sunday afternoons at the Youth Men’s Youth Women’s Hebrew Association gym in Union, New Jersey, where my uncle, Larry Markowitz, happened to work.

The first time I saw Irving play in a game was during his junior year of high school, and I became mesmerized by how incredible of a talent he was. My father took my brothers and I to see Irving and his Saint Patrick’s High School teammates play in the 2009 Union County Championship Game against my hometown Elizabeth High School Minutemen. Irving dropped 27 points en route to being named the game’s MVP.

“He’s going to be a pro one day dad! He’s going to be an all-star,” I said. At that moment, my father felt the need to remind me that, while Kyrie was talented, there are no guarantees in the sports world, and that injuries and misfortune often prevent great prospects from reaching their potential. Nonetheless, I had faith in what I had seen.

Convinced that Irving would one day be a top player in the NBA, I worked up the courage to go to the YM-YWHA on the Sunday after the County Finals to ask him for his autograph. I brought a copy of the Star Ledger’s sports page, which happened to have a picture of Irving on the cover.

“Mr. Irving,” I said as I approached him in the Gym’s hallway during a break in his workout. Keep in mind, I was 12 years old at the time, and Kyrie was 16. “Can I please have your autograph?” He smiled.

“Sure thing kid, but please. Call me Kyrie,” 16-year-old Irving said as he took the newspaper and pen from my hand and scribbled his John Hancock onto the photograph of himself. When he finished signing the autograph, he dashed back into the gym to continue his workout.

It was in that gym, with the assistance of AAU basketball coach Sandy Pyonin, that the young point guard honed his talents.

A seasoned veteran in the coaching world, Pyonin has seen 35 of his players reach the NBA, a list that includes the likes of Al Harrington, Randy Foye and Anthony Avent.

Pyonin first saw Irving play in 2005 when Irving and his Roosevelt Middle School teammates took on Pyonin’s Solomon Schechter team. It was Irving’s father who asked Pyonin to help train Kyrie, Pyonin recounted.

“Usually kids and fathers after eighth grade, in a basketball setting, they don’t mesh and they can’t get along. So he turned him over to me. So I trained him everyday since eighth grade,” Pyonin said.

Drederick Irving, Irving’s father, was also a talented basketball player. Drederick played basketball at Boston University for coach Rick Pitino, and he went on to have a professional career in Australia.

Not only did Irving’s father have his son train with Pyonin, but he also let Kyrie become a member of Pyonin’s AAU basketball team, the New Jersey Roadrunners. While he was always a talented player, Irving didn’t start to show signs of how great he could be until his sophomore year of high school, Pyonin said.

Pyonin remembers the first time he saw Irving’s full potential was at a tournament in Las Vegas. He recalls Irving approaching him after the tournament to ask him why he played so many minutes, and Pyonin told him it was because he saw something special in him.

Not only was Irving a special talent, but he was also a hard worker.

“He would play until no one wanted to play anymore. He would be the last man standing, and then go off to play more somewhere else. He was a very special student of the game,” Pyonin recounted.

Irving’s hard work allowed him to go on to have a stellar high school career, which culminated in a scholarship to play basketball at Duke University. As a starting freshman for the Blue Devils, Irving averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. However, he was only able to play in 11 games due to a toe injury on his right foot.

Following his freshman year, Irving decided to enter the 2011 NBA Draft. Despite the injury and the lack of games played in college, the Cleveland Cavaliers had enough faith in what they saw from Irving to select him with the first pick in the draft. The pick came as a pleasant surprise to those who had been following his career up until that point.

“I was really surprised, just excited as can be for him,” his godbrother Josh Green said.

Irving was quick to impress in the NBA. In his first season in the league, Irving 18.5 points and 5.4 assist per game, and his performance was enough to earn him the 2012 Rookie of the Year Award.

Despite the great numbers he put up his rookie year, Irving struggled again with injuries. In a strike shortened 66 game seasons, Irving missed 15 games.

In the seasons that followed, Irving’s game continued to progress, but he also continued to get injured. It became clear to fans during the 2012-2013 the Irving had arguably the best ball handling skills in the NBA since Allen Iverson.

However, what fans were never sure of was whether or not Irving could stay healthy. In a span of just under five years, Irving had been victim of ligament tears in one of his toes, a concussion, a shoulder injury, a broken hand, a broken finger, a broken nose, and most notably a broken kneecap in overtime of Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals. The broken kneecap was such a big setback for Irving that it caused him to miss nearly half of the 2015-2016 NBA regular season.

Having followed Irving since he was just a high school player, I felt awful for him as he was forced to sit out at that start of the season. It seemed as if the injury gods had doomed his career to be a tale of what could have been, or at least that’s what people saw from the outside looking in.

Time and time again, Irving had dealt with injuries that had impeded his path to success, but he did not allow them to keep him from returning to full strength.

“He was really patient with the process, but knew he would be back to his normal self,” Green said.

Irving worked his way back and made his season debut in a home game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 20, 2015. At first, Irving did not look like the explosive scorer that he had been in the first few years of his NBA career. His field percentage and scoring average were down. However, as time passed, it seemed like Irving’s confidence began to grow.

Along with the rest of his Cavalier teammates, Irving had a spectacular first three rounds of play in the 2016 NBA playoffs. The Cavalier’s went 12-2 in the Eastern conference playoffs and reached the finals for the second straight. Their opponent would be the Golden State Warriors, the team that they had lost to in the previous year’s finals.

Finally at full health, Irving had a chance to validate the belief held by many fans that the Cavaliers would have beaten the Warriors in the 2015 finals had Irving been healthy for the entire series.

“You can quote me: He’s definitely better than Steph Curry. If he didn’t get hurt last year, they’d be talking about Kyrie like they’ve been talking about Steph Curry all year,” Pyonin said.

Perhaps he’s right because, with Cleveland trailing Golden State 2-0 in the series, Irving went on an absolute scoring tear.

In Game 3 June 8, Irving dropped 30 to help the Cavaliers get their first win of the series. In Game 4 June 10, Irving scored 34 points in Cleveland’s losing effort to the Warriors. However, those two games with nothing in comparison to the show Irving put on in game 5 June 13.

Playing both on the road and on the brink of elimination, with his team trailing 3-1 in the NBA Finals, Irving had the performance of a lifetime. The six-foot-three point guard scored 41 points on 71 percent shooting from the floor.

“He expects to make the shot, and he doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t care what the papers say,” Pyonin said.

It also didn’t hurt that LeBron James, his super-star teammate, also scored 41 points in game 5. The performance of Cleveland’s two stars saved the series for the Cavaliers.

Irving followed up his historic game 5 performances with a 23-point outing in a 115-101 Game 6 victory June 16. The win set up a Game 7 and gave Cleveland a chance to become the first team to ever come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the NBA Finals.

Game 7 did not disappoint, as it was the only game in the finals that came down to the last possession. With the game tied 89-89 at the 54 second mark, Irving, guarded by Stephen Curry, stepped-back with his dribble beyond the three-point line, pulled up for a jumper, and nailed a three-pointer that ended up being the finals determining basket.

Seeing Kyrie hit a game-winning jumper in the finals came as no surprise to those who had seen him play since his youth.

“It was a special shot, but knowing Kyrie, he’s not afraid of anyone or any moment. If you remember back, I think he challenged Kobe Bryant to a one-on-one game,” Pyonin said.

“I knew he was going to hit the shot. Kyrie lives for those moments. He’s hit big shots like that before, and for him to hit a shot like that in the NBA Finals, he just has proven to the doubters again that he is a force to be reckoned with in this league,” Green said.

Twenty years from now, when the next generation of basketball fans is learning about the 2016 NBA Finals, they’ll probably hear about how great LeBron James was.

They’ll see images of his confrontation with Draymond Green in Game 4, his back to back 41 point outings in elimination games; his blocks of Stephen Curry; his triple double and chase down block in Game 7, and his fulfillment of his promise to finally bring a championship back home to Cleveland. They’ll read that he led all players in the finals in point score, rebounds assists, blocks and steals. They’ll know he was, deservedly so, the unanimous the MVP.

Yet, what they might not realize is Kyrie Irving, to the surprise of no followers of his career, had a lights-out performance. Just like he was when he played in high school, or at my youth basketball tryout, or at the YM-YWHA, or at Duke University, or in the NBA, Kyrie Irving was “locked and loaded” on basketball’s biggest stage.

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Photo courtesy Drexeldragons.com

Despite missing the cut to qualify for the final two rounds, Drexel graduate Chris Crawford had an eventful week at the 2016 United States Open men’s golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club in Plum, Pennsylvania.

His U.S. Open run on the sixth hole of the practice round June 14 when Bill Henaghan, Crawford’s caddie and family friend, slipped and fell in a bunker, which resulted in a fracture of Henaghan’s left ankle.

The injury he sustained prevented Henaghan from being on the bag for Crawford during the actual tournament.

Despite the absence of his longtime caddie, Crawford got off to a strong start in the first round of the tournament June 16. Crawford parred the first 5 holes in the first round, which included four par-4s and a par-5.

Ironically, the first hole the Crawford bogeyed in the round was hole 6, the same hole that stole away his long-time caddie. In response to the bogey, Crawford posted back-to-back pars on holes 7 and 8 respectively. Following a second bogey on hole 9, Crawford finished his front-nine at 2-over-par.

While his performance was relatively consistent throughout the front-nine, Crawford’s back-nine was a roller coaster. After scoring pars on holes 10 and 11, Crawford carded a double bogey on hole 12, which pushed him to 4-over-par for the day. Crawford rebounded on hole 13 with a birdie that brought his score back down to 3-over-par.

Following a par on hole 14, Crawford shot a double-bogey on hole 15 and a bogey on hole 16, which marked the first time in the tournament that Crawford scored higher than par on consecutive holes.

On the final two holes of the first round, Crawford birdied hole 17 and bogeyed hole 18. He finished the day with a 6-over-par 76.

Similar to how he did on the first day of the tournament, Crawford had a strong front-nine in the second round June 17. Crawford knocked in seven pars and two bogeys to once again shoot 2-over-par on the front-nine.

However, the back-nine was yet again a struggle for Crawford. The Drexel graduate opened round two’s back-nine by carding 3 consecutive bogeys on holes 10, 11 and 12. Crawford was able to settle down as he shot 5 straight pars on holes 13 through 17.

On his last hole of the day, Crawford shot a bogey, which brought his score to 6-over-par for the second round and 12 over-par for the tournament. Despite hovering around the cut-line until halfway through the second round, Crawford ended up missing the two round cut of 147 by 5 strokes.

While he was unable to make the cut, Crawford was particularly impressive in his short game. In the two rounds he competed in, Crawford averaged 1.67 putts per green, while the field averaged 1.71 putts per green.

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Photo courtesy Drexeldragons.com

The Drexel University men’s golf team finished in second place out of 14 teams and senior Chris Crawford had the best individual score at the Finegan Invitational hosted by La Salle University in Philadelphia April 18.

The Dragons, who came into the Finegan Invitational riding the momentum of a second place victory at the Towson Invitational April 3, finished tied for first place with The United States Naval Academy after the 36 holes of regulation golf.

After the first 18 holes of play on Monday, the Dragons had combined for 293 shots, which gave them a 4-stroke lead over the Midshipmen. However, Navy staged a comeback in round 2 and tied Drexel’s combine score of 593 for both rounds at the Finegan Invitational.

Due to the tie, Drexel and Navy were entered into a playoff round where the Midshipmen came away with the victory.

In the final regular season outing of his career, Chris Crawford, the best golf player in the history of Drexel’s program, led the individual competition from beginning to end. Crawford shot a three-under-par 68 in the first 18-hole round of the tournament, which tied the Finegan Invitational single round record.

In the second round Crawford shot a one-under-par 70 and finished the tournament four strokes below par. Crawford’s brilliance was evident in the fact that he was the only individual to finish the tournament shooting below par.

His first place individual finish at Finegan was the eighth medal-win of Crawford’s career, which increased his Drexel record for individual victories.

Crawford’s play was accompanied by impressive performances from all four of his teammates. Junior Yoseph Dance had a solid opening round and shot a one-over-par 72 through his first 18 holes on Monday. Dance finished the tournament with a 149, which was the fifteenth  best individual performance at Finegan.

Junior Brian Fischer had his strongest performance of the season by shooting 152 over the course of the tournament’s two rounds. Fischer’s score was the third lowest for the Dragons.

Sophomore Adam Mistretta contributed to Drexel’s score with a 156 through both rounds, and his 76 in the second round was the second lowest score individually in that round for the Dragons.

With the regular season over, Drexel’s next appearance will be at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships at St. James Plantation in Southport, North Carolina April 22 through April 24 where the Dragons will attempt to capture the first CAA title in school history.

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The Drexel University crew was spread out across the country and gave strong performances at three different tournaments this past weekend.

Drexel’s varsity eight men’s teams competed April 2 and April 3 in the San Diego Crew Classic and Drexel’s varsity four men’s teams competed April 3 at the Occoquan Sprints in Fairfax, Virginia. The varsity eight and varsity four women’s teams competed April 2 in the Philly Invite and April in the Occoquan Sprints.

The Dragon’s varsity eight squad finished in third place at the grand final of the San Diego Crew Classic on April 3. Their performance was very impressive considering the teams they finished ahead of, which included No. 15 Stanford, No. 16 Oregon State and No. 20 Michigan.

The varsity eight men’s boat also posted a solid time during its heat on April 2. Drexel’s varsity eight men’s boat finished with a 6:08.227 on Saturday and finished behind Harvard, the eventual tournament champions, for second place on the day.  

The second varsity eight men’s boat came in sixth overall in the bracket of the San Diego Crew Classic, posting a 6:33.381 in their grand final on Sunday.

On the opposite coast, the women’s team found success in several races.

The varsity four and second varsity eight women’s teams each won races against Bucknell University and Duquesne University Saturday at the Philly Invite. The varsity eight women’s team also defeated Bucknell in their matchup.

Their victories on Saturday marked just the beginning of the success that the women’s team experienced last weekend.

Drexel’s second varsity eight women’s boat finished in first place in both their heat and grand final at the Occoquan Sprints last Sunday. The first varsity eight women’s team was also very impressive. After a first place finish in their heat, the varsity eight women’s team came in second place in their grand final, finishing less than three minutes behind North Carolina University.

The varsity eight women’s team was not the only Dragon’s squad to come in second place behind the a Tarheels boat. Drexel’s varsity four women’s team posted a 5:17.61 in their grand final on Saturday and finished just under five minutes behind North Carolina.

Next up on the schedule for the Dragons is the George Washington Invitational for the men’s team on April 8 and the Knecht Cup for the women on April 9.

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In their final regular season game, the Drexel University women’s basketball team clinched second place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 74-33 victory on the road against Towson University March 2.
Their 41-point victory over the Towson Tigers on Wednesday was the Dragon’s second largest win in a game during this season.
After a back and forth first-quarter that ended with the Dragons leading the Tigers 14-10, Drexel began to pull away from Towson. In the second-quarter, the Dragons outscored the Tigers 20-3 and took a 34-13 lead into halftime.
Drexel’s defense played particularly well in the first half, holding Towson to just five of 25 shooting from the field in the first half. The Dragons were also fairly efficient on offense in the first-half, connecting on 48.1 percent of their shot attempts from the field.
Capitalizing on the momentum they built in the first-half, the Dragons exploded on offense in the second-half by scoring 40 points on 60.9 percent shooting from the field. The Dragons played team basketball in the second-half as they had eight different players make at least one field goal and nine different players record at least one assist.
Towson’s offense continued to struggle against Drexel in the second-half as the Tigers were held to just 20 points after halftime. The Dragons ended up outscoring the Tigers 60-23 in the final three quarters of the game as they cruised to victory.
Senior forward Jackie Schluth filled the stat sheet in a variety of ways for the Dragons as she scored 7 points, pulled down 6 rebounds, dished out a team high 4 assists and blocked 2 shots.
Junior forward Sarah Curran, who dropped 13 points on 5-9 shooting from the field, was the leading scorer for the Dragons. Junior guards Alexis Smith and Meghan Creighton were the only other Dragons to score in the double-digits as they dropped 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Dragons were also helped by a solid performance on the boards from Senior guard Carrie Alexander who led the team with nine rebounds.
With their victory over Towson, the Dragons improved their record to 13-5 in the conference and clinched the No.2 seed the CAA tournament for the second year in a row. The two-seed will give the Dragons a first round bye in the CAA tournament.
Drexel’s head coach Denise Dillon said last Tuesday that she likes her team’s chances to win the CAA tournament.
“It’s really just finding that urgency and convincing this team that they can do it. They’ve proven they can do some great things,” coach Dillon said.
The next game for the Dragons will be in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament in Marlboro, Maryland at 5 p.m. March 10. Their opponent has not yet been determined.
The Dragons will be entering the CAA tournament on a two game winning streak. Before their victory over Towson on Wednesday, the Dragons overcame a 13 point first-quarter deficit to College of William & Mary and earned a 69-53 victory at home day on Senior Day, which was Feb. 28.
After opening the game with a 5-0 lead, the Dragons surrendered a 17-0 run to the William & Mary Tribe. The Tribe were able to make their lead as large as 13 points as they were ahead of Drexel 20-7 with just 1:38 remaining in the first-quarter. It was at that point that the Dragons began to go on a run of their own.
Led by Schluth and junior guard Jessica Pellechio, the Dragons went on a 9-0 from the 1:38 mark in the first-quarter to the 8:40 mark in the second quarter to make the score 20-16 in favor of the Tribe.
Drexel outscored William & Mary 18-10 in the second quarter and trailed by just one point at halftime.
In the third quarter, senior guard Rachel Pearson hit two three-pointers for the Dragons, which helped give Drexel a 44-42 lead over William & Mary as the game headed into its final period.
Drexel outscored William & Mary 25-10 in the final quarter and finished the game with a 69-53 victory.
Pellechio erupted offensively in the fourth quarter as she scored 13 points on four of five shooting from the field for the Dragons. She finished the game with team highs in points, 21, and assist, five.
In her final home game of a 6-year career with the Dragons, Schluth scored 12 points and had teams highs in rebound and blocks with seven and five respectively. Her five blocks tied a personal high for both this season and for her career.
Curran was the only other Dragon to score in the double-digits. Curran contributed in various facets of the game as she dropped 17 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out four assists.
Pearson, who struggled with her shot early, ended her final home game with eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Senior guard Carrie Alexander played just five minutes, but managed to score two points for the Dragons.
“What Jackie Schluth, a grad student, and Carrie Alexander and Rachel Pearson have done, both on and off the court for this program, is tremendous. They’re great representatives of our program,” coach Dillon said.

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