On the second day of the 2025 NBA Draft, held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, former Drexel center Amari Williams received the opportunity of a lifetime. The Boston Celtics made a draft day trade with the Orlando Magic, leading them to select the British big man with the 46th overall pick.

A year ago, Williams’ dreams of playing in the NBA seemed improbable. After winning his third consecutive CAA Defensive Player of the Year award, Williams entered his name in both the transfer portal and the NBA draft, with the ultimate goal of playing at the next level. He was the first portal acquisition for Kentucky in the Mark Pope era, and excelled as the primary center for the Wildcats, recording 10 double-doubles.

Still, the prospect of Williams’ name being called on the draft stage seemed unlikely. The center’s wingspan, shot-blocking and rebounding abilities projected well for an NBA big, but his sometimes limited shooting and swiftness capabilities hurt his overall draft stock.

Despite this, Williams became the first Drexel alumni selected since Malik Rose in 1996. The Dragons have historically not been big producers of NBA talent, but Williams will become the fourth Dragon to play in the NBA, once he makes his debut. 

Michael Anderson was the first Drexel alumni to appear in an NBA game in 1988, but spent just one season in the league. Malik Rose spent thirteen seasons in the NBA, and was a key role player for the Spurs, helping them win two championships. More recently, Damion Lee, who went undrafted after spending his final season at Louisville, has since pieced together a solid seven-year career, complimented by a championship with the Warriors in 2022.

Since the announcement of the pick, analysts have agreed Williams’ huge 7 ‘6” wingspan, incredible basketball IQ and vision could lead to the Drexel alumni seeing serious NBA playtime in his rookie season. 

Following superstar Jayson Tatum’s rupturing of his achilles, and announcement he will likely miss the entire 2025-26 season, the Celtics have taken a very different approach to the offseason. Brad Stevens made headlines by dealing veteran guard Jrue Holiday and massive center Kristaps Porzingis away in an effort to cut costs. These moves may open a path for Williams to see regular minutes and possibly start on a weakened Boston squad.

The Celtics depth chart showcases Williams as the third center for Boston, behind Neemias Queta, and former National Player of the Year, Luka Garza. Queta, a fellow seven-footer from Europe, is a similar player to Williams and his impressive development over a short span could be translated for Amari. Garza, who recently inked a new contract, brings a more balanced scoring approach and playoff pedigree from Minnesota.

Although both Queta and Garza have each played four seasons in the NBA, they have lacked experience in a rotational role, which could open a door for Williams if he steps up his game in summer league.

Thanks to the coaching on the Celtics team, many outlets feel as though Williams could not have ended up with a better team. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is known for his ability to help centers elevate their overall game, which he has done successfully with both Queta, and Luke Kornet.

Mazzulla’s background as a scrappy, West Virginia guard, who would work tirelessly despite rarely receiving the national spotlight, projects as a perfect pairing for Williams’ mentality he developed at Drexel.

Williams became one of three Celtics taken in the 2025 draft, alongside Real Madrid’s Hugo Gonzalez, and Virginia Commonwealth’s Max Shulga. The trio of rookies will team up on the Celtics’ summer league roster, as they face off against the Grizzlies, Knicks, Heat and Lakers in the coming week. 

On June 30th, the WNBA announced that a professional women’s basketball team was coming to Philadelphia. This announcement marks the first time Philadelphia will have a professional women’s sports team since 1998. 

The team, whose name is yet to be announced, will be the 18th expansion team in the league. They are expected to tip off in 2030 and will be the WNBA’s sixth new team in five years. 

The team will have the same ownership as the Philadelphia 76ers, which drew mixed reactions from fans across the city. This model has proven successful for other WNBA teams because it gives them access to resources and infrastructure already in use by the NBA. One example of this is the New York Liberty, which won its first championship in 2024, and are owned by Joe and Clara Tsai, who own the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. Both teams will play at the new Xfinity Mobile Arena, a new addition to the sports complex in South Philly, expected to be constructed by 2031.

Despite being the sixth-most populous city in the United States, professional women’s sports teams have a limited history in Philadelphia. The first and only women’s basketball team came in 1996, through the creation of the American Basketball League. The Philadelphia Rage became one of the original eight teams, however the league declared bankruptcy just two years later. 

Even though the Rage only played for two seasons, it left an impact on Philadelphia and women’s basketball. Current head coach of the Drexel women’s basketball team, Amy Mallon, played for the Rage in 1998. The organization also produced future Olympian Dawn Staley, who is the renowned coach of the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team. 

There have been rumblings of a WNBA team coming to Philadelphia for as long as the league has discussed expansion, and fans feel this is long overdue. During the pandemic, comedian Wanada Sykes and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker attempted to launch a bid for a WNBA team, but the league rejected it to focus on its current teams. The news of this upcoming expansion comes shortly after plans to build a new basketball arena in Chinatown, which were heavily protested by Philadelphia residents. The plans were eventually scrapped in favor of the aforementioned Xfinity Mobile Arena. 

Philadelphia is known for its die-hard, passionate sports fanbases and the new WNBA team will have the city’s full support. Expanding women’s basketball is not only great for Philadelphia, it is great for the entire league, which now gets to show its stars to a much bigger audience. This team will not just be embraced, it will become a defining part of the city’s sports identity.

After the Saint Joseph’s Hawks raised the Big five Championship banner for the second consecutive season, all six Philadelphia area schools have seen dramatic shifts in player and coaching personnel this offseason.

While Villanova and Penn dominated the headlines with the hirings of big-name coaches, the Temple Owls, Saint Joseph’s Hawks, La Salle Explorers and Drexel Dragons have all seen roster shakeups that will lead to a different looking Big 5 Tournament layout for 2025.

Drexel Dragons

It was another season of ups and downs for Zach Spiker’s squad in 2024-25. The Dragons finished fifth in the Big 5 after a defeat of the Pennsylvania Quakers in last year’s rendition of the Battle of 33rd Street. In a similar fashion to last offseason, this spring has seen the exit of Drexel’s most impactful scorers, as just days after their loss to Towson, veteran guards Yame Butler and Kobe Magee entered the portal, transferring to Butler and Florida State respectively.

In the following weeks, defensive standout Cole Hargrove left for Big East powerhouse Providence, and versatile point guard Jason Drake transferred to Indiana. Aside from the four key losses, however, the Dragons brought back familiar key contributors, including guards Shane Blakeney and Kevon Vanderhorst, and forwards Garfield Turner, Victor Panov and Villiam Garcia Adsten.

Drexel’s transfer portal additions fit a similar mold to last year’s, and feature a mix of relatively inexperienced players at a variety of positions. Dillon Tingler, a 6’7” guard from Eastern Michigan appeared in all 32 games, starting five for the Eagles. Tingler was a three-star recruit and the second-ranked player in West Virginia, and projects to be a strong scoring and rebounding presence for the Dragons.

French big man Martin De Laporterie also transferred to Drexel this spring, from junior college, Yavapai. The 7’1” forward from Bordeaux, France can play the four or five, and was a JuCo Top 100 honorable mention after averaging 12.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest. 

Boise State guard Moses Hipps is the third and final name in Drexel’s transfer class, who did not appear in action for the Broncos last season. The 6’4” guard was a top 250 player, and top 50 guard in the class of 2024, following a successful high school career with multiple stops. Hipps spent his sophomore year of high school at local school Archbishop John Carroll, where the New Jersey native finished second in Delco in scoring average with 18.9 points per game. Hipps was named first-team all-state for his scoring and three-point shooting abilities, and received Division I interest from fellow Big Five programs, Temple and La Salle.

La Salle Explorers

The Explorers have experienced a full clearing of the house this offseason, after the retirement of Philadelphia basketball icon Fran Dunphy. La Salle saw 15 of their 16 rostered athletes enter the portal, a tall task for new head coach Darris Nichols. 

Nichols, the former Radford coach, has added a deep pool of transfers, featuring a strong group of small-school standouts and a group of Nichols’ former players from Radford. Noah Collier, a strong forward from William & Mary, who has given the Dragons problems in the past, is the highlight new addition. 

Marcus Randolph (Saint Peter’s), Josue Grullon (UT-Martin) and Jaden Johnson (Old Dominion) all look to bring their strong experience at other mid-majors to the A-10 next year. Additionally, Justin Archer, Josiah Harris and Truth Harris have all played for Nichols in the past, while Rob Dockery from Texas A&M looks to bring his limited Big 12 experience to the John Glaser Arena.

Pennsylvania Quakers

Following multiple disappointing seasons in West Philadelphia, the Quakers are going in a new coaching direction, bringing in former Iowa head coach Fran McCafferty. McCafferty was able to keep a majority of last year’s team in University City, including Ethan Roberts, Dylan Williams and Michael Zanoni. 

The only reported transfer for the Quakers so far has been former five-star TJ Power, the #21 recruit in the 2023 class, who spent the past two seasons at Duke and Virginia. With only Sam Brown and Nick Spinoso leaving the Palestra, and a newly signed, experienced head coach, expect a new contender in the Ivy League to emerge.

Saint Joseph’s Hawks

It was another solid year seeing the Hawks finish with a winning record, but falling short of the NCAA tournament once again. With Xzayvier Brown headed to Oklahoma, Erik Reynolds and Rasheer Fleming looking towards the NBA draft, Billy Lange’s squad had scoring production to replace. 

The Hawks added Deuce Jones from La Salle, last year’s A-10 Rookie of the year, who averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game for the Explorers. Another A-10 rival, Jaden Smith from Fordham, who provides solid bench scoring and rebounding, was added to the roster. Lange also added former Big East players Al Amadou (Marquette), and Jaiden Glover (St. John’s), who was the #55 recruit in the 2024 class.

Temple Owls

The Owls were raided by the transfer portal, leaving the Liacouras Center with only four returning players this spring. Temple graduates Jamal Mashburn and Steve Settle provided a strong portion of the offensive production, while Zion Stanford (Villanova), Quante Berry (Memphis), Jameel Brown (Delaware) and Dillon Battie (Wichita State) all left North Philadelphia as well.

To address the losses, the Owls added a pair of experienced guards in Jordan Mason and Derrian Ford, as well as inexperienced forwards from larger schools in Gavin Griffiths (Nebraska) and Spencer Mahoney (Cal). Bowling Green’s Jamai Felt, a MAC All-Freshman forward, rounds out a solid incoming group for Temple, adding size and further paint scoring.

Villanova Wildcats

The biggest shift in energy this offseason for a Big Five program belongs to Villanova. After the Kyle Neptune experiment failed, the Wildcats looked to Maryland’s Kevin Willard, who led the Terrapins to the Sweet Sixteen, to bring Nova Nation another title.
Villanova added Zion Stanford from Temple, a multi-level scorer, as well as Devin Askew (Long Beach State) and Bryce Lindsay (JMU) to round out an accomplished group of guards. Forward Duke Brennan from GCU looks to bring his defensive prowess to the main line, while Maryland’s Braden Pierce and Malachi Palmer join Willard at his new home.

On paper, sitting second in the National League East, with the fifth-best record in the MLB, sounds like a fantastic start for the Phillies. But when looking further, problems are beginning to arise for the team that could impact their postseason chances as the season continues.

From before the first pitch of the season was thrown, question marks around the quality of the Phillies’ bullpen were already rising. Could a quiet offseason with lower-risk signings make up for the losses of two all-stars in Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez? So far, not so much.

The Phillies bullpen ranks 25th among 30 MLB teams in ERA, and third worst in the National League. New addition Jordan Romano, who has been thrown into the closer role, has struggled to finish out games at times, pitching to a poor 7.36 ERA. Additionally, Jose Alvarado’s 80 game suspension for violation of the MLB’s drug usage policy, has seriously hurt the bullpen.

Aside from the bullpen’s ongoing struggles, the Phillies offense still feels like they are in early-season form, as the team has struggled to build real momentum. Without Kyle Schwarber’s unbelievable power and plate discipline, the crowd at the bank would have little to cheer for. No one aside from Schwarber has hit double-digit home runs, and extended slumps from JT Realmuto, Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm,and Brandon Marsh have put a damper on the offense.

Finally, the rotation, which has been the Phillies’ unwavering strength over the past few seasons, has seen growing uncertainties as well. Aaron Nola’s career-worst start and injury has meant the team’s most reliable arm no longer holds that position. Additionally, Ranger Suarez’s lingering back injury, and Taijuan Walker’s permanent transition to a bullpen arm signals the Phillies will have less “sure things” to call on for a quality start.

Although it is never a good idea to ring the warning bell for a team that is comfortably above .500, the Phillies have seen more question marks than ever in 2025. With the team’s championship window shrinking as their stars continue to age, it remains to be seen how the Phillies’ future will play out.

After the Saint Joseph’s Hawks raised the Big five Championship banner for the second consecutive season, all six Philadelphia area schools have seen dramatic shifts in player and coaching personnel this offseason.

While Villanova and Penn dominated the headlines with the hirings of big-name coaches, the Temple Owls, Saint Joseph’s Hawks, La Salle Explorers and Drexel Dragons have all seen roster shakeups that will lead to a different looking Big 5 Tournament layout for 2025.

Drexel Dragons

It was another season of ups and downs for Zach Spiker’s squad in 2024-25. The Dragons finished fifth in the Big 5 after a defeat of the Pennsylvania Quakers in last year’s rendition of the Battle of 33rd Street. In a similar fashion to last offseason, this spring has seen the exit of Drexel’s most impactful scorers, as just days after their loss to Towson, veteran guards Yame Butler and Kobe Magee entered the portal, transferring to Butler and Florida State respectively.

In the following weeks, defensive standout Cole Hargrove left for Big East powerhouse Providence, and versatile point guard Jason Drake transferred to Indiana. Aside from the four key losses, however, the Dragons brought back familiar key contributors, including guards Shane Blakeney and Kevon Vanderhorst, and forwards Garfield Turner, Victor Panov and Villiam Garcia Adsten.

Drexel’s transfer portal additions fit a similar mold to last year’s, and feature a mix of relatively inexperienced players at a variety of positions. Dillon Tingler, a 6’7” guard from Eastern Michigan appeared in all 32 games, starting five for the Eagles. Tingler was a three-star recruit and the second-ranked player in West Virginia, and projects to be a strong scoring and rebounding presence for the Dragons.

French big man Martin De Laporterie also transferred to Drexel this spring, from junior college, Yavapai. The 7’1” forward from Bordeaux, France can play the four or five, and was a JuCo Top 100 honorable mention after averaging 12.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest. 

Boise State guard Moses Hipps is the third and final name in Drexel’s transfer class, who did not appear in action for the Broncos last season. The 6’4” guard was a top 250 player, and top 50 guard in the class of 2024, following a successful high school career with multiple stops. Hipps spent his sophomore year of high school at local school Archbishop John Carroll, where the New Jersey native finished second in Delco in scoring average with 18.9 points per game. Hipps was named first-team all-state for his scoring and three-point shooting abilities, and received Division I interest from fellow Big Five programs, Temple and La Salle.

La Salle Explorers

The Explorers have experienced a full clearing of the house this offseason, after the retirement of Philadelphia basketball icon Fran Dunphy. La Salle saw 15 of their 16 rostered athletes enter the portal, a tall task for new head coach Darris Nichols. 

Nichols, the former Radford coach, has added a deep pool of transfers, featuring a strong group of small-school standouts and a group of Nichols’ former players from Radford. Noah Collier, a strong forward from William & Mary, who has given the Dragons problems in the past, is the highlight new addition. 

Marcus Randolph (Saint Peter’s), Josue Grullon (UT-Martin) and Jaden Johnson (Old Dominion) all look to bring their strong experience at other mid-majors to the A-10 next year. Additionally, Justin Archer, Josiah Harris and Truth Harris have all played for Nichols in the past, while Rob Dockery from Texas A&M looks to bring his limited Big 12 experience to the John Glaser Arena.

Pennsylvania Quakers

Following multiple disappointing seasons in West Philadelphia, the Quakers are going in a new coaching direction, bringing in former Iowa head coach Fran McCafferty. McCafferty was able to keep a majority of last year’s team in University City, including Ethan Roberts, Dylan Williams and Michael Zanoni. 

The only reported transfer for the Quakers so far has been former five-star TJ Power, the #21 recruit in the 2023 class, who spent the past two seasons at Duke and Virginia. With only Sam Brown and Nick Spinoso leaving the Palestra, and a newly signed, experienced head coach, expect a new contender in the Ivy League to emerge.

Saint Joseph’s Hawks

It was another solid year seeing the Hawks finish with a winning record, but falling short of the NCAA tournament once again. With Xzayvier Brown headed to Oklahoma, Erik Reynolds and Rasheer Fleming looking towards the NBA draft, Billy Lange’s squad had scoring production to replace. 

The Hawks added Deuce Jones from La Salle, last year’s A-10 Rookie of the year, who averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game for the Explorers. Another A-10 rival, Jaden Smith from Fordham, who provides solid bench scoring and rebounding, was added to the roster. Lange also added former Big East players Al Amadou (Marquette), and Jaiden Glover (St. John’s), who was the #55 recruit in the 2024 class.

Temple Owls

The Owls were raided by the transfer portal, leaving the Liacouras Center with only four returning players this spring. Temple graduates Jamal Mashburn and Steve Settle provided a strong portion of the offensive production, while Zion Stanford (Villanova), Quante Berry (Memphis), Jameel Brown (Delaware) and Dillon Battie (Wichita State) all left North Philadelphia as well.

To address the losses, the Owls added a pair of experienced guards in Jordan Mason and Derrian Ford, as well as inexperienced forwards from larger schools in Gavin Griffiths (Nebraska) and Spencer Mahoney (Cal). Bowling Green’s Jamai Felt, a MAC All-Freshman forward, rounds out a solid incoming group for Temple, adding size and further paint scoring.

Villanova Wildcats

The biggest shift in energy this offseason for a Big Five program belongs to Villanova. After the Kyle Neptune experiment failed, the Wildcats looked to Maryland’s Kevin Willard, who led the Terrapins to the Sweet Sixteen, to bring Nova Nation another title.
Villanova added Zion Stanford from Temple, a multi-level scorer, as well as Devin Askew (Long Beach State) and Bryce Lindsay (JMU) to round out an accomplished group of guards. Forward Duke Brennan from GCU looks to bring his defensive prowess to the main line, while Maryland’s Braden Pierce and Malachi Palmer join Willard at his new home.

The IRA, or Intercollegiate Rowing Association, celebrated the 122nd running of the National Championship Regatta on the Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey this past weekend, May 30th to June 1st. 

The IRA consists of 64 member institutions, which represent rowing programs who compete at the Division I or Division III Level in men’s heavyweight, men’s lightweight or women’s lightweight rowing. All-member institutions are eligible to compete in the IRA National Championship. Of these institutes, the ones invited to participate in the 2025 IRA National Championship were selected based on the performance of their Varsity 8+ and subsequent recipient of an Automatic Qualifying or At-Large bid. Some of the D1 Heavyweight Men’s teams that competed alongside Drexel included schools such as Boston University, Georgetown, Gonzaga University, University of Washington, the US Naval Academy as well as all of the Ivy League schools. 

Drexel men’s rowing team placed 12th in the IRA Championships Saturday afternoon. Additionally, the varsity four boats came home sixth in the second final. The team, consisting of rowers Luke Joseph (coxswain), Zach Key, Andrew Manns, Matthew Kennedy and Kyle Brown (bow), crossed the finish line with a time of 6:33.510. In comparison, Saint Joseph’s University, winner of the race, had a time of 6:20.690. The overall winner of the championship was the University of Washington. 

At 6:13.015, Drexel had the 15th best time overall in the time trials. The V4+ boat additionally qualified for the second final in the championship, and made a fourth place finish.

You have likely seen it, and you have definitely heard it. The repetitive dinking sounds emanating from tennis courts are the telltale indications that someone is playing the trendiest sport you might have never played before: pickleball. 

Depending on your background, you may have a predetermined opposition to the sport. Tennis players may look down upon it due to waves of pickleballers taking up their courts, and the sport’s perceived status as easy. If you grew up playing more athletically engaging sports, you may think it looks too boring. Those who play ping pong might look up to it as it basically is a life-sized ping pong game come to life. However, there are the few that view pickleball as the sport of the future – and it very well could be. 

Whatever your opinion of pickleball is, we are here to tell you that it is the sport of the summer. It is easy, fun, and trendy, which makes it an ideal sport for those of all athletic backgrounds (or lack thereof).

Pickleball is the perfect sport to pick up as the weather turns beautiful in Philadelphia. It is ideal for getting some sun, raising your heart rate a little bit, but not exhausting yourself and turning into a sweaty mess. Courts are easy to access, whether it be by utilizing the courts at 34th St. and Lancaster Ave next to the 7/11, heading to Schuylkill River Park where you will find places to play, or converting your nearest tennis court into a makeshift pickleball court.

Once you have found a place, playing the game itself is easy. While there are several rules you have to follow (better read up on what “the kitchen” is), following the rules loosely works just fine. Hit the ball over the net and keep it inside the lines of your opponent’s half of the court. If the ball bounces twice before your opponent hits it, or if the ball lands out of bounds, you win a point. There are a few more specific rules, but these are all the basics you need to know when first getting started. 

While it is an outside sport, pickleball doesn’t have to be too physically demanding. Pickleball is versatile in that you could settle for a simple rally or play to dominate your opponent.. Furthermore, it is a game that you could play with one other person or a group of people, as it allows for singles matches as well as doubles matches. 

The best part about pickleball is that pretty much everyone can pick up a paddle and, within a few rallies, feel like they are a pretty decent pickleballer. Grab a friend or two or five or however many you can gather, and regardless of everyone’s respective skill levels, you will be able to have some pretty entertaining matches. 

So, whether you are on campus, at home or at the shore, pick up a paddle and give pickleball a try this summer. You are not going to want to stop.

Unlike colleges such as the University of Alabama or Ohio State, Drexel is not typically top of mind when it comes to prestigious athletics programs. As a member of the Coastal Athletic Association, which is not part of the Power 5 conferences (which include the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big Ten Conference, the Big 12 Conference and the Southeastern Conference), Drexel is classified as a mid-major. This label comes from the conference that a school’s men’s basketball team plays in. In today’s college athletic landscape, which is shaped by name, image and likeness opportunities, this characterization has limited the ability of Drexel’s student-athletes to fully benefit from NIL deals. 

Unfortunately for Drexel, the shortcomings of the men’s basketball program have undermined the success of other Drexel athletics programs. Just this season, the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams made trips to the CAA championship, and the women’s team was consistently ranked as one of the top 25 programs in the nation. Both Drexel squash programs rank in the top 10, the rowing teams have dominated in recent competitions, and, in 2024, the women’s basketball team won the CAA championship and competed in March Madness. 

Despite these achievements, Drexel is still a relatively unknown school in college athletics. While this can be attributed to a number of factors, perhaps the main issue of name recognition stems from the lack of NIL funding towards athletes. 

Since the initial Supreme Court ruling back in 2021, NIL has transformed the landscape of college athletics. The court found that college athletes can profit off of their name, image and likeness on top of the scholarship given to them by their school. 

In the four short years since this ruling, how athletes prioritize and decide the schools for their collegiate career has completely changed. Now, on top of following their dreams of professional sports, athletes are also weighing the possibility of making as much revenue as they can. 

This dynamic is especially prevalent in men’s basketball, where it is not uncommon for players to enter the transfer portal two or three times. One example of this is PJ Haggerty, who has played on three different teams and recently announced he would be committing to Kansas State after negotiating to receive a $2.5 million NIL package. While athletes from mid-majors are not getting as large of deals as Haggerty, they still stand to benefit financially by transferring to schools with better NIL infrastructure. 

During this offseason, Drexel’s men’s basketball team lost four of its most impactful players to the transfer portal. Cole Hargrove and Kobe McGee, who both earned CAA awards this season, transferred to Providence and Florida State University, respectively. Jason Drake announced he would spend his final year at the University of Indiana, and Yame Butler transferred to Butler University after an outstanding season. In recent memory, other standout players such as Amari Williams and Justin Moore have made moves to larger universities. 

Despite head coach Zach Spiker’s claim of a culture with “a group that is connected [and] a locker room that loves being around each other” at Drexel, it seems not to be enough as the Dragons continue to lose top talent every offseason. What is the motive for these players entering their names into the NCAA transfer portal if not for potential NIL deals?

While NIL has given numerous opportunities to many different athletes, it has also created problems for universities struggling to keep up with the ever-changing rules. Currently, colleges believe that for NIL to be successful, rules and regulations are needed to stop the disproportionate allotment of money to players. At the time of publication, athletes are allowed to get paid in any amount and without any restrictions. In an attempt to make resources more equitable, the College Sports Commission was created by the Power 5 conferences to establish limitations.

For Drexel and other mid-major institutions, NIL equality is especially important, as they do not have the resources available to attract and keep star athletes. Earlier this year, an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer revealed that Drexel’s NIL resources rank in the bottom half out of all the schools in the CAA, raising concerns for Drexel and its sustainability in the coming years. 

In December 2023, Drexel announced that they were launching the Dragon Fire Collective, a NIL Collective intended to support Drexel athletes by creating NIL opportunities for them. However, this effort seems to be inactive at the moment, as the last post on their Instagram was a “day in the life” video featuring Yame Butler from June 2024. Without an active collective to assist students in earning NIL money, Drexel is positioning itself further behind other mid-major universities and running the risk of losing athletes to the transfer portal. 

The future of NIL remains uncertain to this day. Pending a judge’s decision on the House vs. NCAA lawsuit, which could allow schools to distribute up to $20.5 million to student-athletes, the CAA’s Board of Directors has voted to opt in to the settlement. If the judge rules in the athletes’ favor, CAA institutions, including Drexel, would be required to share their revenue. 

While this decision is expected to come in late June, Drexel has already announced that they will comply with the CAA’s decision and that they are prepared to share revenue with their athletes, as confirmed by the Inquirer. 

Other schools in the CAA, such as Stony Brook, have also stated plans to share their revenue with their athletes. On May 28th, they became the first school in the CAA to partner with a third-party platform to help manage revenue sharing. In addition to being an early adopter of the CAA’s mandate, Stony Brook, which has similar athletic success as Drexel, boasts one of the best NIL systems for a mid-major university. 

Despite Stony Brook’s collective being launched around the same time as Drexel’s, it has made much more progress. Since the launch of the 1957 Club, the organization has hosted galas, created merchandise and partnered with NIL websites that allow fans to subscribe and gain access to the Seawolves’ athletes. Although these efforts have not entirely prevented players from entering the transfer portal this year, the university is still setting itself up for a better future than Drexel, which does not have any of these opportunities in place.

Drexel will never become the next Notre Dame, but that should not be an excuse to not build up a NIL system that prioritizes keeping players at Drexel, winning games and creating better opportunities for their athletes. With the upcoming ruling regarding revenue sharing, Drexel has the chance to level the playing field with other mid-major programs. Taking action now will make the university more competitive and set up every current and future athlete to have a successful career as a Drexel Dragon.

On paper, sitting second in the National League East, with the fifth-best record in the MLB, sounds like a fantastic start for the Phillies. But when looking further, problems are beginning to arise for the team that could impact their postseason chances as the season continues.

From before the first pitch of the season was thrown, question marks around the quality of the Phillies’ bullpen were already rising. Could a quiet offseason with lower-risk signings make up for the losses of two all-stars in Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez? So far, not so much.

The Phillies bullpen ranks 25th among 30 MLB teams in ERA, and third worst in the National League. New addition Jordan Romano, who has been thrown into the closer role, has struggled to finish out games at times, pitching to a poor 7.36 ERA. Additionally, Jose Alvarado’s 80 game suspension for violation of the MLB’s drug usage policy, has seriously hurt the bullpen.

Aside from the bullpen’s ongoing struggles, the Phillies offense still feels like they are in early-season form, as the team has struggled to build real momentum. Without Kyle Schwarber’s unbelievable power and plate discipline, the crowd at the bank would have little to cheer for. No one aside from Schwarber has hit double-digit home runs, and extended slumps from JT Realmuto, Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm,and Brandon Marsh have put a damper on the offense.

Finally, the rotation, which has been the Phillies’ unwavering strength over the past few seasons, has seen growing uncertainties as well. Aaron Nola’s career-worst start and injury has meant the team’s most reliable arm no longer holds that position. Additionally, Ranger Suarez’s lingering back injury, and Taijuan Walker’s permanent transition to a bullpen arm signals the Phillies will have less “sure things” to call on for a quality start.

Although it is never a good idea to ring the warning bell for a team that is comfortably above .500, the Phillies have seen more question marks than ever in 2025. With the team’s championship window shrinking as their stars continue to age, it remains to be seen how the Phillies’ future will play out.

After the Saint Joseph’s Hawks raised the Big five Championship banner for the second consecutive season, all six Philadelphia area schools have seen dramatic shifts in player and coaching personnel this offseason.

While Villanova and Penn dominated the headlines with the hirings of big-name coaches, the Temple Owls, Saint Joseph’s Hawks, La Salle Explorers and Drexel Dragons have all seen roster shakeups that will lead to a different looking Big 5 Tournament layout for 2025.

Drexel Dragons

It was another season of ups and downs for Zach Spiker’s squad in 2024-25. The Dragons finished fifth in the Big 5 after a defeat of the Pennsylvania Quakers in last year’s rendition of the Battle of 33rd Street. In a similar fashion to last offseason, this spring has seen the exit of Drexel’s most impactful scorers, as just days after their loss to Towson, veteran guards Yame Butler and Kobe Magee entered the portal, transferring to Butler and Florida State respectively.

In the following weeks, defensive standout Cole Hargrove left for Big East powerhouse Providence, and versatile point guard Jason Drake transferred to Indiana. Aside from the four key losses, however, the Dragons brought back familiar key contributors, including guards Shane Blakeney and Kevon Vanderhorst, and forwards Garfield Turner, Victor Panov and Villiam Garcia Adsten.

Drexel’s transfer portal additions fit a similar mold to last year’s, and feature a mix of relatively inexperienced players at a variety of positions. Dillon Tingler, a 6’7” guard from Eastern Michigan appeared in all 32 games, starting five for the Eagles. Tingler was a three-star recruit and the second-ranked player in West Virginia, and projects to be a strong scoring and rebounding presence for the Dragons.

French big man Martin De Laporterie also transferred to Drexel this spring, from junior college, Yavapai. The 7’1” forward from Bordeaux, France can play the four or five, and was a JuCo Top 100 honorable mention after averaging 12.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest. 

Boise State guard Moses Hipps is the third and final name in Drexel’s transfer class, who did not appear in action for the Broncos last season. The 6’4” guard was a top 250 player, and top 50 guard in the class of 2024, following a successful high school career with multiple stops. Hipps spent his sophomore year of high school at local school Archbishop John Carroll, where the New Jersey native finished second in Delco in scoring average with 18.9 points per game. Hipps was named first-team all-state for his scoring and three-point shooting abilities, and received Division I interest from fellow Big Five programs, Temple and La Salle.

La Salle Explorers

The Explorers have experienced a full clearing of the house this offseason, after the retirement of Philadelphia basketball icon Fran Dunphy. La Salle saw 15 of their 16 rostered athletes enter the portal, a tall task for new head coach Darris Nichols. 

Nichols, the former Radford coach, has added a deep pool of transfers, featuring a strong group of small-school standouts and a group of Nichols’ former players from Radford. Noah Collier, a strong forward from William & Mary, who has given the Dragons problems in the past, is the highlight new addition. 

Marcus Randolph (Saint Peter’s), Josue Grullon (UT-Martin) and Jaden Johnson (Old Dominion) all look to bring their strong experience at other mid-majors to the A-10 next year. Additionally, Justin Archer, Josiah Harris and Truth Harris have all played for Nichols in the past, while Rob Dockery from Texas A&M looks to bring his limited Big 12 experience to the John Glaser Arena.

Pennsylvania Quakers

Following multiple disappointing seasons in West Philadelphia, the Quakers are going in a new coaching direction, bringing in former Iowa head coach Fran McCafferty. McCafferty was able to keep a majority of last year’s team in University City, including Ethan Roberts, Dylan Williams and Michael Zanoni. 

The only reported transfer for the Quakers so far has been former five-star TJ Power, the #21 recruit in the 2023 class, who spent the past two seasons at Duke and Virginia. With only Sam Brown and Nick Spinoso leaving the Palestra, and a newly signed, experienced head coach, expect a new contender in the Ivy League to emerge.

Saint Joseph’s Hawks

It was another solid year seeing the Hawks finish with a winning record, but falling short of the NCAA tournament once again. With Xzayvier Brown headed to Oklahoma, Erik Reynolds and Rasheer Fleming looking towards the NBA draft, Billy Lange’s squad had scoring production to replace. 

The Hawks added Deuce Jones from La Salle, last year’s A-10 Rookie of the year, who averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game for the Explorers. Another A-10 rival, Jaden Smith from Fordham, who provides solid bench scoring and rebounding, was added to the roster. Lange also added former Big East players Al Amadou (Marquette), and Jaiden Glover (St. John’s), who was the #55 recruit in the 2024 class.

Temple Owls

The Owls were raided by the transfer portal, leaving the Liacouras Center with only four returning players this spring. Temple graduates Jamal Mashburn and Steve Settle provided a strong portion of the offensive production, while Zion Stanford (Villanova), Quante Berry (Memphis), Jameel Brown (Delaware) and Dillon Battie (Wichita State) all left North Philadelphia as well.

To address the losses, the Owls added a pair of experienced guards in Jordan Mason and Derrian Ford, as well as inexperienced forwards from larger schools in Gavin Griffiths (Nebraska) and Spencer Mahoney (Cal). Bowling Green’s Jamai Felt, a MAC All-Freshman forward, rounds out a solid incoming group for Temple, adding size and further paint scoring.

Villanova Wildcats

The biggest shift in energy this offseason for a Big Five program belongs to Villanova. After the Kyle Neptune experiment failed, the Wildcats looked to Maryland’s Kevin Willard, who led the Terrapins to the Sweet Sixteen, to bring Nova Nation another title.
Villanova added Zion Stanford from Temple, a multi-level scorer, as well as Devin Askew (Long Beach State) and Bryce Lindsay (JMU) to round out an accomplished group of guards. Forward Duke Brennan from GCU looks to bring his defensive prowess to the main line, while Maryland’s Braden Pierce and Malachi Palmer join Willard at his new home.