NOVEMBER 2021
ISSUE 28
SELECT YOUR LANGUAGE
We Educate to Elevate.
ATHLETIC SPORTS MANIA
SPORTS TALK WITH COACH D
NBA (BASKETBALL)
Basketball season has begun. The Sixers continue to face conflicts with Ben Simmons, who did not play in their first game, which ended in a lost to the Brooklyn Nets (114-109). The Nets played without Kyrie Irving, who is still not playing, because of his refusal to get the Covid-19 Vaccination that is a mandate in the NBA. Both teams may have to consider trading these star players, if they are not following team protocol. My sister thinks that Ben Simmons is throwing tantrums, because he doesn’t want to play with the Sixers anymore and that his recent behaviors will make it harder for any team to want him. She mentioned that this type of behavior is also what impacted Allen Iverson’s career. My sister also stated, “Ben needs to be real careful, because everyone is watching and although he is still young, he has to think about life after basketball. Who is going to want to work with someone who is not a team player, and this goes for Kyrie too?” She believes that the NBA should conduct psychological evaluations to assess the mental state of the players to determine if they need help dealing with life challenges, before and after putting on an NBA uniform.
Our Philadelphia 76’ers are moving forward with or without Ben Simmons. Ben has been a thorn since he decided to pass the ball, instead of shooting the sure shot, during the playoff game against Atlanta that knocked us out of the playoffs!!!! HIS FAULT!!! ACCOUNTABILITY!!!! Things have been festering within the team, coaches and fans since that bitter sweet loss. Ben opted out of training camp, his choice, and he decided to skip the teams opening pre-season game versus Toronto, again, his choice.
On Monday, October 17, 2021, Ben showed up for the team’s practice but did not socialize with his teammates and displayed a defiant attitude towards the coaches. Head Coach, Doc Rivers, decided to suspend Ben and remove him from team practices until further notice.
Ben must be honest and hold himself accountable and get the help he needs to be productive and successful, before he can return to the team or any team. The team is not looking to trade Ben, nor do they want to bench him, they just want Ben to show up and show out.
On the other hand, fans are fed up and want a championship. Embiid has put the team on his shoulders and with contributions from players like Tobias, Massey, Drummond and Curry the 76’ers have a legitimate chance of returning to the playoffs. The 76’ers record is 3-2. It is early in the season. I pray that Ben returns and knows his worth!!!!!!
LETS GO SIXERS!!!!!!
WNBA
Congratulations to Chicago Sky!!!! WNBA crowned a new championship team 2021. The Chicago Sky defeated The Phoenix Mercury 80-74 in the final game to win the championship.
BIG SHOUT OUT TO PHILLY’S OWN KHALIAH COPPPER WHO WON THE WNBA LEAGUE’S MOST VALUABLE PLAYER 2021!!!!!!
BEST WISHES TO SEATTLE STORM’S SUE BIRD ON HER RETIREMENT AND FOR HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LEAGUE. JOB WELL DONE!!!!!!
NFL (FOOTBALL)
Jalen Hurts, the new face of the Philadelphia Eagles, cannot find his footing. The team continues to struggle with injuries, defense and trades. Most recently, and unexpectedly, the Eagles traded three time Pro Bowl Tight End, Zack Ertz, to The Arizona Cardinals, which was a bad move, to say the least. Zack is pleased, I am sure, due to the Eagles having a record of 2 wins and 5 losses, and The Cardinals with a record of 5 wins and 1 loss.
The November schedule should help the Eagles team gain an advantage, since we will play teams that have 0 wins, or less wins than us!!! That’s not reassuring because we are so unpredictable. The team must leave it all on the field every game and play all four quarters.
If the Eagles play with some urgency, we can and will make it to post season.
GET IT TOGETHER EAGLES!!!!!!!
THANK YOU TO ZACK ERTZ AND THE ERTZ FAMILY!!!!
BOXING
Last month, the Fury and Wilder III fight took place. Although, they both scored knock downs during the fight, Wilder lost to a knockout in the 11th round. The fight had five combined knockdowns.
My sister believes that Wilder did not give himself adequate enough time to heal after his surgery. After the fight, it is reported that Wilder underwent hand surgery on his right hand.
Upcoming Fights To See:
November 11, 2021 Canelo Alvarez (vs) Caleb Plant in Las Vegas PPV
November 20. 2021 Terrance Crawford (vs) Shawn Porter in Las Vegas PPV
MLB
The Houston Astros are playing in the World Series with The Atlanta Braves. The series is the best out of seven games. The Braves are currently in the lead 2-1.
Game 4
10-3-21
Game 5
10-31-21
Game 6
11-2-21
Game 7
11-3-21
COLLEGE SPORTS
Congratulations to Coach, Dawn Staley on renewing her coaching contract and earning $22.4 million dollars with the University of South Carolina! She is the highest paid women’s basketball coach in the country.
STALEY INKED A CONTRACT FOR 22.4 MILLION DOLLARS FOR 7 YEARS AT SOUTH CAROLINA, THE RICHEST IN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HISTORY FOR A BLACK HEAD COACH. DAWN WILL EARN 2.9 MILLION DOLLARS IN THE 2022 SEASON, WITH AN INCREASE OF $100,000, EACH YEAR. DAWN HAS SPENT THE PAST 13 SEASONS WITH THE GAMECOCKS AND HAS TRANSFORMED THAT TEAM INTO A POWERHOUSE.
MEN’S COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL TOP 10 2021-2022
1). GONZAGA
2). UCLA
3). KANSAS
4). VILLANOVA
5). TEXAS
6). MICHIGAN
7). PURDUE
8). BAYLOR
9). DUKE
10). KENTUCKY
WOMEN’S COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL TOP 10 2021-2022
1). SOUTH CAROLINA
2). U CONN
3). STANFORD
4). MARYLAND
5). N. C. STATE
6). LOUISVILLE
7). BAYLOR
8). INDIANA
9). IOWA
10). OREGON
THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
The Philadelphia Flyers are currently in 4th place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, after a disappointing 2020 season.
LETS GO FLYERS!!!!!
By Danette Clement