Eagles defense: What went wrong? | Sports Daily

For some, the unofficial start to basketball season here probably began sometime after halftime of the Eagles game. So, welcome. The Sixers have been interesting. The City 6 are into conference play. And there’s plenty of reason to pay attention to high schools because our area has D.J. Wagner and Dereck Lively.

Lively, who plays for Westtown School, is considered the top senior in the nation and headed to Duke. Wagner, who plays for Camden, is the top junior in the nation. They drew plenty of attention this weekend at the Hoophall Classic, and we had Gus Elvin capture the scene in Springfield, Mass.

Facing tough tests, Lively showed his talent and Wagner bounced back from a rough first game to help Camden snap a two-game losing streak. You’ll hear from them at the next level, but follow along with them while they’re making memories here. Wagner in fact has a showdown with Bronny James later this month.

— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport

Which high school basketball teams and players have impressed you this season? sports.daily@inquirer.com

For all the Jonathan Gannon haters out there, let’s not forget that for the defense to get better, Howie Roseman is ultimately going to have to build it up with the right personnel. That means using top draft picks to bring in talent. It’s not just about scheme.

David Murphy makes these arguments in his column. While Gannon kicked off his interviews for head-coaching positions Tuesday with the Houston Texans, some Eagles fans took to Twitter to root for the defensive coordinator’s departure. Still, one of the bright spots on the defense was linebacker T.J. Edwards, and he strongly supports Gannon. There does need to be an infusion of talent on defense.

On offense, Joe Banner is weighing in again on Jalen Hurts, and after the season was used to evaluate the position, Hurts still remains a big question mark. Will the Eagles have him back as the starter? It seems so, but they will have other options to consider and could look to take a QB in the draft.

Next: We’ll see what Roseman says about all this later in the week.

The labor dispute between the owners and players union is complicated, but there’s really only one thing that matters to fans: Will spring training and the regular season start on time? Scott Lauber writes that it’s not yet time to panic if you have plans to fly down to Clearwater, Fla., for spring training, but you might want to get refundable plane tickets. That’s because even if the tricky labor dispute is settled rather quickly, there are several other significant hurdles that have to be cleared before players can get back on the field.

The 76ers stand at 25-18 with one of the best road records in the NBA (16-9). They also have a bona fide MVP candidate in Joel Embiid. All things — and the Ben Simmons saga — considered, this season could have turned out much worse for the Sixers, who crossed the midway point of the regular season over the weekend.

There are clear story lines from the first half, like Embiid’s offensive tear, Simmons’ holdout, and Tobias Harris’ offensive dip. But this occasion prompted The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell to take a deeper look at the players, the moments, and the subplots that defined the first half.

Next: The Sixers play the Orlando Magic tonight at 7 at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers’ losing streak extended to nine games Tuesday as they lost, 4-3, to the Islanders in the longest shootout in the NHL this season. Following a 3-3 tie after 65 minutes, Oliver Wahlstrom finally converted the winning penalty shot, ending a run of 17 missed attempts between the two teams to start the shootout.

The news wasn’t any better off the ice, as the Flyers announced that second-line center Kevin Hayes will miss three to four weeks after having a procedure done on his adductor. Hayes, who had abdominal surgery in September, has missed 19 of 39 games this season.

Next: The Flyers host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday at 7 p.m. (NBCSP). The game could mark Jake Voracek’s return to Philly, although the Czech winger is in COVID-19 protocols.

Of all the heroes in the Union’s run to the MLS Cup playoffs, perhaps the most unsung was Jack Elliott, the quietly efficient and effective central defender. It’s a well-known aspect of soccer that goal scorers get the glory, but Elliott’s worth to the team didn’t go unnoticed, according to Jonathan Tannenwald, who points out that perhaps no player was missed more while in COVID-19 protocols. Now the squad has rewarded Elliott and secured his services for the future.

What a shot: Widener guard Steven Matlack had some bad injury luck in high school, but last week he had quite a moment when his near-full-court prayer was answered at the buzzer.

Owls coming together: The Temple football staff under new head coach Stan Drayton is taking shape, and here’s how it looks.

Joel Embiid registered eight straight 30-point games between Dec. 26 and Jan. 12, tying a Sixers record held by both Wilt Chamberlain and Allen Iverson.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Gus Elvin, Giana Han, Olivia Reiner, David Murphy, Josh Tolentino, Scott Lauber, Gina Mizell, Jonathan Tannenwald, Manning Snyder, Sam Cohn, and Isabella DiAmore.