🏀 Fran’s fourth quarter | Sports Daily Newsletter

Yesterday, the glory days of the Big 5 saw its last bastion prepare to take a bow at the end of this season.

La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy, a college basketball coaching mainstay in Philadelphia for nearly 50 years, announced plans to retire from the sidelines at the end of the season.

He’ll remain a key part of La Salle’s fabric, moving into a role as a special assistant to Explorers president Daniel Allen, but his impact on the sidelines — one highlighted by 16 NCAA Tournament appearances between head coaching stints at Penn and Temple — is immeasurable.

Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski looks back at Dunphy’s career and the “miracles” he’s created all along the way.

Another cold start to your day, but not as cold as yesterday. Temps are expected to get into the 30s under sunny skies.

Happy Friday, Philly.

— Kerith Gabriel, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The offseason hasn’t even started, and Howie Roseman is already winning it. The NFL just handed the defending Super Bowl champions all the cap room they’ll need to enter next season as the prohibitive favorites to repeat.

The big news came down on Wednesday when the NFL informed teams that the 2025 cap will fall between $277.5 million and $281.5 million. That’s well north of what teams were believed to be budgeting for as recently as December when a report from NFL Network said the cap was expected to fall somewhere in the range of $265 million to $275 million. Milton Williams, you have an incoming FaceTime call from EAGLES GM, writes David Murphy.

The Eagles coaching staff remains in flux as quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier is reportedly joining Kellen Moore and the Saints as offensive coordinator.

Center Cam Jurgens underwent back surgery earlier this week to address an injury he played through during the Eagles’ postseason run.

It’s been a long time since Max Kepler was “the new guy.” But when the 32-year-old outfielder walked into the Phillies clubhouse at Baycare Ballpark for the first time this spring, that’s precisely what he was. Kepler had spent his entire career with the Twins organization, signing with Minnesota as a 16-year-old from Berlin, Germany, before coming to the Phillies on a one-year deal in December. And his new team has made a strong first impression.

Paul George’s first season with the 76ers has been an injury-plagued disaster. George and Joel Embiid have both missed significant time and the trio of George, Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey have rarely touched the floor together as a result.

The Sixers viewed their Big Three as the formula to their success and the jury is still out on whether that group will net positive returns in the future. But it’s clear that this first shot at it has not panned out in the 2024-25 season.

The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey takes a closer look at whether the Sixers should cut bait on this year altogether and come back better next season, or gut it out and try to make a playoff run.

Last night, the Sixers' woes continued behind a 124-104 loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center.

If someone comes along from afar and looks at Tai Baribo’s stats with the Union, they’ll see he has scored 16 goals in 32 games for the club so far. But that doesn’t come close to telling the story.

All 16 of those goals came in a four-month span, after 10 months of barely seeing the field. It was a remarkable emergence for the striker and a long-awaited confirmation of the talent he showed before coming here.

But the Union’s failure to make the playoffs meant his momentum stopped almost as quickly as it started. Now a new season has arrived, starting with Saturday’s opener at Orlando City (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s time for Baribo to get back at it, and as the Inquirer’s Jonathan Tannenwald writes, he’s ready.

Feb. 21, 1931: The first-ever night game in Major League Baseball was played between the Chicago White Sox and the New York (baseball) Giants.

We asked: What do you think about the Birds' hiring from within with its appointment of Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator?

I like it. He already knows the system and is respected by the players and coaches. Should work out well. — Jack H.

I like hiring from within and promoting those who have worked hard for an organization while proving their value. I was a beneficiary of that myself many years ago. But [I’ve been cautioned by] my Philly friend [on] how poorly Johnson and Wilson proved to be when Gannon and Steichen left to be head coaches. I am sure Nick and his staff think Patullo is ready and qualified. Also if they don’t, there is the threat that Moore would add him to the Saints staff. — Everett S.

It makes sense to hire an offensive coordinator from within the organization for a couple of reasons. First, the 2024 offense was an excellent winning offense and odds are we will see that offensive output continue. Second, more time can be spent on improving the current offense incrementally, rather than spending time on installing something new. Also, by promoting from within, there will be less change in coaching personnel, the total coaching group. There will be less inclination to replace those working with him. When a coordinator is brought in from outside the organization, he inevitably brings in others from outside who have worked with him in his preferred system. The result of this is a new set of coaches who must build trust with the players all over again, which takes time. In short, keeping the coaches and players constant makes sense if a team has performed well. If a team has been unsuccessful, change needs to happen, and a change in coaching is indicated. — John W.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Mike Sielski, Olivia Reiner, Gabriela Carroll, Ariel Simpson, Jonathan Tannenwald, Av Gutman, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, Conor Smith, Gustav Elvin, and Keith Pompey.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

That’s it for this week. We’re already looking forward to getting your Monday started, but until then, have a good one. — Kerith