🏀 Do you know ball? | Sports Daily Newsletter

Today, we’re offering you a chance to test your basketball acumen through the eyes of Sixers All-Star Tyrese Maxey. As Maxey steps into more of a leadership role on the team, every decision he makes on the court dictates the Sixers’ chances of contention for the postseason.

Those aren’t my words but those of Inquirer interactive designer Jasen Lo, who created a game in which you can predict Maxey’s next move, and see if you’re right.

The game not only predicts what he might do but showcases career stats, which offer insight into the propensity of his movements and why over the last few seasons, they’ve been so effective.

Played it yesterday. Anticipated all of Maxey’s moves correctly.

I know ball. To see if you do, play our game.

Speaking of the Sixers, the New York Knicks were able to figure out Maxey and Co., who suffered their second straight loss following a 138-89 final at Xfinity Mobile Arena last night. Here’s what we saw.

Not going to get much snow melt today, as highs are expected to barely sneak past freezing. Let’s all continue to think warm thoughts.

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

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Kyle Schwarber did a double take almost as soon as he walked through the door Wednesday in Clearwater, Fla., even before J.T. Realmuto pointed it out. Left fielder Brandon Marsh stopped infield prospect Aidan Miller in the hallway and said, “Man, you got a good little locker spot there.”

“They’ve all kind of made little comments here and there about it,” said Miller, who now occupies the space once reserved for Nick Castellanos, the disgruntled $20 million right fielder who no longer has a locker because he will be traded or released by the weekend.

“I was surprised seeing it myself.”

He shouldn’t be. Nobody should.

Miller is in the Phillies’ plans — and sooner than later. So, it isn’t a coincidence, according to manager Rob Thomson, that he and fellow top prospect Justin Crawford (No. 80 in your spring-training program) are taking up residence on Millionaires’ Row.

Zack Wheeler has a rib as a memento from his surgery for a blood clot. He vows that he won’t skip a step in his return to the mound.

Reliever Orion Kerkering’s spring training will start slowly due to an injury suffered right before camp opened.

🏒 Wondering: What’s going through the mind of Penn State star hockey player and Flyers prospect Gavin McKenna, who now has to wait until mid-March for his preliminary hearing on an assault charge.

🦉 Introducing: The Temple women’s hooper who went from reliable bench player to leading the American Conference in points.

🦅 Sharing: Jason Kelce’s thoughts on a world without Jeff Stoutland leading the Eagles’ offensive line.

🏈 Noticing: Former Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo may have just landed in Miami as the Dolphins’ passing game coordinator.

🙏🏽 Remembering: The life of James van der Beek, the actor who many know for his role on Dawson’s Creek, but who we’ll remember as Jon Moxon, in the film Varsity Blues, who defied an egotistical coach, conquered temptation, and led the Coyotes to a winning season. Mr. Van Der Beek died on Wednesday at age 48.

For hockey fans, the last 24 hours have been pretty awesome. The puck dropped on a men’s hockey doubleheader at the Winter Games in Italy yesterday, but today is the real treat with eight nations facing off, including the United States and Latvia (3:10 p.m., USA Network). Here’s our roundup of reasons to get excited about the men’s edition of the tournament.

In back-to-back games, Villanova has made a pair of wins look really hard to come by. The latest came Tuesday in a three-point victory over Marquette at home. What ails the most? A complete lack of consistent free-throw shooting.

It is worth mentioning that the struggles are abnormal for a program that has consistently resided at the top of the Big East in that statistic for much of the last decade. It should also be noted that the team is 19-5 this season and on pace to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance in four years.

Still, what gives?

It’s what Inquirer writer Jeff Neiburg dives into, along with what’s next as March Madness looms.

The Union wrapped up their preseason competition with a loss on Tuesday against Eastern Conference foe CF Montréal, which saw a pair of red cards dished out, including one to Montréal’s manager.

But that’s not the story. The story is that for the first time, the Union’s latest arrivals got game action and displayed a promising performance. With the signings of multiple million-dollar transfer fee players, the next step is getting them all to jell before the Union’s first official game in Concacaf Champions Cup action against Defence Force in Port of Spain, Trinidad, next Wednesday.

Inquirer writer Jonathan Tannenwald is in Clearwater, the site of Union training camp, for more on the game, but perhaps, more importantly at this juncture — how the new kids played in it.

Feb. 12, 2023: Eagles fans were forced to watch red and yellow confetti fall after the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII, 38-35, in Glendale, Ariz. Since halftime shows seem to be the topic of the moment, do you remember who the performer was in that game? Take a guess and then scroll down for the answer.

“The whole idea of a player recognizing and appreciating a particular program’s history and culture seems quaint in this era of college basketball. It certainly doesn’t have the pull and power that it once did.“ — Sielski offers insight into the state of college basketball and how Villanova guard Tyler Perkins seems to be an exception to the norm.

We asked: Who is your favorite Eagles player of all time?

Wes Hopkins. Wes left everything on the field. Sadly, his career was cut short by injuries, but he and Andre Waters lowered the boom on any and all that came across the middle or the sidelines. — Craig K.

My favorite Eagle was Brian Westbrook. When he came into the league, the thought was that he was too small to be an everyday running back, but that he would be a good return man. He turned out to be so much more than that, a very successful multipurpose back who could run or catch a pass equally well. He was able to have a successful career because of quickness and speed, but, just as important, guts and determination. The fact that he played college ball locally at Villanova was an added bonus. — Tom E.

When I was young, I wanted to be just like Jesse Richardson #72. He was a defensive tackle who clogged up the middle of the field so that the linebackers could do their thing. Not very glamorous work, but I was always amazed watching him work. No face masks in those days, so the expressions were fairly easy to read. Every pickup game, I wanted to be our team’s Jesse. — Bill B.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jasen Lo, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, Gustav Elvin, Olivia Reiner, Matt Mullin, Colin Schofield, Keith Pompey, Mike Sielski, Jonathan Tannenwald, and Jeff Neiburg.

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 all for today. Thanks for allowing me to get your day started. Jim is back tomorrow to get you ready for the weekend. Oh, and if you guessed Rihanna in our On This Date question, you know your halftime shows. — Kerith