Tag: Drexel

Rutgers wrestling readies for the Garden State Grapple

Rutgers Wrestling will faceoff against some tough competition this weekend.

On SundayRutgers wrestling is set to face off against No. 21 UPenn and Drexel in the Garden State Grapple. For the second year in a row, the dual-scheduled event will be held at the Prudential Center in Newark N.J.

The schools that will participate in this showcase will be: No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 19 Rutgers, No. 21 UPenn, Drexel, Binghamton, Indiana, Michigan State, and Princeton.

The showcase will be an entertaining one with three out of the eight schools listed in the top 25. The rest of the competition is strong as well. Indiana, Michigan State, and Princeton are on the verge of breaking the NCAA top 25 rankings, receiving votes in the latest coach’s poll.

Rutgers head coach, Scott Goodale, is looking forward to the showcase, calling it an “electric atmosphere.” Goodale went on to express the opportunity this event brings to compete with high-level competition.

Rutgers had success last year in the Garden State Grapple, defeating the then-No. 12 North Carolina along with Hofstra to move to 8-0 on the season. Last year’s Garden State Grapple capped off Rutgers’ best start of the season since 2014-2015. The Scarlet Knights will look to continue their success for the second consecutive year, as they prepare for this upcoming showcase.

Event Schedule:

Dual Meet Round 1 Time: 2 p.m. EST
No. 19 Rutgers No. 21 UPenn
No. 11 Wisconsin Princeton
Michigan State Binghamton
Indiana Drexel
Dual Meet Round 2 Time: 4 p.m. EST
No. 19 Rutgers Drexel
No. 11 Wisconsin No. 21 UPenn
Michigan State Princeton
Indiana Binghamton

 

Coppin State somehow forgot their jerseys and had to wear Drexel’s practice uniforms during loss

Coppin State doesn’t have an equipment manager and they are in the midst of a grueling travel schedule.

Here is one that you definitely haven’t seen before: Coppin State somehow had to end up wearing Drexel’s practice jerseys during a loss.

The lowly Eagles were 1-13 (.071) on the season heading into their game against Drexel on Dec. 14.  The Baltimore-based program hosted Towson over the weekend and then headed on the road to face Philadelphia to take on Drexel.

But as noted by Kevin Sweeney, Coppin State forgot an incredibly important step when packing for their road trip. Gatorade? Check. Ball pump? Check. Headbands? Check. Jerseys? Ahhhhhhhh, shoot.

Coppin State is in the midst of an absolutely grueling schedule so far this season. When you look at how much they’ve traveled this season, it’s not a surprise they slipped up against Drexel.

To start the year, they lost to Loyola Chicago by a whopping 103-45. They also had tough losses to big programs like DePaul, UCONN, Virginia and St. Bonnaventure. Almost all of their games are on the road and their third home game of the season doesn’t come until they face their 22nd opponent on Jan. 24.

Players on the squad have spent such a small amount of time actually on the Coppin State campus that, per Sweeney, some players have forgotten where their classes are (via SI):

“The team has actually had time to practice rather than just work through game prep, and the players are on campus enough to go to class for the first time in a while, rather than doing all their academic work in 90-minute study hall sessions at team hotels. In one humorous example, Tarke recalled receiving a text from his professor asking him to come to class two weeks ago on one of the team’s rare days spent in Baltimore. Tarke had been gone from his academics so long he had forgotten his class schedule, and saw the text when he got home from a practice.”

They’re spending so much time on the road that head coach Juan Dixon — yes, the same one who played nine seasons in the NBA — says that he is literally doing laundry for the team every night.

As noted by University of Texas-San Antonio equipment manager Tyler Renard, Coppin State doesn’t actually have an equipment manager on their staff. A quick visit to their staff directory suggests the same thing.

When you think about it from that perspective, it’s surprising they’ve only had one jersey mishap. Either way, you can watch the chaos unfold below.

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After impressive game vs. 76ers, Damion Lee gets support from Steph Curry and Kevin Durant

After Damion Lee recorded 24 points against the 76ers, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry posted support for the former two-way guard on social media.

In Stephen Curry’s return to the Golden State Warriors against the Toronto Raptors, Damion Lee quietly stole the show. The former two-way guard matched Curry with 23 points while adding five rebounds, three assists and a steal against the defending NBA champions.

However, Lee’s game was defined by how he finished. Down four points with 26 seconds remaining, the Drexel product missed two crucial free throws that followed with a missed 3-pointer. Toronto was able to seal the game with two free throws on the other end.

In Golden State’s next game on the schedule, Lee found redemption. Against the Philadelphia 76ers, the 27-year-old guard racked up 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting with six rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes.

In Golden State’s comeback win, Lee punched in a critical left-handed baseline runner while he was fouled. The Golden State guard knocked down his free throw attempt to give the Warriors a two-point lead with under two minutes remaining. In the fourth quarter alone, Lee registered seven points and three rebounds.

After his impressive night against the Sixers, Lee received support from two former Most Valuable Players.

As Lee was chosen to participate in a postgame interview, Kevin Durant shared a picture of his former two-way contract teammate on his Instagram story.

Curry missed Golden State’s comeback win against the 76ers due to the flu, but after the game, he tweeted praise for his backcourt mate.

Over the last eight games, Lee is averaging 16.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest. The Baltimore native will get another chance to build off his hot play when the Warriors welcome Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers to San Francisco.