The Black Women in Sport Foundation’s 2012 Next Step Women of Color Mini-Forum, hosted at Temple University by the Department of Athletics and the College of Education and supported in part by the NCAA, will be held on April 18 at Ritter Hall, Room 211, located at 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The mini-forum is a professional development and preparation program to increase the portion of women of color collegiate head coaches and athletic administrators at 4-year NCAA institutions. The mini-forum is an interactive and networking opportunity to discuss and explore strategies to recruit, inspire, educate and retain women of color in the intercollegiate coaching and athletic administration positions with practicing professionals.

The moderator will be Nikki Franke, Temple’s head fencing coach. The panelists will be Marilyn Stephens, Cheyney University, head women’s basketball coach; Margaret Ottley, West Chester University, associate professor of sport psychology; Amanda Janney, Temple head women’s field hockey coach; Lynsey Grace, Community College of Philadelphia athletic coordinator and Kari-Lei Maddox, Delaware State University assistant lacrosse coach.

Philadelphia 2012 Unsigned Senior Basketball Shootout

There will be an opportunity for all high school senior basketball players who haven’t signed a letter of intent to showcase their talent at the Philadelphia 2012 Unsigned Senior Basketball Shootout. The games will be played at Imhotep Charter, 21st and Godfrey Avenue, on Sunday, April 15. The games will take place at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. For more information on this event, go to runhouse.net.

Phoenix Club announces college players of the year

The Phoenix Club of Philadelphia will recognize the college player of the year, presented to Philadelphia area basketball players (male and female) who have excelled in college during the year. The male award will be given in the name of Wali Jones and the female award will be given in the name of Marilyn Stephens. Both players are products of the Public League. Jones was a great player at Overbrook High and Villanova. Stephens was a star at Simon Gratz and Temple.

This year’s winners are Ramone Moore, Temple, and Gloria Brown (University of Texas – El Paso). The Phoenix Award presentation will be held in June at the Union League of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Big 5 awards

The Philadelphia Big 5 head coaches and media have announced their college basketball awards.

Player of the Year – Zack Rosen, Penn

Most Improved Player – Earl Pettis, La Salle

Rookie of the Year – Jerrell Wright, La Salle

Coach of the Year – Fran Dunphy, Temple

Scholar-Athlete – Zack Rosen, Penn

Team of the Year – Temple

Best Free Throw Percentage – Maalik Wayns, Villanova

Leading Scorer – Zack Rosen, Penn

First team: Zack Rosen, Penn; Ramone Moore, Temple; Maalik Wayns, Villanova; Khalif Wyatt, Temple; Langston Galloway, Saint Joseph’s.

Second team: Tyreek Duren, La Salle; Earl Pettis, La Salle; Carl Jones, Saint Joseph’s; Ramone Galloway, La Salle; C.J. Aiken, Saint Joseph’s, Juan Fernandez, Temple.

Shey Peddy Big 5 women’s basketball player of the year

For a second consecutive year, Temple basketball standout Shey Peddy has earned Big 5 Player of the Year honors. Peddy will receive this honor at the annual Big 5 Women’s Basketball banquet on April 25 at Drexelbrook in Drexel Hill.

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Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers forward, recently stopped by the Simons Ice Rink and Recreation Center, 7200 Woolston Avenue, to teach basic hockey skills to aspiring boys and girls from the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, as part of the grand re-opening celebration of the newly refurbished Simons Ice Rink.

The Simons Ice Rink is one of three city-owned public skating rinks that has been completely re-constructed and fully enclosed making it operational year-round. The renovations at each rink include new classrooms, learning labs and expanded public space.

In addition, Comcast Corporation presented Snider Hockey with a grant to rebuild state-of-the art computer labs in the adjacent recreation center as part of its company-wide Comcast Connect initiative.

Snider Hockey, largely through a personal commitment by Ed Snider, contributed $6.5 million to match a grant from the Commonwealth’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. This unprecedented public/private partnership resulted in a $13 million restoration project to preserve after-school, recreational, and supplemental educational activities for children, youth, and families in the City of Philadelphia.

Snider Hockey provides free “learn to skate” programs, public skating opportunities, ice hockey instruction, and league play, including all equipment, as well as supplemental academic services at no charge to inner city boys and girls. The Philadelphia Parks & Recreation will continue to maintain the rinks.

Tickets on sale for 108th annual Phila. Sports Writers Awards

Standout stars from Philadelphia professional, collegiate and amateur sports teams, including members of the Philadelphia Phillies, the Philadelphia Flyers, and many more, will be honored on the evening of Monday, January 30 for the 108th annual Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Awards Dinner, at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, N.J.

Tickets to the banquet are $95 per person, and available online at http://pswa.org. Doors to the banquet open at 5 p.m. The program begins at 6:30 p.m.

The association dinner is one of the oldest sports banquets in the nation, and annually attracts a number of great athletes, coaches, writers and broadcasters. This year the association will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game and a remembrance of the late heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier.

Moore, Jones, Sweeney named Big 5 Players of the Week

The Philadelphia Big 5 honored Ramone Moore (Temple) and Carl Jones (Saint Joseph’s) as the Big 5 men’s co-players of the week. Moore averaged 20 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists a game in a 2-0 week for the Owls. He scored a career-high 32 points in the squad’s Big 5 victory against Villanova including six points in a decisive 10-0 run that gave Temple a double-digit lead late. In the win over Toledo, Moore scored eight points, but dished out a season-high seven assists.

Jones averaged 21 points, 4.5 rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 2-0 week for the Hawks. He scored his 1,000th career point in a win over Boston University. Jones netted a game-high 29 points in an upset win over No. 19/17 Creighton, scoring 20 of those in the second half and hitting 10-11 foul shots.

The Philadelphia Big 5 honored Laura Sweeney (Villanova) as the Big 5 women’s player of the week. Sweeney led the Wildcats to a 2-0 week that included a hard-fought Big 5 win over Saint Joseph’s. Against Big East foe Providence, she went 10-for-15 from the floor for a game-high 25 points and tied a career-high with 13 rebounds. In the Big 5 showdown against the Hawks, she went 8-for-16 from the floor for 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds. She tallied 16 of her 18 points in the second half and scored of Villanova’s final 14 points of the game.

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Saint Joseph’s has been playing some great basketball over the last three weeks. The Hawks have won their last three games — Iona, Drexel and Morgan State. However, Saint Joseph’s (8-4) will host 14th ranked Butler (12-2) on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at Hagan Arena. The game, which starts at 7 p.m., will be televised on The Comcast Network.

Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph’s head coach, knows Butler has one of best basketball programs in the country. The Bulldogs are new to the Atlantic 10 Conference, but are well known to most fans who follow college basketball. Last month, Butler shook up the college basketball world with its overtime upset of No. 1-ranked Indiana. The Bulldogs are led by their backcourt of 6-foot senior guard Rotnei Clarke (16.2 ppg) and 6-foot-6 freshman Kellen Dunham (11.2 ppg). The Bulldogs also have three other key players in 6-foot-6 junior forward Khyle Marshall (11.1 ppg), 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Roosevelt Jones (9.6 ppg) and 6-foot-11 senior center Andrew Smith (10.9 ppg). Martelli knows the Hawks will be facing a very talented ballclub.

“Butler, I’m enamored with their balance,” Martelli said. “Basically, they have five guys who averaged in double figures. The guys who come in the game are very, very clear on what their role is coming into the game. I have a statement; we haven’t done the videotape and the scouting of the team yet. But the No. 1 statement I’m going to make to them about my team. If you’re not willing to fight for every ball, then stay home.

“Really, the tone is set by Marshall and Jones. They’re fiercely competitive. They’re extraordinarily balanced. They’re extremely, extremely well coached. And they’ve seen and done everything. These guys have played Marquette and North Carolina. Marshall and Smith have been in the Final Four. They’re prepared for everything. They have a basketball answer for everything they do.”

Saint Joseph’s top players are guards Carl Jones and Langston Galloway. Jones, a 5-foot-11 senior, leads the team in scoring. He’s averaging 15.6 points a game. Galloway, a 6-foot-2 junior, is the Hawks second leading scorer. He’s tallying 15.0 points a game. Brad Stevens, Butler head coach, knows his team will be tested with Saint Joseph’s experienced backcourt.

“They’re awfully good,” Stevens said. “I think obviously Carl Jones is a guy who scored 1,600 plus points in his career. He’s very explosive off the bounce. He’s a 38-39 percent three-point shooter. He scores in transition. He scores isolated. He scores off screens. That’s a hard guy to guard.

“Galloway like some of the guys we have from a standpoint to be able to make every open shot. You just feel bad. You sit there and let him get an open look. That is a hard thing to guard. He’s got the ability to put it on the ground. He likes to drive to the baseline elevations on his finishes is fantastic. Both those guys get to the foul line. They’re hard guys to guard. We’re going to have to do that by committee.”

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If you drive down the middle of the lane against Saint Joseph’s, you’d better keep an eye on C.J. Aiken, the Hawks’ sophomore forward. Aiken, a 6-foot-9, 200-pounder from Plymouth Whitemarsh, has already blocked 40 shots this season. He leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in blocked shots with a 5.0 average.

Aiken had nine blocked shots in Saint Joseph’s win over Drexel last week as SJU set the school record with 16 blocks. He had six blocks in a losing effort Sunday night in a 66-60 loss to host American University.

“The one thing I look forward to during the game is playing good defense,” Aiken said. “I just try my hardest out there. My teammates have really helped me out. I have to give them a lot of credit.”

Aiken is surrounded by some great players such as 5-foot-11 junior Carl Jones (19.0 ppg), 6-foot-2 sophomore Langston Galloway (14.5 ppg) and 6-foot-8 sophomore Ronald Roberts. They have all contributed to the Hawks’ great start. Saint Joseph’s has a 5-3 record this season.

Although he has terrific players around him, Aiken has shown great improvement in the past year. In addition to establishing himself as a shotblocker, he has done a nice job of scoring (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg). A year ago, he averaged 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds a game.

Aiken came to Hawk Hill with a tremendous resume. He was named the Pennsylvania Class AAAA Player of the Year in 2010. He averaged 16.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.5 blocked shots while leading Plymouth Whitemarsh to a state championship. He also received Associated Press All-State honors. Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph’s head coach, has been pleased with his development.

“I like that C.J. is enjoying himself,” Martelli said. “I’ve watched him grow up from when he was in the ninth grade. He likes playing basketball. He’s having a good time. I think C.J. feels balanced on this team. He likes to dunk. He likes to get alley-oops and block shots. I’m delighted that he’s having such a good start to the season.”

Saint Joseph’s will face Boston University (4-4) on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at Hagan Arena. The tip-off will be at 7 p.m. The Terriers won the America East and landed a spot in the NCAA tournament last year. Aiken will be looking to block some more shots and score some easy baskets inside.

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It’s that time of year in college basketball where your outstanding players really step up. Ronald Roberts has consistently been one of Saint Joseph’s top players this season.

Roberts played some big time basketball for the Hawks in a huge Big 5 and Atlantic 10 Conference 70-69 win over Temple on Saturday at Hagan Arena. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound junior, led Saint Joseph’s with 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.

The Hawks (13-7 overall, 4-3 A-10) will need to continue to get that kind of effort from Roberts in a very important week of basketball. Saint Joseph’s will visit Dayton on Wednesday, Feb. 6 (The Comcast Network) at 7 p.m. and Massachusetts on Saturday, Feb. 9 (ESPN2) at 2 p.m.

“The rivalry is big,” Roberts said of the history between the Hawks and Owls. “The fans really came out. They showed a lot of support. We’re just trying to build momentum for the next game. We have a tough week coming up. We just have to make sure we used this to try to get those wins away.”

Roberts has given the Hawks a major presence in the lane. Whenever Saint Joseph’s needs a basket, they can go down low to him. He doesn’t do anything fancy. Roberts just catches the ball, backs his way down and goes up strong.

“I take pride playing inside,” Roberts said. “I actually like playing inside even though I’m undersized, some may say. I just like getting rebounds, especially offensive rebounds and just like out hustling my opponent and just going hard.”

Roberts has put on quite a show with his spectacular dunks. However, he enjoys hitting the boards.

“I love getting rebounds,” he said. “It’s just something about getting rebounds. I just go out there and give my teammates extra possessions. I try to go out there and block my man out and go up and get it.”

Roberts was a third team All-State selection from Saint Peter’s Prep in Bayonne, N.J. He comes from a basketball family. His father, Ronald, Sr., played basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1985 to 1987 while his mother Dania was a member of the Dominican Republic’s national team.

“They’ve both been a big influence on me,” Roberts said. “They come to every game. They both played overseas. I work with dad during the summer. My mom always tells me to get those rebounds.”

Roberts has put together a real solid year. He’s averaging 11.4 points and 8.9 rebounds a game. He leads the Hawks in rebounding. Roberts is one of the best players in the Big 5 as well as the A-10.

He has some good players around him like guards Carl Jones, Langston Galloway and Chris Wilson and forward C.J. Aiken. Roberts feels everybody does something that helps the team win. Speaking of winning, he knows what the Hawks have to do down the stretch heading into the conference tournament in March.

“We just have to play with a lot of energy,” he said. “It’s crazy. You see the scores of some of the other games. You can’t take any days off, not in practice, not in the games, not any place. It means a lot. A small play can mean so much.”

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When Saint Joseph’s faces St. Bonaventure in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament on Friday, March 9 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., Carl Jones, Hawks 5-foot-11 junior guard, will be ready to face the Bonnies. This postseason contest will tip-off at 2:30 p.m. on Comcast Sportsnet.

Saint Joseph’s is coming off an 80-64 opening round win over Charlotte on Hawk Hill. However, SJU dropped a 98-93 decision in double overtime to St. Bonaventure on the road last week. Nevertheless, Jones seems to have his shooting touch as he scored a game-high 23 points in the victory over the 49ers. He shot 7-for-11 from the field, 3-for-4 from three-point range and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. He also finished the game with no turnovers.

“It’s a big game for us,” Jones said. “We lost a tough one there. We’re hoping to bounce back on Friday and pull out the win. I thought I had to do whatever it took to get us to the next round. We want to keep advancing and advancing.”

Jones leads the Hawks in scoring. He averages 16.5 points a game. He has the ability to score from long range. Jones also uses his quickness to get in the lane and break his man down in the open court. He will be a major player in terms of how successful the Hawks will be in the tournament. Saint Joseph’s has a 20-12 overall record. They have a chance to get to the NCAA tournament. But Jones knows the team has to play extremely well to win the tournament or receive an at large bid.

“We just have to keep playing together,” Jones said. “We just have to keep playing the way we’re playing. We need to keep this movement going and keep coming together. This is real big for us as a team. We just want to do whatever we can do to keep this run going. ”

Jones has scored in double figures nine consecutive games. He’s capable of getting the hot hand and carrying the Hawks in the tournament. Of course, Jones will have plenty of help from teammates, 6-foot-2 sophomore Langston Galloway (15.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg), 6-foot-9 sophomore C.J. Aiken (11.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.7 bpg), 6-foot-8 sophomore Ronald Roberts Jr. (11.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and 6-foot-8 sophomore Halil Kanacevic (8.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg).

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Nine former Penn State football standouts playing in the National Football League are on playoff teams, with at least one Penn Stater on seven of the teams playing for the Super Bowl XLVII title. There are 30 former Nittany Lions with NFL teams, placing Penn State in the top 15 nationally among schools in producing current NFL players.

A pair of former Nittany Lions — wide receiver Deon Butler and fullback Michael Robinson — are looking to help the Seattle Seahawks capture their first Super Bowl championship. The Seahawks play at Washington on Sunday, Jan. 6. Penn State career rushing yardage leader Evan Royster is in his second season with the Redskins.

NaVorro Bowman, a linebacker, has had an All-Pro season in helping the San Francisco 49ers win the NFC West and a first round bye in the playoffs. Bowman was second in the NFL this season with 149 tackles. He also had one interception, one forced fumble and seven pass break-ups.

Tight end Andrew Quarles is in his third season with the NFC North Champion Green Bay Packers. During his rookie season, he helped the Packers win Super Bowl XLV. Quarles is on the Packers’ injured reserve list and rookie safety Chaz Powell is on the Green Bay practice squad. The Packers host Minnesota on Saturday, Jan. 5.

Also in the NFC, rookie tight end Andrew Szczerba is a member of the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad. The Falcons are the top seed in the NFC and have a first round bye.

In his first season with Indianapolis, 2008 Rimington Trophy winner A.Q. Shipley has worked with rookie quarterback Andrew Luck to help the Colts earn an 11-5 record and an AFC wild card berth. The Colts play at Baltimore on Sunday.

A 2011 consensus first-team All-American, rookie defensive tackle Devon Still has helped Cincinnati to an AFC wild card berth. The Bengals play at Houston on Saturday.

In addition to the nine players, one former Nittany Lion football student-athlete and one former assistant coach are on the coaching staffs of NFL playoff teams. Former Nittany Lions defensive standout Darren Perry is in his fourth season coaching the Green Bay safeties and has earned Super Bowl rings as a coach with the Packers (XLV) and Pittsburgh Steelers (XL).

Former Penn State assistant coach Jim Caldwell is in his first season as offensive coordinator with Baltimore. As head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, he led the team to Super Bowl XLIV.

In addition to Bowman ranking No. 2 in the NFL in tackles this season, former Penn State two-time All-America linebacker Paul Posluszny (Jacksonville) was tied for No. 8 in the NFL with 139 hits. A Butkus and Bednarik Award winner, Posluszny also grabbed three interceptions, forced two fumbles and had 10 pass break-ups this season.

Former Penn State linebacker Cameron Wake (Miami) earned his second All-Pro selection after recording 15.0 sacks this season to rank No. 4 in the NFL. And former Nittany Lion consensus All-American Tamba Hali (Kansas City) earned his second Pro Bowl selection.

A total of 329 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL draft, including 36 in the first round. In the 2012 NFL draft, Penn State had at least four players selected for the 39^th time in NFL draft history.

Penn State has had at least one alumnus on a Super Bowl team for 41 of 46 title games. Thirty-four former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 51 Super Bowl rings as players, including tackle Kareem McKenzie and defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.

Saint Joseph’s Carl Jones named Big 5 and Atlantic 10 Player of the Week

Carl Jones, Saint Joseph’s senior guard, has been named the Big 5 and Atlantic 10 Conference player of the week. Jones scored a season-high 32 points, with 17 in the first half, as Hawks snapped a two-game losing streak with a win over Iona.

Jones also tallied 11 points in Saint Joseph’s 63-49 win over Drexel on New Year’s Eve. The Hawks now have a 7-4 record overall.

Temple to face sixth-ranked Kansas on Jan. 6

The Temple Owls (10-2) will battle No. 6 ranked Kansas (11-1) on the road. The Owls will travel to Lawrence, Kansas for a big non-conference game on Sunday, Jan. 6. The tip-off for this contest will be at 4:30 p.m. on CBS3. Kansas owns a 29-game winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse.

Vick, wife Kijafa to hold fundraiser

Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and his wife, Kijafa Vick, will hold a fundraiser for her husband’s charity, Team Vick Foundation. The event will be held at Tashan, 777 South Broad Street, on Monday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person to attend the event.

Team Vick Foundation has demonstrated a strong commitment to serving the community. The foundation has been involved with a number of community efforts in Philadelphia supporting people in need.

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The college basketball season in Philadelphia is right around the corner. Actually, some Big 5 teams will be in action this weekend. ESPN college basketball analysts Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas offered their views on Drexel and Saint Joseph’s basketball teams this week. Drexel and Saint Joseph’s are favored to win the Colonial Athletic Association and the Atlantic 10 Conference championships, respectively.

“When you look at Drexel, Bruiser (Flint, head coach) has done a heck of a job down there,” Vitale said. “Those kids play hard, they play with passion, feeling, and they’ve got a nice nucleus coming back. You talk about St. Joe’s, it’s going to be dynamite this year. They’re in a tough conference. That conference doesn’t get any publicity. There’s probably nine good teams, with the addition of Butler now and VCU in that conference takes them to another level.”

“The one thing I love about the Big 5 is the emotion, the passion, the level there. It’s obviously not the level that it was years ago, but it still makes for some interesting, exciting competition, and I think that’s healthy for the game, I really do.”

Bilas envisions a big year for the city teams. Like Vitale, he’s very impressed with the Dragons and the Hawks.

“I think it’s going to be a great year in the Big 5,” Bilas said. “Villanova will be better, and I think there will be more experience. They’ve got some good newcomers coming in. I think that we might wind up saying at the end of this that Saint Joseph’s is the best team because they’ve got some really good experience coming back. I’m a big fan of their guards. Carl Jones is a scoring guard, a senior and then Langston Galloway is probably one of the five or 10 best shooters in the country.”

St. Joe’s had a solid turnaround last season after a disappointing 2010-11 campaign when they lost 22 games. The Hawks registered a 20-14 mark and an NIT berth last season. Under head coach Phil Martelli, the Hawks were one of nine teams to win 20 games a year after losing 20 the previous season.

Bilas really likes the team’s depth and complementary pieces.

“CJ Aiken is a really good shot blocker, the (Ronald) Roberts kid, I know he was more of a reserve last year, kind of a sixth-man type, but he’s a guy doesn’t matter whether he starts or not. That’s a really good team that’s paid their dues together and they’re not going to take anything for granted.”

Bilas said Drexel is probably the best team in the CAA and is the preseason favorite along with Delaware.

“Drexel will probably play with even a little bit more of a chip on its shoulder, not that Bruiser doesn’t have it on both shoulders for that team. But not having gotten into the tournament after winning 27 games last year, they made the most compelling case of any team that didn’t get in that they should have gotten in, and I’m a big fan of Frantz Massenat (Drexel point guard). He’s a Jersey kid and a really terrific player.”

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Montel Harris, Temple senior running back, has been named the Big East Offensive Player of the Week. In Saturday’s 37-28 win over South Florida in the Big East opener, Harris recorded his first 100-yard performance with the Owls, leading the rushers with 133 yards and two touchdowns. He leads the nation with 23 total 100-yard games in his career. Harris also earned Big East Helmet Stickers from ESPN.

Coaching greats Franke, Sloan Green to be honored

Current Temple fencing coach Nikki Franke and former lacrosse coach Tina Sloan Green are among 12 African-American women who will be honored by the Burlington-Camden Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi in November.

Through its community development corporation, Kappa Alpha Psi will celebrate the achievements of these 12 women at Auletto’s Catering in Deptford, N.J., on Nov. 4. This year’s Master of Ceremonies will be Eleanor Jean Hendley, a past honoree who is an Emmy-award winning former CBS 3 Eyewitness News education reporter. Tickets for the event are $60 per person and can be obtained by calling Richard A. Williams at (609) 634-5551.

The other 10 honorees are: Gwendolyn Joyce Brown, Paula René Bruner, Jericka Duncan, Norma Evans, Frances Jones, Charisse R. Lillie, Rochelle D. Laws, Yvette Sample, Aleta Sturdivant and Carolyn James Weeks.

Franke, a native of New York City, graduated with honors from Brooklyn College in 1972 where she was a four-year letterwinner in fencing and was named NIWFA All-American. She was later inducted into the Brooklyn College Hall of Fame in 1979. From 1973 to 1981, she was a member of the U.S. National Fencing Team.

Franke was a member of the 1976 Olympic fencing team in Montreal and the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. In 1975, she was a member of the U.S. Fencing Team in the Pan American Games and was a silver medalist as an individual while also winning a team bronze.

Dr. Franke is currently an associate professor in Temple’s department of Public Health, having completed her master’s degree in health education from Temple in 1975 and the doctoral program in 1988. Franke, a Hall of Fame coach, is entering her 41st season as director of fencing and women’s foil coach at Temple with an impressive 625-156-1 career record. She has been Temple’s fencing coach since the program began in 1972 and has led the Temple fencers to 40 postseason appearances.

Sloan Green co-founded the Black Women in Sport Foundation in 1992. Since assuming the helm, she has worked to ensure that young underserved minority students gain full exposure to nontraditional sports as well as to provide healthy alternatives to at-risk women and children in all aspects of sport. Sloan Green’s impressive track record for filling a much-needed void in women’s sports continues to garner the organization increasing support from both the public and private sectors.

Sloan Green leaves an indelible mark on any project she takes on. She was the first African-American head coach in the history of women’s intercollegiate lacrosse. She was head coach of Temple’s lacrosse team from 1973 to 1992. During this time, Sloan Green amassed a 207-62-4 career coaching record with a .758 career winning percentage. She led the Owls to three national championships and 11 consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances.

Her work off the field is very impressive. As professor of Sport and Culture in Temple’s College of Education, she served as co-principal investigator of Sisters in Sports Science, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation, and director of the Temple University National Youth Sports Program.

Saint Joseph’s picked to finish first in Atlantic 10

Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team has been picked as the preseason favorite in the Atlantic 10 Conference for the 2012–13 season, according to a poll of the league’s head coaches and media. In addition, four Hawks — C.J. Aiken, Langston Galloway, Carl Jones and Halil Kanacevic were named to the preseason all-conference teams. The Hawks open the season on November 12 hosting Yale in the first game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

NCAA tickets at Wells Fargo Center to go on sale on

Tickets for the second and third round of the 2013 NCAA men’s basketball championship at Wells Fargo Center will go on sale on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. Tickets will be available exclusively through ComcastTIX.com or by phone at 1-800-298-4200.

Four second games will be played at Wells Fargo Center on March 22 and two third round games will follow on March 24, as tournament participants seek to advance to the 2013 Final Four in Atlanta.

Wells Fargo Center has previously been the site of the 2006 and 2009 NCAA men’s first and second rounds, which was hosted by the Atlantic 10 Conference; the 2001 NCAA men’s East Regional; and the 2000 NCAA Women’s Final Four. Wells Fargo Center also hosted the 2011 NCAA wrestling championships.

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This could be a big year on Hawk Hill. Saint Joseph’s was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Hawks return all five starters from last year’s 20-14 team, which advanced to the first round of the NIT. Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph’s head basketball coach, is keeping everything in its proper perspective as the college basketball season begins.

Despite the early season accolades, he knows the Hawks have some work to do. In fact, they have a great non-conference schedule that will test Saint Joseph’s right away.

The Hawks will open the season on Nov. 12 at home against Yale in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic game. After that, Saint Joseph’s will then battle Notre Dame in the tournament on Nov. 16 in the Barclays Center. The Hawks will then face either BYU or Florida State, as the championship and consolation games will be played on Nov. 17.

“Always in our scheduling we try to prepare our team to play on the road in the Atlantic 10,” Martelli said. “So, we have road games in there and people would say shouldn’t teams in this league play a lot of home games. Well, two we would like to play a lot of home games. We have student season tickets that sold out in six days. Then, the additional allotment that went to students sold out in three minutes. They deserved to see their team. It’s their team.

“Scheduling, you go to New York play Notre Dame won over 20 NCAA tournament, BYU won over 20 NCAA tournament and Florida State won over 20 NCAA tournament. It’s planned a certain way that we’ll be challenged.”

The Hawks have some quality players in the backcourt with guards Carl Jones and Langston Galloway. Jones led the team in scoring with 17 points last season. Galloway was Saint Joseph’s second leading scorer tallying 15.5 points a game.

Up front, they have 6-foot-9 C.J. Aiken, the 2012 A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, who ranked fifth in the nation in blocked shots with a 3.53 average. In addition, 6-foot-8 Ronald Roberts was the A-10 Sixth Man of the Year last season. Halil Kanacevic, a 6-foot-8 power forward, averaged 8.3 points and 8.3 rebounds a game last season.

“They’re experienced players,” Martelli said. “They’ve played a lot of games. They deserved to hold their heads high and stick their chests out. They can say, ‘Wow! We won 20 times last year. We went to the postseason.’ They should embrace those 20 wins.”

Jones, a 5-foot-11 senior, spent a lot of time polishing his basketball skills during the summer months. He’s excited about the upcoming season on Hawk Hill.

“I just hope we can come together and do the things we need to and finish those games we didn’t finish last year,” Jones said. “I feel real good about that (preseason favorite). We know what people can do now. We know our weaknesses and strengths. It should be a lot better.”

Galloway, a 6-foot-2 junior, is coming off a strong season. He’s one of the Hawks best all-around players. He’s well aware of all the attention.

“It’s been great, but you have to keep working to get better,” Galloway said. “You have to be prepared for when time comes to play in the Atlantic 10. We want to build on last year. We want to do more. We’ve all been working this summer to try to get better. We’ve been working on our jump shots and going to the basket. It’s going to be exciting to see how far we can go.”

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .