As if we didn’t have enough great basketball happening with the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament this weekend, the field was announced today for the 2010 Legends Classic taking place at Boardwalk Hall Nov. 26-27. Syracuse University, currently ranked No. 3 in the country and expected to make a splash in the NCAA tournament this year out of the Big East, is in the Legends’ field, joined by Michigan out of the Big 10, UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso) out of Conference USA and Georgia Tech out of the ACC. Last November Florida won the tournament beating Michigan State and Rutgers. Tickets go on sale Thursday, March 11, at noon.

Allen Iverson has come a long way since he ranted about “practice” and later drove himself out of town three years ago with his off-the-field antics. His tear-filled return yesterday via a press conference really did seem sincere, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be the same old A.I. once Lou Williams is back in the starting line-up or if his minutes are reduced.

Even saying that, I’m going to embrace the return of A.I. The Sixers have been painful to watch and if I’m looking at their guard line-up through the red-rimmed eyes of Iverson, I’m thinking, “Is there anyone there who deserves to start in front of me?” The Answer is “No.”

I suspect that with this offensive line-up, with Andre Iguodala, Thad Young, Jason Kapono, Elton Brand, etc., Iverson will be smart enough to drive and kick as often as he drives and shoots. No matter what happens, it will be more fun to watch the Sixers than it has been in the middle of their current, all-too-familiar losing streak.

I though it was interesting that Eric Snow was in town and attended the press conference. He was always a good influence on A.I. and was there to support him, as well as for his duties as an analyst on NBA TV.

Rants and raves about burning topics that have caught my attention midweek, be it greedy corporate shenanigans, frustration or joy in regards to the Philly sports teams, a movie, show or DVD that has fired up my imagination, an intriguing personality, or my on-going battle to lose weight in our fast food world. — Lori Hoffman, Associate Editor, Atlantic City Weekly

After all the speculation about the return of The Answer, the news broke at 9am this morning (Wednesday, Dec. 2). Allen Iverson is back with the Sixers. (Warning to Atlantic City casinos: you’ll likely be seeing a lot more of A.I. at the tables. His behavior at said casinos has sometimes been less than acceptable).

But back to basketball: Iverson has accepted a non-guaranteed contract that gives the club some flexibility (they can let him go without a financial hit) if this grand experiment doesn’t work out before Jan. 10 when his prorated 1.3 million salary becomes guaranteed.

We all knew the “Iverson retires” ploy was just that, a move to save face if no other team in the NBA was willing to take a chance on a former great player who doesn’t want to come off the bench, let alone play any defense.

If the Sixers were playing better, if Elton Brand didn’t look like a stiff, if Lou Williams didn’t break his jaw, if Maurice Speights weren’t injured, the Iverson rumor would have died. However, the team has looked awful, they don’t seem to be getting the hang of coach Eddie Jordan’s Princeton “read and react” offense and they are going down the tubes fast. Most of their wins have come against the Knicks and the winless Nets, so desperate times call for desperate measures.

Certainly the arrival of Iverson should work out better than the last controversial move by a Philly franchise, the Eagles signing Michael Vick. That move was a non-starter but at least it didn’t disrupt the team.

Disruption just might be what the Sixers need. Stir A.I. into the mix and maybe he will push the team’s other A.I., Andre Iguodala, to play with more intensity. If I hear the Sixers play by play announcers say that Iguodala “stuffs a stat sheet” one more time, I’m going to smash in my TV set with a baseball bat. Stuffing the stat sheet hasn’t translated into wins. Iggy was supposed to be “The Man” when Iverson left. He has instead developed into a decent complimentary player who needs a superstar to bump up his game.

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In two exciting games of college hoops last night at Boardwalk Hall, Florida pulled off the upset of No. 2 ranked Michigan State and Rutgers defeated the University of Massachusetts 83-75. You can read my story here.

Below are a few pictures from the night.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.

Power dunk by Draymond Green.

State's Durell Summers makes a move.

Sean Carter of UMass drives.

Florida coach Billy Donovan.

Boardwalk Hall has been such a great venue for the Atlantic 10 Mens Basketball Tournament, it will be the home for another basketball tourney this November, the 2009 Legends Classic. Michigan State, Rutgers, Florida and UMass have been announced as the four regional hosts for the 2009 Legends Classic. The tournament will tip-off with Regional Round games November 18-22 and conclude with the four host schools automatically advancing to the Championship Rounds at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ on November 27 and 28. The doubleheaders are scheduled to begin at 5:30pm ET on both Friday and Saturday.
Tickets go on sale Friday, July 24, at 12pm ET. Tickets can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-736-1420. Tickets start at just $10. A limited number of courtside seats are available.

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When the Atlantic 10 Mens’ Basketball Tournament returns to Atlantic City next March one of the league’s top coaches will be missing. Sean Miller, who has done a tremendous job turning Xavier into a Top 25 basketball program the last five years, has taken the coaching job at Arizona. I bet Andre Iguodala is happy that his alma mater has picked Miller to lead the team back to prominence. Miller said about the change, “I would never leave Xavier unless it was a place where I really felt you could win a national championship, When I say that, it does not mean you can’t win one here. [Arizona] is a place that has done it before.”

C. Vivian Stringer, the legendary women’s basketball coach at Rutgers, will be honored at The Arc of Atlantic County’s 5th annual tribute dinner and silent auction on Thursday, May 14. The event will take place at The Carriage House, 25 South Pitney Road, Galloway, from 5:30-9:30pm. Tickets are $125, or $200 for VIP tickets, and include a cocktail hour, hors d’ oeuvres, dinner, silent auction and program where Coach Stringer will receive an award and share her story. The tribute dinner is The Arc of Atlantic County’s largest event to help raise funds for its programs and services that support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in Atlantic County.
The Arc is currently seeking sponsorships and program advertising, ranging from $50 to $10,000. Silent auction donations including gift certificates, overnight trips, and jewelry are also requested. Tickets, ads and sponsorships can be purchased online here http://www.arcatlantic.org/CoachStringer.aspor by calling Deborah Jewell at 609-485-0800 ext. 135.
(Picture of Stringer provided by Rutgers Athletics.)

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