SPORTS WRAP
BY WILLIAM HATHAWAY, JR.
Photos By Felicia Laguerre Owens
The 2023 INVESCO QQQ Legacy Classic HBCU invitational took place this past weekend on Feb. 4, in which four of the Best HBCU Colleges in the country participated in the showcase. Actor Michael B. Jordan hosted this event in Newark, which was almost a complete sellout at the Prudential Center. A bunch of celebrities were on hand, including HBCU alum Stephen A. Smith and Newark native and boxing champion Shakur Stevenson, who has an upcoming fight on April 8th in Newark.
In the first game of the day, it was Morgan State defeating Delaware State 75-65. Kamron Hobbs went 9-15 from the field with 24 points and 5 rebounds, and Lewis Djonkam had 18 points and 9 rebounds, leading to MVP honors. Delaware State was led by Martaz Robinson’s 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Brandon Stone had 16 points and 6 boards. Morgan State shot 60 percent from the field against their MEAC rival. Overall, Morgan State leads the series 64-45.
In the second game of the Legacy, it was Norfolk State beating Hampton 83-71. Leading Norfolk State was Joe Bryant with 29 points and 5 rebounds. He got support from Dana Tate, who poured in 21 points and 6 rebounds. Hampton was led by Jordan Nesbitt and his 19 points and 3 rebounds. Other highlights during the Legacy Classic included a battle of the bands and some donations for HBCU causes.
In other college basketball action at the Prudential Center, the Seton Hall men’s basketball team defeated DePaul 69-64. The pirates was down by 13 points at the start of the game, but stormed back to finish off the Blue Demons on their way to their 7th victory in the last eight games. Five players provided nearly all the scoring, as Tyrese Samuels had 14 points and 7 rebounds, KC Ndefo added 13 points and 6 rebounds, Kadary Richmond pitched in 14 points and 6 rebounds, Al-Amir Dawes put in 12 points and 4 rebounds and Tray Jackson chipped in 10 points and 5 rebounds. The Hall is currently 15-9 overall and 8-5 in the Big East Conference. The latest victory will help the Pirates stay alive in their March Madness quest under first year head coach Shaheen Holloway.
The NBA provided some big news, as the Nets traded point guard and West Orange native Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, bringing back former Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, wingman Dorian Finney-Smith and a package of draft picks. There is no word on if the team will unload star Kevin Durant by the trade deadline.
Finally, this weekend will belong to the National Football League, as the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will clash in Super Bowl 57 at Glendale, Arizona. This game will be the first in SB history with two starting quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts for Philly and Patrick Mahomes for KC. The Chiefs previously won Super Bowl 54 over the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in early 2020, while the Eagles won SB 52 two years earlier over the New England Patriots 34-28. The game is being called the “Andy Reid Bowl” as Reid formerly coached the Eagles, and is currently in charge of the Chiefs.
In other news, Tom Brady has decided to retire again. This time, it seems permanent, as he has achieved of goal of playing until he was 45 years old.
Also, congratulations are in order for LeBron James, who has passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA’s all time scoring list.
