Here are some links to a few happenings involving teams around the city in these here dog days of summer…

* It’s a done deal: Villanova will play Maryland on Sunday, Dec. 6, at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. [VUhoops.com]

* The Atlantic 10 has set the conference matchups for next season, and all 14 league schools will play one game against 10 schools and two games each against the other three. From the looks of things, La Salle will play Temple, UMass and George Washington twice; Saint Joe’s will play St. Bonaventure, UMass and Temple twice; and Temple will play La Salle, Saint Joe’s and Rhode Island twice. The complete list can be found here, with dates and times to come. [Saint Joseph's University]

* With Penn’s Zack Rosen leading the way, the U.S. won gold at the Maccabiah Games (aka the Jewish Olympics) with an overtime victory over host Israel. La Salle assistant Harris Adler was an assistant coach for the U.S. team. [University of Pennsylvania/La Salle University]

* According to ESPN.com’s Dana O’Neil (a former ‘Nova beat writer for the Daily News), the NCAA had warned coaches from around the country about attending a dinner at which shoe guru Sonny Vaccaro was being honored. Jay Wright of Your Villanova Wildcats did not go, so breathe a sigh of relief, Main Liners. [ESPN.com]

Reggie Redding, a rising senior for Your Villanova Wildcats, was nabbed by Radnor cops for marijuana possession early Tuesday, according to the Daily News. And from the sound of things, he’s lucky he wasn’t charged with anything more:

Villanova Public Safety officers told Radnor police that a traffic sign had been struck by a car. The car was found parked in one of the dorm lots and later identified through the student database as being owned by Redding.

The Public Safety officers interviewed Redding, who subsequently removed from the car two plastic bags containing suspected marijuana and a grinding device. Field tests indicated the bags contained marijuana.

It remains to be seen what discipline, if any, the university will give Redding. On the one hand, it is just marijuana. On the other, it’s also an illegal substance. But before anyone rushes to judgment — that means some of you who commented at the bottom of the Daily News‘ story, and you know who you are — Redding deserves his day in court. Should he enter a plea or be given ARD, he no doubt deserves some sort of sanction from the school. But let’s let the system have at it before condemning him, if that’s possible in this day and age.

UPDATE: VUhoops.com cites the Villanova student handbook, which has a section related directly to marijuana possession. The minimum charge for a first offense is “disciplinary probation plus an automatic fine of $750.00.”

Link: Redding busted [Daily News]
What could Redding face? [VUhoops.com]
Photo credit: [Villanova University]

With Dionte Christmas having moved on, Your Temple Owls have become Ryan Brooks’ team. And OwlScoop.com has an interesting Q&A with Brooks that’s pretty wide-ranging, going from Brooks’ thoughts on incoming freshmen Rahlir Jefferson and Khalif Wyatt to his take on Lavoy Allen’s aggressiveness to an update on Craig Williams’ post-season knee injury. And you can read it here.

Link: OwlScoop talks to Ryan Brooks [OwlScoop.com]

We missed the chance to tell you about the initial diagnosis, but we’ve since learned that Julian Blanks, a four-year starter at La Salle from 1998-2002, is holding his own in his battle with lymphona. Duane Rankin, a columnist for the Times-News in Blanks’ native Erie, Pa., wrote today about an upcoming streetball game in which Blanks said he “hopes” to play:

Blanks, an Erie native who was diagnosed with cancer in March, said he’ll get his final treatment Thursday and hopes he’ll be OK to play.

“It would mean a lot,” Blanks said. “It would be my first step going back to Europe this year. It would really be the first time I’ve played competitively since I got diagnosed.”

Which is good news, to be sure.

Links: Fundraiser for former La Salle guard Julian Blanks [La Salle University]
Blanks may play in Erie streetball game [Erie Times-News]
Photo credit: [La Salle University]

Your Penn Quakers have added three official recruits to their 2009-10 incoming class, including 6-6 swingman Sean Mullan of Australia, who apparently can play a little, according to this blog entry by Daily Pennsylvanian reporter Noah Rosenstein, which includes a link to a highlight video.

The other recruits are 6-7 Brian Fitzpatrick of Cheshire, Conn., and 6-3 Carson Sullivan of Charlotte, N.C. Rosenstein, in another DP blog post, said the Quakers also have commitments from two other players: Denzel Washington’s son Malcolm and Tommy Eggleston, the younger brother of current Quaker Jack. Washington and Eggleston are both listed as “preferred walk-ons,” a strange designation considering Ivy schools do not give athletic scholarships.

Links: A look at Penn’s three recruits [University of Pennsylvania]
A look at Sean Mullan [Daily Pennsylvanian]
Other coming Quakers [Daily Pennsylvanian]

Temple’s non-conference slate for 2009-10 is taking shape, and the highlights undoubtedly will be visits to the Liacouras from a pair of teams that figure to begin the season ranked in the top five nationally: Villanova, which will swing by on Dec. 13 (a Sunday), and Kansas, which will swoop in on Jan. 2 (a Saturday). Times have not been set. Details on those games, and on several of the Owls’ other non-conference dates, can be found here.

It’s waaay early, of course, and it’s difficult to predict what will become of the Owls in the post-Christmas-Olmos-Inge era, but coach Fran Dunphy does his best to answer a few questions at College Chalk Talk here.

Link: Kansas and ‘Nova will be at Broad and Cecil B. Moore [Temple University]
Dunph on 2009-10 [College Chalk Talk]

Your Villanova Wildcats, who went to the Final Four last season (remember?), will be honored with a pre-game ceremony prior to this evening’s Phillies-Cubs game at Citizens Bank Park in South Philly. According to Mike Sheridan’s notes from today (which also include a lot of details on Corey Fisher’s exploits at the World University Games), coach Jay Wright and “the bulk of the roster” from the 2009 Main Liners will be present. There will also be a 3-minute video presentation that (we’re guessing here) will include a particular shot by one Scottie Reynolds as its climax. Oh, and “one of the Wildcats” is scheduled to throw out the first pitch. Game starts at 7:05. Better hurry.

Links: Phils to honor ‘Nova [Villanova University]
Reynolds made a pretty big shot once upon a time [BIG FIVE POST]

Paul Kenyon, who covers Rhode Island for the Providence Journal, recently penned an analysis of the upcoming season for every school in the A-10 based on his reading of the league’s preseason prospectus. (Where’s our copy, by the way?)

As far as the three A-10 schools from Philly, Kenyon thinks the most of La Salle (which returns everyone and adds Aaric Murray in the middle), while acknowledging that Saint Joe’s and Temple have much to replace. Around the league, Kenyon thinks highly of Xavier (go figure), Dayton, Richmond and Duquesne, with La Salle, UMass and Saint Bonaventure also in the mix. His entire analysis can be read here. Enjoy your weekend.

Link: One dude’s thoughts on what to expect in the A-10 [Providence Journal]

A blog entry on the web site of The Oregonian newspaper in recent days says recent ‘Nova grad Dante Cunningham is off to a good start with the Portland Trail Blazers’ summer league team. The story mentions how Cunningham’s work ethic developed as a result of the no-nonsense approach taken by his parents, both of whom are career Air Force officers. It also points out that the Blazers have signed free agent Paul Millsap to an offer sheet, a fact that could leave Cunningham out in the cold once cuts are made. But not so fast. More after the jump.
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Well, not really. The Explorers recently got in on a pair of late recruits whose last names just happen to be Carey and Grant. And we just couldn’t resist writing that headline.

First, the Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star reported late last week that T.T. Carey, a 6-4 guard who averaged nearly 30 points per game as a senior in 2008-09, will be coming to 20th and Olney. Then, Tuesday’s Daily News had this story about 6-2 Parrish Grant, who led Imhotep Charter to a Class AA state title, also committing. The DN story goes on to not that La Salle had “cut ties” with the troubled Karon Burton, who was enrolled at 20th and Olney last year but who had sat for academic reasons — at least before his April arrest out in Chester.

The commitments give La Salle four recruits heading into next season, with Glen Mills big man Aaric Murray — the school’s biggest recruit in years — and Overbrook guard Nurideen Lindsey being the others. Rivals.com has a bit more info on both here.

Some additional details on Carey Grant can be found at this La Salle fan blog.

Oh, and a hat tip to Dan, who gave us a heads up and who actually he admits he regularly reads BIG FIVE POST.

Links: Carey to La Salle [Fredericksburg.com]
Grant to be an Explorer, too [Daily News]
What’s up with Karon Burton [BIG FIVE POST]
La Salle’s 2009 recruiting class [rivals.com]
La Salle has another fan blog [lasalle-explorers.com]