Both The Inquirer and the Daily News had stories today in which Villanova senior Reggie Redding is quoted for the first time since being busted with pot and pot paraphernalia back in July. Admirably, Redding doesn’t duck what he did. From the DN:

“I can’t feel sorry for myself for what happened. I did it. I can’t look back and start over, do it again. I’m just going to look forward, be a good example for my teammates, that if they come to any situation like I did, [then] learn from me.”

Redding is suspended for the fall semester, a stretch that will include the season’s first 10 games, including all four of Villanova’s matchups against the city.

UPDATE: Redding did tell ESPN.com’s Dana O’Neil that sitting out is “brutal.”

Link: Redding talks to The Inquirer [The Inquirer]
Redding talks to the Daily News [Daily News]
Redding got caught doing what a lot of college kids do [BIG FIVE POST]
Redding’s suspension details [BIG FIVE POST]
Sitting ain’t easy, says Redding [ESPN.com]
Photo credit: [Villanova University]

We gotta think Dionte Christmas has had better weeks. First, the former Temple star was cut by the 76ers on Wednesday. Then, last night, according to this report in today’s Daily News, he was pulled over by cops in North Philly for driving “erratically” in a car belonging to Sixers forward/center Marreese Speights. Christmas was driving without a license, and the car also — oops! — happened to have a 9mm handgun loaded with seven rounds under the driver’s seat. Not good.

UPDATE: Christmas is free on bail, and his preliminary hearing will be in a few days, according to The Inquirer.

Links: Christmas cut. Remember? [BIG FIVE POST]
Tsk, tsk, Dionte [Daily News]
Christmas free on bail [The Inquirer]

The Atlantic 10 held its Media Day today via a conference call, and of course the big news is what the league’s coaches and selected media voted as the predicted order of finish.

And, while Dayton was picked to win the league, La Salle was picked fourth, Temple tied for fifth (with Duquesne) and Saint Joe’s was 10th. Dayton got 33 of the 57 first-place votes, with three-time defending regular-season champion Xavier getting 18, Richmond receiving four, and Your La Salle Explorers somehow getting two.

And no, we were not one of the two to have voted La Salle first.

Temple junior Lavoy Allen (10.9 ppg., 9.0 rpg) and La Salle senior Rodney Green (17.8 ppg., 5.0 rpg., 105 assists) were both chosen preseason first-team all-league, while Saint Joe’s senior Garrett Williamson was named to the all-defensive team and La Salle’s Aaric Murray was picked for the preseason all-rookie squad.

The complete release straight from the A-10 office is here.

Link: A-10 Media Day! [Atlantic 10 Conference]

The former Temple standout’s chances were considered a longshot when he was invited to training camp with the NBA’s 76ers, and on Wednesday the bad news became official: The hometown Sixers parted ways with him after deciding to keep just 13 guaranteed contracts on the roster. Christmas’ agent said Christmas will pursue options in Europe, but that, too, could prove to be tricky since most European teams already have their rosters set.

We liked Dionte’s game — he could certainly be a tremendous shooter — but he was streaky and his defense was obviously a question mark for the next level. The CSN story linked to above quotes his agent comparing him to former Owl David Hawkins, who landed in Italy. Perhaps, in time, the same will happen for Dionte.

Link: No Christmas for Sixers [phillyBurbs.com]
Europe an option for Christmas? [Comcast SportsNet]

Former Temple great Angelo Musi, an honorable mention All-America in 1941-42, died Monday at the age of 91. Just 5-9, 145 pounds, he went on to become one of the smallest players in NBA history and helped lead the Philadelphia Warriors to the 1946 BAA (as the NBA was called that year) title after a four-year stint in the U.S. Army in which he earned a Bronze Star. Musi also captained the Owls baseball team and twice batted over .300. He was inducted into the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame in 1973.

Link: Angelo Musi has died [Temple University]
Photo credit: [Temple University]

On the day they were officially picked to win the Big East, Villanova’s future also seemed to get brighter. The Wildcats received a verbal Wednesday evening from Achraf Yacoubou, a 6-4 shooting guard from Long Island who’s currently a junior and who was also considering Kentucky and UConn. Yacoubou averaged 21 ppg. as a sophomore last year for a Lutheran (N.Y.) High team that had won a state title, according to this report in today’s Daily News. According to the gang at VUhoops, Yacoubou is ranked No. 76 in his class by Rivals and No. 69 by Scout, though “with his recent performances, analysts only expect him to climb into the Top 20.”

Links: ‘Nova the coaches’ choice in Big East [BIG FIVE POST]
Guard from Class of 2011 commits to ‘Cats [Daily News]
The word on Yacoubou [VUhoops.com]

Caught this pretty cool video at VUhoops.com of Your Villanova Wildcats practicing for the dunk contest that will be a part of the Hoops Mania event (aka Midnight Madness at 6 p.m.) that will take place this Friday evening at the Ski Lodge.

Also this week, La Salle with be hosting what it’s calling a Friends of Bill Raftery open practice on Friday evening at the Gola, while Saint Joe’s will have a Hawk Walk around campus beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday that will be followed by an open practice at 10 at the Hagan.

UPDATE: Temple is also having a free open practice on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at McGonigle Hall.

Oh, yeah. The ‘Nova dunk video. It’s right here. Enjoy.

Links: [VUhoops.com]
La Salle’s FOBR event [La Salle University]
Hawk Walk [Saint Joseph's University]
Temple’s Cherry and White Night [Temple University]

The ‘Cats won the day this morning at Big East Media Day in Noo Yawk. They received 10 of the 16 first-place votes in the league’s coaches’ poll, with West Virginia (5) and UConn (1) getting the others. It’s the first time since the Randy Foye-Allan Ray-Kyle Lowry group in 2005-06 that ‘Nova was picked to win the league. Scottie Reynolds was named first-team preseason all-Big East, while Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody was tabbed as the preseason player of the year for the second season in a row. And Cincinnati’s Lance Stephenson got the nod as the preseason newcomer of the year. That’s all for now.

Links: ‘Nova No. 1 in Big East … for now [Big East Conference]
Big East all-league stuff [Big East Conference]

Big East Media Day is Wednesday in Noo Yawk, but the Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper has taken it upon itself to poll 17 writers who cover the conference in advance of all the fun. Not surprisingly, everyone polled picked either ‘Nova or West Virginia to finish first, with Your Wildcats emerging as the consensus first-place choice. In the all-league category, Scottie Reynolds was a first-team selection, while the Coreys — Fisher and Stokes — both made third-team. Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody — he’s still there? Geez! — was tabbed as the preseason player of the year. And even though ‘Nova has that vaunted recruiting class coming in, Pitt’s Dante Taylor got the nod as the league’s top newcomer. It will be interesting to see how these poll results match up with what comes out of Wednesday’s get-together. Don’t forget to check back here Wednesday to find out.

Link: Why wait until Media Day? [Syracuse Post-Standard]

Your Drexel Dragons return four starters from last year’s 15-14 team that finished sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association, and at today’s CAA Media Day in Washington, D.C., the Dragons were picked to finish seventh out of 12 CAA teams by a vote of the league’s coaches, sports information directors and media.

Drexel lost leading scorer Scott Rodgers (13.6 ppg.) to graduation, but it returns CAA all-rookie team pick Samme Givens, a 6-5 sophomore who averaged 6.8 rpg., and welcomes Givens’ younger brother, Shannon, a 6-foot freshman who was a first-team All-Philadelphia Public League pick last year at Fels High. The other newcomer is a big man — Daryl McCoy of Hartford, Conn., who stands 6-9, 270, but was named Hartford Public High’s Most Improved Player as recently as 2007-08, which means he sounds pretty raw.

The CAA’s coaches and media picked Old Dominion, which returns all five starters from a team that went 25-10, to win the league. Drexel did not have anyone named to the CAA’s preseason all-league team, though former Saint Joe’s guard Jawan Carter was named honorable mention. Carter now plays at Delaware, and he was a third-team all-CAA pick a year ago after averaging 15.0 ppg. He sat out 2007-08 after transferring from Hawk Hill, where he had started 26 of 32 games as a freshman in 2006-07.

Links: Meet Daryl McCoy [Drexel University]
CAA Media Day! [Colonial Athletic Association]
Jawan Carter’s bio [University of Delaware]