The Eagles’ first-stringers get little to no action in exhibition games, annual joint practices with other teams become one of the few opportunities for starters to get preseason reps of consequence. This year, the Eagles traveled to New England for two days of live workouts with the Patriots. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Boston Sports Journal’s Greg A. Bedard recap what they saw, and explain why, even after the joint practices, the Eagles still haven’t shown much of an identity.
00:00 Eagles vs. Patriots joint practices: was there a winner?
04:37 Bedard’s impressions of Eagles’ new offense
09:42 What will offensive coordinator Sean Mannion be able to get out of quarterback Jalen Hurts?
21:30 How has A.J. Brown looked for Patriots?
29:50 Highlighting some key one-on-one battles
36:03 Are joint practices worth it?
43:14 Jeff’s mailbag
unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes throughout the season. We’re always looking for mailbag questions! Hit Jeff up on his socials, or drop a question in the comments. Jeff could answer it in a future episode!
The new leader of Iran’s top security body is threatening neighbors against joining new U.S. efforts to squeeze Tehran’s economy. Egypt is trying to revive Iran-U.S. negotiations. And Iraq and Iran say Tehran has helped some ships carrying Iraqi oil to transit the Strait of Hormuz. France and Saudi Arabia are expected to discuss plans to bypass the waterway.
Meanwhile, Israel has carried out strikes in Syria and in Gaza.
Iran’s new top security adviser issues threats
The hard-line new leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council threatened Tehran’s neighbors against joining the new U.S. effort to hurt Iran’s economy, and accused the United States of increasing global nuclear insecurity with months of war.
“If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner,” he said in an interview with the state broadcaster that aired Saturday.
Mohsen Rezaei was named this month as part of senior appointments widely seen as hardening Tehran’s political and military stance. His interview with IRIB is his most extensive public statement since then.
Rezaei said Iran would target oil-shipping routes out of the Persian Gulf — alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz — if neighbors join what he described as the economic war against Iran. Those neighbors would be considered enemies and “we will target their interests,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump in the past week has vowed to increase Iran’s pain by imposing an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation. Iran has lived under sanctions for years.
Rezaei said discussions with Oman, located on the other side of the strait, over management of it were ongoing, and said fees would be imposed. Iran asserted control over what was seen as an international waterway shortly after the U.S. and Israel attacked on Feb. 28.
Rezaei also vowed to make changes to Iran’s diplomacy and bring new capabilities to what he called the next war. He warned the U.S. against sending more military personnel to the region, and said the U.S. had increased nuclear insecurity because countries see that participating in international monitoring efforts, as Iran has done, is no protection against attack.
Egypt tries to revive U.S.-Iran negotiations
The top diplomats for Egypt and Iran discussed efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table to settle the war, Egypt’s foreign ministry said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty also discussed the Iranian-Omani talks, the ministry said.
Araghchi briefed Egypt’s foreign minister about “Iran’s view of ongoing developments, the course of negotiations and their challenges,” the ministry said, without elaborating. Araghchi confirmed the call. Separately, Araghchi said he had a call with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir,
Iran and Iraq say some Iraqi oil is facilitated through the strait
The governments of Iraq and Iran said Tehran has helped some ships carrying Iraqi oil to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil, natural gas, and other supplies, but there were few details.
“There is facilitation for some ships carrying Iraqi oil in the Strait of Hormuz,” Iraqi President Nizar Amidi said in comments published Saturday by the state-run news agency, adding that Iraq doesn’t have a national carrier for transporting oil.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said a number of Iraqi oil tankers have been permitted to transit. It was not clear how many or what Iran might have received in return.
Syria says an Israeli drone strikes inside a village
An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle wounded one person on Saturday in the southwestern Syrian village of Beit Jin, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. Syria’s foreign ministry said several civilians were injured and called the strike a flagrant violation of the country’s sovereignty.
The Israeli military said it targeted a “terrorist who advanced terror attacks in final stages of preparation,” without elaborating. It wasn’t immediately clear if it was the same strike.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes around Syria after the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in late 2024, mainly destroying army assets to keep them out of the hands of his successors.
Messages differ on the Golan Heights
In an interview on Friday with Mario Nawfal, a Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur, U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack said Israel “still” occupies the Golan Heights in violation of U.N. resolutions.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Saturday in a statement called Barrack’s remarks “full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict Trump’s own position.”
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981. The U.N. considers the territory occupied Syrian land. But in March 2019, Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, reversing decades of U.S. policy.
French president, Saudi crown prince will meet
French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are expected to discuss plans to develop alternative routes to the Strait of Hormuz during the Saudi leader’s two-day visit to Paris that starts on Sunday, according to officials in the presidency who weren’t authorized to be publicly named.
Proposals include increasing trade through Omani ports outside of the Persian Gulf, expanding or doubling pipelines in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, and developing new rail links, the officials said.
France and Saudi Arabia have formed a task force on energy and logistics connections between the Middle East and Europe that is scheduled to meet at the ministerial level Monday. The officials said the work would focus on identifying the most strategic projects, securing financing, and establishing roles for French companies.
An Israeli strike in Gaza kills 1 Palestinian
An Israeli strike on the backyard of a house in central Gaza killed one Palestinian and wounded another Saturday, according to health officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital.
Israel’s military said it targeted Sharif al-Hasanat, a Hamas commander who “advanced terror attacks and took part in efforts to restore Hamas’ underground infrastructure.” Days earlier, a U.S. negotiator reportedly asked Israel to draw down attacks while seeking to make progress on the ceasefire.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has urged a federal judge to reject the BBC’s request for the court’s help in securing testimony and documents from three family members in response to his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster.
The BBC is trying to gain “politically-driven leverage” over Trump by serving subpoenas on daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner and son Donald Trump Jr., personal lawyers for the Republican president argued in a court filing Friday.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz in Miami did not immediately rule on the dispute.
Kuntz, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, inherited the president’s lawsuit from another judge less than a week ago. Court filings did not immediately specify a reason for the case’s reassignment. The previous judge has set a February trial date.
In May, a process server working for the BBC tried to serve subpoenas on Ivanka Trump and Kushner at their residence but encountered Secret Service agents who said they were not authorized to accept it, according to the president’s lawyers. They said the process server also visited Trump Tower in New York several days later in a failed attempt to serve Donald Trump Jr.
In a court filing last week, the broadcaster asked for the court’s permission to serve subpoenas on Trump’s family members by certified mail instead of in person.
Trump’s lawsuit, filed in December, accuses the BBC of deceptively editing portions of the speech that he delivered near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over Trump. The suit claims the BBC spliced together separate parts of Trump’s speech to intentionally misrepresent what he said.
The lawsuit alleges the BBC aired its documentary a week before the 2024 presidential election in “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the outcome to Trump’s detriment.
“The relief that the BBC’s Motion seeks cannot be segregated from the politically charged discovery campaign that it is based on, and which has already been ruled as improperly overbroad by this Court,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.
The BBC has apologized to Trump for the misleading edit, but it denies defaming him.
WASHINGTON — The Postal Service on Friday published regulations that would restrict mail voting, its latest effort to comply with President Donald Trump’s call to restrict the popular practice just months before the midterm elections.
In a 95-page final rule, the Postal Service clarified how it would carry out an executive order Trump signed in March, which sought to restrict mail ballots and create state-by-state lists of citizens to help determine voting eligibility.
In the rule, the Postal Service said that it would deliver mail ballots only in states that shared voter data with the federal agency.
Before the Postal Service accepts ballots into its system, the agency would review every envelope for compliance with the new standards, including by checking that the recipient was enrolled with the Postal Service to receive a mail ballot.
If the regulations are enacted, the Postal Service would not deliver mail ballots to states that do not comply.
Trump’s executive order was largely blocked by federal courts this summer, and the Postal Service said in its rule published Friday that it would “not take actions to implement the rule specifically for the 2026 election unless and until the government obtains relief from those injunctions.” In a filing to the Supreme Court, the Justice Department said that the government would not enforce the final rule unless the court ruled in its favor.
The Supreme Court is reviewing the issue and could rule at any time.
A Postal Service spokesperson on Friday declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
Trump has repeatedly made unfounded claims that mail voting is “cheating,” even as he has voted by mail in multiple elections, including earlier this week.
The president has acknowledged that combating fraud is not the only reason to target the practice. In March, he told Republican lawmakers that passing a strict voter identification law cracking down on mail ballots, which Democrats now use more than Republicans, would “guarantee the midterms” for his party.
WASHINGTON — TikTok on Friday reached a $400 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department that accused the company of illegally gathering children’s information.
The 2024 suit, filed under the Biden administration, claimed that TikTok had gathered data from users under the age of 13 without parental permission. The suit accused TikTok of knowingly allowing children to create accounts and of failing to honor parents’ requests to delete their children’s accounts.
TikTok violated federal privacy law along with a 2019 agreement with the government in which the app promised to take steps to protect children’s privacy, according to the government.
Under the settlement announced Friday, TikTok will pay $300 million. The Justice Department also asked the court to eliminate the 2019 agreement, after which TikTok would pay the government an additional $100 million, according to a Justice Department news release.
The settlement is the latest by the Trump administration, as it takes a softer approach toward ongoing government litigation against several major companies.
In March, the Justice Department settled a lawsuit that accused Live Nation, the owner of Ticketmaster, of illegally maintaining a monopoly. The government also reached a settlement last year that allowed the technology company Hewlett Packard Enterprise to buy a rival, Juniper Networks, over the objection of some state attorneys general.
The settlement between TikTok and the government also marks the latest win for the popular short-video app under the second Trump administration.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, he signed an executive order to force the app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell it. But TikTok successfully sued to block that ban. In 2024, former President Joe Biden signed a law that would ban the app unless it was sold to a non-Chinese owner.
After Trump returned to office, he repeatedly delayed enforcement of that law. In January, ByteDance announced that it had reached a deal, hammered out with the U.S. government, that spun off its American operations to a group of non-Chinese investors.
Stanley E. Woodward Jr., an associate attorney general, called the settlement “a major victory for American children and parents” in a statement. A spokesperson for the U.S. version of TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
VJ Edgecombe weaved his way around the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center, interacted with the kids at his ProCamp, and stopped to say hello or grab a quick selfie with almost all those in attendance at his event on Saturday.
A smile hardly left his face as he dunked on campers and participated in some knockout and dribbling drills. That upbeat personality and love for the game are what fans hope burn in the young 76ers guard for a long time.
One of the concerns with the addition of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in this momentous offseason is how those moves may affect the trajectory of Edgecombe, who at 21, will be entering his second season but could see a significant shift in his role. To hear Edgecombe talk at the camp, that’s not really a worry for him. Any chatter that his development may stall or he might grow unhappy with a reduced role is just talk.
“I mean, it don’t matter what happens, there’s always going to be someone that has something to say,” Edgecombe said. “But I just want to win. I’m going to still be aggressive, still be myself. If that comes with less shots or more shots, who knows. I don’t know how the course of the game is going to go. I’m just excited to play alongside my teammates. I think we have a chance to do something really special.”
Edgecombe averaged 16 points on 13.7 shot attempts last season. In the wake of James signing with the team, Edgecombe told ESPN he was just focusing on getting up as many shots as he could this summer, since there were going to be opportunities for open jumpers with the talent around him. He said he has to make defenses respect him (he shot 35.4% from three-point range) to help the offense function and make life easier for his new teammates.
“It’s fine if they don’t respect me, I’ll just get a bunch of open shots,” Edgecombe said. “I’m just working. That’s the main thing for me. That comes with work. Whatever I want I got to work for it. I’m willing to do that.”
VJ Edgecombe talks about his offseason workouts, if he’s still starstruck talking to LeBron and what it’s been like getting to know his new teammates:
“They not acting super big time, like they are. They’re really just a bunch of humble men. I’m just glad to be around them.” pic.twitter.com/tzPi1vCe3j
After James signed, Edgecombe posted himself recreating one of James’ iconic memes, the one with the caption: “Smiling through it all, can’t believe this is my life.”
That’s because Edgecombe was about to become teammates with his “favorite” player, one who will be twice his age once James turns 42 in December. The first time James FaceTimed with him, Edgecombe said he was starstruck. That feeling hasn’t gone away as the summer has progressed.
“It’ll probably go away once we’re together in the locker room or something,” Edgecombe said.
“But I mean, our relationship [has] been growing. We talk. I always ask him questions, just trying to learn a lot.”
He admitted he’ll have to rein in how often he picks James’ brain.
“[I’ll] have a bunch of questions, so I’m going to have to control myself when it comes to asking questions,” Edgecombe said. “I’m totally excited. It’s such a blessing. I’m going into Year 2, playing alongside my favorite player ever.”
There’s still a lot to figure out for Edgecombe and the rest of the new-look Sixers, but it has been a summer filled with good vibes, from various combinations of the team posting workout videos to initiating their group chat and getting to know each other better via text.
There will be an adjustment period for Edgecombe and his game, but it’s also an rare opportunity for a player at this stage in his career.
“That’s the main thing for me — just learning, getting to know them,” Edgecombe said. “They’re all great persons. Down to earth, [they’re] not acting super big-time like they are, but they’re really a bunch of humble men. I’m just glad to be around them.”
A federal judge in New York has vacated a Trump administration policy that suspended the processing of visas from 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration deemed likely to require public assistance in the United States.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, set aside the policy Friday as “contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his authority by issuing the policy, which “runs afoul” of the Immigration and Nationality Act by mandating “the refusal of visas to eligible applicants without any basis in law,” the judge ruled.
Judge says power lies with consular officers
Vargas said the policy also undermines the congressional requirement that puts consular officers at the forefront of any visa decision.
“Congress imbued these officers with exclusive authority and discretion to determine if an immigrant is eligible for a visa based upon review of specific and detailed criteria set forth in the statute,” she wrote. “The Policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme.”
The policy was challenged by two nonprofit organizations along with 11 individuals, including six whose family members had been refused visas. The remaining five are outside the country and had filed “employment-based petitions” to come to the United States.
Advocates say keeping families apart is cruel
“We welcome this ruling because, at its heart, this case is about keeping families together,” said Anna Gallagher, the executive director of CLINIC, a national nonprofit that provides training, resources, and support to a network of immigration legal service providers and was one of the plaintiffs.
“Catholic social teaching calls us to uphold the dignity of every person and recognize the family as the foundation of society,” she said in a statement. “This decision affirms both those values and the rule of law, allowing families to once again move forward toward reunification.”
Another plaintiff is African Communities Together, a Harlem-based nonprofit. One of its leaders called the ruling “a tremendous victory for the rule of law.”
“This unlawful and racist ban caused immeasurable harm, cruelly keeping families and loved ones apart,” Diana Konate, deputy executive director for policy and advocacy, said in a statement. “Today, we are elated to tell our community members: this ban is no more.”
Trump expands his anti-immigration agenda
President Donald Trump has imposed a growing list of immigration and travel bans mostly for people from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The State Department said Saturday that the Trump administration is “protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” and that it would not comment on pending litigation.
At the time the policy was issued, the State Department said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the 75 countries in accordance with a broader order in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges.” Relying on Council of Economic Advisers data, the State Department said that more than 30% of households with immigrants from these countries received some form of public assistance.
A separate notice sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates said that non-immigrant visa applicants also should be “fully vetted and screened” for the possibility that they might seek public benefits in the United States.
The cable, a copy of which was obtained by the Associated Press, noted several times that the applicant must prove they won’t apply for public benefits while in the U.S., and that consular officers who suspect the applicant might apply should require them to fill out a form proving their financial bona fides.
The ruling is the latest example of the courts upending Trump’s immigration agenda. In June, a federal judge struck down a Trump administration policy that made it harder for immigrants from dozens of countries to enter and stay in America — affecting elements like asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship applications. That judge said the policy threw countless immigrants’ lives “into indeterminate legal limbo,” and accused the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of ignoring the law.
The Patriot League Council of Presidents executive committee has denied Villanova’s eligibility appeal for quarterback Pat McQuaide, Richard Hamilton Jr., the attorney representing McQuaide, confirmed to The Inquirer.
McQuaide and Villanova looked to file an appeal after the Patriot League denied his eligibility for the 2026 season, despite the potential starting quarterback being granted a preliminary injunction to play this year.
The committee is composed of Lafayette president Dr. Nicole Hurd (chair), Loyola (Md.) president Terrence M. Sawyer (chair-elect), and Holy Cross president Vincent D. Rougeau. Patriot League commissioner Jennifer Heppel is the council’s liaison.
A request for comment was left with Villanova Athletics. The Patriot League said it doesn’t “comment on individual eligibility issues.”
On Aug. 4, the Patriot League sent a letter to Villanova stating that it had denied McQuaide’s eligibility waiver request based on the four seasons of competition rule. This decision conflicted with a preliminary injunction granted on Aug. 1 by Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy P. McCormick. McQuaide, who’s from Cuyahoga County, sued the NCAA after the governing body denied his waiver request to play in 2026.
“The Patriot League is now asserting [the four seasons of competition rule] as its basis to prohibit [McQuaide] from playing in any Patriot League games,” Hamilton, who represented McQuaide in Cuyahoga County, previously told The Inquirer. “My understanding is that Villanova has been informed that if he plays in any games, then they’ll be forfeited.”
According to Page 7, Section 3 of the Patriot League bylaws, the school must submit “a written appeal, along with supporting documentation, to the Patriot League Commissioner no later than fourteen (14) days after receipt of the decision” on a student-athlete’s behalf.
McQuaide threw for 3,123 yards with 25 touchdowns last year and still could play for the Wildcats this season. However, with the Patriot League denying his eligibility, the case will need to be settled in court.
On Aug. 11, Hamilton, on behalf of McQuaide, filed a motion for clarification to the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Hamilton is looking for the court to clarify whether the Patriot League is legally required to obey the court’s preliminary injunction. If so, the conference must allow McQuaide to play.
Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide threw for 3,123 yards on 237-of-401 passing with 25 touchdowns and four interceptions last season.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
On Friday, two days after Hamilton filed a notice of supplemental authority to prompt an expedited ruling, the NCAA filed a brief in opposition. The governing body contends that the Patriot League is a “separate entity from the NCAA.” As the conference was not “served process and is not a defendant,” the NCAA is contending the motion for clarification does not apply to the Patriot League.
The question of McQuaide’s eligibility pertains to his 2022 season at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. In the original waiver request to the NCAA, Villanova argued that the COVID-19 pandemic directly led to the quarterback’s single season with the junior college. McQuaide contends that the pandemic stunted his development in high school, and he landed at Kent State as a walk-on. After one year redshirting with the Golden Flashes, he transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast before two seasons at Nicholls State. Villanova described the move to a JUCO as a “necessary bridge rather than a choice to ‘use’ an additional season.”
JUCO programs are not under the purview of the NCAA, but seasons spent at that level historically counted toward student-athletes’ eligibility. However, Villanova had requested that the season should not count as one of McQuaide’s allotted seasons of eligibility.
Villanova’s season opener is Friday at 6 p.m. against conference opponent William & Mary. With just six days to go before the opener and McQuaide’s situation unresolved, the Wildcats might have to look at another option at quarterback. Throughout spring and summer camps, senior Robert Russo and freshman Nolan DiLucia have been getting a majority of the starter reps.
WASHINGTON — When Cheryl Reeve’s Minnesota Lynx finished inches short of a WNBA title two years ago, the presumption was they’d be right back in the Finals a season later.
The Lynx did the job in the regular season, finishing first by a dominant four games. But they only made it as far as the semifinals, bowing out soon after star Napheesa Collier suffered a major injury in the series.
Now Minnesota is at it again: The first team in the league to reach 30 wins, five games clear of the field, a playoff berth clinched earlier this month — with a quarter of the season to go.
So will this be the year the Lynx finally reach the top, and deliver Reeve a record-breaking fifth WNBA title? She’s currently tied at the top with Houston Comets legend Van Chancellor, who won four straight from 1997 to 2000. Reeve’s titles came in 2011, ’13, ’15, and ’17.
Cheryl Reeve has a joint-record four WNBA titles, but has been waiting nine years now for her fifth.Abbie Parr
If it happens, Reeve is pretty sure she’ll know why. Though the final verdict isn’t in on whether this team is better than the last two, the Sewell, N.J., native and La Salle product can tell why it’s different.
“Kayla McBride being an All-WNBA player, I think, is a big, big reason for our success,” she said of the guard from Erie, Pa., who’s having a stellar year: 18.3 points per game, including a 43-point explosion against Dallas on Aug. 9.
“Napheesa Collier back in the fold and feeling great by the time we get to [the] playoffs,” Reeve said of the five-time All-Star, three-time first-team All-WNBA honoree and a prolific scorer and rebounder who can also pass well.
“We have a group that never gets rattled and finds a way to compete, and they know exactly what they need to do,” Reeve said. “And we’ve got veterans, like obviously now Collier back in the fold, McBride and Courtney [Williams] who just know really, really well what we’re looking for them to do. Resilience, I think, is what I find with our team.”
Napheesa Collier (right) is the biggest star on a Minnesota Lynx team full of veterans.Abbie Parr
But Reeve’s description of a younger player felt just as profound.
“The rookie sensation,” she said, and she did not have to add Olivia Miles’ name for everyone listening to know. The point guard from Phillipsburg, N.J., who played AAU ball for the Philadelphia Belles, has turned out to be every bit as good as the sport hoped for in her first season as a pro, after starring at Notre Dame and TCU.
“That position is one that’s just — it’s incredible when you have someone that can manage the game for you at such a young age,” Reeve said, “and she’s really super mature.”
The WNBA’s stars — Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Collier — garner a lot of the attention. Miles is becoming just as much of a must-watch among hoopheads for her dynamic mix of passing, scoring, and tenacious defense.
JAW DROPPING PLAY 😱
Olivia Miles with the insane through the legs dish to Kayla McBride for three!
The 23-year-old was at it again Friday in a 94-84 win over the Washington Mystics: 24 points, seven assists, three steals, and three rebounds.
“Each game, we’re presented with something new that she accomplished,” Reeve said. “And we’re not talking about rookie accolades. We’re talking about, like, all-time in the history of the league type numbers: She’s the fastest player in WNBA history to 700-plus points and 200-plus assists.”
Miles returned the praise in her own charismatic style.
“I knew I was coming into something that was established, and standards existed, and she wasn’t going to take it easy — especially on point guards,” she said. “Actually being in it now, it’s definitely like that. She’s definitely hard on me.”
Olivia Miles showed out in the @minnesotalynx dub tonight 🥵
With this win, Olivia Miles tied for the fourth-fastest player to reach 700 career PTS. She also tied Caitlin Clark for the 2nd-most 20+ PTS games by a rookie (19)!
“She gives me a lot of grace knowing that I’m a rookie, and I’m learning, and it’s the hardest position,” Miles said. “And I’ve needed that grace, and I appreciate that from her. … That’s the most important thing for me, knowing where it comes from, her intention, knowing that she ultimately just wants the best for me and wants me to be great.”
Reeve put a lot of focus on how quickly Miles built chemistry with the veterans.
“It was open arms from the from Day 1 that she walked into our practice facility,” Reeve said. “Literally, the first day they watched her make passes, they were oohing and aahing and hyping her up. And by two weeks in, we gave her the job, handed her the keys, and they have loved every second of it.”
Cheryl Reeve (left) gives Olivia Miles some instructions during a game earlier this year.Abbie Parr
She also praised how the vets have helped Miles learn the ropes of the pros.
“They remember being rookies,” Reeve said. “Again, ‘Liv’ is mature, but also, this is a hard league. I think Liv at times appears unfazed, but we see when she has her moments, and it is those veterans that are helping her through that.”
Putting everything together, Reeve said though this year’s team might not have the depth of the last two, “we probably have more talent now than we did in the starting five.”
“If we get it done,” Reeve said of possibly winning a title, “it’s because we had five starters that were playing to their best.”
This season is her 17th in charge of the Lynx, her 22nd as a head coach overall, and the 38th of a career that has had eight stops across college and pro teams, plus the 2024 Olympic cycle as the U.S. women’s head coach and the two cycles before then as an assistant.
Much has changed over those years in women’s basketball. But Reeve made it clear that she still has as much passion as ever for the game and her work.
“I think the game gives me so much joy,” she said. “The people that you’re in it with, the competitive — just, the feeling you get when that ball is about to be tipped and what’s about to happen. That’s just something that’s sort of innate to those of us that do it for a really long time.”
A county review of a revised plan for the former Melrose Country Club shows more than two dozen more houses than in earlier versions.
The mixed-use development proposal, set on about 115 acres on the southern end of Cheltenham Township, includes townhouses, a medical office, traumatic brain injury care living units, and commercial space. The project would also feature walking trails and a controversial public pool complex.
The pools have drawn a lawsuit and criticism from some residents, who argue that the plan, which could cost up to $4.5 million and would also replace the existing Conklin Pool, moved too quickly, lacked transparency, and evaded public bidding rules.
The president of the township’s board of commissioners has acknowledged that the contract with the private developer gives Cheltenham less input on the pool design, and officials have said they cannot answer some questions about the deal due to the lawsuit.
But the agenda for the township planning committee’s forthcoming meeting includes extensive attachments about the Melrose project, including a February fiscal analysis estimating that the project would net about $1.8 million per year for the township and about $5.9 million annually for the Cheltenham School District.
The Montgomery County Planning Commission reviewed the latest version of the plan in a letter Thursday to the township that notes about 443 homes and recommends several changes to the developer’s proposal.
What’s in new Melrose redevelopment plan
The plan that county officials received Aug. 6 has more townhomes and eliminates apartments, according to the planning commission’s letter, adding about 33 homes.
There are 351 townhomes and 12 twins in the new plan. Some of the townhouses will be age-restricted. A 2024 version of the plan had included only 306 townhouses, 24 age-restricted apartments, and no twins, Thursday’s letter notes.
The Melrose plan also includes 80 assisted living apartments, 30 traumatic brain injury care living units, two retail spaces, and three public pools. It’s unclear whether the TBI units would be long-term residences.
The single-family homes along with the assisted living apartments total about 443 residences.
Montco recommends changes to Melrose plan
County planners recommended changes to the Melrose plan and criticized the removal of apartments and some commercial space.
The township and the developer did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the county’s recommendations or the plan changes.
“We are sorry to see the loss of the previously proposed small apartment building on this site. Housing variety benefits communities by providing more options for price points, size, and configuration of dwelling units,” the planners wrote, and the reduction in retail space “conflicts” with Cheltenham’s goal of boosting its commercial tax base.
“A stronger commercial area would make the proposal an even better fit with the future land use vision from Cheltenham’s new comprehensive plan,” planners wrote.
Carl Freedman, who sits on Cheltenham’s planning commission, has previously criticized the loss of commercial space in newer Melrose plans for similar reasons.
The county review also addresses pool parking in more detail than in its fall 2025 review, noting that a public pool might require more spaces for cars and recommending an analysis of parking at Conklin Pool to inform needs at Melrose.
The county also recommended adding more trees around the public pools to cool and shade the area, which will be mostly paved, and revising the stormwater plan behind a set of townhouses to prevent flooding.
Planners praised the developer’s inclusion of a path along Ashbourne Road and a circuit trail along Tookany Creek, which could connect to a longer trail network underway in the Philadelphia area.
The chair of Cheltenham’s transportation committee said Wednesday he believes the project’s walkability aligns with the town’s goal to build a more connected community.
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