Category: Mohegan

Although the Connecticut Sun had a grim 2025 season, there were plenty of players who still managed to shine on the court. Of course, three of those players included the talented rookie trio —  Leïla Lacan, Aneesah Morrow and Saniya Rivers. Between their chemistry, natural gift for basketball and their willingness to learn, they made quite an impression during their first year in the WNBA.

Now that the offseason is in full swing, each franchise is looking to improve for next year, and much of that has to do with how they navigate this offseason. Quite a few players are competing elsewhere while they continue to develop, including Saniya Rivers, who will be playing for one of the new expansion teams — the Hive Basketball Club —in Unrivaled.

She will be away from her Sun teammates during the Unrivaled season, allowing her to build more connections and confidence on and off the court. Rivers undoubtedly had an impressive season, but by the time Unrivaled rolls around in January, will she still have that same level of momentum, or will we start to see a dip in performance?

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Rivers, a 22-year-old guard from North Carolina State, hit the ground running after being drafted as the overall pick No. 8 in the first round of the 2025 WNBA draft. She was named the only rookie in the WNBA this year to his the 100-stock mark, and she became the only Sun rookie in franchise history to wrap up their first season with…

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Food Network stars like Scott Conant, Robert Irvine, Marc Murphy, Chris Santos and Maneet Chauhan will descend upon Mohegan Sun in January for the Mohegan Sun Wine & Food Fest. The four day-long festival, which runs from Jan. 22-25, will feature tastings and other food-based experiences with notable international, national and local chefs and food personalities.

One of these personalities is chef Shawn Osbey, a Danbury native who operates his own Atlanta-based catering company. Known as the “traveling chef,” Osbey harnesses the recipes and experiences of other cultures and has found ways to incorporate those inspirations into his own cuisine.

“It keeps my ideas and my artistry fresh. It’s not just about me creating events, it’s also about me experiencing different cultures and different foods as well,” Osbey. “That kind of resonates and translates back into my food.”

“It’s always great to see different cultures; the way they kind of create experiences and then I can take bits and stuff and create unique experiences for my clients,” Osbey added.

Growing up in Danbury in the 1980s and ’90s, Osbey found a passion for cooking through his time spent at home on snowdays.

Chef Shawn Osbey with Food Network star and event host, Alex Guarnaschelli on Aug. 17, 2024, for the Dan’s Taste White Party at Gurney’s Montauk. (Courtesy of John Tucker)

“We had those big, big snowstorms back in those days,” Osbey said. “We were stuck in the house so my family and I would turn to cooking. We would cook all day. I would turn my kitchen into a little restaurant.”

“I would take my notepad and go room to…

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins sustained a 4-3, overtime loss to the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (8-2-1-0) dominated the first two periods, but were left stunned by a four-goal comeback by Toronto.

Tristan Broz opened the scoring just 16 seconds into the contest when he rifled a shot off the iron and in. The swift tally marked the third-fastest goal to start a game in Penguins franchise history.

At the end of the first, the Penguins had out-shot the Marlies 12-5, but only had a one-goal lead for their efforts. That changed when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton started the second period with a bang. Atley Calvert chipped in a rebound less than two minutes into the frame.

Eight minutes later, Boko Imama scored his first goal of the season. Imama’s shot deflected off two Marlies defenders before sneaking past Artur Akhtyamov as the Penguins took a 3-0 lead.

Borya Valis put Toronto on the board less than two minutes into the third period. The Marlies cut the deficit to one halfway through the final frame thanks to captain Logan Shaw. Just over two minutes later, Benoit-Olivier Groulx flicked a backhander across the goal line, tying things up at three apiece.

After several grand scoring opportunities for the Penguins in overtime, Toronto completed its comeback in the final minute of OT. Travis Boyd drilled the game-winner on a two-on-one rush with 42 seconds left to play.

Filip Larsson made 19 saves, dropping his record to 3-0-1 on the season. Akhtyamov made 26 stops in the win for Toronto, including three saves in overtime.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Friday, Nov. 7, when the Penguins take on the Rochester Americans. Game time between the Penguins and Amerks is slated for…

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Friar Notes:

*The Friars opened their 99th season of basketball on Monday with a 89-79 win over Holy Cross.

*The Friars have posted a 4-5 mark all-time versus Virginia Tech.

*The last time PC played Virginia Tech, the Hokies defeated Friars, 69-57, on February 4, 2004 in Blacksburg, Va.  

*Providence has posted a 3-1 mark all-time versus the Hokies at home.  PC is 1-3 on the road versus Virginia Tech and 0-1 in neutral arenas.

*The Friars are 137-198 all-time versus teams from the ACC.

*Saturday will mark the first of two games the Friars will play at Mohegan Sun this season and PC’s eighth game all-time at Mohegan Sun Arena. 

*The Friars have posted a 3-5 mark all-time at Mohegan Sun Arena.

*The Friars were picked fourth of 11 teams in the 2025-26 Preseason BIG EAST Coaches Poll.

*Corey Floyd Jr., has 517 career points in 93 games at PC, his father, Corey Floyd Sr., scored 341 points in 56 games with Friars from 1990-92.

*Duncan Powell needs three points to reach 1,000 for his career.  He registered six points in his Friar debut on Monday.  He scored 239 points in one season of action at North Carolina A&T, 350 points in one season at Sacramento State and 402 points in one season at Georgia Tech.

*Jason Edwards (Atlanta, Ga.) is one of the 20 players named to the Naismith Starting 5 – Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List. 

*Jason Edwards (Second Team) and Oswin Erhunmwunse (Third Team) were named Preseason All-BIG EAST on Oct. 21.

*The Friars have 10 newcomers and five returnees on the roster this season.

*Oswin Erhunmwunse and Ryan Mela were named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team on March 9,…

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We’re about to learn a lot about where Providence stands at this early juncture when the Friars head to Mohegan Sun to take on Virginia Tech (Saturday, Nov. 8 at 4pm on Peacock/WPRO).

Going off The Field of 68 trio of John Fanta, Rob Dauster, and Terrence Oglesby, the Hokies are in for a big-time bounce-back year after finishing 8-12 in the ACC a season ago (47 minute mark).

“This isn’t a kind of good team, this is a very good team. A team that should be dancing,” Oglesby raved about the Hokies revamped roster.

Mike Young’s team led by just four points at halftime in their opener against Charleston Southern, but looked the part in the second half — blowing the game open and rolling to a 98-67 victory.

This is a group that boasts size across its starting lineup, a tremendous athlete at the four, and a potential first-round pick they welcomed from Greece this summer.

Breaking Down the Roster:

The Headliner: This is an easy one. Young has one of the more intriguing players in the country in Greece import Neoklis Avdalas — a 6’9 guard who The Field of 68 crew talked about as a potential lottery pick next spring. Avdalas is a tremendous playmaker and serves as a creator for this group, as he finished their opener with nine assists and just one turnover in 29 minutes. He added two loud blocks on Monday.

“The comp I came away with when watching him was something between Franz Wagner and Igor Demin,” Dauster said of him. Wagner is one of the best young players in the league and, like Demin last spring, went eighth overall in his draft class.

While Avdalas’ size could be a problem, a Providence team looking to pick…

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TAMPA, Fla., November 8, 2025 – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team (1–0) travels to Uncasville, Conn., to face George Washington University in a neutral-site contest at Mohegan Sun Arena, as a part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff.

Tip is set for Saturday, Nov. 8, at 1:30 p.m. and will air on Peacock, with radio coverage on Bulls Unlimited.

Program Comparison
Saturday’s matchup stands out as a notable early-season non-conference meeting between two programs looking to climb the national rankings. South Florida came into the season with a NET ranking of 189, while GWU came in at 124. The Bulls have a KenPom rating of 97, and a BPI of 101 after one game, while GWU has a KenPom of 78 and a BPI of 83.

South Florida has made three NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently in 2012, when the Bulls advanced to the second round. George Washington’s most recent appearance was in 2014, also reaching the second round.

Last Time Out
The Bulls opened the Bryan Hodgson era with a 102–67 win over Florida A&M on Monday night at the Yuengling Center, tying the American Conference record for the second-highest margin of victory (35 points) in a head coach’s debut.

Wes Enis made an immediate impact in his first Division I game, leading the Bulls with 22 points – the third-most points in a USF debut since 1996. Izaiyah Nelson added 16 points and 10 rebounds for his 19th career double-double, and Josh Omojafo scored 17 points with a team-high five assists.

The Bulls showcased their depth with 37 bench points and dominated transition play with 23 fast-break points.

Series History
Saturday’s matchup marks the seventh meeting between South Florida and George Washington, with the Bulls holding a 1–5 record. The most recent game was on Dec. 3, 2016, when…

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