Kyw Newsradio's 1-on-1 With Matt Leon

The Drexel University women's basketball team is still alive in the WNIT. The Dragons have advanced to the Sweet 16, and on Thursday night they will visit Seton Hall. Drexel advanced by beating Bucknell in a crazy second round matchup, 61-58. Drexel trailed by 17 points in the fourth quarter before storming back to win in a comeback for the ages. Drexel is now 28 and 5 on the season, and the 28 wins tie the program record. Matt Leon spoke with Drexel head coach Amy Mallon about the bonkers win over Bucknell, and what she expects against Seton Hall. 

John White has been the head men’s and women’s squash coach at Drexel University since 2011. He is the only head coach the varsity programs have ever known. In 2022, the women’s team at Drexel finished its season as national runners up and the #2 team in the country. White’s resume as a squash player is incredibly impressive as he has traveled the globe playing the sport, and at one point he was the #1-ranked player in the world. In Episode #124 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with White about his life in squash. They talk about Drexel’s impressive run this season, focus on his career as a player and much, much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The University of Delaware women’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Hens won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title to earn an automatic bid and in the first round on Friday they will play Maryland in College Park. The Blue Hens are the #13-seed in the Spokane Region, Maryland is the #4-seed. Matt Leon caught up with Delaware head coach Natasha Adair to talk about her 24-7 squad before the game with Maryland at 5pm on Friday. 

There is a new home run king on Hawk Hill. Saint Joseph’s University senior catcher Andrew Cossetti, a La Salle College High School product, recently hit his 31st career home run to set the program’s all-time record, breaking the mark set by John Brue in 2016. Cossetti hit three home runs in a double header sweep of Radford this past Friday with the first homer in the first game tying the mark and then a two-run shot in the 1st inning of the second game giving him the record. Matt Leon caught up with Cossetti to talk about the record breaking swing and his career with the Hawks.

The Villanova women’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The 23-8 Wildcats earned an at large berth out of the Big East. They are the #11-seed in the Wichita region and in the first round they will play the #6-seed BYU on Saturday afternoon at 1pm in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Matt Leon spoke with Villanova head coach Denise Dillon about the excitement of getting into the field and the matchup with BYU.

The Drexel University women’s basketball team is getting ready for the WNIT. The regular season Colonial Athletic Association champions, the Dragons fell just short of the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, losing the conference title game to rival Delaware, 63-59. On Thursday night, they will host Norfolk State in the WNIT’s first round at 6pm at the DAC. Matt Leon spoke with head coach Amy Mallon about the game and their season so far.

Erik Kratz spent parts of 11 seasons as a catcher in the Major Leagues. The Lansdale native spent parts of four seasons with his hometown team, the Phillies, where he became a fan favorite. He’s back with the Phillies organization now, recently announced as a new member of the radio broadcast team. In Episode #123 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt talks with Kratz about coming on board in the broadcast booth. They also look back at his playing career, including the moment he got his first call to the big leagues, his time with the Phillies and much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Amidst the backdrop of a delicate dynamic this season, University of the Sciences women’s basketball clinched a berth to the Division II NCAA Tournament. The Devils are the champions of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and they will bring a 23-4 record into a first round matchup with Le Moyne on Friday in Manchester, New Hampshire. Now this season has been played under tough circumstances for Sciences because it's actually the program’s last season. University of the Sciences will be merging with Saint Joseph’s University, and the Sciences' athletic programs will be eliminated, making this run extra special for our guest, long-time head coach Jackie Hartzell.

For the first time in program history, the Chestnut Hill College women’s basketball team is headed to the Division II NCAA Tournament. The 24-6 Griffins out of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference have enjoyed a tremendous season and earned an at large berth. Ahead of their first round matchup against Pace on Friday, we talk with head coach Jim Connoly about his squad, their history making season, and how they're preparing to make the most out of this opportunity.

Kevin Owens is a Camden Catholic High School product who enjoyed a long professional basketball career playing in what is now the NBA G League and overseas. He made many stops in his career, from Australia to Kosovo to South Korea to Estonia, and he has written a book about the experience – Overseas Famous: The Trials and Tribulations of a Basketball Globetrotter. In Episode #122 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Owens about the book and his career. They look back at his many stops playing overseas and Owens talks about the book writing process and the many challenges of being a professional athlete in foreign countries, both on and off the floor. You can purchase the book here - https://amzn.to/3HLE0ly. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

The Jefferson University women’s basketball team is headed to the Division II NCAA Tournament, and Tom Shirley, in his 32nd season as coach, is leading them there. The 23-8 Rams have earned an at large berth after advancing to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference title game and they will play Bentley in the first round on Friday on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire. In advance of the matchup, Shirley talks about his squad, and how it sustained success amidst an infusion of youthful talent.

The Division II NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments get underway this week. On the women’s side, the Lincoln University Lions are in the field - an impressive feat in and of itself, but even more so considering head coach Janice Washington is in her first season on the sidelines. Washington talks about Lincoln winning the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament Championship and earning an automatic bid into the field. She also looks back on the Lions' 22-7 campaign, and previews her program's first-round opponent, Glenville State.

The Swarthmore College men’s team has earned an at large bid to the Division III NCAA basketball tournament. The 22-5 Garnet hail from the Centennial Conference and they will host the first weekend, opening with a matchup with Keene State on Friday at Tarble Pavilion. Swarthmore has become one of the top programs in the country under head coach Landry Kosmalski. The last five seasons the Garnet have played, they have advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and in 2019 they advanced all the way to the national championship game. Matt Leon spoke with Landry Kosmalski about his team’s journey this season. Swarthmore’s game on Friday is slated for a 5:35 pm start at Tarble.

It is always special for a college basketball team to make the NCAA Tournament, but there is nothing like getting in the field for the first time. That’s the situation for Division III Eastern University in St. David's, Delaware County. The Eagles lost the championship game in the MAC Commonwealth, but their resume was impressive enough to earn at large berth into the Division III NCAA Tournament and in the first round they will play the University of Rochester on Friday in Marietta, Ohio. Matt Leon talked with head coach Dan Pruessner about his 21-5 squad that has already made program history. Eastern’s first round game with Rochester is set for a 4:15pm tip on Friday. 

The Rowan University men’s team down in Glassboro, NJ are getting ready for the Division III NCAA Tournament. The 23-5 Profs have earned an at large bid after falling just short in the New Jersey Athletic Conference title game, and they will play Susquehanna in the first round down at Christopher Newport in Newport News, Virginia. Matt Leon caught up with Rowan head coach Joe Crispin to talk about his squad, Rowan’s first round game with Susquehanna is set for a 5:00pm tip on Friday. 

The Immaculata College women's basketball squad has qualified for the Division III NCAA Tournament. The Mighty Macs earned an automatic bid after winning the Atlantic East Conference title. Immaculata is 18-8 on the season, and they will face off with a national power Trine University out in Angola, Indiana on Friday night. Matt Leon caught up with head coach Chrissy Rhine to talk about this matchup and her team’s great season. Immaculata’s first round game with Trine is set for a 7:00pm tip on Friday. 

It is NCAA Tournament time in college basketball. Division I is a couple weeks away, but the field is set for the Division III men’s and women’s tournaments, and we have a lot of local squads taking part. The Neumann University men’s squad out in Aston is in the field -- the Knights are champions of the Atlantic East Conference and they bring a 21-7 record into a first round matchup with Williams College on Friday in Alliance, Ohio. Matt Leon had the chance to speak with Neumann head coach Jim Rullo about a great season for his squad. Neumann’s first round game with Williams is set for a 3:20 tip on Friday. 

Keith Mondillo has been the head women’s basketball coach at Division III Gwynedd Mercy University in Gwynedd Valley since 1995. For much of that time, he also has served as athletic director. He has led the Griffins to seven conference titles during his run at the helm of the program, and his team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament nine times. In Episode #121 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt catches up with Mondillo to talk about his time at Gwynedd Mercy. They also talk about how he got into coaching in the first place, what it is like to be a part of the Philadelphia basketball community and much more. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.

Logan Brockway is a swimmer at West Chester University. Last Thursday (Feb 17) he was in York, Pennsylvania with his team for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships. In the middle of an intense day of swimming, he went to lunch and the trained lifeguard ended up saving a woman’s life. Matt Leon caught up with Brockway to talk about what happened and how he feels about saving someone's life!

David Miller is in his first season as the head baseball coach at Division III Penn State Abington. Miller has already enjoyed a very successful career in coaching, including leading the La Salle Explorers until the program was discontinued. His coaching career follows his playing days where he starred at Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia and then Clemson University. He was eventually drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Indians in 1995, and reached as high as Triple-A. In Episode #120 of “1-on-1 with Matt Leon,” Matt speaks with Miller about his life in baseball. They talk about why he took the job at PSU Abington, how he got into coaching and look back at his playing career. "1-on-1 with Matt Leon" is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter @1on1pod and you can follow Matt @Mattleon1060.