Luis Guzman, the starting point guard on last year’s nationally ranked men’s basketball team, has been cut from his Slovakia-based professional team.

Guzman, who started 68 games while at Temple, signed with the BK 04 AC LB SPISSKA NOVA VES squad in August. Guzman was cut just days before Nova Ves was scheduled to open the season against Vahostav-Zil.

If another basketball opportunity doesn’t arise, Guzman can fall back on the Bachelor of Business Administration degree that he obtained in three and a half years. Temple News sports editor emeritus Jen Reardon touched on Guzman’s academic prowess here.

The men’s club soccer team has played a total of five friendly matches from last Saturday through last night and came away with a 3-0-2 record.

The Owl’s opening two matches came on Sept. 18 in New Brunswick, NJ, against Rutgers and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

The team’s opening match against the Scarlett Knights ended in a 1-1 draw. Senior striker Blair Young provided the only goal off an assist from senior midfielder Adetayo Adeleke.

The team would then defeat UMBC 3-0 thanks to penalty kick goals from senior midfielder Enoque Panzo and sophomore midfielder Mark Koleda. Senior forward Kene Kwanah also had a goal off an assist from senior forward Brian Weinhardt.

Last Sunday, the team won both of its games against Rowan University by a score of 2-1 and The College of New Jersey by a score of 2-1. Adelekeand senior forward Dustin Clements provided both goals against Rowan and Adeleke and senior striker Blair Young had both goals against TCNJ.

Last night, the Owls had a scoreless tie against Drexel.

Up next, the Owls will begin league play against Villanova and West Chester on Sept. 25 in West Chester.

There’s no better way to show your bike some love than a 35-mile ride through the city. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is on a mission to make the city more livable and sustainable by promoting bicycling as an environmentally-friendly form of transportation.

This Sunday, Bike Philly will offer a 10- or 20-mile car-free ride beginning at the Art Museum in support of this mission. The event begins bright and early at 8 a.m. and ends with a Finish Line Festival at 1 p.m. If the 20-mile option isn’t enough for you and your two-wheeler, the event also offers a more adventurous, shared-road option as a way to prove cars and bikes can both enjoy the road. On this 35-mile extension bikers will enjoy the scenic views of Main Line ‘burbs Overbrook, Ardmore and Haverford as they leave city boundaries and ride on City Line Avenue. Needless to say, it’s the ultimate tour of everything Philly has to offer from the comfort of your bicycle seat.

Registration will remain open online until Saturday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. You can also register at the Art Museum the morning of the ride, as well. Good news for us, the student price is only $20 and includes food, water and mechanics to help along the way.

So go ahead, strap on your helmet and go for a joy ride.

Former Temple outfielder Sean Barksdale was released by Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros on March 31, Baseball America reported.

The Astros selected Barksdale with the 1,151st pick in the 38th round of MLB’s June draft. He reported to the Tri-City ValleyCats, the club’s Class-A short-season New York-Penn League affiliate.

From June 17 until the end of his season Sept. 1 (when he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus), Barksdale batted .175 with 18 hits, two home runs, eight RBIs and two stolen bases in 37 games.

In 2009, his final season as an Owl, Barksdale hit .371 with 15 home runs, 56 RBIs and 53 runs scored. He was named Big 5 Player of the Year and was selected first-team All-Atlantic Ten Conference.

*Kyle Gauss contributed to this report.

Hazleton, Pa., Mayor Lou Barletta

Hazleton, Pa., a small town with big illegal immigrant problems, is the subject of professor Lori Zett’s class, “War in Hazleton: Main Street Meets the Global Village.” Little did Zett know that the town’s mayor would be offended he had no say in how things were taught in the class, which focuses on why illegal immigrants come to the United States.

In an Associated Press article, Hazleton Republican Mayor Lou Barletta said he was “surprised and bewildered how a taxpayer-funded school could offer a course without interviewing one of the main principles that the course deals with.”

Barletta, who has made it a point to target illegal immigrants in Hazleton, will be speaking with Zett in a forum sponsored by the Temple Law School Republicans this Wednesday, March 31, at 5:15 p.m. in the Moot Court Room at Temple Law School’s Klein Hall on 1719 North Broad St. To read more about how Zett reacted to Barletta taking offense to the class, click here to see the full article.

A recent comment on The Temple News’ recent editorial, “Dropping Cash,” mentioned that our poll question this week didn’t offer students the opportunity to share positive experiences they’ve had with Student Financial Services. Please share your experiences here!

Temple football will finally get a bowl game after decades of futile efforts. Al Golden and his team will travel to Washington, D.C. to take on either Army or UCLA in the EagleBank bowl Dec. 29.

Check out The Temple News’ three-part documentary on life on North Broad Street. The first two installments – Screwed, about hooking up on campus, and Pumped, about partying – are up now. The documentary was produced by The Temple News’ multimedia editor Mari Saito.

Check it out here.