The Rest of the Roster

In continuing with the weekly player evaluation segment, let's conclude by looking at the rest of the roster.

Player: Taylor King

2007-2008 Review: This former McDonald's All-American played his freshmen year at Duke before deciding to transfer to Villanova. King most likely became disgruntled with Coach K over his decline in playing time as the season progressed. He scored 20 points in his first game at Duke on November 9 versus N.C. Central. On November 25 he scored a career-high 27 points after making six 3-pointers versus Eastern Kentucky. He scored in double figures six times last year and shot a .377 3-point percentage. However, in mid-January is minutes dropped, lowering his season average for points to 5.5.

2008-2009 Preview: Because of NCAA regulations, Taylor King will have to redshirt this season after transferring. He has shown that he can shoot the ball, so he should focus this time on getting stronger in the weight room and improving his defense and rebounding. At 6'6 he has good size for the shooting guard or small forward position. It will be fun to see him and Corey Stokes on the floor together in 2009-2010 because they can stretch defenses out with their 3-point shooting.

Player: Maurice Sutton

2007-2008 Review: Maurice played his high school ball at Largo High School in Maryland. In his final season he averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 blocks per game. Largo was 48-5 during his final two seasons and earned the Class 3A Maryland state championship. He chose Villanova over Indiana and Seton Hall.

2008-2009 Preview: Sutton is the lone freshman on this year's squad, and at 6'11 he is the tallest Wildcat player. I have yet to see Sutton play, so I am not entirely sure what to expect from him. From Villanova.com: "Brings an intriguing skill set ... Possesses athleticism and the ability to run the floor at 6-11 ... Excellent instincts as a shot-blocker ... Can finish around the basket ... Rebounds well ... Needs to add strength." From I Bleed Blue and White's Hoops Mania account: "Sutton, however, did not impress. He has nice size, but he rarely made a good play. He probably had 4 fouls in the first 6 minutes. Offensively, he wasn't given any chances. So I guess the jury's still out on him, but I think he's relegated to the bench for the majority of his career here." There were reports that Sutton might redshirt this year to develop his game, but I haven't heard anything final. From most reports it seems like Sutton is a Chris Charles type of player; very tall, but not very skilled. The size will help, especially with shot-blocking, but Sutton might not be ready to contribute for another season or two.


Player: Jason Colenda

2007-2008 Review: Jason got into five games last season: vs. Stony Brook, vs. Penn, vs. Syracuse, vs. West Virginia, and vs. Siena. He failed to score and never attempted a shot, but he did have one assist and one rebound.

2008-2009 Preview: Jason Colenda will continue the tradition of Tommy Grace and Ross Condon as the Villanova walk-on. He will work hard in practice and cheer the team on from the bench. If there's a blowout, the student section will chant "COL-EN-DA!" until Jay puts him in, then they will cheer for him to shoot every time he touches the ball, and if he does score, the Pavilion will go crazy.