tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34906548804156224442024-03-12T22:56:19.994-04:00Nova News - Villanova Basketball BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger311125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-59903261289959608252018-04-03T19:32:00.000-04:002018-04-03T19:32:02.188-04:00Villanova: 2018 National Champions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Villanova Wildcats are the 2018 NCAA National Champions, their second title in three years. It’s incredible what Jay Wright has done with the program. I wrote about the keys to his success <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2018/03/jay-wrights-keys-to-college-basketball.html" target="_blank">here</a>. And as far as the championship, I feel much the same way as I did after the <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2016/04/national-champions.html" target="_blank">2016 title</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This championship was different in that it didn’t take a last-second buzzer beater to win. It was a blowout (79-62). This was one of the great NCAA Tournament runs ever. Nova won every game by double digits in both the Big East and NCAA Tournaments (with an average margin of victory of 17.7 points). They were so balanced in every facet of the game: defense, shooting, scoring. The 2018 Wildcats have to be considered as one of the greatest college basketball teams of all time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s officially ten years since I graduated, so it feels like a lifetime ago that I was on campus with my class of 2008 mate, Kyle Lowry, now a multiple time NBA All-Star. It’s certainly different watching the team now. I don’t feel the same connection I did when I went to the school and saw the players on campus and went to all the home games. I now realize these are just kids. Which is one of the reasons I stopped blogging about the team. How could I, as an adult, criticize 18 and 20-year-old kids who aren’t even getting paid? (Though with this particular team, there’s nothing to criticize.) Plus, I’m not as fanatic about sports in general as I used to be. In the grand scheme of things, basketball isn't that important. But still, it’s great to see the team win and represent the school in such a classy way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jay Wright has turned into perhaps the greatest coach in the country, and one of the greats of all time. He doesn’t just recruit good players or get them to play hard. He gets them to play the right way (aka “Villanova Basketball”). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is "Villanova Basketball"? Well, it <i>is</i> playing hard, but also unselfishly, with amazing chemistry built through a family atmosphere. In the post-game speeches, the players repeatedly mentioned how they were “brothers.” And it really showed. That kind of camaraderie doesn’t happen automatically. It comes top-down from the coach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But a coach can only do so much. It ultimately comes down to the players. So let's talk about those players.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jalen Brunson:</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The well-deserved National Player of the Year. And he didn't even need to play down the stretch of the game (because of foul trouble). Brunson is the perfect college point guard. He's not the most athletic, fastest, or highest jumper, but he just knows how to play the game. He reminds me of Chris Paul in that respect. He's a savvy point guard who uses his basketball IQ to control the game.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Donte DiVincenzo:</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The “Michael Jordan of Delaware” nickname is no joke. DiVincenzo took over this game with 31 points (off the bench!). He might be my favorite player to watch on this team. He's so exciting between the dunks, blocks, and heat-check threes. This was the kind of performance that will get attention from NBA scouts, but I’d like to see him return to school</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> so we can get a full year of him being the number-one option (assuming Brunson leaves, though of course it would be great if he returned as well).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Mikal Bridges:</b> Another all-around solid game from Bridges (19 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal). The prototypical 3&D player brought both (three 3-points and great defense). A projected NBA lottery pick, I could see him becoming a Kawhi Leonard type player (minus this year’s injury drama in San Antonio).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Omari Spellman:</b> In 2016 I called Daniel Ochefu Villanova’s best big man since Ed Pinckney. Well, Spellman is better than both—and he’s only a freshman. The future is so bright for Omari. Nova guards always get the most attention and accolades, but they could not have won the title without a big man in the middle on defense like Spellman. (and this next guy)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Eric Paschall:</b> Maybe Villanova’s toughest player. Jay Wright called Paschall his best defender, and he’s also a great rebounder. Jay’s teams have always had great guards, but they always fell short in March (and April) because they didn’t have the big men to compete. But now Jay is recruiting great big men like Spellman and Paschall, which takes his teams to the next level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then there’s <b>Phil Booth</b> (who seems like he’s been around forever, but is just a junior) and <b>Collin Gillespie</b> who each chipped in on both ends of the floor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And don’t forget <b>Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree</b>, who may have only played four minutes in this game, but he will no doubt play a bigger role in the future. Freshmen like him, staying patient and waiting their turn, is what makes continued success for Villanova’s program possible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One championship can be a fluke, but two in three years is a trend. Villanova will be competing for national titles as long as Jay Wright is at the helm. At this point, I wouldn’t even blame him if he left to try the NBA (a la Billy Donavan). But if he stays at Villanova for another two decades, he can create something truly special.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-6947460228170973652018-03-27T19:01:00.000-04:002018-03-27T19:01:52.342-04:00Jay Wright’s Keys to College Basketball Success<div class="p1">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Villanova is going back to the Final Four for the second time in three years. The Wildcats have been on quite a run recently, really since Jay Wright took over the program in 2001. People remember the 2005-06 team fondly, with Kyle Lowry, Randy Foye, and Allan Ray, though they didn’t even make the Final Four. Wright’s teams have ascended to a higher level after the Big East Conference shake-up in 2013. In the past five NCAA Tournament's, Villanova has </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">three #1-seeds and two #2-seeds, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">highlighted by their National Championship in 2016. Over this past decade, Villanova has become a national powerhouse in college basketball along with the likes of North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, UConn, and Florida, despite the fact they are a private university, much smaller than all those other schools.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So how did Jay Wright do it? What are his keys to success?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Chemistry</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All of Jay Wright’s team’s have a family atmosphere, something he learned from Rollie Massimino. I remember during my four years attending school at Villanova, whenever I’d see basketball players on campus, they were never alone. There were always at least two of them together, usually more. They’d all eat together in the dining halls and go to other school events as a team. They seemed to be each other’s best friends. You can see that campus camaraderie translate to chemistry on the court. There’s never any selfish play or stat-chasing. Jay Wright seems to focus on chemistry when recruiting, finding players who will buy into the family atmosphere of the team. Those who don’t buy in probably end up transferring to another school.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Effort</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jay Wright’s teams always play hard on defense. One example, that I’ve seen so many Nova players do over the years is, if they turn over the ball on offense, they sprint back down the court and dive to try to steal it from behind. So much of defense comes down to effort. You also see Nova players diving for loose balls and jumping into the stands to save it from going out of bounds. The effort is probably closely related to the chemistry; it’s hard to have one without the other.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Free Throw Shooting</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jay Wright’s teams are always good at free-throw shooting, especially his big men, who are typically poor free throw shooters (hack-a-Shaq). This must be another thing that Jay focuses on in recruiting, but also at practice. There have been several players who came in as poor shooters as freshmen but continually improved each year, such as Daniel Ochefu (48% as a freshman; 68% as a senior). Free throw shooting is so important, especially late in close games when it can be the difference between winning and losing.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. 3-Point Shooting</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Related to the free throw shooting, perhaps, but Jay Wright’s teams are always good at shooting threes. He almost always has at least four shooters on the floor at all times. He was ahead of the curve on this, doing it back in 2005. Now, with the advanced stats revolution in the NBA, you see everybody doing this. The math isn’t complicated: 3-pointers are worth more than 2-pointers. In the past, Jay Wright would sometimes play four-guard lineups to get more shooters on the floor, which, unfortunately, had negative effects on the defensive end. But this year, he has big men (Omari Spellman, Eric Paschall, Mikal Bridges) that can defend and rebound but also shoot the three. That’s the holy grail in basketball these days: big men who can shoot 3’s <i>and</i> defend.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. 4-Star Recruits</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jay Wright has never had a one-and-done player during his tenure at Villanova. Jay doesn’t tend to sign the top tier 5-star NBA lottery talent recruits like John Calipari at Kentucky. Mikal Bridges might be a lottery pick this year, but he’d be Jay Wright’s first since Randy Foye. Kentucky, by contrast, has had 16 NBA lottery picks over the past 8 years, including all-star talent like DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Devin Booker. Yet despite their disparity in talent, Kentucky has won the same number of championships during that span as Villanova (one). Anthony Davis was such an extraordinary talent that he helped his team cruise to a title as a freshman. But Davis is an exception to the rule. Generally, experience matters. If Cousins and Wall stayed together another year, they probably would have won a title—the same with Towns and Booker. But that’s the problem with the top tier players. It makes financial sense for them to leave after one year and join the NBA.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That’s where Jay Wright gets his advantage. By recruiting fringe NBA talent (Dante Cunningham, Josh Hart, Ryan Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu, Darrun Hilliard) instead of the one-and-done lottery talent, he can guarantee they will stay in school for at least 3 or 4 years. And those 3-4 years make a huge difference when you’re talking about 18 to 22-year-old kids. <b>Experience matters.</b> The experience Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges gained as Freshmen on the 2016 championship team is helping them enormously now. They’ve been there and done that. They know what they need to do to win it all. This also factors into team chemistry. It’s tough to build chemistry with one-and-done players. Of course, every team would like to have a once in a generation talent like Anthony Davis, but Jay Wright has found another route to success by focusing on the 2nd tier of recruits. <b>He finds the best talent from the pool of players who will likely stay in school for four years.</b> Ultimately, a team full of 4-star recruit juniors and seniors will probably have better results in the NCAA Tournament than a team of 5-star recruit freshmen.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Having veteran talent is only one part of the equation, however. What makes Jay Wright’s tenure special is the continued success. Villanova has been a top-two seed for five straight years and has only missed the NCAA Tournament once in the past nineteen years (2012). A run like that is almost unheard of. How do you remain elite despite losing your best players every year? The key is to always be restocking the team, maintaining a balance of upperclassmen and underclassmen. Brunson and Bridges were role players on the 2016 team, but now they’re the leaders in 2018. And the young players on this team (Spellman and Donte DiVincenzo) will be the leaders next year and beyond, teaching the next group of talent how to play "Villanova Basketball." That’s how you maintain perennial contenders despite losing great players. You are always developing the next generation to take over. You never want all freshmen or all upperclassmen, but a balance of both.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The key to success in college basketball, which Jay Wright seems to have found out, is to recruit, not the A+ talent, but the B’s. And of course, make sure they are team-oriented, play hard on defense, and can shoot.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Oh, plus look like George Clooney and wear stylish suits. That helps, too.</span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-56741318067778844622016-04-05T14:01:00.000-04:002018-03-27T18:47:17.918-04:00Villanova Wildcats: 2016 National Champions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every year, I think Villanova will win the national championship, yet I still can’t believe this time they actually did it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was an amazing game, capped by an incredible buzzer-beating shot by Kris Jenkins, off the assist from Ryan Arch. I felt ecstatic when it went in. The win felt great, but it wasn’t quite how I imagined it would feel in years past.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I no longer obsessively blog about every game like I used to. But it’s more than that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s been eight years since I graduated from Villanova University, meaning I’ve never actually shared a campus with any of the kids on this year’s team. I can only imagine how the current students feel right now, and the parties that must be happening in the Pavilion and all around campus. The closest personal connection for me to this team, other than the ever constant Jay Wright, is former player Mike Nardi, now an assistant coach. Seeing him on the sidelines with suit sleeves covering his tattoos really makes me feel old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your college team is unlike any other kind of fandom in sports. To cheer for the players who you go to class with, eat the same food with in the dining halls, and see out of uniform as they walk past you through the quad. The players are more than just images on a TV screen or names in a box score. They are students, just like you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Freshman year, I shared a history class with Kyle Lowry, now a two-time NBA all-star. Like him, I’m still haunted by that questionable traveling call against Allan Ray in the 2005 Sweet Sixteen loss to eventual champions North Carolina.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sophomore year, I took marine biology with Randy Foye, now a ten-year NBA veteran. I thought his #1-seeded 2006 team would go all the way, and I was crushed when they fell to the Joakim Noah and Al Horford led Florida Gators.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The year after I graduated, 2009, Scottie Reynolds led Nova to the Final Four. I still felt like a part of the team then, since I’d shared a campus with most of the players. And I felt as bad as them when they once again lost to the eventual champion Tar Heels, led by Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That’s why it felt so sweet to beat UNC to win this title. But still, it didn’t feel as sweet as it would have felt back in 2006 when I was a sophomore living in Sheehan Hall, walking to every home game in the Pavilion, learning about mollusks and sea turtles in Mendel with a future NBA player.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This year’s team was the most fun to watch of any group of Wildcats so far. They were so good together that it was almost boring, with the way they destroyed teams like Buddy Hield’s Oklahoma squad by a record 44 points.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ryan Arcidiacono had one of the best four-year careers of any Wildcat. A natural leader, selfless enough to pass up the game-winning shot. I loved watching him dive into the stands for every loose ball.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Daniel Ochefu was the best true center Nova had since its last National Champion, Ed Pinckney. He did the dirty work like setting screens and anchoring the defense in the post, and... mopping the floor?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kris Jenkins has Steph Curry-like 3-point shooting skills. His postgame quote said it all: “I think every shot is going in, so that one was no different.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Josh Hart is the type of long athletic wing previous Nova teams have lacked, and like his name suggests, he plays full of heart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Phil Booth has been a solid sixth man who came out and played the game of his career in the f*ing national title game to score 20 points.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Darryl Reynolds and Mikal Bridges provided much-needed size from the bench all season long.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Freshman starter Jalen Brunson played with poise, wise beyond his years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then there’s the Bench Mob, who got to do more than just cheer in several games this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This team is so much more than its individual talent, though. They play so selflessly together, none of them caring about individual stats. In years past, I'd get frustrated watching certain Wildcat teams, knowing they could play better, but this 2016 team reached its full potential.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the end, however, I only know these players as…well…basketball players. I never got to sit in a classroom with Arch, or eat in the Pit with Jenkins, or slap Ochefu’s hand as he ran down the stairs of the student section in the Pavilion. Then again, as a Villanovan, we’ve all shared those experiences at one time or another. So in a way, I do know these kids even though I've never met them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 2016 Wildcats are National Champions, and so am I.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-67514771574370174772015-03-19T18:57:00.000-04:002018-03-27T18:50:43.711-04:00The Best Villanova Basketball Team of My Lifetime* (*I Was Born in 1986)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oy5LN8klUvI/VQtHxGdihiI/AAAAAAAACe8/Tu_SfHPIhdU/s1600/2015%2Bbig%2Beast%2Bchamps.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oy5LN8klUvI/VQtHxGdihiI/AAAAAAAACe8/Tu_SfHPIhdU/s1600/2015%2Bbig%2Beast%2Bchamps.jpeg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been a while. I haven't posted on Nova News in four years, but like Barry Bonds, I never officially retired. I just kind of stopped. Wait, why did I just compare myself to Barry Bonds? My hiatus had nothing to do with drugs, performance enhancing or otherwise. I wasn't on PEDs while writing all those blog posts, unless you count caffeine. Though I may have been drunk when I wrote <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2010/06/scottie-reynolds-next-mike-bibby.html" target="_blank">some posts</a>. (I still believe in you, Scottie!) Anyway, I had to return to the blog to write about this years basketball team.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 2014-2015 Villanova Wildcats are hands-down the best Nova basketball team I've seen since I started following the school my freshmen year in 2004-05. In that time, I saw a Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham led team go to the Final Four in 2009. I saw the #1-seeded 2005-06 team, which was even better than the '09 Final Four team, though they only made it to the elite eight. The '06 team, unfortunately, had the misfortune of running into the juggernaut Florida Gators team full of future NBA stars like Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer. That '06 Nova team had plenty of NBA talent itself as well. Randy Foye was a lottery pick and has been a solid NBA veteran guard. Allan Ray went undrafted but spent some time with the Celtics. Freshman Dante Cunningham didn't play much on that team, but he's gone on to be a backup power forward in the league. Finally, there was my sophomore year classmate and 2015 NBA All-Star Game starter, Kyle Lowry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't know if this year's team has any future NBA stars. Darrun Hilliard is probably the best player on the team right now. He definitely has the skill and basketball IQ to play at the next level. The only thing that may hold him back is his lack of speed and athleticism.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JayVaughn Pinkston has been a favorite player of mine since he stepped on campus (<a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-immediately-regret-this-decision.html" target="_blank">and knocked a drunk frat boy out</a>), and he'd be a sure-fire NBA power forward if he was only a few inches taller. But alas, he's stuck at 6'7.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ryan Arcidiacono is a classic college guard, who's been playing so well this year that the announcers have actually learned how to pronounce his last name correctly. Sadly, I don't think Adam Silver will be mispronouncing his name on draft night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Daniel Ochefu and Josh Hart may be the best pro prospects on the team. You can't teach Ochefu's height and athleticism, and he is only getting better and better. Josh Hart is young and still a little raw, but has the size and athleticism to be a two-way two-guard in the NBA, like Jimmy Butler or Wes Matthews.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dylan Ennis probably won't join his little brother in the NBA. Kris Jenkins is a sharp-shooting stretch-four, but needs to improve the other areas of his game. As for Phil Booth, who knows. It's too early to tell how good he can be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of that is in the future, though, and doesn't really matter for Villanova's chances in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. You can argue whether this team has NBA talent or not, but regardless, they are loaded with NCAA talent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This Big East isn't the same Big East as when I was in school, but it's still a strong conference, and Villanova cruised through the schedule like it was the America East. Nova was San Antonio Spurs-like in the way they made the game look so easy, to the point that it was almost boring. That is, boring if you find great team basketball played the right way, boring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The thing that strikes me most about this team is their chemistry. I know it's a cliche that the announcers have repeated 1,745,386 times during the broadcasts, but these players really do pass up good open shots for better open shots. No one is selfish and out for their stats. They have no signature alpha-dog, but six players average over nine points a game, and any one of them is capable of leading the team with 20+ points on any given night (all six of them already have). Putting on my "Bill Simmons Body Language Doctor" glasses, everybody on the team looks like they genuinely like each other, both on and off the court, and they seem to be having a lot of fun together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like every Jay Wright team, the 2015 Wildcats have great guards, shoot the three, and play hard on defense, but unlike every Jay Wright team of the past, this years squad actually has a legitimate inside presence. JayVaughn Pinkston may be an undersized power forward, but he is strong and is one of the few players these days with a true offensive post game. But the big difference maker for this team is Daniel Ochefu. He's not some undersized three masquerading as a power forward. He's a legit 6'11 center. He's the best Jay Wright big man since... ever, really. And the best Villanova big man since Ed Pinckney. D-Chef plays both ways, his post game is constantly improving, he's been a beast on the boards (pulled down 24 in one game this season), and he's a legit shot blocker and defensive presence in the paint. Ochefu is the piece that all those great "Guard U" teams were missing. Now we have our stud big man, plus the great guards. The only real weakness of the team is backup center if Ochefu gets into foul trouble, though even in that case, the team can go small with Pinkston at the five, which will work against most teams.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That 2005-06 Villanova team may have been a #1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, but a lot of experts doubted their title chances because they were too small. Ultimately that team did fall... short. The 2015 #1-seeded Wildcats, however, have no nits to be picked by the experts. Nova is a legitimate contender for the national title. The biggest hurdle that stands in their way is, once again, another SEC juggernaut team full of future NBA stars: Kentucky. If the two Wildcat teams make it to the championship game, it may be a David vs. Goliath situation. Then again, Villanova knows a thing or two about slaying Goliaths.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-76198753265167469442011-03-18T22:33:00.005-04:002011-03-19T08:15:46.139-04:008-Seed Stuns 9-Seed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gz-_l8QjpPQ/TYQY_FhJ96I/AAAAAAAACRY/wX-u80mfFws/s1600/fisher-larranaga.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 355px; height: 263px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gz-_l8QjpPQ/TYQY_FhJ96I/AAAAAAAACRY/wX-u80mfFws/s400/fisher-larranaga.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585616909938325410" border="0" /></a>It felt like an upset. George Mason coach Jim Larranaga gave a rousing locker room speech to pep up his team before the game that could have been a scene from <i>Hoosiers</i>. However, his pre-game words were no match for Villanova. The Two Coreys combined for 24 points, playing in their potentially final collegiate game, and Larranaga’s Patriots trailed by as many as ten points. His undersized “underdogs” had no answer for Villanova’s 6’10 big man inside, Mouphtaou Yarou, who grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. George Mason took a six-point deficit into the locker room at halftime, when Jim Larranaga mustered up another epic locker room speech in front of the television cameras to inspire his troops and will them to victory.<br /><br />There were no cameras in the Villanova locker room. We didn’t hear Jay Wright’s pre-game speech, but I’d imagine his halftime speech went something like this: “Alright guys, we have the lead, so let’s hope the score remains the same, and just try to run the clock down to zero. Take nine seconds to walk the ball across half-court, then play hot potato and pass the ball casually around the top of the key for another fifteen seconds. When the shot clock gets down to ten, Fisher or Wayns, one of you can dribble around frenetically then launch a contested fade away jumper at the buzzer. Got that? Good. Now repeat that for twenty minutes and hope for the best.”<br /><br />Corey Fisher shot 2-7 in the second half. Corey Stokes, 1-8. Maalik Wayns, 0-4. Yarou grabbed just two rebounds. And they were all tough shots. This game wasn’t lost because Stokes missed a baseline jumper. It wasn’t lost because the referees missed a foul call on Maalik Wayns. Or because Luke Hancock hit a clutch 3-pointer. It was lost well before that because of the offensive game plan Jay Wright employed at the start of the second half. I was willing to forgive it in the previous games because of the gluttony of injuries Villanova had suffered; however, all week Jay maintained that his team was finally 100% healthy. And I believe him. Stokes, Fisher, and Yarou were in top form in the first half. If the team played 40 minutes like that, they would have cruised to an easy double-digit win. For whatever reason, Jay decided his best strategy was to try to shorten the game and run the clock down on each possession. I don’t understand it, you’re only making it tougher on yourself trying to score that way. The most frustrating thing is that Villanova did not lose this game because of great George Mason defense, or because the Patriots got lucky shooting the ball, or because Nova played poor defense, or even because the refs blew a call. Villanova lost because they failed miserably to execute on offense, and they have no one to blame but themselves.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KF--d9sNJCg/TYQZfG2CPLI/AAAAAAAACRg/vKk_S8Vw-sk/s1600/jaywright-georgemason.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 157px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KF--d9sNJCg/TYQZfG2CPLI/AAAAAAAACRg/vKk_S8Vw-sk/s200/jaywright-georgemason.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585617460050148530" border="0" /></a><br />Seniors Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, and Antonio Pena had great careers at Villanova, making the NCAA Tournament every year and advancing to a Sweet Sixteen and a Final Four. I feel bad for them that it ended on a sour note, not just because they lost in the first round or because they lost six-straight games. I feel bad for them because they didn’t even get a chance to go down swinging. Like wise veterans, they did what their coach told them to do. Unfortunately, he held them back.<br /><br />I’m not coming down hard on Jay Wright because I hate him and want him fired. I don’t. I love Jay, which makes this loss hurt all the more. I don’t know what he said at halftime, or what his logic behind the second half offensive strategy was. I do know that he is a better coach than he displayed. He’s proven as much through his impeccable track record over the past decade. I’m not sure what Jay needs to do to get his team to play 40 minutes of Villanova basketball in the future, but maybe he can start by watching sports movies and taking notes from the coaches’ locker room speeches. It worked for Larranaga.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-75083748817198973762011-03-15T13:01:00.008-04:002011-03-15T15:41:59.227-04:002011 Tournament Preview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cqRqg3gBG4k/TX_A5CWptoI/AAAAAAAACRA/2qRrSTkatN8/s1600/fisher-comic.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cqRqg3gBG4k/TX_A5CWptoI/AAAAAAAACRA/2qRrSTkatN8/s400/fisher-comic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584394149079660162" border="0" /></a>Despite losing five in row, seven of their last nine, and ten of their last fifteen games, Villanova has made it into the NCAA Tournament. On top of that, they’re still a single-digit seed (9), and they don’t even have to play in one of the four new play-in games. Best of all, they drew an opponent, George Mason, that they’ve beaten twice in the past three years. This is great news, right?<br /><br />Not so fast. George Mason (26-6, 16-2 CAA) is the exact type of mid-major team that always seems to give Villanova fits in the NCAA Tournament. One of the biggest reasons for Nova’s recent collapse has been their inability to defend the perimeter. (See: Notre Dame) So I wasn’t pleased to discover that six of Mason’s top seven scorers shoot over 34% from behind the arc, and three of them shoot over 40%. George Mason also has an experienced squad, full of upper classmen. Furthermore, those two victories over the Patriots did not come easy. In 2007-2008 they met in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando (You can read my recap of that game <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2007/11/19-villanova-vs-george-mason.html">here</a>). With contributions from Malcolm Grant and Casiem Drummond (really?), Nova held on to win that game 84-76. Last season, The Wildcats and Patriots met in a warm location again for another preseason tournament, the Puerto Rico Tip-Off (recap <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2009/11/thunder-in-paradise-nova-narrowly.html">here</a>). That game was even closer, with Nova needing a game-winning 3-pointer from Isaiah Armwood to pull out a 69-68 victory.<br /><br />Villanova encountered two mid-major schools in las year’s Tournament. Nova needed overtime to beat Robert Morris (<a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2010/03/nova-survives-robert-morris-in-ot.html">73-70</a>), then they fell to St. Mary’s in the second round (<a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2010/03/st-marys-stuns-nova.html">75-68</a>). The year before, Nova trailed by 10 at halftime and as many as 14 points to 14-seed American University, before pulling away for a <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2009/03/nova-survives-american-upset.html">80-67</a> win. After that scare from a lowly mid-major school, Nova went on to trounce national powerhouses UCLA and Duke by 20+ points, then beat Pittsburgh to go to the Final Four where they lost to eventual National Champions North Carolina. I don’t know why, perhaps it traces back to the “Perfect Upset” of 1985, but Villanova usually feels more comfortable in the underdog role. Which leads to their difficulty against these small mid-major schools that they are always favored against. Villanova is technically the underdog this year in the 8/9 game versus George Mason. However, in terms of national recognition and historical success, Villanova is Goliath.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8qDwpm5jdxg/TX_A80vphsI/AAAAAAAACRI/Qb1rRBpsetc/s1600/fisher-george%2Bmason.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8qDwpm5jdxg/TX_A80vphsI/AAAAAAAACRI/Qb1rRBpsetc/s320/fisher-george%2Bmason.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584394214145885890" border="0" /></a>So can Villanova win this game? Yes, of course. Villanova could even beat #1-seed Ohio State in the second round, as well as just about any other team in the country when they play to their full potential. The question is <span style="font-style: italic;">will</span> they beat George Mason? Or will they be at the top of their game? Here’s my quote from last year’s win over George Mason: “Corey Fisher got to the line 18 times and sank 14 of them, which helped make up for his poor 1-12 shooting effort from the field. To his credit, he kept driving to the basket, attacking George Mason defenders. Although he missed a lot of shots, I liked the fact that he was aggressive and drove to the basket, rather than just settling for jumpers.” The key to Villanova’s success is Corey Fisher, more specifically his health. If this week off has given Fisher enough time to fully recover from his knee injury, then he can finally get back to the way he normally plays, attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line. Villanova is 7-0 when Fisher attempts 8 or more free throws in a game. The last game Fisher attempted more than eight free throws in a game just so happens to be the last game Villanova won (DePaul). The problem is, as I wrote <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2011/03/waiting-game.html">last week</a>, Fisher’s knee tendentious has caused him to become a jump shooter.<br /><br /><div style="margin: 0px auto; text-align: left;"><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://statsheet.com/charts/chartlets/2011/03/15/mcb_players_player_villano%20va_corey_fisher_game_stats_season_2010_2011_stat_type_1_game_type_1_chart_285336.js"></script>Speaking of injuries, Villanova also needs Moupthtaou Yarou to recover from the hard fall he took in the Big East Tournament. George Mason has some talented 3-point shooters, but they are a small team and don’t have anybody that can guard Mouph inside. I truly believe it was the injuries that ravaged Villanova’s season, and it will be their health that determines Villanova’s fate in the NCAA Tournament. So if they do lose, don’t call for Jay Wright’s head; blame the injury gods.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-7826646020723930972011-03-09T15:47:00.004-05:002011-03-09T16:33:57.701-05:00The Waiting Game<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xgFb5qVA7Po/TXfnphoVoEI/AAAAAAAACQI/GgI_lMAsnKI/s1600/wayns-usf.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xgFb5qVA7Po/TXfnphoVoEI/AAAAAAAACQI/GgI_lMAsnKI/s320/wayns-usf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582184963737231426" border="0" /></a>“I’m not even mad… That’s amazing.” That’s how Anchorman Ron Burgundy felt after his dog Baxter ate a whole wheel of cheese and pooped in the refrigerator. I feel the exact same way about Villanova’s late season collapse and their most recent one-point loss to South Florida. I just stared in shock at the way Nova played during that second half at Madison Square Garden. When Maalik Wayns’ potential buzzer beating shot rimmed off the basket, I wasn’t angry, it was more a feeling of awe and confusion. How did this Wildcats team, ranked nationally in the top-10 for much of the season, spiral out of control and end up on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament?<br /><br />Villanova played like that top-10 team in the first half against the Bulls, taking a 16-point lead into halftime. However, the team that came out of that locker room was the one that has lost five games in a row and is continually finding new ways to lose each night. Some of it is bad luck, like the injury to Mouphtaou Yarou against the worst team possible, the tall athletic front court of South Florida. Or the knee tendentious that has been nagging Corey Fisher for a month. Or the hamstring and turf toe injuries that caused Corey Stokes to miss games. Or the back spasms that plagued Maalik Wayns. Or the knee injury back in January that Dominic Cheek hasn’t played the same since. These injuries are unfortunate, and there’s not a whole lot Jay Wright or anyone else can do about them. Injuries happen. It’s just a simple case of bad luck.<br /><br />But then there’s the team’s inability to execute down the stretch of close games, which Jay Wright and his players absolutely <span style="font-style: italic;">can</span> control. Villanova shot a perfect 20 for 20 from the free throw line until the final 48 seconds of the game, when they missed the front end of a 1-and-1 TWICE. Then there was the inbounds lob pass thrown up for grabs under the other team’s basket. Then there was the crater-sized opening left in the lane for Anthony Crater to drive to the basket for the winning layup. These are careless mistakes that well-coached, experienced teams should not make.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SdPdZslkuX4/TXfu44OVBbI/AAAAAAAACQY/Gc4gx5Sjjn0/s1600/fisher%2Bprice-bet.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SdPdZslkuX4/TXfu44OVBbI/AAAAAAAACQY/Gc4gx5Sjjn0/s320/fisher%2Bprice-bet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582192924081587634" border="0" /></a>So where is that experience and leadership to take over at the end of these close games? Well that player is supposed to be preseason Wooden Award finalist, All-Big East 2nd Team player, senior guard and leading scorer, Corey Fisher. And he… WASN’T EVEN ON THE FLOOR FOR THE FINAL SEQUENCE OF THE GAME. This knee injury must be a lot worse than anybody thought it was, that Jay Wright wouldn’t trust his senior leader and all-around best player to get a defensive stop with the game on the line. Fisher put up decent enough stats (15 points, 3 assists), but watching him play, you can tell that something just wasn’t right. At first it simply appeared to be the case of a shooting slump, with 3-16, 1-10, 3-14 performances from the field over the past few games. Then the news came that Fisher was suffering from knee tendentious. But why should a knee injury affect his shooting stroke?<br /><br />When you look closer, you’ll see that the injury has changed Fisher’s entire style of play. All season long, Fisher got to the free throw line about eight times per game, while taking about four 3-pointers. Over the past month, his free throw attempts and 3-point attempts per game have interchanged. Fisher’s bread and butter is driving to the basket and attacking defenders with his signature “Fisher Price” mid-air acrobatic moves. With the knee injury, he doesn’t have the athleticism to do that anymore, so he is settling for long jumpers, which has never been the strength of his game. Watching Fisher against USF, whenever he drove to the basket, he would dish the ball to avoid contact, rather than trying to draw a foul. The real issue isn’t that Fisher is missing so many 3-pointers (0-8, 0-8, 3-8, 1-8, 1-4), it’s that he’s being forced to attempt that many in the first place. Fisher has made just NINE free throws through this five-game losing streak, an amount that he would easily make in a single game earlier this season. It’s a shame Fisher’s injury had to happen now, when he was in the midst of a fantastic final season, but it’s time we exit the denial phase. Once we the fans, the team, the coaches, and Fisher himself acknowledge that this injury is significant and is having a negative impact on the team, we can begin to try to figure out how to overcome it.<br /><br />Jay Wright’s system is designed around the point guard. It’s been described as the “take ‘em” offense. He relies on his point guards to run plays and create shots for themselves and others using the dribble drive. This worked great in 2006 when he had four great point guards (Randy Foye, Kyle Lowry, Allan Ray, and Mike Nardi), and the team went to the Elite 8. It can even work with just two great point guards (Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher), as we saw two years ago in the run to Final 4. And it worked earlier this season with the combination of Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns. The problem is that now, with Fisher’s injury, the team really only has one and a half point guards, and that one is still just a sophomore. If Villanova does make the NCAA Tournament, Jay Wright will have to fundamentally change his offensive philosophy for the team to have any chance of winning a game. How do you do that?<br /><br />You can start by taking some notes from the Notre Dame and South Florida playbooks and start setting screens for Corey Stokes on the perimeter. Both teams made an effort through set plays to get open looks for thier sharpshooters, Tim Abromaitis (9-13 3PT vs. Nova) and Shaun Noriega (6-12 3PT vs. Nova). Stokes made 3 of 6 from downtown and scored 16 points in the first half against USF. As Justin Timberlake would say, “Six 3-pointers isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? Twelve 3-pointers.” If Jay Wright can figure out a way to get Stokes twelve shots a game from behind the arc, he will likely make <span style="font-style: italic;">at least</span> half of them. Guess how many shots Stokes got off in that atrocious second half collapse against South Florida… ONE… And he missed it. And you wonder why Nova made only four field goals and zero 3-pointers in the second half of that game. With Fisher banged up and Wayns inexperienced, the offense needs to center around the best shooter on the team, Corey Stokes. The good news is Jay Wright has over a week to adjust his system in preparation for the NCAA Tournament, if they are lucky enough to earn a bid.<br /><br />Which brings us to the ultimate question… Will Villanova make the Big Dance? Fortunately for now, most experts say yes. Nova’s body of work is impressive enough, though losing their last five games will certainly hurt their seeding. Heck, even St. Joe’s alum and ESPN <a href="http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology">Bracketologist</a> Joe Lunardi has the Wildcats still in the Dance, albeit as an 11-seed. Nova appears to be safe for now, but with conference tournaments running throughout the country, you never know what upsets may loom. For now, it’s the waiting game. Villanova will have to sit in anticipation to hear if their name is called on Selection Sunday, and who knows, maybe that will be just enough time for Yarou's face and ribs, Stokes' hamstring and toe, Cheek's knee, Wayns' back, and Fisher's knee to heal. One could hope.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-53182600169728486892011-03-07T16:20:00.002-05:002011-03-07T16:44:22.008-05:00Not Winning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/SanGWp4Bf0I/AAAAAAAABiI/P6gyNf6PIKU/s1600/jaywright.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 321px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/SanGWp4Bf0I/AAAAAAAABiI/P6gyNf6PIKU/s1600/jaywright.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Villanova ended their regular season on a sour note, losing their fourth-straight game to Pittsburgh, 60-50. They finished 10th in the Big East and now find themselves in the unanticipated position of having to play in the first round of the Big East Tournament on Tuesday. The Wildcats have also fallen out of the Top-25 for the first time this season. I hate to make excuses, but-- wait that’s not true, I love making excuses. Here they are:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Injuries</span><br />Corey Stokes was unavailable for three of Villanova’s losses, including the end of the Rutgers collapse that started this whole mess. Both of Villanova’s losses to Pitt, the Big East’s number one team, were close despite Stokes’ absence. If Stokes was healthy, I think Nova could have at least beaten the Panthers at the Pavilion and who knows what else.<br /><br />Stokes is vital to this team’s success; however, the knee tendinitis that Corey Fisher has been battling for the past month or so is a more alarming injury. Even though it hasn’t caused him to miss any games, it certainly has effected Fisher’s play. I assumed he was simply going through a bad shooting slump, but an injury makes more sense. Fisher is too good to be having multiple 0-8 games from behind the arc. In hindsight it may have been a better idea for him to sit for a few of those games, but let’s just hope he’s healthy enough going forward.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. The whole season counts.</span><br />We've seen how good this team can be. Don’t forget Villanova had an 11-game winning streak this season, as well as wins over UCLA, Temple, Louisville, Maryland, and Syracuse. Nova should still be a safe bet for the Big Dance, and as long as your at the party, anything can happen on the dance floor.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Brutal Schedule</span><br />Yeah, four straight losses sounds horrible on paper, but all four were against teams ranked in the Top-25. Meanwhile, teams like BYU and San Diego State go through most of their season without playing any ranked teams besides each other. Aside from that first half against Notre Dame, which I have erased from my memory, Nova has been in every single game this season, which should count for something.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. One win is all you need...</span><br />As DePaul nearly proved, no win is guaranteed in the Big East, but let’s just say Villanova has a good shot at ending their losing streak against the 3-15 Bulls of South Florida. Losing four games in a row can destroy a team’s confidence, but even just one win before the NCAA Tournament might be enough to restore it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Jay Wright’s Secret Weapon</span><br />No, not Maalik Wayns (27 points (6-12 3PT vs. Pitt), I’m talking about the Siberian tigers Jay Wright stole from the Philadelphia Zoo. Tiger blood might be just the thing this team needs to start WINNING again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-1974369564279693472011-03-02T17:54:00.004-05:002011-03-02T18:08:05.209-05:00Righting the Ship<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/SwXnisqxbPI/AAAAAAAAB1U/BXktWnwDC-k/s1600/thunder-in-paradise.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 278px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/SwXnisqxbPI/AAAAAAAAB1U/BXktWnwDC-k/s1600/thunder-in-paradise.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Villanova is in an apparent Charlie Sheen-like nosedive. They have lost three in a row and five of their last seven, all culminating in the 21-point loss to Notre Dame on Monday night. With only one regular season game left, you can look back and criticize the team for all of their shortcomings over these past few weeks, or you can look ahead and try to figure out what the team needs to do to right the ship before Tournament time. I choose the latter.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corey Fisher</span>: Forget about the 3-16 FG, 0-8 3PT game vs. Syracuse and the 1-10 FG, 0-8 3PT game vs. St. John’s. It’s in the past. Fisher is still the best player on the team, and in most games he’s the best player on the floor. He needs to remember that and play like he did in the second half of the Notre Dame game when he scored 17 points in 17 minutes. This is Corey Fisher’s team. He’s a senior. It’s now or never.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corey Stokes</span>: Well, Stokes doesn’t need to change anything offensively; he's made 14 of 26 threes and scored 53 points since his return from injury. He just needs to stay healthy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mouphtaou Yarou</span>: Mouph has only attempted 8 field goals <span style="font-style: italic;">total</span> over the past 3 games, after averaging about 8 field goal attempts <span style="font-style: italic;">per game</span> for most of the season. The guards need to get the ball to Yarou in the low post more often. Most teams don’t have anybody that can stop him one-on-one. Feed the big man!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maalik Wayns</span>: At times he is unstoppable on offense, but Wayns can also kill the team with poor shot selection and careless turnovers. He’s still young, and eventually he will put it all together. However, for now, it’s probably best for Fisher to handle the point guard duties full-time until he hands the keys to the offense over to Wayns next year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Antonio Pena</span>: Okay, he had a hot streak for a few games in the middle of the season, but Pena is not a jumpshooter. I’m tired of seeing him shoot from the worst spot on the floor, just inside the arc. Either take a step back for the three or take the ball inside.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dominic Cheek</span>: He finally scored in double figures with 11 points against St. John’s, but it didn’t result in a win. Cheek is talented and full of potential, but he just needs to be smarter with his shot selection. For example, on one possession against Notre Dame he passed up an open three, to take a couple dribbles and chuck up a long contested fade-away 2-pointer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Isaiah Armood</span>: At this point in his career, Armwood is purely a hustle and energy player. He needs to watch some Dwayne Anderson game tape. Whenever he is on the floor, Armwood needs to play tenacious defense, chase down every rebound, and dive after any loose ball.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">James Bell</span>: He’s displayed a nice shooting stroke, but as the eighth man, Bell needs to step up his defensive game if he wants to get more playing time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jay Wright</span>: Coach needs to do something about this team’s perimeter defense. 13 threes to DePaul, 10 to St. John’s, 20 to Notre Dame!? I can understand the Irish running some picks and getting hot from the outside early in the game, but how were Abromaitis and Hansbrough still getting wide open looks in the second half? There’s a hole in this defense, and Jay needs to fix it fast before the entire ship sinks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-69626735380742304642011-02-22T17:14:00.010-05:002011-02-22T17:43:43.529-05:00Battling Orange and Blue DemonsVillanova is 2-3 in their past five games, and the two wins easily could have been losses. It may not seem like a time to celebrate, but let’s try to lift the spirits of Nova Nation with an NBA All-Star Weekend edition of Nova Awards.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Bill Simmons Award for Humbling Victory for a Coach<br /></span>Bill Simmons, the inventor of the awards shtick, was the coach of the East team in the Celebrity All-Star game. They won, but how proud can you be about defeating a West team led by Justin Bieber? Jay Wright’s Villanova team had a thrilling two-point victory over DePaul, but the fact that they needed overtime to beat the worst team in the Big East (1-13) is a bit humbling.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Black Mamba Award for MVP</span><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1TO4yeUIPWE" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="640"></iframe><br /><br />Corey Fisher had a Kobe Bryant-like performance in the win over DePaul: a career-high 34 points, a clutch 3-pointer to send the game to overtime, and perhaps the biggest similarity to Kobe, his one assist. Kobe has proven that Black Mambas have their good sides (37 points for All-Star MVP, 81 points in a game) and their bad sides (6-24 FG, 0-6 3PT in game 7 of the Finals last year). The same goes for Fisher, who has had his share of good games (105 points over the summer) and bad, the worst of which happened to come against Syracuse (3-16 FG, 0-8 3PT). The main difference is the Lakers won that game 7, while Nova lost to Syracuse.<br /><br />The MVP of the Syracuse game was Scoop Jardine, who also has aspects of both the good and bad “Black Mamba”. Scoop had 20 points (7-11 FG) and 6 assists in the win over Nova, after having just 2 points (1-8 FG) and 3 assists in their first meeting back at the Carrier Dome.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The LeBron James Triple-Double Award for Best Performance in a Loss</span><br />LeBron joined Michael Jordan as the only player in NBA All-Star Game history to record a triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, but his East team lost the game 148-143. Corey Stokes reminded us what he does best in his return after missing three games with a turf toe injury. Stokes scored a game-high 24 points and was the only Nova player to make a 3-pointer. He hit 5 of 10, while the rest of the team was 0 for 16.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The James Jones Award for Best 3-Point Shooter</span><br />The way Jeremiah Kelly shot the ball against Nova, it seemed like he was shooting uncontested threes from a rack. He was the big reason DePaul nearly upset Villanova, making 7 of 13 three-pointers to score 25 points in the overtime loss.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The JaVale McGee Award for Big Man That Can Dunk<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/teamphotos/ncaab/20110221/Syracuse_Villanova_Basketball.sff_56866_team.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 327px;" src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/teamphotos/ncaab/20110221/Syracuse_Villanova_Basketball.sff_56866_team.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />He didn’t dunk three balls or on two baskets at the same time, but Rick Jackson finished a handful of alley-oop dunks against Nova. He was nearly perfect from the field (8-9), which is easy when all your shots are dunks, scoring 18 points for the Orange.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Rookie Challenge Award for Disappointing Sophomores<br /></span>The Rookies upended the Sophomores 148-140 this year, but it’s a game that doesn’t really matter. However, these past few games for Villanova do matter, and their talented sophomore class has been underperforming. Dominic Cheek has been in a funk ever since his knee injury back in mid-January. Maalik Wayns has fallen into an every other game pattern for good/bad performances over the past six games. His point totals over that span: 17, 4, 13, 5, 17, 4. Likewise, Mouphtaou Yarou had a big game against DePaul (12 points and 15 rebounds), but he was shut down by Syracuse (5 points and 3 rebounds). The most impressive sophomore in the Rookie Challenge was DeJuan Blair (28 points and 15 rebounds), who was an lowly 2nd-round draft pick. The least heralded Nova sophomore also came up big in the loss to Syracuse. Isaiah Armwood had a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and he added 3 blocks. He may not be very skilled offensively, but I like his intensity on the boards and on defense.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Blake Griffin Dunk Over a Kia Award for Blatant Advertising<br /></span>Just when you thought sneakers, jerseys, shorts, socks, warm-up suits, and headbands were enough, Nike found another place to put their swoosh logo… on Jim Boeheim’s glasses!? What’s next, Nike starts tailoring designer suits for Jay Wright?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://aglamslam.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a59c9016970c0148c7be1318970c-400wi"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 169px;" src="http://aglamslam.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a59c9016970c0148c7be1318970c-400wi" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s8RwxxVrvoM/TWQ2wh9E6AI/AAAAAAAACPo/84gAlQWCGWw/s1600/nike-suit.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 171px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s8RwxxVrvoM/TWQ2wh9E6AI/AAAAAAAACPo/84gAlQWCGWw/s320/nike-suit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576642445967681538" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-59348155753295344472011-02-17T09:25:00.006-05:002011-02-17T11:44:34.143-05:00From Pitt Fall to Beating Hall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QybChSc37Yk/TV1KZwzVv0I/AAAAAAAACPQ/o6tgSwa8KYg/s1600/fisher-pitt.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QybChSc37Yk/TV1KZwzVv0I/AAAAAAAACPQ/o6tgSwa8KYg/s320/fisher-pitt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574693720211963714" border="0" /></a>Villanova came dangerously close to losing their third-straight game Tuesday night against the Seton Hall Pirates. Last Saturday the Wildcats lost a close hard-fought game (57-54) to Pittsburgh, one of the best teams in the country, which is nothing to hang your head about even though the 46-game Pavilion winning streak came to an end. Ironically, Nova’s win over the Pirates was the more disappointing performance over the past two games. The team’s late-game ineptitude was reminiscent of the Rutgers collapse. Villanova led most of the game against Seton Hall and were up 7 points with 5 minutes to play. However, from that point on, they stopped attacking on offense and "played not to lose" instead of "playing to win". They ran the clock down on each offensive possession, which resulted in rushed turnovers or poor shots trying to beat the buzzer. Jay Wright’s team is at their best when playing at an up-tempo pace and remaining aggressive on offense. Maybe it’s just something about playing in New Jersey and the close proximity to the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore that makes them lose their minds.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corey Fisher</span> has been playing fantastic as always, but the problem is he hasn’t been playing enough. He fouled out early against Pitt when the team could have used him on that final possession with a chance to tie the game. Then Fisher was forced to sit on the bench with 4 fouls late in the Seton Hall game. You want him to stay aggressive on offense <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> defense, but he is the best player on the team and needs to be on the floor when it matters.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Antonio Pena</span> is getting a little too trigger happy with that mid-range jumper. He’s much improved in that department, but he’s not quite as automatic as <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dante Cunningham</span> was.<br />P.S. Dante out-double-doubled Kevin Love against the Timberwolves last Monday, (18 points and 13 rebounds for Cunningham vs. 12 points and 11 rebounds for Love) so I guess that scientifically proves he's a better player.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maalik Wayns </span>has fallen back into a shooting slump these past few games: 0-6 FG vs. Rutgers, 4-12 FG vs. Pitt, 2-7 FG vs. Seton Hall. Then when he does make a 3-pointer, it’s too late. However, Wayns’ bigger slump has been his ball-handling. He has 13 turnovers in past three games, including an almost-fatal 6 against Seton Hall. He’s one of the fastest players in college basketball, but speed kills, and sometimes he gets out of control.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">James Bell</span> stepped up big-time against Seton Hall in the absence of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Corey Stokes</span>. 21 points, 7-9 FG, 4-6 3PT, 3-3 FT. Was he wearing a Bayside Tigers shirt under his jersey? Did he make a call on a foot-long cell phone from the bench? Yep, I guess you can say Villanova was “Saved by the Bell”.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mouphtaou Yarou</span> had a huge game in the loss to Pitt with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks, despite the fact that he missed a wide open dunk. Mouph looked like he was on his way to another big game against Seton Hall after scoring 8 points in the first half, but he was scoreless in just 7 second half minutes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Isaiah Armwood</span> didn’t shoot any field goals against Pittsburgh, but he did hit one shot, the one to Nasir Robinson’s face. I don’t know whether or not it was intentional, but I kind of hope it was because Robinson deserved it. He’s just another name in a long tradition of dirty Panther players… *cough*cough* Carl Krauser.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dominic Cheek</span> is the player I thought would step up to fill the shoes of the injured Stokes, but instead Cheek shot 1-7 and 0-5 in the past two games. He hasn’t scored in double figures since January 6, two games before his knee injury. His rebounding numbers have been fine since then, so I don’t know why his shot is so off.<br /><br />Even with Villanova down a man due to Stokes’ injury, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Maurice Sutton</span>’s playing has been dwindling. Sutton has played under 10 minutes for seven-straight games, as Jay Wright has been giving the extra minutes to Armwood and Bell.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-996_Zjq0MW4/TV1QElbW8oI/AAAAAAAACPY/G7E6T2tm5YE/s1600/randy%2Band%2Bjay.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-996_Zjq0MW4/TV1QElbW8oI/AAAAAAAACPY/G7E6T2tm5YE/s200/randy%2Band%2Bjay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574699953451102850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kyle Lowry</span> scored a career-high 36 points Wednesday night to go along with 7 assists and 4 rebounds. A career under-30% 3-point shooter, Lowry hit 6 of 9 threes, improving his season average to 36.4%. It used to be that outside shooting was the only thing holding Kyle back. Now all he has to worry about is the slew of all-star caliber point guards he has to guard every night in the West: Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd and...<br /><br />Finally, congratulations to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Randy Foye</span>, who had his #2 jersey retired at the Pavilion last Saturday. Foye was one of my favorite players to watch while I was at Villanova, both on the court and off. It was just five years ago that I was sitting in the same classroom as Randy in Mendel Hall for our marine biology class. Ah, the good ‘ole days, learning about crustaceans and algae. Now he’s making millions of dollars in the NBA and I’m… not.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-1772746977109409012011-02-10T17:29:00.004-05:002011-02-10T17:54:33.758-05:00NNBEPP2: 2011 Movies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/S3v77hO2F_I/AAAAAAAACDc/P6XMb9pt6PU/s1600/nnbepp.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/S3v77hO2F_I/AAAAAAAACDc/P6XMb9pt6PU/s1600/nnbepp.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>While watching last Sunday’s Super Bowl, I could hardly even focus on the game because of all the great new movie trailers that premiered. The Patriots won, right? Anyway, let’s take a look at the upcoming 2011 movies in the latest edition of the Nova News Big East Power Poll.<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pitt</span> (22-2, 10-1) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458339/">Captain America</a><br />The leader of the Avengers seems like a good representative for the leader of the conference, but can Pitt remain one of the top teams in America without their captain, Ashton Gibbs. The Wildcats will get their first look at the Panthers this Saturday, when Nova will put it’s 46-game Pavilion winning streak on the line.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Notre Dame</span> (20-4, 9-3) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1133985/">The Green Lantern</a><br />Hopefully it will change this weekend, but the fact remains, the Fighting Irish are the only Big East team to beat Pitt this season. Ben Hansbrough is playing like he has a mystical green ring that gives him the college basketball superpowers of his brother Tyler.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Georgetown</span> (19-5, 8-4) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1464174/">Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son</a><br />Like his father, John Thompson III has Georgetown competing at an elite level every year, even after losing players to the NBA. The Hoyas are on a seven-game winning streak, but they’d be even better if Austin Freeman could dress up and play all five positions like Martin Lawrence.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">UConn</span> (18-4, 6-4) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399103/">Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon</a><br />Michael Bay’s movies are known for their big explosions and action sequences, but they tend to lack in story and character. The 2010-11 Huskies are known for Kemba Walker’s big scoring and impressive stat lines, but the team is lacking in other areas. Not to mention Walker’s shooting percentage has plummeted over the past two months. However, the Transformers movies still rake in hundreds of millions of dollars, and UConn still wins games, and those are the only stats that really matter.<br /><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Villanova</span> (19-5, 7-4) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1564367/">Just Go With It</a><br />Villanova was cruising along, up double-digits on Rutgers, and I kind of half-tuned out. The next thing I know, it’s a two-point game. I think Jay Wright and his team did they same as I, and started looking forward to this weekend’s big match-up against Pitt. The way Nova lost that game was rough, but like Adam Sandler, I’m going to say “just go with it”, forget it and move on. Games like this happen, where you think you’ve won and you mentally check out, and it’s better to happen now than in the NCAA Tournament. It sounds cliche, but that loss will be a learning experience, and I don’t think this team will ever let up in a game for the rest of the season. If they needed to lose a mid-season game to Rutgers to learn that lesson, so be it. Furthermore, this loss will only add fuel to the fire for Saturday’s game versus Pitt. Let’s just hope the critics’ reviews of Villanova come March are better than those of <span style="font-style: italic;">Just Go With It</span>.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Syracuse</span> (20-5, 7-5) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1650062/">Super 8</a><br />J.J. Abrams’ projects are always shrouded in mystery, almost as much mystery as this Syracuse team. I can’t figure them out. They start the season 18-0, but are 2-5 since. Why does Fab Melo continue to start every game when he only plays 3 minutes? Where is Carmelo going? What's on that train in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Super 8</span> trailer? What is the island on <span style="font-style: italic;">Lost</span>? I need answers!<br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Louisville</span> (18-6, 7-4) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480687/">Hall Pass</a><br />"A married man is granted the opportunity to have an affair by his wife." Is that the plot to <span style="font-style: italic;">Hall Pass</span> or Rick Pitino’s life?<br /><br />8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cincinnati</span> (19-5, 6-5) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409847/">Cowboys & Aliens</a><br />Okay, I give up. I can’t figure out any way that cowboys and aliens relate to the Cincinnati Bearcats… But, hey, doesn’t that movie look cool?<br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Marquette</span> (15-9, 6-5) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800369/">Thor</a><br />Thor was a warrior, and the Golden Eagles used to be Warriors. Despite wins over Notre Dame and Syracuse, Marquette might not even make the NCAA Tournament this year, which has more to say about the depth and quality of the Big East than Marquette’s shortcomings.<br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight: bold;">West Virginia</span> (15-8, 6-5) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1411697/">The Hangover Part II</a><br />This season has been the hangover to last year’s Final Four for West Virginia. The second hangover is the one Bob Huggins has while he’s coaching.<br /><br />11. <span style="font-weight: bold;">St. John’s</span> (13-9, 5-5) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1270798/">X-Men: First Class</a><br />Talk about first classes, Steve Lavin has the #2 recruiting class in the country, with 6 players in the <a href="http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/school/_/id/2599">ESPNU Top 100</a>. As for their 15 point win over Duke? They must have turned into mutants for that game.<br /><br />12. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Providence</span> (14-10, 3-8) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0822847/">Priest in 3D</a><br />What’s crazier, a vampire-killing priest or a donut-eating friar?<br /><br />13. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rutgers</span> (13-11, 4-8) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978764/">Sucker Punch</a><br />Rutgers’ stunning comeback win over Villanova felt like a sucker punch. It was just one of those freaky Reggie Miller/Larry Johnson late-game performances. Sure, Villanova made their share of mistakes, but Rutgers hit some lucky shots that make you just shrug your shoulders and tip your cap.<br /><br />14. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Seton Hall</span> (10-14, 4-8) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1298650/">Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides</a><br />Bullets are no match for pirates… Captain Jack Sparrow nor Jeremy Hazell.<br /><br />15. <span style="font-weight: bold;">South Florida</span> (8-17, 2-10) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596343/">Fast Five</a><br />It’s not good when the highlight of your season is “holding” Jimmer Fredette to 32 points in a double-overtime loss and “holding” Kemba Walker to 24 points in an overtime loss. Neither is it good when the highlight of your movie is the trio of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Dwayne Johnson. I don’t know what’s more surprising, that they’ve made five <span style="font-style: italic;">Fast and the Furious</span> movies or that South Florida has been in the Big East for five years already. Either way, it sure was a “fast five”.<br /><br />16. <span style="font-weight: bold;">DePaul</span> (6-17, 0-11) :: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1702443/">Justin Bieber: Never Say Never</a><br />Never say never, unless the question is “When will DePaul win a Big East game?”Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-58268268191020502912011-02-04T09:38:00.003-05:002011-02-04T10:10:54.730-05:00NFL: Nova Football League<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.star-telegram.com/static/superbowl/images/xlvlogo.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 390px;" src="http://media.star-telegram.com/static/superbowl/images/xlvlogo.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>Villanova’s return home after their 3-game road trip wasn’t as sweet as they had hoped it would be. Austin Freeman led Georgetown with 30 points in a 69-66 victory over Nova in Philly. However, Nova’s true return home to the cozy confines of the on-campus Pavilion was just what they needed to halt a 2-game losing streak. The 75-70 win over Marquette marked the Wildcats’ 46th-straight victory at the Pavilion. Now if only Jay Wright could figure out a way to move the Big East and NCAA Tournaments to the Pavilion…<br /><br />With the Super Bowl approaching this Sunday, it got me thinking. What if Villanova’s basketball players chose a different path? What if they ditched the hardwood for the gridiron and devoted their lives to the sport of football instead of basketball? Could they do it?<br /><br />I could see <span style="font-weight: bold;">Corey Fisher</span> being a Ray Rice-like running back. He’s quick and has a compact frame, plus he has a knack for bouncing off of defenders on his way to score. With 6-pointers, instead of 3-pointers, Fisher should be able to double the 105 points he scored last summer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corey Stokes</span> is the ultimate deep threat in basketball, which would make him a perfect wide receiver in football. He could use his height to his advantage when catching jump-balls in the end zone like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. The only problem is Stokes is too humble to be a prima donna wideout like TO and Moss. He will have to work on that.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maalik Wayns</span> would be the quarter back. He’s a natural leader, a playmaker, a scorer, and a distributor. With his lightening-fast speed he could be the next Michael Vick. You know, minus the whole dog fighting thing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Antonio Pena</span> has all the tools to play linebacker in the NFL. He’s definitely the strongest player on the team, and he just has that “look”, like Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor, that strikes fear into opposing players.<br /><br />This should be easy, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mouphtaou Yarou</span> grew up playing football… never mind that was “the other football”. But Mouph has proven to be a fast learner of new sports, and I could see him lining up at defensive end. He has the footwork to get around offensive guards and rush the quarterback plus the length to deflect passes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dominic Cheek</span> would make a nice NFL safety. He is one of the most versatile players at Villanova, able to play multiple positions. As a safety he’d be free to roam on defense and make plays like Troy Polamalu. Although he’d have to start growing his hair out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maurice Sutton</span>’s tall skinny frame doesn’t lend itself to football too well, but he could be useful on special teams. At almost 7-feet tall, Sutton can be a kick and punt blocking specialist. He just needs to jump over the line and swat away any field goal attempts with his long arms.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Isaiah Armwood</span> has the speed, strength, and athleticism to make a very good corner back. He’s already defensive-minded, and he could use his height and leaping ability to intercept passes.<br /><br />At 6’5, 225 lbs., <span style="font-weight: bold;">James Bell</span> is big and strong for a basketball guard, especially at Villanova, but that frame is ideal for a football tight end. Bell is right around the same size as Antonio Gates, who went from playing college basketball to being a Pro Bowl tight end.<br /><br />Walk-ons <span style="font-weight: bold;">Russell Wooten</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dallas Ouano</span> perform the unsung duties of hyping up their teammates from the bench and pushing them at practice, so it’s only natural that they play the least heralded position in football, the offensive line. But they will need to start eating more. A lot more.<br /><br />Even though he’s a great head coach, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jay Wright</span> is the only member of the Villanova basketball program that definitely could not make the transition to football. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t imagine Jay wearing a sleeveless hooded sweatshirt on the sidelines like Bill Belichick. Moreover, the headsets would ruin his hair, and his designer suits wouldn’t mesh well with the frozen tundra of Lambeau.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sadhillnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/nfl-snow-football-cancelled-postponed-metrodome-snowfall-blizzard-global-warming-sad-hill-news-41.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 300px;" src="http://sadhillnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/nfl-snow-football-cancelled-postponed-metrodome-snowfall-blizzard-global-warming-sad-hill-news-41.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-28810287702891027622011-01-28T09:53:00.004-05:002011-02-03T09:29:15.780-05:00Best Motion Picture of the Year Nominees<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/TULZLD1mbWI/AAAAAAAACPE/vlTsEzMBIAs/s1600/nova-oscar.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/TULZLD1mbWI/AAAAAAAACPE/vlTsEzMBIAs/s320/nova-oscar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567250873415265634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Winter’s Bone</span><br />A young girl has to travel through the crystal meth-infested neighborhoods of the Ozark Mountains to find her father. Speaking of tough winter road trips, after a tough loss to a top-10 team at UConn, Villanova had to go up to the Carrier dome to face an even higher ranked top-10 team, then they had to travel to the always raucous Dunkin Donuts Center. Who would have figured that Villanova’s lone win in the 3-game road trip would come against the toughest opponent of the three, #3-ranked Syracuse. However, Nova followed that impressive win with a loss against a Providence team that started out 0-6 in Big East play, though the Friars are a much better team than that poor start would indicate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Inception</span><br />I think Jim Boheim pulled some kind of inception, breaking into our minds and making us think that his Syracuse team was better than it actually is. The Orange started out 18-0, but have now dropped three straight, including a 22-point loss at home to Seton Hall. Or was I just dreaming about that?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The King’s Speech</span><br />The story of George VI overcoming a speech impediment to become the king of Britain. Maalik Wayns has seemingly overcome a 3-point shooting impediment that he was struggling with earlier this season to become the “king” of Villanova these past couple of games. Wayns has led the team in scoring in each of the past two games; 21 points (3-7 3pt) vs. Syracuse and 18 points (2-4 3pt) vs. Providence.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Toy Story 3</span><br />Fisher Price is one of the best toy companies out there. Fisher Price is also one of the best college point guards out there. However, against the Friars, Vincent Council played more like Fisher Price than Fisher himself. Council had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, including some impressive alley-oop passes. Meanwhile, Fisher shot 2-10 from the field to score just 7 points.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">127 Hours</span><br />That’s about how much time Corey Stokes needs to spend practicing shooting. I thought he broke out of his slump for good with that 16 point (4-11 3pt) game against Syracuse, but then he went on to have his worst shooting night… probably ever. 2 of 16 from the field!? 1 of 9 from three!? At least he was perfect from the free throw line, and he grabbed a season-high 9 rebounds. But if he doesn’t improve that shooting stroke, he might have to cut his own arm off.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Black Swan</span><br />Maurice Sutton is a white swan who needs to embrace his dark side more often and play like a black swan. He showed he can play tough against Syracuse with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks, but he had just 1 point and 2 rebounds in 9 foul-plagued minutes against Providence. Mouphtaou Yarou is another player who occasionally suffers from “white swan syndrome”. He’s had some stellar games this season, but he’s also had his share of sub-par performances, most recently against Providence (3 points, 2 rebounds, 1-6 FG). Embrace your inner black swans, big guys… just don’t lose your minds in the process.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">True Grit</span><br />Sutton can learn a thing or two from his teammate Antonio Pena who showed true grit against Providence with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Dominic Cheek also showed some grit, scoring 9 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in just his second game back from his knee injury. I hate to do it, but I have to credit Rick Jackson for his grit as well. He had 16 points and 15 rebounds in the loss to Nova, and he’s been a double-double machine all season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Fighter</span><br />Like boxers, Scoop Jardine (1-8 FG, 0-3 3pt) and Dion Waiters (2-12 FG, 1-7 3pt) went down swinging-- or shooting-- in their loss to Nova. Marshon Brooks’ Providence team may have won, and he still scored 20 points, but his 0 for 8 three-point shooting performance versus Nova was… interesting. When you’re 0 for 7 on the night, you’d think he would think twice before bricking that eighth three. But no, even when pinned against the ropes, Brooks went down swinging and threw up one last brick.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Social Network</span><br />A story of friends turned enemies over millions of dollars… Just like former Wildcat teammates Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry, who now battle against each other in the NBA with their million dollar contracts. Lowry’s Rockets beat Foye’s Clippers Wednesday night, 96-83, while both players scored 20 points a piece. Foye looks like he’s finally healthy for the first time this season, and he’s stepped into the starting shooting guard role with the injury to Eric Gordon. Even though Randy and Kyle are enemies on the court, they still remain friends on Facebook.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Kids Are All Right</span><br />This movie title sums up the state of Jay Wright’s squad right now. The young Wildcats will continue to have their ups and down throughout the grueling Big East schedule, but ultimately, they’ll be alright.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-1542943139325975982011-01-21T09:40:00.007-05:002011-01-21T11:23:24.640-05:00Huskies Halt Wildcats Win Streak<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/ap/33/fullj.75704cc04d5f748ef9d65dd4824a2844/ap-2b52eea113864b088c200badd12c088b.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 354px;" src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/ap/33/fullj.75704cc04d5f748ef9d65dd4824a2844/ap-2b52eea113864b088c200badd12c088b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>With 2.5 seconds left in a tie game, <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=41515">Kemba Walker</a> ended Villanova’s winning streak at 11 games, resulting in the Wildcats’ first Big East loss of the season. On the bright side, I’m still a perfect 18-0 in my <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2010/10/look-into-crystal-ball-2010-11.html">preseason predictions</a>. If only I had followed through and done some <a href="http://www.betus.com/">sports betting</a> before the season... Maybe I have some kind of supernatural psychic power, and I doomed Nova by predicting them to lose to the Huskies. In that case, is it too late to change my prediction for the Syracuse game this Saturday?<br /><br />Also on the bright side, <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=36123">Corey Fisher</a> outscored fellow Bronx native Kemba Walker 28-24. The 28 points were a season-high for Fisher, who also dished out 6 assists. Fisher had an impressive performance in the comeback-win over Maryland as well, when he scored 8 of his 17 points during a 19-0 Villanova run late in the game. When you throw out the inflated early season statistics and focus on conference play, Fisher is right there with Walker in the running for Big East Player of the Year, which is another preseason prediction that I’d gladly be wrong about.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Nova <span style="font-style: italic;">did</span> lose the game, so there is inevitably a dark side. I knew Corey Stokes’ out of this world shooting would eventually fall back to earth, but I never foresaw a slump this bad. Nova was able to overcome his 4-14 FG and 1-7 3PT shooting day against Maryland, but Stokes’ 0-6 shooting day proved costly in a tight game against UConn. Even the best of shooters are prone to the occasional slump, so Stokes just needs to stay confident in his stroke and shoot his way out of it.<br /><br />Maalik Wayns was instrumental in the Maryland comeback, scoring 22 points, hitting 7 of 10 field goals and 7 of 9 free throws. Wayns is at his best when he drives to the basket and draws fouls like his mentor Kyle Lowry. However, he only earned one trip to the line against the Huskies and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Speaking of Lowry, he has remained the Rockets’ starting point guard even after Aaron Brooks returned from injury, and his play hasn’t suffered any drop-off. Lowry tied his season-high with 28 points last week against Chris Paul and the Hornets.<br /><br />Antonio Pena had 14 points and 10 rebounds against Maryland, his first double-double since December 3, but don’t let that stat fool you. Pena, averaging about 10 points and 7 rebounds, is quietly having a super super-senior season (say that five times fast) for Nova. He had a modest 8 points and 5 rebounds in the loss to UConn, but the more important stat is the 38 minutes that he played in the game (and 39 minutes vs. Maryland). Throughout his career, Pena’s fatal flaw was always his inability to stay on the floor due to foul trouble, but he’s done a fantastic job at avoiding stupid fouls this season. Pena is yet to be disqualified from a game this season after fouling out eight times in 2009-2010. It helps that he is playing alongside a legitimate center in Mouphtaou Yarou, but you can tell that the 24-year-old Pena has grown wiser with his years.<br /><br />Yarou’s scoring has been sporadic this season, following up his season-high 18 points versus Louisville with 3 points versus Maryland then 8 points versus UConn. However, Mouph must be watching Kevin Love game tape because his rebounding has stayed consistent, grabbing double-digit boards in three straight games. And Yarou must have shared that tape with Isaiah Armwood before the Maryland game because he went on to record a career-high 13 rebounds. Maybe Armwood had some extra motivation playing against his home-state school. Jay Wright has had to lean on Armwood and freshman James Bell more than usual these past two games because of the knee injury that Dominic Cheek suffered against Maryland. The outcome of the UConn game likely would have been a little different if Cheek, a sixth man of the year candidate, was available. Fortunately, the injury isn’t serious, and Cheek should be back soon.<br /><br />Before I close, one more note for the bright side... At least the 33rd overall pick in the 2009 draft, Dante Cunningham, is having a better NBA career than the 2nd overall pick, Hasheem Thabeet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-70970454174981867312011-01-14T12:19:00.003-05:002011-01-14T12:29:11.408-05:00Two Coreys Are Better Than Everyone<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/S1y-IoT31MI/AAAAAAAACBU/90DFITsCrq4/s1600/two%2Bcoreys.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 442px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/S1y-IoT31MI/AAAAAAAACBU/90DFITsCrq4/s1600/two%2Bcoreys.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Villanova</span> is off to an undefeated 4-0 start to Big East play with wins over Rutgers (81-65), South Florida (83-71), Cincinnati (72-61), and Louisville (88-74). The number one reason for the team’s success is Corey. The number two reason is also Corey. Fisher and Stokes are both playing the best basketball of their careers, as they add their names to the list of great senior seasons under Jay Wright. (See: Reynolds, Scottie; Cunningham, Dante; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Foye</span>, Randy) It’s pointless to try to say who is the best Corey because they do different things and are equally important. <p class="p2"><br /></p> <p class="p1">Both <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Coreys</span> have been great all season long, but they have each turned it up a notch in the New Year when Big East Conference play began. Stokes is shooting the ball better than anyone in the country not named <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Jimmer</span> (18.75 points, 54.8% <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">FG</span>, 60.9% 3PT, 93.1% FT in Big East games). Fisher Price is better known for his acrobatic drives to the basket, but recently he has heated up from the outside as well, making him virtually <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">unguardable</span> (17.25 points, 5.25 assists, 50% <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">FG</span>, 50% 3PT, 81.8% FT in Big East games). If he <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">didn</span>’t have such talented teammates, Fisher could probably score 105 points in a real game this season. (That is if you consider <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">DePaul</span> on February 19 a real game.)</p> <p class="p2"><br /></p> <p class="p1">Two more of those talented teammates are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Maalik</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Wayns</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Mouphtaou</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Yarou</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Wayns</span> has scored at least 15 points in three straight games, but he’s always looking to set up his teammates first and foremost (7.5 assists per game in Big East). The showdown with the Cardinals seemed to be turning into a 3-point shootout, with Louisville hitting 12 of 25 from long-range and Nova making 8 of 13 as well. However, the difference in the game was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Yarou</span>, the big man in the middle for Nova, who Louisville had no answer for. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Mouph</span> had a career-high 18 points and added a game-high 11 rebounds, including 5 on the offensive glass. If <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Wayns</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Yarou</span> continue playing this well, they might not still be around to join the "Great Villanova Senior Season Club". </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-46107793793703058632011-01-03T10:23:00.004-05:002011-01-03T11:13:57.300-05:002010-11 NNBEPP 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/S3v77hO2F_I/AAAAAAAACDc/P6XMb9pt6PU/s1600/nnbepp.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/S3v77hO2F_I/AAAAAAAACDc/P6XMb9pt6PU/s1600/nnbepp.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It's a new year, and the first Big East conference games of the season are in the books. You know what that means... It’s time for the first Nova News Big East Power Poll (NNBEPP) of the season. (A Temple recap is posted under Villanova, and a Rutgers recap is posted under Princeton-- or under Rutgers. Yeah, that would probably make more sense.)<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Syracuse</span> - 15-0 (2-0) - The Orange once again look like the team to beat, even though Fab Melo is not a fab freshman, like Melo.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pittsburgh</span> - 13-1 (1-0) - I think Bruce Pearl is just trying to make the Big East look bad. First Tennessee beats Villanova, then they beat Pitt, and then they lose three in a row to Oakland, Charlotte, and USC, and now they lose at home to Charleston?<br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Villanova</span> - 12-1 (1-0) - Villanova reclaimed the Big 5 title by beating the Temple Owls 78-74, despite Juan Fernandez’s 20 points and 5 assists. I don’t know what he has against Nova, but he always saves his best game of the season for the Wildcats. Corey Stokes led Nova with 24 points, sinking five threes for the fourth time this season to boost his 3-point shooting to 43.2%. However, Stokes missed his second free throw of the season to drop his accuracy to 94.6%. Maalik Wayns scored a season-high 21 points, and he also dished out 8 assists. Corey Fisher, limited by foul trouble, was held to just 5 points. Mouph Yarou used some skillful post moves to score 14 points. Antonio Pena had a near double-double with 8 points and 9 rebounds.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/S1zDl63UWiI/AAAAAAAACBc/_sDXa2rZ_8o/s320/novaranger.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 168px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/S1zDl63UWiI/AAAAAAAACBc/_sDXa2rZ_8o/s320/novaranger.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">UConn</span> - 11-1 (1-1) - Sure, Kemba Walker can score 42 points and get triple-doubles, but can he roundhouse-kick people in the face like Walker, Texas Ranger? I didn’t think so.<br /><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Notre Dame</span> - 12-2 (1-1) - The Fighting Irish are right on schedule for their usual dominant November/December before their traditional mid-season collapse.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Georgetown</span> - 12-2 (1-1) - Austin Freeman (19.1 ppg) is a nice candidate for the BEPOYBKW award. (Big East Player of the Year Besides Kemba Walker)<br /><br />7. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Louisville</span> - 11-2 (0-0) - Louisville recently lost the <strike>Battle of Kentucky</strike> <strike>the Battle of Multiple Final Four Coaches</strike> the Battle of Cheating Coaches. At least Calipari limits his cheating to on the court and in the classrooms, and not under restaurant tables like Pitino.<br /><br />8. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cincinnati</span> - 14-0 (2-0) - There is some definite Ewing Theory potential with The Bearcats and Lance Stephenson. They’re undefeated, yet they still aren’t one of the seven Big East teams in the top 25.<br /><br />9. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Marquette</span> - 10-4 (1-0) - No wonder Chris Otule’s career free throw percentage is under 50%; <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/112685544.html">he only has one eye</a>. He should ditch the goggles though, and wear an eye patch like Jeff Bridges in True Grit. Then he should transfer to Seton Hall so he can serve as both a player and the mascot.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://hellinahandbasket.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/jeff-bridges-as-rooster-cogburn.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 151px;" src="http://hellinahandbasket.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/jeff-bridges-as-rooster-cogburn.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />10. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Providence</span> - 11-4 (0-2) - Marshon Brooks (23.4 ppg) is another candidate for the BEPOYBKW.<br /><br />11. <span style="font-weight: bold;">St. John’s</span> - 9-3 (2-0) - The Red Storm won the Great Alaska Shootout and are undefeated in the Big East. Did Coach Lavin do it? Is St. John’s basketball finally back? Never mind, they only had to beat an Eskimo and a pack of Malamutes to win the Alaskan Shootout.<br /><br />12. <span style="font-weight: bold;">West Virginia</span> - 8-4 (0-2) - After reaching the Final Four last season, the Mountaineers are unranked and lost at home to St. John’s. They’re one Bob Huggins’ texting mishap away from becoming the college basketball version of the 2010 Minnesota Vikings.<br /><br />13. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Seton Hall</span> - 7-7 (1-1) - It’s a tragedy that <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/news/story?id=5962331">Jeremy Hazell was shot</a> after defending himself against four muggers on Christmas night, although I can’t say I’m not surprised. Hazell has never been afraid to take a shot; he led the nation in 3-point shots attempted last season with 290.<br /><br />14. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rutgers</span> - 9-4 (0-1) - After trailing by four points at halftime, Villanova came roaring back to win their Big East opener versus Rutgers. Corey Fisher got back to doing what he does best; fishing (19 points) and dishing (6 assists). Maalik Wayns came just about as close as you can get to a triple-double without getting a single double (9 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists). Yarou and Pena combined for 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks. And Corey Stokes… I always knew he had the potential to do this, but even I am surprised at how quickly he’s put it all together. Stokes led the team with 23 points, as he continued to shoot the lights out (4-7 3PT, 9-10 FT). Stokes has certainly added his name to the ballot for BEPOYBKW.<br /><br />15. <span style="font-weight: bold;">South Florida</span> - 6-9 (0-2) and 16. <span style="font-weight: bold;">DePaul</span> - 6-8 (0-2) - These teams play each other twice this season, so one of them will have to win at least one Big East game this season. Although, if there is a way for two teams to lose one game, USF and DePaul will find a way to do it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-69272969520137164892010-12-23T11:40:00.004-05:002010-12-23T12:33:33.365-05:00Calm Before the Storm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/SzLy_F-Go4I/AAAAAAAAB8M/kETk1aLqrSk/s1600/SantaV.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/SzLy_F-Go4I/AAAAAAAAB8M/kETk1aLqrSk/s1600/SantaV.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>Villanova had a nice two game breather in-between Big 5 games and before the start of the Big East schedule. The opponents were Delaware and Monmouth, and Nova won the games by a combined 59 points. The final game of 2010 will be against Temple, then Nova opens the new year and Big East season against Rutgers.<br /><ul><li>Fisher Price delivered some early Christmas presents. He had back-to-back games with at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. </li></ul><ul><li>Maalik Wayns has gotten back on track from downtown, hitting 3 of 7 triples in his past two games, after shooting 0 for 11 in the previous four. </li></ul><ul><li>Corey Stokes, on the other hand, has been on track from downtown all year long. Stokes drained five 3-pointers in a game for the third time this season against Monmouth, en route to 19 points. </li></ul><ul><li>Following his recovery from injury, James Bell has had to play himself into game shape, and it looks like he is just about there. He scored 10 points against Delaware, then played a season-high 21 minutes against Monmouth. Now he just needs to hit a game-winning buzzer-beater so I can use the headline “Saved by the Bell”.</li></ul><ul><li>Dallas Ouano recorded his first personal stat of his career; one steal against Monmouth. (We’ll ignore the turnover.)</li></ul><ul><li>Monmouth’s individual scoring in the game against the Wildcats went as follows: 0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. By that pattern, Monmouth would have needed just four more players to beat Villanova. </li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-75243308570021770362010-12-14T11:18:00.002-05:002010-12-14T11:31:56.791-05:00The Hawk, the Quaker, and the Explorer are Dead<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/SUKPoAYoaOI/AAAAAAAABMo/gy6qi6j11u0/s1600/holy%2Bwar.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/SUKPoAYoaOI/AAAAAAAABMo/gy6qi6j11u0/s1600/holy%2Bwar.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Villanova finished up a three-game sweep against Big 5 schools, including St. Joe’s (71-60), Penn (65-53), and La Salle (84-81). All three opponents proved to be tougher adversaries than expected, especially the scrappy Explorers, who nearly pulled off the upset at the intimate Tom Gola Arena. The only Big 5 opponent remaining on the schedule is Temple, who beat the Wildcats for the city crown last season. The Owls already knocked off Georgetown this year (68-65), prompting a dubious court rushing by their fans.<br /><br />Villanova’s talented back court is renowned around the country, but the new dynamic duo in the front court has been vital to the team’s recent success. Antonio Pena and Mouphtaou Yarou are like a modern version of San Antonio’s “Twin Towers”, David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Neither Wildcat is a 7-footer, but fifth-year senior Pena is a wily veteran like the Admiral, while Yarou is a young big man oozing with potential, just like a young Duncan. Pena’s been dominant over his last four games, averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds. Mouph is already averaging close to a double-double on the season at 8.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and he will only get better from here. The Spurs’ Twin Towers won two championships together, which is impossible for Nova’s duo to duplicate since Pena is a senior, but I’d settle for “just one”.<br /><br />Corey Stokes, coming off a career-high 34 points against Penn, is having an Allan Ray-esque offensive season. His numbers are up across the board, averaging 16 points per game, shooting 47% from the field, lighting it up from downtown at 41.8%, and Stokes is virtually automatic from the charity stripe at 95.7%. He can guard multiple positions at 6-foot-5, and Jay Wright has praised Stokes as one of his best defenders. The Bayonne Bomber has come a long way since arriving on campus as a one-trick pony 3-point specialist.<br /><br />Dominic Cheek has turned into a real spark-plug off the bench for Villanova. Ironically, his worst game, when he scored just four points, came in his lone start of the season, versus Penn. Cheek dropped 14 points against both St. Joe’s and La Salle, and he’s turning into a legitimate threat from behind the arc. He sank four 3-pointers vs. the Explorers, which is valuable because as teams play more zone defense, Nova needs more reliable shooters to pair on the perimeter with Stokes.<br /><br />Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns’ 3-point accuracy should improve, but thus far they’ve been dreadful at 22% and 14.7% respectively. Both seem to be trying to shoot their way out of their slumps, as Fisher is attempting 4.6 threes per game, and Wayns, 3.8. Fisher has proven he can consistently drain the collegiate 3-pointer, shooting 39.6% last season, so I encourage him to continue taking the open shots. Wayns, on the other hand, should stick to driving to the basket because he’s shooting a much better 63% on 2-pointers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Other notes</span>:<br /><br />- There are seven Big East teams currently ranked in the top 25, and this was supposed to be a “down year” for the Big East. I know it’s early, but there are four teams still undefeated and four more with just one loss. They’ll start beating up on each other soon enough.<br /><br />- JayVaughn Pinkston was suspended for the entire season. That seems fair; he made a mistake and is serving his punishment. Now, the rest of the team can focus on <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> season, and not have to worry about any distractions surrounding Pinkston’s situation.<br /><br />- LeBron James’ return to Cleveland garnered a lot of national attention, and he answered with an impressive 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Kyle Lowry’s return to Memphis wasn’t as ballyhooed, but he had an equally impressive 28 points, 3 rebounds, and 12 assists. (11-15 FG, 4-5 3PT, 2-2 FT) Lowry is flourishing while Aaron Brooks is sidelined with an injury, averaging about 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists as a starter for Houston. Brooks should be returning shortly, unless there's some kind of Tonya Harding incident.<br /><br />- Randy Foye has played in just seven games this season for the LA Clippers. <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2010/07/open-letter-to-randy-foye.html">You can’t say I didn’t warn you</a>. Then again, if his second year with the Clips is anything like Blake Griffin’s, Foye could be in store for big year in 2012… assuming the world doesn’t end.<br /><br />- Dante Cunningham doesn’t wow you with his stats (4 pts, 3 reb, 0.5 blk), but he is quietly turning into a solid professional basketball player up in Portland. He is playing about 17 minutes every night, and Coach Nate McMillan gives him that time off the bench because he plays hard all the time.<br /><br />- Scottie Reynolds is averaging 18 points and 4.6 assists for the Springfield Armor in the NBA D-League. Scottie <span style="font-style: italic;">has</span> to be an upgrade over a some of the current back-up point guards in the NBA. Come on GM’s, what are you waiting for?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-36726463508232457672010-12-01T11:44:00.004-05:002010-12-01T12:39:30.919-05:00NIT: Nova Impeded by Tennessee<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nashvillescene.com/images/blogimages/2010/08/02/1280784281-pearl.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 379px;" src="http://www.nashvillescene.com/images/blogimages/2010/08/02/1280784281-pearl.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>The perfect season is over. Villanova suffered it’s first lost of 2010-2011 to Tennessee in the final of the NIT Season Tip-off. At least my <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2010/10/look-into-crystal-ball-2010-11.html">pre-season picks</a> are still perfect… and my prediction of Kemba Walker for Big East Player of the Year isn’t looking too bad either. In the 78-68 loss to Tennessee, the dynamic backcourt duo of Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns shot a combined 0-8 from 3-point range, and they weren’t a whole lot better from inside the arc. As a result, Villanova fell out of the top ten in the polls for the first time this year. So is it time to panic? The short answer is no.<br /><br />The 82-70 victory over UCLA in the game prior is a win that sounds better than it actually is. UCLA is one of the most prestigious programs in college basketball history, but their perceived value is higher than their actual value; eleven National Championships tend to do that. Ben Howland’s club is still in rebuilding mode after losing a slew of talented players early to the NBA; Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Jrue Holiday, to name a few. I wasn’t overly impressed with anyone on the Bruins, other than Reeves “Two-Face” Nelson, who put up a double-double on Nova. He had 10 points and 13 rebounds, one for each tattoo on his left arm.<br /><br />Tennessee, on the other hand, looks like a contender, assuming they don’t fall apart during Bruce Pearl’s suspension. They played one of the best defensive games I’ve seen in a while. Villanova may be famous for their point guards, but Tennessee is becoming famous for their long athletic guards. Scotty Hopson (6’7) and Cameron Tatum (6’6) gave the smaller Fisher and Wayns fits on defense, getting in their faces for jump shots and clogging the lane to prevent them from driving to the basket. Perhaps Hopson was trying to capture some of Alonzo Mourning’s defensive prowess with his throwback 1990’s flat-top hair style. Maybe the Vols should have Bruce’s son, Steven Pearl, take over as player-coach during his father’s suspension. I’ve never heard such praise from the announcers during a telecast for a player who only scored two points. Then again I don't watch Indiana Pacers games, so I'm probably missing out on the Tyler Hansborough hyperbole.<br /><br />The biggest positive to take away from the pre-season NIT is the continued improvement of Mouphtaou Yarou, who was the lone Wildcat named to the All-Tournament Team. Mouph had back-to-back double-doubles against Lafayette (12 and 12) and UCLA (13 and 16), then followed that up with 15 points and 5 rebounds against Tennessee. He seems to get better and better in each game, which means that by the time Nova returns to Madison Square Garden for the Big East Tournament, Mouph will be putting up Kevin Love-esque 30-30 games. Or so we hope.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-34634497349477092862010-11-25T09:37:00.006-05:002010-11-25T10:58:34.241-05:00Thanksgiving Tweets 2010<meta charset="utf-8"><div><i>This is an updated version of <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2009/11/thanksgiving-tweets.html">last year's post</a>.</i></div><div>
<br /></div>I searched across the far-reaches of the interweb and Twitterland to find out what everybody in the Nova basketball community is thankful for this Thanksgiving.*
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<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2qSvIQR2I/AAAAAAAAB3E/xuoNAj9mgpo/s1600/10-29-09.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2qSvIQR2I/AAAAAAAAB3E/xuoNAj9mgpo/s200/10-29-09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408165966407288674" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 31px; height: 40px; " /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/Klow7" style="font-weight: bold; ">Klow7</a>: @<a href="http://twitter.com/">AaronBrooks</a> Thanks for faking that injury so I can start.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 2 hours ago</span></span><a class="entry-date" rel="bookmark" href="http://twitter.com/IBBW/status/6054548082"> </a><span>from web</span></span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2rWbdgqGI/AAAAAAAAB3M/N87M1R-uh_8/s1600/foye-3-5-08.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2rWbdgqGI/AAAAAAAAB3M/N87M1R-uh_8/s200/foye-3-5-08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408167129358837858" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 25px; height: 41px; " /></a><a href="http://twitter.com/randyfoye" style="font-weight: bold; ">randyfoye</a>: I'm thankful that I have a front-row seat to watch the Blake Griffin Show.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">45 minutes ago</span></span><a class="entry-date" rel="bookmark" href="http://twitter.com/IBBW/status/6054548082"> </a><span>from TweetDeck</span></span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2rnPdLFtI/AAAAAAAAB3U/YNx5CGAeSjs/s1600/dante-hair2.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2rnPdLFtI/AAAAAAAAB3U/YNx5CGAeSjs/s200/dante-hair2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408167418193974994" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 28px; height: 39px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/cunningham_dante00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Dante33</span></a>: Thank God I don't have the injury luck of @<a href="http://twitter.com/">Greg_Oden</a>.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 1 hour ago</span></span><a class="entry-date" rel="bookmark" href="http://twitter.com/IBBW/status/6054548082"> </a><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2rwHsoAZI/AAAAAAAAB3c/agpRwUNMYOg/s1600/tim08.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2rwHsoAZI/AAAAAAAAB3c/agpRwUNMYOg/s200/tim08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408167570730123666" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 23px; height: 43px; " /></a><a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/tim_thomas/"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">TimThomas</span></a>: <a href="http://twitter.com/sportsguy33">@sportsguy33</a> Thanks for the kind words and support from your columns.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 3 ho</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">urs ago</span> </span><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2t__9CY2I/AAAAAAAAB4U/te0V1OWbtW8/s1600/scottie.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2t__9CY2I/AAAAAAAAB4U/te0V1OWbtW8/s200/scottie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408170042552640354" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 31px; height: 41px; " /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/SReynolds1">SReynolds1</a></span>: @<a href="http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/scottie_reynolds/">Italy</a> Thanks, but no thanks...
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 1 hour ago</span></span><a class="entry-date" rel="bookmark" href="http://twitter.com/IBBW/status/6054548082"> </a><span>from </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span>TweetDeck</span></span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2tTpEkfVI/AAAAAAAAB38/C-svBuDsyDg/s1600/yarou.JPG"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2tTpEkfVI/AAAAAAAAB38/C-svBuDsyDg/s200/yarou.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408169280495975762" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 31px; height: 41px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/yarou_mouphtaou00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">MouphTheProof</span></a>: <meta charset="utf-8">@<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Naismith">JamesNaismith</a> Thanks for inventing a game that can take me from Africa to America.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 1 hour ago</span></span><a class="entry-date" rel="bookmark" href="http://twitter.com/IBBW/status/6054548082"> </a><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2trfJpp9I/AAAAAAAAB4M/NxDRKxtW3d4/s1600/pena.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2trfJpp9I/AAAAAAAAB4M/NxDRKxtW3d4/s200/pena.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408169690149791698" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 30px; height: 41px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/pena_antonio00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">BringThePena</span></a>: Thanks to Strength Coach Lon Record for continuing to make me even more of a beast this year.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 11 hours ago</span></span><a class="entry-date" rel="bookmark" href="http://twitter.com/IBBW/status/6054548082"> </a><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2u5EN-VeI/AAAAAAAAB4s/koV2F7FvpaY/s1600/fisher4+copy.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2u5EN-VeI/AAAAAAAAB4s/koV2F7FvpaY/s200/fisher4+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408171022949963234" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 34px; height: 38px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/fisher_corey00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">FisherPrice</span></a>: Thanks to all the NYC streetballers who taught me my moves. (All 105 of you...)
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 4 hours ago</span></span><a class="entry-date" rel="bookmark" href="http://twitter.com/IBBW/status/6054548082"> </a><span>from </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span>TweetDeck</span></span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2vkwcbuZI/AAAAAAAAB48/CHG8XbwDs5g/s1600/amd_stephenson-cheek.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2vkwcbuZI/AAAAAAAAB48/CHG8XbwDs5g/s200/amd_stephenson-cheek.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408171773556144530" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 25px; height: 33px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/cheek_dominic00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">DomCheek</span></a>: @<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hurley">CoachBobHurley</a> Thanks for helping me get to Villanova.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">11 minutes ago</span> </span><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2vcFKmhrI/AAAAAAAAB40/SOr-s2Gar0k/s1600/stokes2.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2vcFKmhrI/AAAAAAAAB40/SOr-s2Gar0k/s200/stokes2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408171624499676850" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 30px; height: 36px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/stokes_corey00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Stokes24</span></a>: Thanks to my bro for making <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnqAa6wfLDg">these songs</a>.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">30 minutes ago</span> </span><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2uk2RjPQI/AAAAAAAAB4k/8-6JPahPQlQ/s1600/sutton.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2uk2RjPQI/AAAAAAAAB4k/8-6JPahPQlQ/s200/sutton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408170675609484546" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 24px; height: 42px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/sutton_maurice00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">MoSutton</span></a>: Thanks to my family for giving me good basketball genes and a 6'11 frame.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 2 hours ago</span></span><a class="entry-date" rel="bookmark" href="http://twitter.com/IBBW/status/6054548082"> </a><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2tLUjn0EI/AAAAAAAAB30/jpywT1qBKpE/s1600/armwood.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2tLUjn0EI/AAAAAAAAB30/jpywT1qBKpE/s200/armwood.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408169137550118978" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 25px; height: 36px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/armwood_isaiah00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">iArm34</span></a>: Thanks @<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/KDthunderup">KDthunderup</a> for the high school memories.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 9 hours ago</span> </span><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2tc0u6aiI/AAAAAAAAB4E/abWcwpsCGfQ/s1600/maalik+wayns.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2tc0u6aiI/AAAAAAAAB4E/abWcwpsCGfQ/s200/maalik+wayns.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408169438245186082" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 33px; height: 39px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/wayns_maalik00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">WaynsWorld</span></a>: @<a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jameer_nelson/">jameernelson</a>, @<a href="http://twitter.com/Klow7">Klow7</a> Thanks for teaching me how to play like a Philly guard, and <meta charset="utf-8">@<a href="http://twitter.com/">FisherPrice</a> and <meta charset="utf-8">@<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/SReynolds1">SReynolds1</a> for teaching me how to play like a Villanova guard.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 12 hours ago</span> </span><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><a href="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nova/sports/m-baskbl/auto_headshot/2397975.jpeg"><img src="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nova/sports/m-baskbl/auto_headshot/2397975.jpeg" alt="" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 25px; height: 35px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/wooten_russell00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">WootenForNova</span></a>: Thanks for a blow-out <meta charset="utf-8">@<a href="http://twitter.com/">Lafayette</a> so I could get onto the stat sheet with one rebound.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 1 hour ago</span> </span><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/pinkston_jayvaughn00.html">JVPinkston</a></span>: Thanks to my coaches, my teammates, and all of Nova Nation for supporting me through this tough time.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 3 hours ago</span> </span><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br /><div><meta charset="utf-8"><span style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/ouano_dallas00.html">DOuano4</a></span>: Thank you student section for going wild anytime I touch the ball.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">about 4 hours ago</span> </span><span>from </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span>TweetDeck</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">
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<br /></span></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2sYZEBFhI/AAAAAAAAB3s/pKbdKPSsThs/s1600/jay5.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/Sw2sYZEBFhI/AAAAAAAAB3s/pKbdKPSsThs/s200/jay5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408168262586406418" border="0" style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 40px; height: 40px; " /></a><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/wright_jay00.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; ">JayWright</span></a>: @<a href="http://seahawks.gonorthwood.com/spotlight/?spotID=541">RollieMass</a> Thank you for teaching me everything I know.
<br /><span style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="status-body"><span class="meta entry-meta"><span class="entry-date"><span class="published timestamp" data="{time:'Wed Nov 25 16:50:45 +0000 2009'}">28 minutes ago</span> </span><span>from web</span> </span></span></span>
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<br />*By searching across the interweb, I meant completely make this up myself.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-8448921668659556532010-11-18T18:57:00.010-05:002010-11-18T19:57:24.349-05:00It's Wayns' World, We're Just Living In It<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/TOXBLfLzhYI/AAAAAAAACO0/3IutHDN2kTI/s1600/waynsworld.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/TOXBLfLzhYI/AAAAAAAACO0/3IutHDN2kTI/s320/waynsworld.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541047319642998146" border="0" /></a>Villanova is already three games into the 2010-2011 season, and not surprisingly, the Cats are undefeated following wins over Bucknell (68-52), Marist (84-47), and Boston University (82-66). What <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> surprising is the superb play of sophomore guard Maalik Wayns. Everyone was expecting Wayns to take a leap in production in his second year, but this has been a Grand Canyon sized leap. Maalik’s been the best player on the floor for the Wildcats, which is really saying something considering his backcourt-mate is a preseason top 50 candidate for the Wooden Award, Corey Fisher. Fisher hasn’t scored 105 points yet, but it’s not like he has been disappointing either. After all, Fisher Price is leading the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game.<br /><br />In the words of Yoda, speaking about Rajon Rondo, “Scoring a great point guard does not make.” Don’t get me wrong, Wayns does plenty of scoring too, averaging a team second-best 14.7 points per game, but it’s his assists (7.3 per game) and rebounding (5.7 per game) that have been most impressive. Wayns looks like a legitimate threat to record Nova’s first triple-double since Jason Fraser’s 22 points, 15 rebounds, 11 broken bones game in 2003. Most recently, Wayns put up a Rondoian stat line of 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 12 assists against BU. Yet unlike Rondo, Wayns can actually shoot too. In three games, Wayns has already made double the amount of 3-pointers (4) that Rondo has made in 11 games this season (2).<br /><br />It’s not all about statistics, however; just ask the Baseball Writers Association of America. Maalik Wayns has an uncanny ability to control the game with his speed. I’ve never seen a player fly by defenders with such ease, while driving coast to coast for a lay-up. It's natural to want to compare this great Villanova point guard from Philly to the last great Villanova point guard from Philly, Kyle Lowry. Lowry relentlessly went at bigger defenders trying to draw contact when driving to the basket, but Wayns is so fast that he drives past defenders to get to the basket for uncontested lay-ups. Because of his speed, passing, and shooting, Wayns’ game most resembles Ty Lawson of the Denver Nuggets, who just so happens to have an NCAA Championship to his name.<br /><br />In addition to the dynamic backcourt duo of Fisher and Wayns, the rest of the Wildcats supporting cast has looked good as well. The seniors are doing what we expected of them; Corey Stokes (10.3 ppg) is draining open threes (6 of 18 so far) and Antonio Pena is scoring (10 ppg) and rebounding (7 rpg) in the post. Mouphtaou Yarou still looks raw, but he’s been able to simply overpower smaller opponents with his size, strength, and athleticism, to the tune of 8.3 points, 6 rebounds, and almost 2 blocks per game. The real test will come next week when Nova faces UCLA in the semifinals of the NIT. Dominic Cheek (9 ppg) just might be the Big East Sixth Man of the Year. Cheek scored 15 points off the bench against Marist, and he has displayed a drastically improved jump shot (.444 3P%) so far this season. Maurice Sutton had a monster game against Marist (13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks), but it’s more realistic to expect something closer to the 2 points and 3 rebounds he averaged in the other two games. Sutton had similarly strong games against the smaller mid-major teams early last season, but his production later tailed off during Big East play. Isaiah Armwood’s opportunities are limited (2.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg), but Wayns and Fisher have set him up for some open dunks under the basket, and Armwood knows how to finish strong. With Pinkston sidelined, the team only goes eight deep right now, which is actually a more suitable rotation size than the eleven man carousel of players Jay Wright had to juggle last season. Although, now it is more crucial that these top eight stay healthy all season, and if they do, this team can really go places.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-72125291455882757222010-11-12T09:58:00.005-05:002010-11-12T12:56:06.155-05:00I Immediately Regret This Decision<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://manvsdebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/RockyBalboa5.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 241px;" src="http://manvsdebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/RockyBalboa5.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Villanova</span> freshman <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">JayVaughn</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Pinkston</span> has been charged with two counts of simple assault and harassment after a fight at a frat party last weekend. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pinkston</span> will be still practice with the team, but he will be sitting out of games for now, while the school reviews the case. This is terrible news for both <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">JayVaughn</span> and the school, and hopefully it's just an isolated incident of immaturity, and he learns from his mistake. Anyway, let's take a look at the reports "<a href="http://www.firejoemorgan.com/">Fire Joe Morgan</a> style" to try to make sense of the situation.<br /><br />"<a href="http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/20101112_Villanova_basketball_player_Pinkston_to_face_assault_charges.html">As a result of the fight, which broke out about 3:30 a.m...</a><span>"<br />There's his first mistake. Everybody knows nothing good happens at 3:30 in the morning.</span><br /><br /><div><div color="transparent" style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><div><div color="transparent" style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"> <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/pinkston_charged_in_brawl_at_nova_9uMKVdqFcCV478jsSE3zYJ#ixzz155ORnGLc">"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Pinkston</span> was charged by Upper <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Merion</span> Township Police Thursday for his part in a fracas at the Sigma Phi Epsilon House</a>.<span>"<br />Well, James Naismith was a former "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">SigEp</span>", so I'll give <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Pinkston</span> the benefit of the doubt and assume he was there to brush up on his basketball history. Plus how bad can a "fracas" be?<br /></span></div></div></div></div><br />"<a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/pinkston_charged_in_brawl_at_nova_9uMKVdqFcCV478jsSE3zYJ#ixzz155WiXR2a">"[He] started bleeding a lot. It turned into a whole brawl. . . . Someone hit [the second frat brother] and he went unconscious.</a><span>"</span><br /><div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><span>Okay, apparently a fracas is pretty bad, but surely there was a good reason why <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Pinkston</span> became so angry.<br /><br /></span><div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"> <a title="Jayvaughn Pinkston" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Jayvaughn+Pinkston">"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Pinkston</span></a><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2010/11/11/2010-11-11_exloughlin_star_allegedly_in_fight.html#ixzz155dZBNL9"> was locked inside a room with a female</a><span><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2010/11/11/2010-11-11_exloughlin_star_allegedly_in_fight.html#ixzz155dZBNL9">...</a>"<br /></span>Still searching for a reason to be angry...<br /></div></div><span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Pinkston</span> "</span><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2010/11/11/2010-11-11_exloughlin_star_allegedly_in_fight.html#ixzz155Tj8MhW">had to break down the door to escape.</a>"<br /><div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><span>Now he sounds like an action movie star. Though I'm still not sure why he was in such a rush to get out of there.<br /><br /></span><div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">"<a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/pinkston_charged_in_brawl_at_nova_9uMKVdqFcCV478jsSE3zYJ#ixzz155UY8lKb">...he was locked inside of the house's laundry room</a><span><a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/pinkston_charged_in_brawl_at_nova_9uMKVdqFcCV478jsSE3zYJ#ixzz155UY8lKb">...</a>"<br />Okay, say no more. Frat house... dirty laundry... Being locked in with that smell is enough to drive any man to violence.<br /><br /></span><div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">"<a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/pinkston_charged_in_brawl_at_nova_9uMKVdqFcCV478jsSE3zYJ#ixzz155VLTK8f"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Pinkston</span> and his friends were waiting for a ride outside the house.</a><span>"<br />Good idea <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">JayVaughn</span>. It was a stupid college frat boy prank. Just forget it and get out of there.<br /><br /></span><div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">"<a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/pinkston_charged_in_brawl_at_nova_9uMKVdqFcCV478jsSE3zYJ#ixzz155VxXQg1">"[The first frat brother] was taunting him [about the laundry room], said it was disrespectful and then <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Jayvaughn</span> turned around and punched [him] in the face," the witness said.</a><a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/pinkston_charged_in_brawl_at_nova_9uMKVdqFcCV478jsSE3zYJ">.. The co-ed said that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Pinkston</span> was provoked by the jealous fraternity brother.</a><span><a style="color: rgb(0, 51, 153);" href="http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/pinkston_charged_in_brawl_at_nova_9uMKVdqFcCV478jsSE3zYJ#ixzz155faLoHA"></a></span>"<br />Come on, this frat boy kind of had it coming. However, because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Pinkston</span> is a big college basketball star, an incident like this is going to draw national news attention. If <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Pinkston</span> was a regular student, maybe a fight like this is dismissed as drunk college kids acting stupid, and both parties forget about it. Fair or not, student-athletes like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Pinkston</span> live under a microscope, and they have to realize that their actions have consequences.<br /><br /><div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">"<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2010/11/11/2010-11-11_exloughlin_star_allegedly_in_fight.html#ixzz155SE085s">Police said a man was taken to </a><a title="Bryn Mawr Hospital" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2010/11/11/2010-11-11_exloughlin_star_allegedly_in_fight.html#ixzz155SE085s">Bryn <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Mawr</span> Hospital</a><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2010/11/11/2010-11-11_exloughlin_star_allegedly_in_fight.html#ixzz155SE085s">, and that an assault report had been filed.</a><span>"</span><br /><span>Then there's also the fact that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">JayVaughn</span> is 6-foot-7 and a former boxer. If he hits someone, they're going down.<br /><br /></span>"<a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/100410aab.html">I think I came here with some toughness," says <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Pinkston</span></a>"<br />You can say that again.<br /><br /><p> "<a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/100410aab.html">"Before I played basketball," he says, "I used to box." For a period of four years, between the ages of seven and 11, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Pinkston</span> dabbled in competitive boxing in junior Golden Gloves tournaments. Even at that point in his life, he was gifted with a dose of size and power. In particular, he recalls his first match just before he turned eight years of age. "I knocked a kid out," he recalls.</a>"<br /></p><p>Yeah... apparently that frat brother missed <a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/100410aab.html">this Nova Notebook article</a> last month.<br /></p><br /><a href="http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/100410aab.html">"I'll watch (boxing) once in a blue," he says, "but not much more than that."</a><br />Local weather reports indicate the moon was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Villanova</span> blue that night.<br /><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;">"<a href="http://vuhoops.com/2010/11/11/villanova-comment-on-jayvaughn-pinkston/">Jay Wright</a></strong><a href="http://vuhoops.com/2010/11/11/villanova-comment-on-jayvaughn-pinkston/"> added,<strong> “</strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">JayVaughn</span> is very aware of the seriousness of this matter and how it could impact the team. He understands there is a great lesson to be learned here.”</a>"<br />Let's hope he learned his lesson and can get back on the court as soon as possible. After all, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">JayVaughn</span> is still just an 18 year-old kid, and we've all made our share of mistakes as teenagers.<br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-43931806672721280432010-10-22T15:14:00.004-04:002010-10-22T15:41:36.532-04:00A Look Into the Crystal Ball: 2010-11<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VFnTUjTu4T0/SWpDWSks2DI/AAAAAAAAATs/zYeyGqgxzr8/s400/crystal_ball2_bmwPreview.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 188px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VFnTUjTu4T0/SWpDWSks2DI/AAAAAAAAATs/zYeyGqgxzr8/s400/crystal_ball2_bmwPreview.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The 2010-2010 season is only a couple weeks away, so I thought I'd take a look into my crystal ball to see how the team will do. Not to toot my own horn, but <a href="http://villanovanews.blogspot.com/2009/11/look-into-crystal-ball.html">I came pretty close last year</a>. Okay, maybe I did want to toot my own horn.<p class="p1"><b>11/02/10 vs. District of Columbia (Exhibition)</b> - Win, because Nova doesn’t want to become a laughing stock by losing an exhibition game like Syracuse last year.</p> <p class="p1"><b>11/12/10 vs. Bucknell</b> - Win, because Jay Wright won’t let his alma mater beat him in the official season opener. <b>(1-0)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>11/16/10 vs. Marist (NIT)</b> - Win, because it’s Marist. <b>(2-0)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>11/17-11/26 NIT Season Tip-Off vs. TBA</b> - Nova wins the next two games (vs. George Washington and UCLA), then they lose in the finals of the NIT to Tennessee, because Bruce Pearl will cheat. <b>(4-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>11/20/10 vs. Lafayette</b> - Win, because losing to Lafayette in a real game might be more embarrassing than losing to DC in an exhibition. <b>(5-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>12/03/10 vs. St. Joseph’s</b> - Win, because playing St. Joe’s this early in the season won’t give Hawks fans enough time to disillusion themselves into thinking they have a chance. <b>(6-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>12/08/10 at Penn</b> - Win, because Penn seems to be under the crazy impression that academics are more important than basketball. <b>(7-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>12/12/10 at LaSalle</b> - Win, because Mouph Yarou is going to own Aaric Murray. <b>(8-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>12/18/10 vs. Delaware</b> - Win, because the Blue Hens just don’t sound very intimidating. <b>(9-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>12/22/10 at Monmouth NJ</b> - Win, because the creator of MTV’s Jersey Shore is a Monmouth Alum. <b>(10-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>12/30/10 vs. Temple</b> - Win, because someone will actually guard Juan Fernandez this year. <b>(11-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>01/02/11 vs. Rutgers</b> - Win, because two of their best players transferred and their coach was fired. <b>(12-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>01/06/11 at USF</b> - Win, because Dominique Jones isn’t around to score 46 points anymore. <b>(13-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>01/09/11 vs. Cincinnati</b> - Win, because by January, Lance Stephenson will be playing in the D-League. <b>(14-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>01/12/11 vs. Louisville</b> - Win, because Samardo Samuels is gone. <b>(15-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>01/15/11 vs. Maryland</b> - Win, because Greivis Vasquez is gone. <b>(16-1)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>01/17/11 at UConn</b> - Loss, because Kemba Walker will be the Big East Player of the Year. <b>(16-2)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>01/22/12 at Syracuse</b> - Loss, because of the Dome. <b>(16-3)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>01/26/11 at Providence</b> - Win, because the Friars have nine freshmen. <b>(17-3)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>01/29/11 vs. Georgetown</b> - Win, because Fisher and Stokes will outplay Wright and Freeman. <b>(18-3)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>02/02/11 vs. Marquette</b> - Loss, because the Golden Eagles are always underrated. <b>(18-4)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>02/05/11 vs. West Virginia</b> - Win, because it’s not at the Coliseum. <b>(19-4)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>02/09/11 at Rutgers</b> - Win, because home-court advantage doesn’t make up for the reasons listed for the first game. <b>(20-4)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>02/12/11 vs. Pitt</b> - Win, because the Pavilion will be rocking all day with the ESPN College GameDay crew there. <b>(21-4)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>02/15/11 at Seton Hall</b> - Loss, because Jeremy Hazell will get hot and score 40 points. <b>(21-5)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>02/19/11 at DePaul</b> - Win, because the Blue Demons ended last season on a 13-game losing streak. <b>(22-5)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>02/21/11 vs. Syracuse</b> - Win, because they won’t have the Dome advantage in the rematch. <b>(23-5)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>02/26/11 vs. St. John’s</b> - Win, because Steve Lavin needs a year or two to rebuild. <b>(24-5)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>02/28/11 at Notre Dame</b> - Win, because no Irish fans will show up when they realize Harangody and Reynolds aren’t playing. <b>(25-5)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>03/05/11 at Pitt</b> - Loss, because the Panthers will take the rematch at home. <b>(25-6)</b></p> <p class="p1"><b>03/08-03/12 Big East Tournament</b> - After splitting the regular season series, the consensus top two teams in the Big East, Pitt and Nova, will meet in the Championship. Pitt will win, just because they always seem to take the Big East Tournament more seriously. </p><p class="p1"><b>03/14-04/04 NCAA Tournament</b> - However, Nova will advance further in the NCAA Tournament. My final prediction: a #2-seed and lose in the Elite Eight.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490654880415622444.post-37143563312002142332010-09-29T18:55:00.008-04:002010-09-29T19:44:53.514-04:00Your 2010-2011 Villanova Wildcats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/S0yW3N8FBHI/AAAAAAAAB_s/7wnisVGkn6Y/s1600/sutton-bench.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 461px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3L2dBK6k0hQ/S0yW3N8FBHI/AAAAAAAAB_s/7wnisVGkn6Y/s1600/sutton-bench.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>For the first time in what seems like a decade, Scottie Reynolds will NOT be returning to play basketball for the Villanova Wildcats this season; therefore, in many ways, this marks the beginning of a new era for Jay Wright’s team. Reynolds has been the face of the program for the past four years, and it is unknown who will step up to fill his shoes. (Hopefully it's someone with the same foot size.) Nevertheless, Nova is returning a strong a team this season, so let’s begin by taking a look at the presumed leaders of the team, the class of 2011.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Seniors</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Antonio Pena</span><br />2009-10 Stats: 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, 57.7 FG%, 69.6 FT%, 24.9 minutes per game<br />2009-10 Season Highs: 19 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists<br /><br />Pena takes the term “senior” to a whole new level. He’s the same age as me, and I’ve been out of school for three years now. ‘Tone spent two years in prep school then redshirted his first year at Nova, which accounts for why he’s still around at the ripe old age of 24. Pena was a bit inconsistent last season, at times looking like a double-double machine, then completely disappearing in other games. He should have a huge advantage this year, especially in the strength department, playing against kids six years younger than him. Let’s just hope he’s able to stay awake for the late 9 p.m. games.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corey Fisher</span><br />2009-2010 Stats: 13.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 44.7 FG%, 39.6 3P%, 77.0 FT%, 27.0 minutes per game<br />2009-10 Season Highs: 24 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists<br /><br />Fisher is the odds-on favorite to replace Scottie Reynolds as the leader of this year’s team. He’s spent the past three years playing in Reynolds’ shadow, deferring to the his heralded backcourt-mate, yet never complaining about his role. I was already excited to see what Fisher could do when he was set free and handed the keys to the offense… then I heard about the 105 points he scored in a summer league game, and now I’m ecstatic. I think we are going to see Fisher Price do some special things this season, maybe not score triple digits again, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of Scottie Reynolds signature 40-point specials.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corey Stokes</span><br />2009-10 Stats: 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.4 blocks, 41.6 FG%, 38.3 3P%, 87.3 FT%, 26.0 minutes per game<br />2009-10 Season Highs: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists<br /><br />The “other” Corey has settled in nicely to his role of a 3-point sharpshooting specialist who plays defense and rebounds. Don’t expect him to handle to the ball or drive to the basket with grace, but he will play hard and drain threes from just about anywhere on the court. With the losses of Reynolds and Taylor King, Stokes is the only reliable 3-point threat Nova has left, unless you count 50% 3-point shooter Isaiah Armwood. (He was 1-for-2.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Sophomores</span><br />The ceiling of this year’s team really depends on these next five players. There are three seniors on the team, and for the most part you know what you’re going to get from them. However, there are zero juniors on the team (aside from walk-ons), so one or more of these second year players will need to take a big leap in production this season for the Wildcats to have success.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Isaiah Armwood</span><br />2009-10 Stats: 2.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.4 blocks, 0.4 steals, 47.2 FG%, 50.0 3P%, 60.0 FT%, 11.0 minutes per game<br />2009-10 Season Highs: 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists<br /><br />Last season Armwood proved he has the athleticism to play at this level, Jay Wright learned that firsthand as Hoops Mania, but he still needs to improve his overall game. His biggest problem is that his arms look like their made out of wood, so he will have to get stronger if Jay Wright wants to play him at power forward in the Big East this season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dominic Cheek</span><br />2009-10 Stats: 4.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.4 steals, 45.3 FG%, 31.0 3P%, 65.4 FT%, 13.5 minutes per game<br />2009-10 Season Highs: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists<br /><br />Cheek arrived on campus with a lot of hype as a McDonald’s All-American, but his playing time was limited last season. He has a polished game on both ends of the floor and should be ready to take on a bigger role this season. Cheek’s best game last season came in a return to his native New Jersey when he scored 17 points in a win over Rutgers. Wait, I forgot to throw in a joke. Hmm… Okay. What has two cheeks and smells like shit? … Hey, get your mind out of the gutter! It’s Dominic Cheek’s mouth after a game when he forgot to brush his teeth.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maurice Sutton</span><br />2009-10 Stats: 1.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.2 steals, 1.0 blocks, 41.5 FG%, 54.5 FT%, 10.3 minutes per game<br />2009-10 Season Highs: 7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists<br /><br />Mo is probably the best shot-blocker the team has had since Jason Fraser. He had a season-high five swats against La Salle and four against Robert Morris in the NCAA Tournament. He’s not the best rebounder for his size (6’11) and his offensive game is almost nonexistent, but he can still improve in those areas. Like Armwood, Sutton needs to get on the Jersey Shore routine of GTL to bulk up, although they could probably skip the tanning part.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maalik Wayns</span><br />2009-10 Stats: 6.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, 43.4 FG%, 31.5 3P%, 81.4 FT%, 15.0 minutes per game<br />2009-10 Season Highs: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists<br /><br />The “Next Great Philly Point Guard”, Wayns, had his ups and downs last season, en route to making the Big East All-Rookie Team. He was an offensive spark off the bench in some games, scoring in double figures nine times, but in another nine games, he was held to under 11 minutes of playing time. With Reynolds’ departure, we will see a lot more of Wayns’ World this season, which is most excellent. Party on, Wayns!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mouphtaou Yarou</span><br />2009-10 Stats: 4.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.2 steals, 1.0 blocks, 58.3 FG%, 70.6 FT%, 15.0 minutes per game<br />2009-10 Season Highs: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists<br /><br />Mouph could be the biggest x-factor for this year’s team, but unfortunately he is probably also the biggest question mark. The grade for his freshmen year was an incomplete. He missed eleven games towards the beginning of the year due to hepatitis B, then he had to learn on the fly as he played himself back into game shape later in the year. Not to mention, he’s only been playing the sport of basketball for about six years. If you’re wondering why Nova fans are still drooling over Mouph’s potential, look no further than the stat line from his game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament versus Robert Morris: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 5-6 FG, 7-7 FT.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Me: Please God, keep Mouphtaou Yarou healthy for the next three years. God: Which Mouphtaou Yarou? Me: Really?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Freshmen</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">James Bell</span><br />Bell is a super-athletic 6’5 guard from Orlando, Florida. Unfortunately, he won’t be bringing any magic to this kingdom for quite some time as he recovers from surgery to repair stress fractures in his legs. It is unknown if he will be able to play at all this season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">JayVaughn Pinkston</span><br />Pinkston is a 6’7 forward from Bishop Loughlin in Brooklyn, the same high school Curtis Sumpter attended. Last year’s New York Player of the Year is pretty much a Sumpter clone: same size, good rebounder, can score inside and also step back to make threes. Hopefully the Sumpter similarities end there and don’t include his injury history. With Pena, Pinkston, and the emergence of Armwood and Yarou, Villanova might actually have a deep and talented front court for the first time during Jay Wright’s tenure... unless I just jinxed it... Dagnabbit!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Walk-ons</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Russell Wooten</span><br />Woot is staying at Villanova as a graduate student this year, but he won’t be letting that stop him from using up his NCAA eligibility and suiting up for Jay Wright (not that kind of suit) another year. He seems to have his collegiate priorities straight: 1) Basketball, 2) Girls, 3) Academics.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dallas Ouano</span><br />The newest walk-on hasn’t even played in a game yet, and he’s already gotten more press on ESPN than Jason Colenda did over four years at Nova.<br /><a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/15803/villanova-players-wave-goodbye-to-twitter">http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/15803/villanova-players-wave-goodbye-to-twitter</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0