Villanova: 2018 National Champions

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 here. And as far as the championship, I feel much the same way as I did after the 2016 title.

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.

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.

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”). 

What is "Villanova Basketball"? Well, it is 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.

But a coach can only do so much. It ultimately comes down to the players. So let's talk about those players.

Jalen Brunson: 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.

Donte DiVincenzo: 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 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).

Mikal Bridges: 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).

Omari Spellman: 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)

Eric Paschall: 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.

Then there’s Phil Booth (who seems like he’s been around forever, but is just a junior) and Collin Gillespie who each chipped in on both ends of the floor.

And don’t forget Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, 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. 

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.

Jay Wright’s Keys to College Basketball Success

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 three #1-seeds and two #2-seeds, 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.

So how did Jay Wright do it? What are his keys to success?

1. Chemistry

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.

2. Effort

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.

3. Free Throw Shooting

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.

4. 3-Point Shooting

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 and defend.

5. 4-Star Recruits

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.

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. Experience matters. 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. He finds the best talent from the pool of players who will likely stay in school for four years. 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. 

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.

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. 

Oh, plus look like George Clooney and wear stylish suits. That helps, too.

The Best Villanova Basketball Team of My Lifetime* (*I Was Born in 1986)

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 some posts. (I still believe in you, Scottie!) Anyway, I had to return to the blog to write about this years basketball team.

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.

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.

JayVaughn Pinkston has been a favorite player of mine since he stepped on campus (and knocked a drunk frat boy out), 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.



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.

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.

8-Seed Stuns 9-Seed

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 Hoosiers. 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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

Thanksgiving Tweets 2010

This is an updated version of last year's post.

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.*

Klow7: @AaronBrooks Thanks for faking that injury so I can start.
about 2 hours ago from web


randyfoye: I'm thankful that I have a front-row seat to watch the Blake Griffin Show.
45 minutes ago from TweetDeck


Dante33: Thank God I don't have the injury luck of @Greg_Oden.
about 1 hour ago from web


TimThomas: @sportsguy33 Thanks for the kind words and support from your columns.
about 3 hours ago from web


SReynolds1: @Italy Thanks, but no thanks...
about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck


MouphTheProof: @JamesNaismith Thanks for inventing a game that can take me from Africa to America.
about 1 hour ago from web


BringThePena: Thanks to Strength Coach Lon Record for continuing to make me even more of a beast this year.
about 11 hours ago from web


FisherPrice: Thanks to all the NYC streetballers who taught me my moves. (All 105 of you...)
about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck


DomCheek: @CoachBobHurley Thanks for helping me get to Villanova.
11 minutes ago from web


Stokes24: Thanks to my bro for making these songs.
30 minutes ago from web


MoSutton: Thanks to my family for giving me good basketball genes and a 6'11 frame.
about 2 hours ago from web


iArm34: Thanks @KDthunderup for the high school memories.
about 9 hours ago from web


WaynsWorld: @jameernelson, @Klow7 Thanks for teaching me how to play like a Philly guard, and @FisherPrice and @SReynolds1 for teaching me how to play like a Villanova guard.
about 12 hours ago from web


WootenForNova: Thanks for a blow-out @Lafayette so I could get onto the stat sheet with one rebound.
about 1 hour ago from web


JVPinkston: Thanks to my coaches, my teammates, and all of Nova Nation for supporting me through this tough time.
about 3 hours ago from web

DOuano4: Thank you student section for going wild anytime I touch the ball.
about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck

JayWright: @RollieMass Thank you for teaching me everything I know.
28 minutes ago from web


*By searching across the interweb, I meant completely make this up myself.

Thoughts, Resolutions, and Predictions

Villanova won both their first game of 2010 and their first Big East game of the season with a thrilling 74-72 victory over Marquette. Scottie Reynolds hit a tough shot with 18 seconds left to give Villanova the lead, then the Cats followed that up with a good defensive stop on the other end. Redding sank one free throw, then with 2 seconds left Marquette failed to get a final shot off in time as Nova held on for the win. Now, to ring in the new year, for each player I will give my quick thoughts on their performance in the Marquette game, propose a new year's resolution for them, and make a prediction for their future in 2010.

Scottie Reynolds

Game Thoughts: Down by one, less than twenty seconds remaining, on the road in front of a hostile crowd, and Scottie Reynolds was as cool as a cucumber. He pulled a behind-the-back-and-through-the-legs dribble move, normally reserved for the playgrounds, then drew contact and made the shot. Game-winners are now becoming routine for Scottie.

New Year's Resolution: To cut down on turnovers. He's averaging over three a game, but is off to a good start in the new year with just one t.o. in 30 minutes against Marquette.

2010 Prediction: Scottie will finish second to Kerry Kittles among Villanova's all-time scoring leaders.

Reggie Redding

Game Thoughts: Shot a poor 3 of 11 from the field and missed his first 2 free throws, but like fellow senior Scottie Reynolds, Reggie remained calm and confident under pressure, making 5 of his final 6 free throws to help ice the game.

New Year's Resolution: To never be as dumb as the Tennessee players caught driving with marijuana, open alcohol, and a gun.

2010 Prediction: Redding will finish the season second in average scoring and rebounding. He is currently second in both, so what I'm basically saying is that this is no fluke.

Corey Fisher

Game Thoughts: Fisher was surprisingly benched at the end of the game, and he only played seven minutes in the second half. Wayns was playing well, but I wouldn't think that needs to come at the expense of Fisher.

New Year's Resolution: To shoot less threes and more free throws, like at the beginning of the season.

2010 Prediction: Fisher will at least test the waters of the NBA Draft this summer.

Antonio Pena

Game Thoughts: An underwhelming game from Pena, just 4 points and 5 rebounds. He was outplayed by the smaller 6'6 Lazar Hayward (17 points, 14 boards, 3 assists).

New Year's Resolution: To practice free throw shooting. (67%)

2010 Prediction: This number zero will get caught with guns in the locker room like the other Agent Zero, Gilbert Arenas... No, not those guns, I'm talking about Pena's massive biceps.

Corey Stokes

Game Thoughts: Stokes' shooting slump continued with a 2-point (1-5) performance. That's five straight games without multiple 3-pointers made or double-digit scoring.

New Year's Resolution: To just keep shooting. His stroke is too sweet, eventually he will catch fire.

2010 Prediction: Stokes will make 5+ threes, score 20+ points, and officially break out of his funk in Nova's first game at the Wachovia Center, 1/17 vs. Georgetown.

Taylor King

Game Thoughts: King had an average game (6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists), though he continues to impress with his rebounding ability.

New Year's Resolution: To stay patient on offense and let the guards create open shots. He is not as effective at creating his own shot off the dribble.

2010 Prediction: King will score 24 points against Duke in the NCAA Tournament, and two rounds earlier Villanova will beat Miami despite a heroic 37-point outburst from Malcolm Grant.

Maalik Wayns

Game Thoughts: Wayns looked like Tony Parker with his speed and ability to slice through defenders and get to the basket. He tied his season-high with 16 points and earned crunch-time minutes over Corey Fisher.

New Year's Resolution: To study tape of Kyle Lowry and imitate.

2010 Prediction: Maalik will make the All-Big East Freshmen First Team.

Dominic Cheek

Game Thoughts: Cheek played a season-low seven minutes, which was surprising for two reasons: 1) He has played well in his limited minutes all season, and 2) Jay Wright could have used his depth to exploit Marquette's 7-man rotation.

New Year's Resolution: Work on jump shot, it's too high-arcing.

2010 Prediction: Dom will have at least one 20-point game by the end of the season.

Isaiah Armwood

Game Thoughts: Jay Wright is trusting Armwood with more playing time (14 minutes), but he still looks very raw. He almost caused a couple of turnovers because he's so eager to get rid of the ball whenever he touches it.

New Year's Resolution: To bulk up. He makes Maurice Sutton look like Barry Bonds circa 2007.

2010 Prediction: With his super-athleticism, Armwood will have a highlight-reel dunk this season, worthy of Sportscenter's Top 10.

Mouphtaou Yarou

Game Thoughts: Mouph was finally cleared to play, although he didn't get into this game.

New Year's Resolution: To just stay healthy. (fingers crossed)

2010 Prediction: I say Yarou will return to game action next week.

Maurice Sutton

Game Thoughts: Mo didn't get into the game until the final 2 seconds. He wasn't needed because of Marquette's undersized team.

New Year's Resolution: See Armwood, Isaiah.

2010 Prediction: Sutton will block more than double the amount of shots as anyone else on the team.

Jay Wright

Game Thoughts: He got the win, but as I mentioned before, I think Jay could have used his bench and ran the press more often.

New Year's Resolution: To stop yelling at the refs after a bad call.

2010 Prediction: Jay Wright will be the first one to break his New Year's resolution.

Nova in the Naughts: A decade in Review

With the decade coming to a close, I thought it would be a good time to take a look back at the past ten years of the program.

2000-2001 (18-13)

November 17, 2000: Villanova loses 98-85 in the second round of the preseason NIT to eventual National Champions Duke, led by Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer, and Chris Duhon.
January 17, 2001: Gary Buchanan scores 30 and Michael Bradley adds 29 in a win over Virginia Tech.
March 14, 2001: Steve Lappas loses his final game as head coach 87-78 to Minnesota in the opening round of the NIT.
March 15, 2001: Jay Wright and the Hofstra Pride lose to UCLA 61-48 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
June 27, 2001: Michael Bradley is selected 17th overall in the NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.

2001-2002 (19-13)

November 21, 2001: Jay Wright wins his Villanova head coaching debut 82-68 over Grambling State.
November 27, 2001: Jay Wright suffers his first loss as Villanova head coach to Rasaul Butler and the La Salle Explorers 61-58.

February 9, 2002: Villanova upsets #15 UCLA at the Pavilion 58-57.
February 11, 2002: Caron Butler, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor, and the Huskies hold Villanova to 40 points; no Wildcat scores in double figures.
March 22, 2002: Villanova loses to Temple 63-57 in the quarterfinals of the NIT.

2002-2003 (15-16)

November 15, 2002: Jay Wright's prized recruiting class of Jason Fraser (13 points, 13 rebounds), Randy Foye (10 points), Allan Ray (16 points), and Curtis Sumpter (2 points) make their debut in a 73-61 loss to Dwyane Wade (17 points) and #18 Marquette at Madison Square Garden.

November 30, 2002: Villanova upsets #9 Michigan State 81-73 behind 29 points from Gary Buchanan.

April 7, 2003: Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse win the National Championship without ever playing Villanova that season.

2003-2004 (18-17)

November 22, 2003: Allan Ray drops 38 points and Mike Nardi dishes out 13 assists in a 114-103 win over the Redlands Bulldogs.

February 28, 2004: Villanova loses by one point in overtime at the Wachovia Center to eventual National Champs UConn.

March 10, 2004: Randy Foye hits a game-winning shot with 3.6 seconds left to beat Seton Hall 61-60 in the first round of the Big East Tournament, ending a five-game losing streak.

March 24, 2004: Villanova loses to Rutgers 72-60 in the quarterfinals of the NIT, which is now the last time Nova has failed to make the NCAA Tournament.

2004-2005 (24-8)

January 22, 2005: Villanova upsets #2 Kansas 83-62 on a snowy day in Philly.

March 18, 2005: Jay Wright gets his first NCAA Tournament victory over Danny Granger and New Mexico.

March 20, 2005: Curtis Sumpter goes down, and Jason Fraser posts 21 and 15 to lead Nova past David Lee and Florida.

March 25, 2005: Allan Ray gets called for a phantom travel after shooting 3-32 from the field in the Tournament. Randy Foye drops 28 and freshman Kyle Lowry scores a season-high 18 points, but Nova loses by one point in the Sweet 16 to eventual National Champs North Carolina led by Raymond Felton, Sean May, Rashad McCants, and Marvin Williams.

2005-2006 (25-8)

December 3, 2005: Randy Foye scores 32 points to lead #4 Villanova past #5 Oklahoma at the Pavilion.

January 8, 2006: After a 10-0 start, Villanova gets "Pitsnoggled" and loses 91-87 to West Virginia at the Pavilion.

February 13, 2006: #4 Villanova beats #1 UConn 69-64 at the Wachovia Center in front of a record-setting crowd. Jay Wright is nationally recognized for his 4-guard offense.

March 10, 2006: Carl Krauser pokes Allan Ray's eye out, and Pitt knocks Nova out of the Big East Tourament in the second round.

March 17, 2006: Villanova earns its first ever #1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, then narrowly escapes a monumental upset versus 16-seeded Monmouth 58-45.

March 24, 2006: Sean Williams goal-tends Will Sheridan's shot with 3 seconds left in overtime, and Nova wins 60-59 to move on to Elite Eight.

March 26, 2006: Randy Foye scores 25 points in his final game in a Villanova uniform, but Nova falls short to the eventual back-to-back National Champion Florida Gators, led by twin towers Joakim Noah and Al Horford.

March 29, 2006: Kelvin Sampson is named head coach at Indiana, causing McDonald's All-American Scottie Reynolds to renounce his commitment to Oklahoma and join Villanova.

June 28, 2006: Randy Foye (7th) and Kyle Lowry (24th) are selected in the first round of the NBA draft. Allan Ray is signed by the Celtics.

2006-2007 (22-11)

November 11, 2006: Villanova beats the Rollie Massimino coached Northwood Seahawks 97-60.

December 9, 2006: Despite 31 points and 10 rebounds from Curtis Sumpter, Nova falls to Drexel 81-76 at the Pavilion.

January 20, 2007: Villanova holds Kevin Durant to 12 points, and he is posterized by Dante Cunningham.

February 28, 2007: Freshman Scottie Reynolds drops 40 points on Hasheem Thabeet and UConn.

March 16, 2007: Villanova squeezes into the NCAA Tournament as a 9-seed, but loses to Kentucky 67-58 in the first round.

2007-2008 (22-13)

December 6, 2007: Malcolm Grant scores 13 points in the final three minutes to come back from a 21 point deficit to defeat LSU.

February 4, 2008: St. Joe's hands Villanova its fifth loss in a row in a 77-55 blowout at the Palestra.

February 11, 2008: Corey Stokes is called for a foul 70 feet from the basket, with less than one second remaining. Jonathan Wallace hits both free throws to give Georgetown a 55-53 victory.

March 21, 2008: Villanova is one of the last bubble teams to make the Tournament as a 12-seed, and they use a 18-point comeback to upset #5 Clemson in the first round.

March 28, 2008: Villanova is once again knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by the eventual champions, the Kansas Jayhawks.

2008-2009 (30-8)

January 6, 2009: Scottie Reynolds has his second 40-point game in a 89-85 overtime win over Seton Hall.

January 28, 2009: Reggie Redding scores 18 points in the final college basketball game at the Spectrum, a 10-point win over #3 Pitt.

March 9, 2009: Dante Cunningham wins the Most Improved Player Award in the Big East, Corey Fisher wins the 6th Man Award.

March 19, 2009: Tied at 55 with 7 minutes to play, Villanova rallies to beat 14-seed American in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

March 21, 2009: Six Wildcats score in double figures as Nova beats UCLA by 20 points in the second round.

March 26, 2009: In the Sweet 16 Gerald Henderson shoots 1-14 and Jon Scheyer 3-18 in a 23-point Villanova blowout.

March 28, 2009: Scottie Reynolds hits "The Shot" against Pitt to send Villanova to Detroit for the Final Four.

April 4, 2009: For the fourth time this decade Villanova loses to the eventual National Champion, this time Tyler Hansbrough's Tar Heels.

June 25, 2009: Dante Cunningham is selected in the second round of the NBA draft by the Trailblazers.

2009-2010 (??)

November 19, 2009: Mouphtaou Yarou leaves Puerto Rico with Hepatitis B.

November 22, 2009: Villanova beats Ole Miss to win the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

December 13, 2009: Villanova fans curse the name Juan Fernandez.

December 19, 2009: Reggie Redding returns from marijuana suspension to score 15 points.

January 2, 2010: Villanova opens Big East play at Marquette.

Jay Wright's 2009 Christmas Wishlist

Dear Santa,

Hey big guy, how's it going up there in the North Pole? You must be really busy. Everything is just fine down here on the Main Line. Villanova football are National Champions. We just beat Delaware 97-63, our 33rd consecutive win at the Pavilion. (You have an open invitation to any home game by the way. You can park your sled on top of the Jake Nevin Fieldhouse.) We're 11-1 and ranked #3 in the country... but there are still some things I'd like for Christmas this year.

1. Please let Scottie Reynolds continue to light it up from downtown like he did against Delaware. (6 of 8 for 22 points... and 6 assists)

2. A new $6,000 Italian-imported Kiton suit.

3. Please keep Reggie Redding, and the rest of the team for that matter, out of trouble. (Reggie has looked like a man on a mission since returning from suspension. The so-called defensive specialist is averaging 15.5 ppg.)

4. Please let the real Taylor King be the one we saw against Delaware (19 points and 12 rebounds), and not the one we saw the previous two games (11 points combined).

5. Conversely, please let the real Antonio Pena be the one we saw all season, and not the one we saw against Delaware (just 7 points and 6 rebounds).

6. A healthy team. (Mouph Yarou is still out with Hepatitis-B, and now Maurice Sutton is out with an upper respiratory disease.)

7. Please let Corey Fisher continue to have a 4/0 assist to turnover ratio, as he has for the past two games.

8. A Snuggie

9. Please help Corey Stokes discover his shot again. (Four straight games of single digit scoring and failing to make more than one 3-point shot.)

10. A National Championship (Thanks again for the Final Four last year, but I sure would love to go all the way...)

From,

Jerold

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving Tweets

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.*

Klow7: @ChrisWallaceGM Thanks for trading me to a real NBA team.
about 2 hours ago from web


randyfoye: Thankful that I'm not a part of that 13-game losing streak in Minnesota.
45 minutes ago from TweetDeck


Dante33: @Batum, @TOutlaw, Thanks for the extra playing time due to your injuries.
about 1 hour ago from web


TimThomas: @sportsguy33 Thanks for the kind words and support from your columns.
about 3 hours ago from web


Scottie1: @KSampson Thank you for leaving Oklahoma, and @JTIII Thanks for not having any scholarships available.
about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck


MouphY: @FTchuisi Thanks for helping me acclimate to the United States.
about 1 hour ago from web


BringThePena: Thanks to Strength Coach Lon Record for helping to make me a beast this year.
about 11 hours ago from web


FisherPrice: Thanks to all the NYC streetballers who taught me my moves.
about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck


DomCheek: @BobHurley Thanks for helping me get to Villanova.
11 minutes ago from web


Stokes24: Thanks to my bro for making these songs.
30 minutes ago from web


MoSutton: Thanks to my family for giving me good basketball genes and a 6'11 frame.
about 2 hours ago from web


iArm34: Thank God that shot went in...
about 9 hours ago from web


JColenda: Thank you student section for going wild anytime I touch the ball.
about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck


5Wayns: @jameernelson, @Klow7 Thanks for showing me how to play like a Philly guard.
about 12 hours ago from web


WootenForNova: Thanks to the Penn defense for allowing me to score my first points.
about 1 hour ago from web


The_Real_Redding: Thanks to coach, my teammates, and all of Nova Nation for supporting me.
about 3 hours ago from web


JayWright: @RollieMassThank you for teaching me everything I know.
28 minutes ago from web


*By searching across the interweb, I meant completely make this up myself.