Drummond to Marist

VUHoops reported that Casiem Drummond will transfer to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY.  The Red Foxes play in the MAAC. Good luck to the big fella.

Here's a look back at the highlights of Drummond's career at Villanova:

Career Highs

Points: 11 (2/2/08 vs. Syracuse)

Rebounds: 17 (11/25/07 vs. NC St.)

Assists: 3 (11/25/07 vs. NC St.)

Blocks: 2 (3 times)

Drummond is Transferring

Casiem Drummond announced his plans to transfer out of Villanova today.  He wants to go to a school where he can receive "significantly more playing time".  This comes as a total surprise to me.  I know he hasn't played much at Villanova, but I thought that was mainly because of injury. He had a stress fracture in his foot most of last season. Perhaps he believes he is healthier than the coaching staff thinks he is, and he felt they were holding him back?  Could this decision possibly be related to the one game suspension from the Monmouth game? This seems unlikely considering it was a "minor issue". Maybe he figures that he doesn't fit well into Jay Wright's system, which relies more on quick, athletic forwards.  Casiem could also be thinking about next season, when Nova has two highly rated forwards in Mouphtaou Yarou and Isaiah Armwood joining the team.  There are a lot of questions surrounding this decision, but we'll have to wait and see if Casiem or the coaching staff provide any more information on the situation in the future.  

Drummond seemed to have loads of potential, but never fully realized it during his time at Villanova.  Early last season he looked great with a few near double-doubles including a monster 9 point, 17 rebound game vs. NC State.  However, after the injury last season and so far this season he's been nothing more than a big body down low to give up fouls. Drummond's transfer hurts Villanova's depth, but it shouldn't have a major impact on the team's success. Dante Cunningham has been a beast and Antonio Pena is developing nicely.  Nova learned how to play and win without the big man last season, and they have been doing it so far this season as well.  

Another thing to consider is the impact this will have on the coaching staff's plan to redshirt Maurice Sutton.  With Cunningham, Pena, and little-used Frank Tchuisi the only true power forward/centers left on the team, they might be forced to play the 6'11 Sutton this year. If Drummond desires significantly more playing time, I don't see him joining an elite team.  Most likely a mid-major or a major conference team with a depleted front line. It's disappointing to see him go because I really thought he could have developed into a rebound-machine and a force on the offensive and defensive post. Nevertheless, I wish him good luck wherever he winds up.

More: Official, VUHoops, Let's Go Nova, IBBW

The Name's Wright... Jay Wright

In honor of the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, opening this weekend I thought I'd write a 007-themed recap of Villanova's first victory of the season.

"Dr. No" starring Reggie Redding

Redding, Villanova's lockdown defender, said "no" to the Great Danes as they tried to score. He grabbed 4 rebounds and picked up a steal. He also had a nice offensive performance scoring 11 points, even knocking down a 3-pointer. He will see a lot of playing time early this season because of the injuries to Shane Clark and Dwayne Anderson, and last night he seemed up to the task.

"Moonraker" starring Antonio Pena

Pena nearly jumped to the moon on one put-back dunk off a missed shot. This is exactly the kind of performance I was expecting from 'Tone this season. 12 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 block... he looks poised for a breakout year.

"From Cameroon With Love" starring Frank Tchuisi

I love him, but Frank is simply not there yet. Again, because of injuries he played 11 minutes, grabbing 3 rebounds and hitting a signature Will Sheridan baseline jumper for 2 points. However, he was a liability on the floor, missing a couple of dunks and committing 2 turnovers.

"The Man With the Golden Shot" starring Corey Stokes

Corey was stroking it from deep once again. He hit three of four 3-pointers to finish with 13 points.

"License to Foul" starring Casiem Drummond

Casiem had as many points as fouls (4) in 17 minutes off the bench. He has been foul-prone his entire career at Villanova. On the bright side he was 2-2 from the free throw line and had 5 rebounds and a blocked shot.

"On His Coach's Secret Service" starring Dante Cunningham

As usual, Dante did everything Jay asked of him. He scored (13 points), defended (1 steal), rebounded (6 boards), and was unselfish (3 assists).

"The Point Guard Who Dished Me" starring Scottie Reynolds

Scottie went scoreless in the first half, electing to set up his teammates. He had 6 assists and only 1 turnover. He looked for his shot more in the second half, scoring 13 points to tie Cunningham and Stokes for team-high.

"Goldfinger" starring Corey Fisher

Fisher had the magic touch on both ends of the floor last night. He dished out 5 assists and grabbed 4 steals. His jump shot wasn't falling, but he looked strong attacking the basket and getting to the foul line. He was the sixth Wildcat to score in double figures with 10 points. He was inserted into the starting lineup for Anderson, and more Fish is always a good thing.

"Die Another Day" starring Dwayne Anderson and Shane Clark

Dwayne and Shane may be out now, but they will both come back strong when the team needs them most.

Weekly Player Evaluation: Casiem Drummond

Player: Casiem Drummond

2007-2008 Key Stats: 4.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, 52.4 FG%

2007-2008 Review: Casiem had a solid start to the season, and I thought it was going to be a breakout year for the young big man.  He was a beast on the glass and in the paint, averaging 8.5 rebounds and 1 block per game over the first seven games.  He had a monster game against NC State in which he grabbed 17 boards.  However, he suffered a stress fracture in his foot in early December, and was never the same since.  He played significant minutes in only six of the last twenty-seven games and had fourteen D.N.P.’s.  I think the loss of Drummond was a major cause of the slump Villanova experienced midseason.  He was the starting center and the team’s only real inside presence, and it took a while for the young Wildcats to figure out how to play without him. 

2008-2009 Preview: After the long off-season Drummond should be back to 100% this year.  He will be a key player and might begin the season as the starting center.  When healthy, Casiem is a legitimate double-double threat in points and rebounds.  At 6’10, 275 lbs. Drummond is the only true center on the team.  The team learned how to play without him last season, but I think it will be a major asset to have him on the floor because of his rebounding, shot-blocking, and overall defensive presence.  

Drummond out for season

Casiem Drummond will have surgery on his ankle after fracturing it in the game against Siena. Drummond has been used sparingly since suffering from a stress fracture in December. The new injury is unrelated to the previous injury, and it will sideline him for the remainder of the season. The injury shouldn't affect Villanova's gameplan for Kansas because Drummond has not been a major part or the team's recent success. Casiem has missed thirteen games this season, and has played less than three minutes in four other games. This has become a lost season for the big man, and it's a shame because he proved to be a real force inside at times early in the season. He had a monster 17 rebound game against NC State in the Old Spice Classic. He also worked hard to get in shape during the offseason by losing a lot of weight. Let's hope he makes a full recovery and continues to work and improve for next season.

#19 Villanova vs NC State

Score: NC State 69, Villanova 68

Players of the Game: Corey Fisher 21 pts, Casiem Drummond 9 pts, 17 reb

Recap: It's a shame when a game is taken out of the players' hands and is decided by the refs, and that is exactly what happened tonight. After Dante Cunningham's tip-in off of Corey Stokes missed shot to put the Wildcats up by 1 point with 2.2 seconds left, NC State threw a full court pass and shot a quick three and missed, but a foul was called on Cunningham, when he had his hands straight up and didn't touch him. Even if he did touch him the contact was so minimal and did not affect the shot. You can't call a foul in that situation. The referee completely decided the outcome of the game, which is just not fair to the players.
North Carolina State wound up winning the game by one point after Gavin Grant missed the first than made the last two free throws. The final score was 69-68 to make the NC State Wolfpack the 2007 Old Spice Classic champions. Villanova had a poor shooting night going 2-12 for three and 8-18 from the free throw line. In a one point loss you need look no further than those 10 missed free throws to find the difference in the game. Despite the loss, Corey Fisher had an outstanding game. He took over offensively in the second half and was nearly impossible to stop with his acrobatic drives and lay ups. He finished with 21 points to lead the team. Casiem Drummond dominated the glass with 17 rebounds to go along with his 9 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, although he fouled out late in the second half. Dante Cunningham had a good night with 16 points and 8 rebounds, but he did take too many long jump shots that he wound up missing. That is not his shot. He should stay inside, especially with all the great guards on the team. Scottie Reynolds had 13 points and 4 assists, but was basically shut down in the second half. Corey Fisher did a fine job running the offense, but Scottie still should have been more aggressive offensively. Reynolds, and the team as a whole should have looked for more threes in the second half, as they only attempted 2 and missed both. Reggie Redding also fouled out late in the second half. Redding finished with 7 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. Another key to the game was the loss of Shane Clark. He left the game in the first half with a strained quadriceps and scored 2 points before that. Antonio Pena, Corey Stokes, Malcolm Grant, and Dwayne Anderson were all held scoreless off the bench.
The loss shouldn't hurt the Wildcats in the long run because it was a one point game and NC State will most likely be a tournament team. But a win would have been impressive on their resume, especially since Nova's non-conference schedule is relatively weak. Next up on the schedule is Penn on Saturday at the Pavilion.