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.

The Curse of Jason Fraser Strikes Again

Moupthtaou Yarou has tested positive for Hepatitis B. There is no timetable set for his return yet. Here are some facts on Hepatitis B from WebMD:

"Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. Most adults who get hepatitis B have it for a short time and then get better. This is called acute hepatitis B. You can have hepatitis B and not know it. You may not have symptoms. If you do, they can make you feel like you have the flu. But as long as you have the virus, you can spread it to others. Sometimes the virus causes a long-term infection, called chronic hepatitis B. Over time, it can damage your liver. In most cases, hepatitis B goes away on its own. You can relieve your symptoms at home by resting, eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding alcohol and drugs. Treatment for chronic hepatitis B depends on whether your infection is getting worse and whether you have liver damage. Most people with chronic hepatitis B can live active, full lives by taking good care of themselves and getting regular checkups. Sometimes chronic hepatitis B can lead to severe liver damage. If this happens, you may need a liver transplant."

It's unknown whether Yarou has acute or chronic Hepatitis B. He has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against Drexel, but depending on the severity of the virus he could conceivably be back as early as Sunday, or he could be out for the remainder of the season.

Yarou is the most highly touted big man Jay Wright has recruited to Villanova since Jason Fraser in 2002. Fraser was considered the top high school center in the country by many scouts, yes, over Amare Stoudemire. He was the prized recruit of the Foye, Ray, Sumpter class, and he looked like a can't miss prospect who could have went straight to the NBA if he desired. However, Fraser suffered from a long list of injuries since stepping on campus. From Villanova.com here's a quick rundown of Fraser's woes.

Freshman year: "Injuries and a suspension caused him to miss the last three weeks of the season ... Underwent surgery on both of his knees on April 9 to repair ligament damage ... Diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot on Feb. 24."
Sophomore year: "Played only 10 minutes prior to January after battling a stress fracture in his left heel."
Junior year: "Spent most of the season as a reserve in an effort to limit the stress on his knees... Following the season he underwent surgery on his right hand for the second time in four months after breaking the navicular bone in a game against Providence on Jan. 11 .. . Five days later, on May 11, he underwent microfracture surgery on both knees in a procedure designed to relieve the persistent swelling and tendonitis that has plagued him throughout his stint on the Main Line ... Now has undergone seven surgical procedures in less than 30 months ... Missed four games with a fractured bone in his right hand in January... Returned to action on Jan. 29 at Rutgers after missing four games with a fractured right hand... Underwent surgery to have a screw inserted into a fracture in the carpal navicular bone in his right hand on Jan. 14... Made his first appearance against UMBC since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Oct. 22."
Senior year: He appeared in every game, but was never fully recovered from his previous injuries.

In the meantime Villanova should be just fine without Yarou. Antonio Pena is having a breakout junior season, averaging a double-double. Taylor King will have to play undersized at the power forward position at times, but he has shown good rebounding ability so far, averaging almost seven boards per game. Finally, Maurice Sutton has been a pleasant surprise with his quality rebounding and shot-blocking. Let's hope Mouph recovers fully and quickly, and that he has a little more luck in the injury department than his predecessor.