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.

Nova: Champions of Puerto Rico

Villanova beat Ole Miss 79-67 to win the Puerto Rico Tip-off. Let's just get straight to the awards...

The '08-09 Dante Cunningham Award for Most Improved Player
Antonio Pena continues to impress me more and more each game. He was a beast against Ole Miss with 17 points and 16 rebounds, and won the Tournament MVP award averaging 13.3 points and 11.7 rebounds. This is similar to the massive improvement Dante made in his senior season, but the scary thing about Antonio is he's just a junior*.

*Although at 23 years old, Pena is already older than most seniors in the country.

The Mickey Rourke Award for Bounce-Back Performance
Scottie Reynolds and Corey Stokes both had huge bounce-back games. Reynolds took over the game offensively in the second half, scoring a season-high 21 points (6-16, 2-4, 7-10). Stokes had 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. He hit two 3-pointers and also drove the ball inside, drawing fouls, which he should look to do more often because he is shooting over 92% from the line.

The God Shammgod Award for Coolest Name
Wow, do the Rebels have some sweet names on their team. Murphy Holloway... instant inductee into the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars. Terrico White... just terrific. Logan Nutt... and he's not even the winner. That honor goes to Eniel Polynice... thank you Mr. and Mrs. Polynice.

The Devin Hester De-Pantsing Award for Embarrassing Moment

Yes, Taylor King actually did airball a free throw. His 3-point shooting (0-4) was off also, but he brings a lot more to the game than just shooting. He had 9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, an assist, and he could have had a double-double if he made that free throw. He also showed off his hops with a nice one-handed slam.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Award for Excessive Violence

Not that he was playing violently, but Corey Fisher's impact was severely limited because of foul trouble. Having a third point guard like Maalik Wayns really helps when Scottie or Fish get into foul trouble.

The Rick Pitino White Suit Award for Worst-Dressed Coach
Did you see those jeans Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy was wearing? The Salvation Army has rejected better pants than those.

Nova Flys by Dayton

Villanova looked to be on their way to an easy victory over a good Dayton team, until the Flyers came storming back late in the second half. Nova led by 8 at the half and by as many as 18 points in the second half before Dayton cut it to a 2 point game with 2:23 left. Then Corey Fisher stepped up to ice the game from the free throw line for a 71-65 win. Now for the rest of the recap I'll be highlighting some famous "Flyers".

Superman: Corey Fisher saved the day with his clutch free throw shooting, sinking 10 of 12 to finish with 18 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Scottie Reynolds had been the "Superman" of the team for the past three years, but he has struggled so far in his senior season. He went just 3-12 from the field and 0-3 from behind the arc to score 8 points, although he did dish out 5 assists. I don't know if there's been a complete changing of the guard yet, but Corey Fisher has been the MVP of the early season, leading the team in points (15.3) and assists (4.5).

The Wright Bothers: Jay Wright's team is gaining valuable experience with these close games early in the season, first fighting back to win against George Mason, and now withstanding Dayton's comeback to hold on for the win. Obviously you'd prefer to win more convincingly, but these tough games will help the team prepare for Big East play. No relation to Jay, but Dayton's Chris Wright looked impressive with some high-flying dunks and scored 15 points.

Stealth Bombers: It seemed like Luke Fabrizius was invisible the way he kept getting wide-open threes. He made 5 from long-range to lead the Flyers with 16 points. Corey Stokes, aka the Bayonne Bomber, is normally Nova's top sharpshooter, but he had his second-straight off-night shooting the ball. Stokes went 1-9 from the field (1-3 from 3-pt), although those rims in Puerto Rico looked really tight, which may be affecting his shot.

Griffin: Antonio Pena has been playing like Blake Griffin this year. He had 13 and 7 with a block, and is basically averaging a double-double on the season with 11 points and 9.8 rebounds. He even sank two clutch free throws at the end of the game. He had big shoes to fill, but Pena is proving to be a capable replacement of Dante Cunningham.

Vulture: Maurice Sutton earned the start, and he has been vulturing the paint in Yarou's absence. Sutton isn't going to score a ton, but at 6'11 he can run the floor, rebound (8) and block shots (2). Jay must have liked what he saw from the young center as well, playing him for 30 minutes.


Balloon Boy: Alright, I can't figure out how to relate these psychos to anyone on Nova, but I'll use this space to mention how good Taylor King was. He got hot early, making 4 threes for 14 points, but he has impressed me the most with his rebounding, grabbing a team-high 9.


Sully Sullenberger: Sully became an American hero for landing a plane in the Hudson River, and Isaiah Armwood will be a Villanova hero for his game winning shot against George Mason. He scored 4 points off the bench.


Puff the Magic Dragon: Reggie Redding... I kid, I kid. Sorry Reggie, we still love ya.

Thunder in Paradise: Nova Narrowly Avoids Upset

He shouldn't even have been on the floor at the time, but an unlikely hero, Isaiah Armwood, came into the game with Villanova down by two with under thirty seconds left to hit the game-winning 3-pointer, his first three points of the season. Wait, hold on... I think the refs just called another foul. It was a brutally officiated game on both ends of the floor. The only reason Armwood was in the game was because Corey Stokes, Taylor King, Antonio Pena, AND Maurice Sutton ALL fouled out. George Mason also had two players foul out and another three had four fouls. It seemed like anytime two opposing players went near each other, the refs called a foul. George Mason led for most of the game, and it looked like the former Cinderella would pull another major upset. I've talked a lot about Villanova's depth this year, and in the end it paid off, as they needed every inch of it to win.

Villanova was already shorthanded before the game even started. Starting center Mouphtaou Yarou had to leave the team from Puerto Rico because of a viral infection. Taylor King started in his place, but at 6'6, he doesn't exactly bring the same kind of post presence. Because of Yarou's absence and the whistle-happy referees, Jay Wright was forced to play Maurice Sutton major minutes, who can do some nice things, but isn't ready to play 17 minutes a game yet.

One player managed to benefit from the barrage of foul calls. 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. Fisher had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Scottie Reynolds led the team with 18 points, but he treated the ball like a hot potato, turning it over 8 times. Scottie seems to have poor games like this every so often (vs. Texas last year comes to mind), but I expect him to take much better care of the ball in the next game.

Antonio Pena picked up another double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds), but fouled out in 27 minutes. He struggled with fouls last season, but I'll excuse this game because of the erratic officiating.

Corey Stokes took a big step backwards this game. After leading the team in scoring through the first two games, he had just one point before fouling out in 22 minutes. Although, he did grab 5 rebounds, an area of his game that he seems to have improved in.

In his first start, Taylor King looked good while on the court (8 points, 4 rebounds). The only problem was he only played 17 minutes and fouled out.

Maalik Wayns played great off the bench again: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.

Considering all the foul trouble the team got into, it was surprising that Dominic Cheek only played 11 minutes. He was held scoreless, and missed two free throws late in the game that could have been costly.

Yes, Villanova won, and yes, the officials may have made the game a little closer than it should have been, but this is clearly not a top five team right now. They could be by end of the season, and personally I think they will be right there among the nation's elite when everything's said and done. However, this team is still so young and inexperienced. Everybody saw the strong backcourt returning from last year's Final Four team and the amazing recruiting class and assumed it would translate into instant success. Jay's young Wildcat squad isn't quite there yet, and he knows that better than anyone. But just like his teams of the past, this one will continue to get better as the season progresses, and when tournament time comes rolling around, Jay Wright will have his team ready and playing its best basketball of the season.

With all that said, I wouldn't be surprised if the team used this near loss as a wake-up call and proceeded to win the Puerto Rico Tip-off by blowing out their next two opponents. Next up, tomorrow at 3:00 PM, are the #21 Dayton Flyers, who knocked off #19 Georgia Tech earlier today.

Malcolm Grant Gets Revenge Against Nova

The Nova Southeast Knights that is. The former Wildcat had 17 points and 4 assists in a 108-58 Miami win last night. It's good to see him playing well... I don't know where he would have fit in with this already stacked backcourt.

Nova Soaks Penn 103-65

Drop 100+ points - Check
Six players score in double figures - Check
Shoot over 58% from the field and 52% from three - Check
Walk-on scores a basket - Check
Make Penn look like 5th graders playing against 8th graders - Check
Dominate a game from start to finish and play like you deserve a top-5 ranking- Check and Check

Corey Fisher - Continued to look like the best player on the floor. He ran the point with ease scoring 13 points and dishing out 8 assists.

Maalik Wayns - Led the team in scoring with 16 points, and he showed his range by hitting three 3-pointers. He's easily been the most impressive freshmen through the first two games.

Scottie Reynolds - Got back on track with a very solid game: 14 points, 5 assists. Most of his scoring came in a spurt in the middle of the second half.

Taylor King - Plays like a madman... I love it. He grabbed three rebounds in less than a minute after entering the game, then drained a three. He also made the Dwayne Anderson signature dive from behind steal. 14 points and 7 rebounds in the game... you can can see he's already turning into a crowd favorite.

Corey Stokes - "Only" made two 3-pointers for 14 points.

Antonio Pena - Got a legit double-double this time (12 points, 10 rebounds). He also had 2 blocks and and just 2 personal fouls. He's looked great, but the competition has been lacking. The true test will come in Puerto Rico.

Mouph Yarou - Fouled out in just 17 minutes, finishing with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and a block. He will probably continue to struggle with foul trouble early in the season as he adjusts to the college game.

Dominic Cheek - Had 7 points off the bench. He hit a pretty fade-away jumper with the shot clock winding down towards the end of the game.

Mo Sutton - Had 7 points, 5 rebounds, and a block in just 14 minutes. He flashed some nice post moves as well.

Russel Wooten - Scored the first two points of his career, thanks to an assist* from Armwood.

Isaiah Armwood - Got a little more playing time in this game (13 minutes), but failed to score.
* He shot an airball, which Wooten caught and put in for a lay up.

Jason Colenda - Picked up a steal, but let down the student section enormously when he missed the front end of a one-and-one.

What We've Got

With game one in the books, we have a clearer picture of what we've got with this team. The first two words that come to mind after watching the win over Farliegh Dickinson are youth and depth. All five freshmen played in the game, with Mouph Yarou, Dom Cheek, and Maalik Wayns logging major minutes. The youth showed early as the Wildcats had a rough time in the first half, trailing at times and leading by only one at halftime. However, Nova's depth overpowered FDU in the second half en route to the 84-61 blowout everyone was expecting. With a team that goes ten-deep (and eleven-deep when Redding returns) Jay Wright tinkered with several different lineups, including one with all three point guards playing together, a bigger lineup with one point guard and four players 6'5+ in height, and an all-freshman lineup. It's clear at this point that even Jay isn't entirely sure what he has with this team yet, and the lineups will continue to shuffle with frequency until he figures it out. Another thing to keep in mind is that preseason ranks mean nothing. Yes, Villanova is ranked very high in the polls and they have a lot of expectations, but Notre Dame was ranked in the preseason top ten last year and failed to even make the NCAA Tournament.

Without further adieu let's take a look at a player-by-player assessment of the first game...

The Starting Five
PG - Corey Fisher - Picked up right where he left off last season, and looked like the best player on the floor with a balanced game of 13 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds.
SG - Scottie Reynolds - Struggled mightily shooting the ball (2-10 fg, 0-4 3pt) and got himself into foul trouble. This is not the way he wanted to begin his senior campaign.
SF - Corey Stokes - Caught fire from downtown (5-10 3pt) in the second half to finish with a game-high 20 points.
PF - Antonio Pena - Had a near double-double (9 pts, 10 reb), dished out 3 assists, and picked up only one personal foul in 32 minutes. Pena's strong play might have been the most encouraging outcome of the game.
C - Mouphtaou Yarou - Looked like a man out there... wait, bad choice of words. 6 points, 3 rebounds and a block aren't the most overwhelming stats, but he showed a nice touch from the midrange. He's obviously still very raw, but with his size and athleticism his future looks promising.

First Subs
Taylor King - We knew he could shoot the ball, but King really impressed me with his rebounding (7) and tenacity. He actually reminded me of Dwayne Anderson, which is a pleasant surprise.
Dominic Cheek - He's certainly not shy to shoot. After missing the first shot of his college career, he came right back and made the next to lead the freshmen in scoring with 8.
Casiem Drummond - Looked like he lost a lot of weight this year-- what's that? Oh, right. That was Maalik Wayns sporting the #5 jersey. Wayns has that "Kyle Lowry-like" ability to drive to the basket. He had 6 points and a couple of assists.

Second Subs
Maurice Sutton - Looked better than I expected. He had a block and a monstrous put-back slam.
Isaiah Armwood - Was the odd man out of the rotation, only playing one minute.

A Look Into the Crystal Ball

With the season officially tipping off this Friday I thought I'd take a look into my crystal ball to set some odds and predictions for the 2009-10 Villanova basketball season.

Odds Villanova finishes first in Big East: 1.5/1
Odds Villanova wins Big East Tournament: 2/1
Odds Villanova returns to the Final Four: 5/1
Odds Villanova wins the National Championship: 12/1
Over/under clips of Scottie's game winning shot vs. Pitt shown during telecasts: 20.5

Over/under mentions of Redding's marijuana suspension during telecasts: 10.5
Over/under amount of times Mouphtaou Yarou's name is mispronounced during telecasts: 250.5
Over/under games until Jay Wright gets called for a technical foul: 5.5
Over/under number of different starting lineups used this season: 6.5
Odds leading average rebounder: Yarou 1.5/1, Pena 1.5/1, Redding 4/1, Sutton 7/1, Stokes 8/1, King 10/1
Over/under Scottie's season high points scored in a game: 39.5
Odds most 3-pointers made on team: Stokes 1/1, Reynolds 1.5/1, King 2/1, Sutton 10,000/1
Over/under Jason Colenda total points scored this season: 6.5
Odds leading freshmen scorer: Yarou 1/1, Wayns 1.5/1, Cheek 3/1, Armwood 10/1
Odds a UConn player gets arrested this year: 1/1
Over/under IQ of average St. Joe's fans: 65
Odds next Big East coach to be involved in a scandal: Rick Pitino 2/1, Bob Huggins 3/1, Jim Calhoun 5/1, Jay Wright 200/1
Over/under number of seasons Isiah Thomas lasts at FIU: 0.5
Over/under amount of money Jay Wright will spend on suits this season: $25,000



Now onto the schedule...
11/13 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson: Win (1-0)
11/16 vs. Penn: Win (2-0)
11/19 vs. George Mason (Puerto Rico Classic): Win (3-0)
11/20 vs. Dayton/Georgia Tech (PRC): Win (4-0) The first real test of the season. Both teams are in the preseason Top 25.
11/22 vs. Indiana/Mississippi/Kansas St./BU (PRC): Win (5-0) Indiana is still recovering from the Sampson debacle. Ole Miss and KSU should be solid, but I think Nova takes home the early season hardware.
11/28 vs. La Salle: Win (5-0)
12/2 vs. Drexel: Win (6-0)
12/6 vs. Maryland: Loss (6-1) The game is in DC. Greivis Vasquez is a stud. I think it's a close game, but the Terps hand Nova their first L.
12/9 @ St. Joe's: Win (7-1) The Hawk remains dead.
12/13 @ Temple: Win (8-1) Nova sweeps the Big 5 for another city title.
12/19 @ Fordham: Win (9-1)
12/23 vs. Delaware: Win (10-1)
1/2 @ Marquette: Win (11-1, 1-0) Marquette lost Dominic James, Wesley Matthews, and Jerel McNeal... long season ahead for the Golden Eagles.
1/6 vs. DePaul: Win (12-1, 2-0)
1/9 vs. Marquette: Win (13-1, 3-0)
1/11 @ Louisville: Loss (13-2, 3-1) Nova beats them at home, but at Freedom Hall I'll give Pitino's crew the edge.
1/17 vs. Georgetown: Win (14-2, 4-1) I think Georgetown will be a lot better than people expect, which is why they will split the season series later in February.
1/20 @ Rutgers: Win (15-2, 5-1)
1/23 @ St. John's: Win (16-2, 6-1)
1/27 vs. Notre Dame: Win (17-2, 7-1) Harangody will continue to put up monster stats (and look like a monster), but the team will continue to lose.
2/2 vs. Seton Hall: Win (18-2, 8-1)
2/6 @ Georgetown: Loss (18-3, 8-2)
2/8 @ West Virginia: Loss (18-4, 8-3) The showdown between the preseason consensus top two teams in the Big East. Nova always struggles in Morgantown...
2/13 vs. Providence: Win (19-4, 9-3)
2/15 vs. UConn: Win (20-4, 10-3) I'm not sure what to expect from this team. I think Kemba Walker will be great, Jerome Dyson and Stanley Robinson are back, but they lost Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien up front.
2/21 @ Pitt: Win (21-4, 11-3) Rebuilding year for the Panthers. BTW, San Antonio had the steal of the draft when DeJuan Blair fell to them in the second round.
2/24 vs. USF: Win (22-4, 12-3)
2/27 @ Syracuse: Win (23-4, 13-3) LE MOYNE! HA! The Orange will struggle to replace Johnny Flynn, Paul Harris, and... wait, did Eric Devendorf actually think he was going to make the NBA?
3/2 @ Cincinnati: Loss (23-5, 13-4) Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates, Cashmere Wright, and Lance Stephenson... The Bearcats are loaded with talent this year.
3/6 vs. West Virginia: Win (24-5, 14-4)

A 14-4 record should be good for a first or second place finish in the Big East and a 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. I hesitate to be so confident in a Wildcat team that will have to rely on several freshmen, but the rest of the Big East is relatively weak this year, plus Nova's backcourt may be one of the deepest and most talented in the country. This should be a fun team to watch... can't wait for the season to begin.

2009-10 Season Preview

It’s been a while, but Nova News is back with an in-depth look at the upcoming 2009-2010 season.

Villanova shocked many by making the Final Four last March as a 3-seed, but expectations are sky-high this year, despite Villanova losing its top scorer and rebounder, Dante Cunningham, to the NBA. Nova was voted #1 preseason in the Big East coaches poll, #5 nationally in the AP poll, and #6 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. Villanova lost three other seniors including Shane Clark, Frank Tchuisi, and Dwayne Anderson, who was arguably the heart and soul of last year’s team. So why are expectations so high when the Wildcats are losing so much? Well, for one, Final Four hero Scottie Reynolds decided to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return for his senior year. The two Coreys (Fisher and Stokes) are returning from successful sophomore seasons and are poised to play even bigger roles this year. Finally, Villanova is bringing in the #3 recruiting class in the nation, composed of Dominic Cheek, Maalik Wayns, Mouphtaou Yarou, and Isaiah Armwood.

Let’s take a look at each player and what we can expect from them this season…

Scottie Reynolds – SR – PG/SG

2008-09 Stats: 32 min, 15.2 pts, 3.4 ast, 2.9 reb, 1.6 stl, 40% FG, 82% FT, 35% 3PT

The clear leader of the team, Scottie Reynolds is back for his senior year and has a chance to break some school records.

Freshman year: 1^st Round

Sophomore year: Sweet 16

Junior year: Final Four

Senior year: ?

Scottie Reynolds has seemingly done it all in his career at Villanova, and in his final year he will have his sights set on a National Championship. Scottie will probably play off the ball more this season, with Corey Fisher at the point. I see him being the leading scorer on the team (at around 17 points per game), but his stats won’t go up too much because the team has so many offensive weapons.

Corey Fisher – JR – PG

2008-09 Stats: 24 min, 10.8 pts, 2.8 ast, 2.3 reb, 1.2 stl, 43% FG, 78% FT, 32% 3PT

I think this is the year Jay Wright finally hands the keys to Corey Fisher and allows him to run free as the starting point guard. Fisher Price has been gifted offensively since the day he set foot on campus, but Jay Wright demands a lot from his guards defensively and Corey wasn’t quite ready on that end of the floor. Now Fisher is a complete two-way player, and as an upperclassman, he will now have to teach “Villanova Basketball” to his understudy Maalik Wayns. I see Fisher’s assists jumping up to around 4.5 a game and his scoring at about 13 ppg.

Corey Stokes – JR – SG/SF

2008-09 Stats: 23 min, 9.3 pts, 3.4 reb, 1.0 ast, 0.7 stl, 41% FG, 85% FT, 42% 3PT

I don’t know if Stokes will ever develop into the complete inside/outside swingman Villanova fans were hoping for when this former McDonald’s All-American joined the team. So far in his Wildcats career he has been strictly a perimeter scorer, a very good one at that, but his ball handling and inside scoring leave something to be desired. However, with Reynolds, Fisher, Wayns, and Cheek all capable at driving to the basket and with the post presence of Yarou and Pena, Stokes really won’t need to do much more than stand behind the arc and wait for someone to kick it to him for an open three. I think Stokes averages 11 ppg and shoots 50% from 3-point range.

Reggie Redding – SR – SG/SF

2008-09 Stats: 29 min, 7.1 pts, 4.9 reb, 3.1 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.5 blk, 44% FG, 71% FT, 30% 3PT

By now you’ve probably heard about Redding’s disappointing offseason; he was arrested on campus for marijuana possession back in August. He is suspended until December 19 and will be forced to miss the first ten games of the season. This isn’t the worst thing in the world. The schedule at the beginning of the season is relatively easy, and it will give the freshmen a chance for more playing time as they get acclimated to the college game. Then Redding will be back just in time for the start of Big East play, when the team will need him most. Reggie brings senior leadership and balanced contributions on both ends of the floor. He isn’t the most gifted scorer, but Jay Wright has called Redding his best defender and passer. (You might remember he threw the infamous full-court pass that almost cost Nova the game vs. Pitt in the Elite Eight, but he also threw the next inbounds pass that led to Reynolds’ game-winning shot.) I think his ‘09-10 stats will stay right in line with those of last season.

Antonio Pena – JR – PF/C

2008-09 Stats: 18 min, 5.1 pts, 4.2 reb, 1.0 ast, 0.5 blk, 48% FG, 69% FT

Pena’s playing time was inconsistent last season, as he primarily served as Dante Cunningham’s backup. On the rare occasion he was given extended minutes, he usually produced around 12 points and 8 rebounds. However, his biggest problem was avoiding foul trouble long enough to play meaningful minutes. As such, Jay Wright had little trust in ‘Tone when it mattered most, averaging only 6.4 minutes per game in the NCAA Tournament. This year Pena is the only experienced frontcourt player, and he will have to step up to play a bigger role by default. I think he will begin the season as the starting power forward/center, but if Yarou lives up to the hype early, he may push Pena back into more of a reserve role again. Pena’s numbers are tough to predict because it’s unclear what his role will be, but I’ll say 6 points and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes per game.

Taylor King – SO – SG/SF

2007-08 Stats (with Duke): 10 min, 5.5 pts, 2.0 reb, 41% FG, 38% 3PT

After sitting out all of last season due to transfer regulations, T-King is ready to make his Villanova debut. Much of what I said about Corey Stoke can be applied to King. He shoots the ball just as well from downtown, and it will be really fun to see them on the floor together. I expect TK to log major minutes from the get-go. He has NCAA experience with Duke and had all of last season to practice with the team and learn the system. The only thing holding him back is the deep backcourt. He’s a bit undersized at 6’6, but if he can play physical defense and rebound, Jay Wright may use him at power forward at times this season to get him on the court more often. I think you can expect a line of 9 points, 5 rebounds, 45% 3PT from King this year.

Maurice Sutton – FR – C

2007-08 Stats (high school): 18 pts, 13 reb, 9 blk

Like Taylor King, Sutton redshirted all of last season. He came into the program with height (6’11), but was thin as a rail. He’s had a full year to put on enough muscle to bang in the Big East. But does he have the skill? He still seems like more of a project at this point. I think he will play a role similar to Chris Charles of a few years ago: provide rebounding, blocks, and fouls in limited minutes off the bench. With Pena and Yarou the only other players on the team over 6’8, Sutton can provide some much needed size against bigger teams.

Dominic Cheek – FR – SG

2008-09 Stats (high school): 14.2 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast

Cheek has a frame and game that reminds many of former Villanova star Kerry Kittles. He was a big-time scorer for St. Anthony’s in Jersey City and was a McDonald’s All-American. He can handle the ball and score from the inside and out. I don’t see him starting out of the gates, but he will be a part of the regular rotation.

Mouphtaou Yarou – FR – PF/C

2008-09 Stats (high school): 20 pts, 12 reb, 3 blk

Villanova hasn’t had a F/C recruit this highly touted since Jason Fraser in 2002. At 6’10, 250 Mouph is a skilled big man with a soft touch. He is a native of Benin, Africa and didn’t pick up the game of basketball until five years ago. Yarou could be thrust into a starting role right away because of Nova’s lack of depth in the frontcourt. He may still be raw, but for someone with his size, skill set, and athleticism, the sky is the limit. Let’s just hope Mouph has a little more luck health-wise than Fraser.

Maalik Wayns – FR – PG

2008-09 Stats (high school): 19.2 pts, 5.5 ast, 5.1 reb

Could Wayns be the second coming of Kyle Lowry? As a 6’1 point guard from Philly and a fierce competitor, the similarities are endless. Like Lowry, he will probably come off the bench as the back up point guard to begin the season. During his freshman season, Lowry played so well that Jay Wright was forced to give him more minutes and eventually move him to the starting role midway through the season. Wayns will have a similar opportunity, and like Lowry’s teams from 2004-2006, we may see some 4-guard sets this year involving Maalik.

Isaiah Armwood – FR – SF/PF

2008-09 Stats (high school): 12 pts, 8 reb

Armwood is a former teammate of Kevin Durant and Mouph Yarou at Montrose Christian Academy in Maryland. He will be wearing the #34 jersey, last worn by Curtis Sumpter. Like Sumpter, Armwood is 6’7 with a versatile inside/out game. Again, because of the thin frontcourt, he will probably see minutes right away. If he contributes, he could see major minutes, maybe even earning the starting power forward position by season’s end.

The Walk-ons...

Russell Wooten – SR – SF

Jason Colenda – SR – PG/SG

Blazers take Dante #33

Dante Cunningham was drafted with the third pick in the second round (33rd overall) by the Portland Trailblazers. This is a great fit for Dante; Portland is a very good young team with a core of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden. Congratulations and good luck to Dante in the League.

You're a Wizard, Randy

Randy Foye has been traded to the Washington Wizards along with Mike Miller for the #5 pick in the upcoming draft, Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, and (pauses for spell check) Oleksiy Pecherov. All four Wildcats currently in the NBA have been traded over the past two years: Malik Allen from New Jersey to Dallas, Tim Thomas from LAC to NY and NY to Chicago, Kyle Lowry from Memphis to Houston, and Randy Foye from Minnesota to Washington. I'm surprised Minnesota is giving up on Randy Foye so soon, especially since his is coming off his best year as a pro (16.3 ppg, 4.3 apg). Minnesota has a new GM in David Kahn, who has no history with Foye and must really like a guard in this year's draft.

Trades are always difficult to handle as a player, but Randy must be happy to be heading back to the east coast. Washington was one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, but they were crippled by injuries. With a core of Caron Butler, Antwan Jamison, and a healthy Gilbert Arenas, Foye and Miller can help make the Wizards a playoff team again.

Scottie Doesn't Go (and neither does Jay)

Scottie Reynolds withdrew from the 2009 NBA Draft and will return for his senior season. He may have had a chance to get drafted in the second round, but you have to respect him for coming back. He now has a chance to break some school records and go down as one of the best Villanova players ever.

This news comes on the heels of a recent report that Jay Wright interviewed for the head coaching job with the Philadelphia 76ers, but quickly removed himself from consideration. This is great news for Wildcat fans. If he passed up the chance to coach his hometown NBA team, I don't see him leaving Villanova for any other position in the country, college or NBA. Maybe he'll change his mind if he wins a National Championship, but if that ever happens Jay will have my blessing to leave.

Lowry's Season Ends

The Houston Rockets took the #1 seed in the West, the L.A. Lakers, to seven games in the second round, despite losing Yao Ming after game 3 and despite not having Tracy McGrady at all. Kyle Lowry played a big part in keeping the Rockets alive. Watching him in these 2009 playoffs reminded me how much I loved watching him play at Villanova. He plays much bigger than his 6-foot stature and isn't afraid of anyone, even the great Kobe Bryant.

Lowry must lead the league in number of charges drawn per minute. And when one of his teammates draws a charge, he's the first one to sprint over and help them up.


Rockets GM Daryl Morey is lauded as a new-wave GM, a stats-guru who finds more value in the Shane Battier defensive-types. Kyle Lowry fits that mold, and he has helped make Morey look like a genius with his strong play since he joined the team at the trade deadline. After suffering in Memphis for his first two and a half years, Lowry proved how valuable he can be to a contender. Lowry must be loving life with his new teammates in Texas. Let's just hope Ron Artest's craziness isn't contagious.

Lowry, Rockets Advance to Second Round

Kyle Lowry has already done what Tracy McGrady couldn't in seven tries. The Houston Rockets defeated the Portland Trailblazers 4-2 to advance to the second round of the playoffs where they will meet Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Lowry averaged 4.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals in 19.3 minutes per game in the first round series. His best game was game 2 at Portland when he score 10 points.

Jay Wright Grabs Another 2010 Recruit

6'9, 225-pound power forward Markus Kennedy has committed to Villanova. He is from Living Faith Christian Academy in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He joins 6'4 shooting guard James Bell as the second commitment for the class of 2010. Villanova is kind of thin up front, so Kennedy should be a nice addition. Dante Cunningham's success last season (and hopefully continued success next year in the NBA) will help Jay Wright in recruiting top big men, not to mention he already has 5-star recruit Mouph Yarou coming in next year.

Scottie Declares for Draft

Scottie Reynolds has officially declared for the NBA draft, but he has not hired an agent and may still return to school. I can't say I'm not surprised. After the March 5th game against Providence I said this:

With all the hype surrounding the seniors, appreciating their achievements and bidding them farewell, kind of lost in the shuffle is Scottie Reynolds. For all we know the junior standout may have played his last game in the Pavilion. Right now I don't think his NBA draft stock is high enough to leave early, but if he leads Villanova to the Final Four averaging something like 20 points and 5 assists, he could propel himself into a first round pick.

Little did I know that he actually would lead his team to the Final Four, although he averaged just 13.4 points and 2 assists in the Tournament. With experts predicting this to be one of the weaker drafts in recent years, this might be Scottie's best opportunity to get drafted. Reynolds is what he is. I don't think he would improve his draft stock much with another year in school. Scottie's game reminds me of Mike Bibby. I don't know if he will be as successful in the league as Bibby, but he can be a solid back-up point guard (like Kyle Lowry) and bring some 3-point shooting off the bench. I fully support Scottie's decision to test the waters and I hope he does get drafted. He's done wonders for the program over the past three years, culminating in the school's first Final Four since 1985. Finally, with Corey Fisher ready to run the show and Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek coming to town, Scottie wouldn't exactly be leaving the team in shambles.

Lowry Prepares for Playoffs

Kyle Lowry ended the regular season on a high note with his best game as a Rocket: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists. Kyle will get his first taste of the NBA playoffs this weekend when Houston plays Portland in the first round. Lowry has played well for the Rockets off the bench, sharing point guard duties with Aaron Brooks. He finished the season with averages of 7.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 steals.

Randy Foye had a great third season, but ran into a few injuries and the Timberwolves decided to shut him down for the final nine games. He averaged career highs in points (16.3) and assists (4.3). Foye scored a career-high 36 points on February 20 and dished a career-high 14 assists on November 23. He was averaging about 20 points per game over the last couple months of the season before the injuries. Randy has gotten better each year in the league, and that should continue next season when he gets back to full health.

UNC Ends Nova's Run

Final Score: #1 North Carolina 83, #3 Villanova 69

Player of the Game: Ty Lawson - 22 pts, 8 ast, 7 reb, 2 stl

Recap: Well, it was fun while it lasted, but much like 2006's team against Florida, Villanova ran into the one team in the country that they cannot beat. This team just doesn't match up well with the Tar Heels. UNC's size, quickness, and depth were too much to overcome. Plus they have a perfect inside/outside combination. When Nova tried to double Tyler Hansborough inside, he'd kick it out to Wayne Ellington or Danny Green for an open three, and they were making their shots. But when we stuck to them on the perimeter, Ty Lawson penetrated to the rim and Hansborough attacked the basket, both drawing a combined 29 free throw attempts.


Despite UNC's many strengths, they are still beatable... if you make your shots, which Villanova didn't. The Wildcats shot 32.9% from the field and just about everyone had their worst shooting nights of the season, spelling certain doom for Nova. Scottie Reynolds had 17 points, but was 6-18 from the field and only 3-11 from three. Dante Cunningham had 12 points, but was 5-13 from the field. Corey Fisher (13 points) was 5-19, and 0-4 from downtown. Dwayne Anderson never got it going either (2-12 FG, 0-6 3PT). Stokes and Pena both went oh-for from the floor. The only players to have good shooting nights were Reggie Redding (15 points, 5-9, 2-3, 3-3) and Shane Clark (6 points, 3-4).

I don't want to spend too much time focusing on the bad because the fact is these guys played their hearts out all season long and exceeded everybody's expectations by taking Villanova to the Final Four for the first time since 1985. Of course two more wins would have been nice, but this season was a wild success and Jay Wright and his players deserve a ton of credit. A special thanks go out to Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark, and Frank Tchuisi: best of luck to them in the future.

Other notes from the game:

• At least Jay Wright didn't embarrass himself by doing a Guitar Hero commercial in his underwear...

• Corey Fisher had the sickest move of the season when he dribbled the ball behind his back, then spun it around his back, but, typical of Nova's night, just barely missed the lay-up. Still, with skills like that it's easy to see why they call him Fisher Price.

• It's not a North Carolina game unless Hansborough gets to the line 10+ times. What happened to no blood, no foul...... oh, yeah.
• Unbelievably, at one point in the game, Hansborough flopped blatantly and the refs actually held their whistles... that's a first.
  

That's it for now, but there will be plenty more to come over the offseason including reflections on this season and previews of next season, which should be a lot of fun.

Round 5: North Carolina

Foe: #1 North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels (32-4)

Recent History: North Carolina leads the all-time series 9-4, with four of those games having come in the NCAA Tournament. Villanova toppled UNC in the 1985 Elite Eight en route to a National Championship. The most recent meeting came in the 2005 Sweet Sixteen when Tom O'Neill made the "travel call that wasn't" against Allan Ray. That North Carolina team was absolutely loaded with NBA talent: Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Marvin Williams, and Sean May. On one hand I was happy that Nova played so well against that heavily favored team, the eventual National Champions. However, that travel call left me bitter for months afterwards, and I was constantly dreaming of what could have happened if A-Ray tied that game up with the and-1.

This year's Tar Heels squad is similar to 2005's. It is a dominant team full of talent and depth at every position. I mean at the start of the season, it wasn't inconceivable to think that this team could go undefeated. Obviously it didn't happen; they lost to BC, Wake Forest, Maryland, and Florida St. (all NCAA Tournament teams by the way). They are led by a starting five that all score in double figures. Ty Lawson might be the best point guard in the country: 16.3 ppg, 6.5 apg, 2 spg, 48.5% 3PT. Tyler Hansborough is the reigning National Player of the year: 20.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg. Wayne Ellington is one of the best shooters in the nation: 15.6 ppg, 39.7% 3PT. Danny Green is a versatile Dwayne Anderson-type: 13.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 41.5% 3PT. Deon Thompson (10.7 pts, 5.8 reb, 1.1 blk) would be the #1 big man on most teams in the country, but he stays under the radar playing second fiddle to Hansborough. On top of that, the Tar Heels have the best bench in the country, full of players that could start on any other team. 6'10 freshman Ed Davis (6.6 pts, 6.6 reb, 1.8 blk) might be the best NBA prospect of UNC's big men and he only plays 18.9 minutes off the bench. Booby Frasor (2.7 ppg) and Will Graves (4 ppg) are solid options off the bench. Finally, freshmen Tyler Zeller (3.5 ppg) and Larry Drew II (1.5 ppg) are two former McDonalds All-Americans that can barely even crack the rotation.

Famous Alumni: Basketball: Larry Brown, Vince Carter, Billy Cunningham, Hubert Davis, Brad Daugherty, Raymond Felton, Phil Ford, Rick Fox, Brendan Haywood, Antwan Jamison, Michael Jordan, George Karl, Mitch Kupchak, Sean May, Bob McAdoo, Rashad McCants, Sam Perkins, Kenny Smith, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Donnie Walsh, Marvin Williams, James Worthy, Brandan Wright
Other: Peter Gammons, Lewis Black, Billy Crudup, Andy Griffith, Stuart Scott, John Edwards, Moonlight Graham, Mia Hamm, Chris Iannetta, Marion Jones, Davis Love III, Eddie Pope, Lawrence Taylor


Fun Facts:

• UNC is the oldest public university in the United States.

• The nickname "Tar Heels" is a reference to North Carolina's tar production during the 18th century.

• Final Fours: UNC - 18, Nova - 4

• NCAA Championships: UNC - 4, Nova - 1

Complimentary Youtube Video: Time for revenge...


Final Verdict: North Carolina is the favorite, but these two teams have arguably been the two most dominant in the Tournament so far. UNC likes to run and score; they average 90 points per game and give up just 72. Villanova doesn't have the depth to run with them, so they will need to try to slow the game down by containing Ty Lawson because he is the engine that makes them go. This same North Carolina team made the Final Four last year, so they are definitely not content just to be there. But I get the feeling our guys are looking for a little something more as well. Can Villanova beat the mighty Tar Heels? Yes, but it will take a near perfect game to pull the upset, and luckily Villanova has some experience in doing that.

TV: 8:47 PM on CBS and NCAA.com

Links: Villanova.com, VUH, IBBW, VBTN, VV, VSB, LGN, Wiki, ESPN