I Bleed Blue and White

Michael Bradley was of the one-and-done variety at Villanova after he transferred from Kentucky. He averaged over 20 points a game for the Wildcats in his one season before being drafted in the 1st round and logging time with 5 NBA teams before moving on to play in Europe.

Nowadays, Bradley is still involved in basketball, and is very happy with what he is doing. Bradley started his own company called Bradley Sports Management, which helps lesser known college players continue to succeed in basketball.

”I really wanted to stay involved with the game and be flexible enough to still be at home every week with my family,” Bradley said in an email. ”I had always been interested in the behind-the-scenes business aspect of basketball and gave the agent idea a hard look, doing a lot of research. I have the history of playing (in the NBA and overseas) and the eye to seek out players who will be successful in Europe,” Bradley said. ”It’s very rewarding helping kids secure their first professional contracts and hopefully helping them on to long careers.”

So far Bradley has placed 6 player on rosters overseas, including F Mark Sanchez from Boise State who now plays for Hapoel Holon in Israel.

It was a busy weekend for both the women’s soccer and volleyball teams, and both performed admirably. Plus, the field hockey team got their season underway while a former Villanovan brought home some impressive hardware from Europe.

• Senior Kelly Eagan scored with just over a minute left in double-overtime to help the women’s soccer team defeat Virginia Tech 2-1 on Friday. It was the 5th game-winning goal of Eagan’s career.
• The late game heroics didn’t end there for the women’s soccer team, however, as sophomore Katie Ryan scored with less than 9 seconds remaining tie the game 2-2 vs. Nebraska on Sunday before the teams played to a stalemate in overtime. The women’s soccer team is now 2-0-1 on the season.
• Former Villanova rower Megan Walsh won a silver medal this past weekend at the World Championships when her team finished 2nd in the women’s quad race. Walsh rowed bow, and her team finished just 3 seconds off the pace.
• The field hockey team began their season with a 7-1 loss to #16 Old Dominion. Dana Ramsden had the lone goal for the Wildcats in the opening stages of the game.
• The women’s volleyball team won the Maryland Invitational this past weekend by winning all 3 of its matches. First, they defeated Youngstown State 3-1 on Friday before holding off Stony Brook 3-2 on Saturday. And finally they swept Maryland 3-0 on Sunday. Sophomore Megan Petkovich was named Tournament MVP while classmate Maggie Mergen and Kim Maroon earned a spot on the All-Tournament squad.

Finally, here’s a very heart warming story about senior LB Osayi Osunde, and what he and his family have gone through that has helped make him the man he is today.

Is it really that easy to get suspended these days or maybe it’s just too hard to follow rules?  Who knows, but today, Pittsburgh suspended redshirt junior Gilbert Brown for the fall semester due to academic problems.  So let’s see, that’s Joe Mazzulla (WVU), Darryl “Truck” Bryant (WVU), Reggie Redding, and now Brown to add on to the list of Big East players being suspended at one point or another.  Most of these players are upperclassmen as well, but evidently, they don’t get it.  In fact, Brown was honored after the season with one of the Pitt team awards.  No, this is not a joke, but he actually received the “Academic Excellence Award” after last season.  Academic excellence leads to suspension for academic reasons.  Interesting.

Overshadowed by DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Levance Fields last year, Brown was expected to step up and be a key cog for the inexperienced Panthers this year.  Pitt’s nonconference schedule is not incredibly difficult, but is certainly no cakewalk.  They play Iowa in late November, Wichita State and/or Texas in late November, and Indiana in early December.  Brown will be eligible for reinstatement on December 20th, just before Big East play begins.

Added by Chris:

…You may also know this man as the guy that Scottie elevated over for the game winning shot in Boston last year…for more on the suspension, check out Pitt Blather’s reaction…

In Mike Sheridan’s latest ‘Nova Notebook, he talks with Taylor King, who had to sit out last year when he transferred to Villanova from Duke. After a year of working hard in the weight room, where he added muscle yet dropped 20 pounds, King is ready to trade in the suit and tie for a jersey. King didn’t rest last year, but instead worked harder to really get a grasp of what playing Villanova basketball entailed.

“I think sometimes guys who redshirt look at it like it’s an off-year,” he says. “I didn’t do that. I embraced it. Obviously, I couldn’t play and contribute as much on the court as I would like. So off the court I wanted to do what I could to help. I worked out all the time, went to film sessions and really studied the terminology and what the coaches like to do.”

King also talks about his expectations for the team, his expectations of himself, and Jay Wright’s philosophy and how he’s completely bought into it. Make sure you give this one a read!

Jason King, a writer for Yahoo! Sports, posted his Big East preseason power rankings today.  From my point of view, nothing really too shocking with this list.  Villanova comes in at #1, as King states:

“Most would consider the Wildcats the favorite to win the league title and advance to the Final Four for the second year in a row and just the fourth time in school history.  The decision of point guard Scottie Reynolds to withdraw from the NBA draft was huge for Villanova, which returns its top six perimeter players (although standout Reggie Redding will be ineligible until the spring semester).  The biggest question mark is in the paint, where Duke transfer Taylor King and touted freshman Mouphtaou Yarou will have to make up for the loss of leading scorer Dante Cunningham.”

Enjoy the weekend.

What a shock (sarcasm, indeed). PG Joe Mazzulla has been reinstated to the West Virginia basketball team by Bob Huggins after being suspended due to his arrest for domestic battery when he grabbed a woman by the throat (I kid you not) at a bar in April.

The arrest, which had been Mazzulla’s 2nd in the past year (he was charged with aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and underage drinking — all in one day) was pleaded down to disorderly conduct.

Mazzulla has not missed a single game for either arrest, and pretty much has gotten away Scot-free in both instances.

…I can’t help but laugh…it is Bob Huggins, and it is West Virginia, so what did you really expect?…I’d imagine that Darryl ‘Truck’ Bryant will be reinstated shortly as well, after all, he was only suspended because he committed a hit and run…

…This does affect Villanova though, because West Virginia and us are considered the class of the Big East this year…we all always assumed that Mazzulla (and Bryant) would be back, but I actually thought they might miss a game or two…

A couple of women’s programs have big weekends ahead of them, and after a exhibition last night, the men’s soccer team is ready to get their regular season going as well.

• The women’s soccer team will be hosting the ‘Villanova Classic’ this weekend. Virginia Tech, Nebraska and Lehigh are coming to town for the event. The women will play Virginia Tech today at 4:00 p.m. and will face Nebraska on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Make sure to get out and support them if you’re on campus or in the area.
• The women’s volleyball team is traveling to Maryland this weekend for the ‘Maryland Invitational.’ They’ll be playing Youngstown State on Friday at 5:00 p.m., Stony Brook on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and Maryland on Sunday at 7:00 p.m.
• The men’s soccer team traveled to College Park for an exhibition with Maryland last night, but fell 1-0 after the Terps scored on 82 minutes. The team will take on LaSalle tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. at St. Joe’s in another exhibition contest.

And before I forget, tickets are still on sale for the innaugural Mayor’s Cup between Villanova and Temple next Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field.

UPDATE: Not to be outdone by his peers, former Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie was arraigned on DUI charges Thursday after being pulled over with a “strong fruity smell coming from his person.” I will not be having what he was drinking.

One of the subtle bonuses to having Jay Wright as your coach is that he rarely (has he ever?) puts his foot in his mouth. With nothing really going on in the offseason, we pretty much take for granted that the ‘Dapper Don’ of ‘Nova Hoops will hit up a beach somewhere, work on that tan, and enjoy life outside the spotlight.

Jay acts as smoothly as he dresses.

Other programs? Let’s just say the Louisville AD is probably still wondering what his coach’s point was today.

• Rick Pitino hastily called a news conference yesterday afternoon for…well, we still really don’t know. Ted Kennedy’s death was involved (a lot), but you’re really going to have to see this one for yourself.
• Not to be outdone, Isaiah Thomas is already causing stirs in his new post at Florida International. He’s threatening to boycott their opening game vs. North Carolina because they were supposed to play Ohio State. Since FIU will clearly lose to either, it begs the question of whether it actually matters.
• Dick Vitale is apparently on a mission to to clear Memphis of any wrongdoing. Because according to him, it is the NCAA’s fault that they were caught cheating?
• Bobby Knight has been inducted to the Indiana Hoosiers Hall of Fame. Whether he will attend is not yet known, but I’d imagine his acceptance speech could include downing a shot of whiskey, kicking over the podium and giving the crowd the bird. The possibilities are endless.
• After realizing that complaining to officials doesn’t stop your team from taking a beatdown at the hands of Jay Wright, Mike Krzyewski has actually decided to recruit big-time players in order to win.

…The Isaiah Thomas story cracks me up especially…he thinks that since he wasn’t there when the contract was signed that it doesn’t impact him…even after he’s gone from my beloved Knicks, he can’t go gracefully into the night…

There’s a new name on the recruiting map for Villanova, and from the sound of it, he’s still a little unknown at this point. Bill Kipouras of The Salem News pens an article on 2011 G Michael Carter-Williams from Hamilton, Rhode Island, and it’s all good news for Villanova fans. Carter-Williams is receiving attention from all around the country, but one school currently stands out to the 6′4″ prospect. According to Kipouras, it’s Villanova.

“Jay Wright is the Villanova coach, and Michael likes the way he coaches and treats his players,” said his mother. “Academically, it’s a great school. Michael’s only seen Villanova on TV, but he’s read up on the school, and he loves the graduation ratio there.”

Carter-Williams has never visited Villanova’s campus, but will be making an unofficial visit shortly.

…’He’s only seen them on TV’…that is right along the lines of what we’ve discussed all offseason and how the national exposure was going to pay big dividends in the next few recruiting cycles…

…I like the description of the kid, and he sounds like exactly the type of player that would thrive in Wright’s system…but he’s still just getting on the radar so right now he’s probably not at the top of the board, but definitely a kid to keep an eye on…the only thing that concerns me is how his mother says he wants to commit by November…

It’s late August, so that means that while the official start of classes isn’t here yet, the athletic teams are getting their seasons underway. One ‘Nova program started off their campaign with a convincing win, and a freshman is already making their presence known in the process.

• The women’s soccer team started their season with a bang in a 4-0 trouncing of local rivals Temple. Freshman Heidi Sabatura scored 2 goals and also tallied an assist, which led to her garnering Big East Rookie of the Week honors.
• The football team received another lofty ranking when they were ranked 5th in the country by the Collegiate Commissioner’s Association Coaches Poll.
• The Villanova Athletic Department has announced that it is now using Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
• The men’s golf team has announced the 20th annual Friends of Villanova Golf Tournament. It will take place on September 28th at the Sunnybrook Golf Club in Plymouth Meeting, PA.
• A couple of former women’s rowers are competing at the World Championships this weekend in Poznan, Poland. Meghan Sarbinis will be competing in the lightweight single sculls and Megan Walsh will be competing in the women’s squad.

…So Villanova is 1-0 on the year…Director’s Cup here we come!…