I was thinking today about the last few seasons of Villanova hoops. Over my 4 years there I saw two great teams (2005-2006 and last year’s) as well as a team that exceeded my expectations (2007-2008) and one team who met my expectations (2006-2007). And then I began to think about the upcoming season, and what to expect from this year’s team.
After a productive summer, Fisher is ready for the big-time.
In my eyes, there are 5 distinct groups that we could split the team into:
Proven commodities:
- Scottie Reynolds, Reggie Redding
Guys who are ready for the spotlight:
- Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes
Guys who can make this team great:
- Antonio Peña, Taylor King
Newcomers:
- Mouphtaou Yarou, Dominic Cheek, Maalik Wayns, Isaiah Armwood, Maurice Sutton
Anything you get is gravy:
- Jason Colenda, Russell Wooten
I didn’t list King amongst the newcomers because he has played big-time college basketball before. If he can grasp the concept of Villanova basketball and doing the dirty work as well as provide the offense we know he’s capable of, he’s a guy, like Peña, who could bring us to the next level.
What’s most troubling to me though, is that we will be introducing 5 new guys to the rotation. Many people have said that Armwood may be looking at a redshirt year while Sutton may not yet be ready, but the frontline is pretty thin and if they can play hard and play good defense (we know Sutton can) then they will see some time.
But like any sport, chemistry is incredibly important. Especially for the team-style brand that Jay Wright preaches. The last two great ‘Nova teams had brilliant chemistry. Guys knew each other like family. So it’s not a stretch to say that there will be growing pains when introducing new faces, while counting on new players and become leaders (Fisher and Stokes) and while waiting for a true leader in Redding to return from suspension.
Our OOC schedule as it stands right now isn’t anything that will cause the team to lose sleep at night, but it does have some possible speedbumps that could turn us from a consensus Top 5 squad into a middle of the Top 25 squad. Looking over the schedule, 5 games have the potential to either be character-builders or struggles in the early going.
Puerto Rico will provide and early and stiff litmus test as to how this season could unfold. George Mason is never a pushover, but I still like our overall talent level to carry us through. The next round leaves Georgia Tech as a potential opponent. They’re a young team, but very, very talented and they have an experienced coach in Paul Hewitt. Should we make the finals, whoever we play will likely be a stiff test as well.
Beyond that, the BB&T Classic vs. Maryland in Washington D.C. may be listed as a neutral game, but I bet it plays more like a Maryland home game. Maryland is rapidly improving, and has always been a good program under Gary Williams. Plus, it seems like at least once every year they pull off a shocker. Not that beating us would be a shocker, but we could easily be in the Top 5 while they could be unranked.
And finally, the Holy War vs. St. Joe’s. I don’t think many people care as much about this game as they do, but that’s precisely what is worrisome. It’s the Super Bowl for the Hawks, and it will be played at The Palestra this year, where anything can happen.
In the end, I see Villanova getting through this portion of the year either unscathed or with 1 loss. But with Reggie Redding, there will be some learning curves.
What do you think about our OOC schedule?
