To give up something you enjoy a great deal is definitely tough, but when it’s for another person, especially a loved one, it might be a little easier. Brian Lynch, former Villanova basketball player and husband to tennis phenom Kim Clijsters, had to give up his basketball career, at least for now, in order for Kim to get back into tennis. He takes care of daughter Jada, representing the so called “stay at home dad” these days. Allowing his wife to get back into tennis certainly paid off, as she won the U.S. Open a few weeks ago. But what has it been like since dropping basketball? Frank Fitzpatrick, a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, details how Lynch has dealt with the transition. Some interesting quotes from the article are below.
On his basketball ability:
I knew I wasn’t good enough for the NBA, but I felt like I was a solid player who might be able to go to Europe.
On the sacrifice he made:
But when Kim got back into tennis, we decided I’d hang it up to care for our daughter and to give Kim a normal family life.
Definitely a true family man Lynch is. It must have been that much sweeter seeing his wife win the prestigious U.S. Open. Hopefully, he gets the chance to pick up basketball again, whether it’s as a player or a coach.
As a diehard fan of the New York Mets, this season has been nothing but disappointing. Through all the negatives, though, there is at least one positive; assistant General Manager John Ricco is a Villanova Alum and his experiences on the Main Line propelled him on the fast track to a big time job in sports. At Villanova, he was the sports editor of the yearbook and The Villanovan. Following his graduation in 1990, he landed an internship with the New York Yankees. He has worked his way up to the assistant General Manager of the New York Mets, and it would not surprise me if he took over the General Manager position very soon. The success he’s had stems from what he learned at Villanova. Here are a couple of excellent quotes from the article.
On his first tour through the Villanova campus, which helped him decide on his college choice:
It was the morning after Villanova won the title, and the place was trashed. In the Quad, there were kegs everywhere and broken windows. I was walking through and the tour guide was a little uncomfortable because of the parents. I looked at my father and he was like, ‘What is this? What is this all about?’
On his interests other than baseball:
It’s my main diversion. I’m all baseball so much, but I love to keep track of Villanova basketball. Plus, everybody knows that I went there. Anything that comes up in the news, I get e-mails.
This is a fantastic article, regardless of whether you love, hate, or don’t care about the Mets. It’s more about Villanova than anything and some of the stories he tells are great, in my opinion. Always nice to see Villanova alums succeed.
Via Chris Charles’ blog, we now have the first video of the recent workout at Villanova for alums and friends. This particular video is of former assistant Brett Gunning (now with the Houston Rockets) running through some pick and roll drills. Randy Foye going up against Kyle Lowry is the main matchup in this particular video.
Foye shooting around at the recent workout at 'Nova.
“I’ve always said that after my Dad passed when I was six there were a lot of male figures in my life,” stated Foye. “Coach Wright is at a different level of those men who helped me out in my life. He turned me from a boy into a man. I look at Coach Wright as a father figure.”
Foye also talks about his recent trade to the Washington Wizards, as well The Randy Foye Foundation.
…Really a must read…great interview by Sheridan and a great column overall…I always feel like I’ve heard Foye’s story hundreds of times but with each new article it hits home even more…
The ‘Nova Nation Twitter page had 3 more pictures from last night’s dinner at the reunion. They also promised some video from inside the event in the coming weeks. Can’t wait for that.
Jay Wright destroys some corn on the cob while Randy Foye looks on in...horror?
Time to eat in the old basketball offices.
Bill Melchionni, Brett Gunning, Rory Sparrow, Jay Wright, Scott O'Neil
By the way Kyle Lowry twittered that they scrimmaged young guys against the vets and that the alums won 4 games while the young guys won once. Go old(er) people!
More will be coming later on, but thanks to The ‘Nova Nation Twitter Page we have an inside look at some of the former stars gathering for a little reunion.After years of living in Connecticut and seeing Jim Calhoun bringing back all the former players for a charity All-Star game, I’m glad to see this happening at Villanova. They should really think about making this a public event for ‘Nova Nation.
As Jay say, Once a Wildcat, Always a Wilcat! Enjoy!
Randy Foye
Jay Wright, Brett Gunning, Kerry Kittles and Doug West
Plus a few more big names from the ‘Nova Network. I have no idea if any of this is open to the public, but if you are on campus, I would try and check it out because it sounds like a lot of fun.
To give up something you enjoy a great deal is definitely tough, but when it’s for another person, especially a loved one, it might be a little easier. Brian Lynch, former Villanova basketball player and husband to tennis phenom Kim Clijsters, had to give up his basketball career, at least for now, in order for Kim to get back into tennis. He takes care of daughter Jada, representing the so called “stay at home dad” these days. Allowing his wife to get back into tennis certainly paid off, as she won the U.S. Open a few weeks ago. But what has it been like since dropping basketball? Frank Fitzpatrick, a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, details how Lynch has dealt with the transition. Some interesting quotes from the article are below.
