I Bleed Blue and White

As we approach ‘Senior Night’ at The Pavilion tonight at 9 p.m., I thought it was appropriate to give a little love to one of the program’s all-time greats (and hopefully, it’s all-time leading scorer in just a few more weeks). So Scottie, this Bud is for you!

Scottie Reynolds has been the foundation of this program for the last 4 years, and as a 2009 graduate of Villanova, has meant a hell of a lot to my college experience. I watched him burst onto the scene his freshman year, and internally struggle with the decision to be a follower or a leader on a team that had just lost 3 great players. Jay let you loose, and we watched you torch the hated UConn Huskies for 40 points, a game where you opened our eyes and we knew we had something special.

During your sophomore year the team was firmly on your shoulders, and many would have been content with a ‘re-building year.’ But you wouldn’t let it happen. You snuck us into The Dance late in the year and followed that up by leading a dazzling comeback against Clemson (that banked 3 sent me into a full-body frenzy at the bar that night) and eventually back to the Sweet 16. Your legend continued to grow.

What is there to say about your junior year (and my senior year). You sent me out on top by providing many of us with the single-best memory of our lives. Words can’t even express how much love I have for that season, that team, and for you in particular.

So what’s left for you in your senior year? Well, tonight you’re going to go out on top like a true champion. You’ll be rightfully serenaded by The Pavilion faithful. And hopefully, you’ve still got a little magic in you. We all want to go back to the Final Four, but farther this time. We’re behind you the whole way. Let’s do it one more time Scottie.

Coach K says, "Who is this man?!"

I had a legit man-crush on Dwayne Anderson last year. He was the epitome of what I thought a “Villanova Basketball Player” should be. Not the biggest, strongest, or fastest. But man, did he have heart. Every loose ball, that was his. Every challenge, he rose to the occasion. When I finally came to grips with his graduation, I was legitimately upset. I didn’t know if he could be replaced.

Then I met Taylor King in Boston. I was on my way to a hotel to pick up my friend Meaghan and and I went to her room and there is Taylor watching SportsCenter. I knew that he wasn’t allowed to travel with the team, so it was a general shock to see him sitting there. After talking with him for 20 minutes or so, it was apparent that the guy loved Villanova. Hell, he made sure he was there for Boston. And he was amongst the most rambunctious fans during that famed weekend. That was the day I decided Taylor King would fit right in at Villanova.

It is early, but it looks like we may have found our answer to Dwayne Anderson’s graduation. Taylor King is playing Villanova basketball. Once known as a no-defense, shoot-only-3’s Dookie, King has transformed himself into the mirror image of what Dwayne Anderson was to last year’s team.

Nothing signified that more than what he did last night when the team was up by 20 (hint: it is what made Anderson a ‘Nova legend). Make sure you watch the highlight video starting at 1:53 to see what I mean.

So Taylor, this Bud’s for you. Keep yelling. Keep diving on the floor. Keep your teammates fired up. Keep pulling down those loose balls. And most importantly, keep making sure Coach K regret pushing you out the door at Duke. We love you.

(Note: This is the second installment of our 4-part series honoring the senior class. It’s been a while since our piece on Frank Tchuisi, but we’ve been extremely busy with that whole graduating thing. Apologies)

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A career that wasn’t even supposed to be. A career filled with injury after injury. This is the career of Shane Clark. What has he done for this program? Basically, everything, literally. Whether it was rebounding, scoring, defending the opposing team’s best player, diving for a loose ball on a bad knee, leading the younger guys, Shane Clark did it all.

I can remember him my freshman year playing sparingly for the Foye, Ray, Lowry team. He wasn’t the star, but he always played a solid game. This has held true of Shane throughout his years at Villanova. I was the idiot who wanted him benched early this season, but he shut me up real quick. He may have single-handedly beaten Pittsburgh twice this year. The first game at the Spectrum, it seemed like he grabbed every offensive rebound, keeping possession after possession alive. In the Elite 8, he drilled 3 trifectas in the first ten minutes, when nobody else on the team could score.

Every team needs a Shane Clar, for all the little things, for all the things that go unnoticed. Dante Cunningham echoes the same feelings I have about Shane.

“He’s the glue,” Cunningham said. He’s given 110 percent dedication to this program. Anytime you need something done on the court, Shane will do it. He’s just shown such a great attitude on how to get things done.”

-Brian

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Being from Maryland, when I first heard Shane was coming to ‘Nova due to a gaffe in his application to Maryland, all I could do was laugh. I have many friends that go to UMD and always try to brag about the ACC. This way I could always fire back at them about how we stole their top recruit.

Shane was a significant contributor in his freshman year for one of the most talented teams in Villanova history. Ovr the next 3 years, except for a 5 game stretch when he averaged 20 points per game, Shane kind of hung around in the shadows making those important contributions that nobody really ever talked about. After his freshman year he switched his number to 20, and I felt I had to help him get some recognition so I joined the small group of people who have bought his jersey.

This year my friends and I had a great nickname for Shane Clark — “The Shark.” A nice little mix of his name describes exactly how he played for Villanova. He played with a quiet tenacity that usually ends up with him making a great game changing play. During our tournament run he played a vital role, and no doubt smelled blood in the water. We’re going to miss the shark attack next year, and can only hope we find someone who is willing to sacrifice the spotlight to do the small things necessary for victory.

-Mark

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When the news about Shane Clark coming to Villanova broke, I remember everyone talking about how we were getting that game-changing type of player — one that could take over when the then senior class graduated. Looking back on his career, we didn’t get the 20-point-a-game scorer that he flashed a few times, but something much better. We got a guy who affected the game in so many different ways that it was almost hard to keep track of.

He helped lock down Kevin Durant in a huge win over Texas, he’d fly through the lane for a tip-slam on countless ocassions, he developed a prowess for offensive rebounds unlike anyone I’ve ever seen, and he set the tone early vs. Pittsburgh in the Elite 8 this past year with lights-out shooting. And he did all this while battling multiple injuries and sicknesses.

Some will always say that Shane Clark never lived up to his initial hype, as if that were some kind of indictment of him as a player. But in reality he was a part of one of the most successful periods in Villanova history. He is a part of the winningest senior class of all time. And most importantly he brought it every night and never complained about his role. In today’s world of the massive ego amongst the players in sports, it’s always refreshing to see the consumate team player. Shane Clark represents just that, and is a large part of Villanova’s sustained success.

-Chris

(Note: This is the first of our 4-part tribute to the seniors that are graduating this year. We’ll start it off with Frank Tchuisi, or as he’s known around here — The Prince.)

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Simply put, Frank Tchuisi is one of the most inspirational basketball players in Villanova history. To come to a foreign country where you know virtually no one and end up being a fan and campus favorite, is truly astounding. The impact he had on the program cannot be put into words. Day in and day out, he gave his all for the betterment of the team, even though he rarely saw the court.

His work ethic served as an example to the rest of the team, and pushed everyone else to strive for more. The following quote from jay Wright sums up what I’m talking about.

“Last year, when we were going through that five-game losing streak [at midseason], we had a team meeting, just to air soem things out,” Wright explained. “Everybody was making points, nothing heated or anything. He was the guy that stodd up and kind of made the point, ‘I don’t even play. But I come in here and work harder than you and you and you. I’m more committed to what we’re doing, and I don’t play. It’s the least that you can do.’ And they listened. The guys respect him because he competes, every day.”

The players respect Frank for all that he does, and they honored him by letting him be the last person to cut down the nets in Boston after the Elite 8 win. I was in attendance that day, and the image at the top of Frank will last with me for a lifetime.

- Brian

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I was lucky enough to live down the hall from Dante and Dwayne during my freshman year. But even better than that was living directly next to Frank Tchuisi in the infamous Stanford Hall. Looking back, I regret not becoming better friends with them, but for me it was hard, I was just so awe-struck. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, I cannot believe that I actually live next to college basketball players.”

But, everyday when Frank and I passed each other in the hallway, we would at the very least say hello to each other. I remember one time when Randy Foye came around and barged into my room. He was looking for Frank and to say the least was quite confused to find me. He was apologetic and just asked if I knew which room Frank was in. It was then that I realized that they are just normal everyday people — who happen to be really good at basketball.

Unfortunately it was too late to really strike it up with the players. Frank was no different. While he didn’t receive much plyaing time, you could see he was the most supportive player on the team, and Villanova is blessed to have him joining the graduate staff next year.

My favorite Frank moment comes from the tournament when we were in Boston. In the first game, against Duke, Frank and Jason Colenda got to play some garbage minutes and Frank threw down an absolutely ferocious dunk. The other is when we were cutting down the nets after beating Pitt (a moment I would say was one of the most euphoric times of my life) and Frank was the last one up the ladder and he was able to wrap the net around his neck. I thought I was happy, but Frank’s smile stretched all the way from Boston back to Africa.

- Mark

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When I first walked up the front steps of Stanford Hall my freshman year, the first two people that I met were Frank Tchuisi and Dante Cunningham. My first reaction was simply awe. Our basketball team was supposed to be Final Four-good that year. And standing before me are two of the guys that are a part of that team.

As freshman year rolled on, I got more involved in getting to know the basketball team. Dante and Shane got the only playing time for the freshman that year. They weren’t superstars, but they were important cogs. Dwayne’s athleticsim marveled everyone, but nobody knew when he would break into the lineup. And Frank was the unknown. To this day, I’m not great friends with any of them, but I know most of the team well enough to talk to and hang out with if I’m around them.

I’ve only talked to Frank on a handful of occasions, and I’d be shocked if he even knew my name. But that is the best part about him. The few times I’ve said hello, he’s engaged me. He hasn’t acted like he’s better than me in any way. He’s never blown me off. He’s a great guy, bottom line.

But what he’s done for this team has been even more incredible. Here’s a guy who has worked his ass off for 4 years. He doesn’t take days off, he doesn’t complain. He just works hard, and makes everyone around him work harder. And good teams need guys like that. On good teams, the guys play the least usually work the hardest, and that is true of Frank.

He’s always yelling, always cheering, always smiling. And the best part is he’s not leaving. That influence will stay with this program. Next year, he’ll still be on that bench (albeit probably in a very nice suit) and he’ll still be cheering on the team. He’ll still be getting on the young guys for slacking off. And he’ll still be one of the most loved guys at Villanova.

Like the guys before me have said, Frank is a true Villanovan. He’s a warrior, and I’ll always remember him standing at the top of that ladder, throwing the V’s up, and yelling out in ecstasy.

-Chris