I Bleed Blue and White

There’s a short video clip on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia featuring Dante Cunningham and Jay Wright giving their thoughts on the recent historic season.  It was posted on April 22nd, so I assume it comes from the banquet held that day.  Dante has been reflecting on the season, and so has Jay, but Jay said it hasn’t set in what this senior class has meant to the program. 

It still hasn’t really set in yet for me either, and I don’t think it will until next year when the freshman come in and maybe suffer through some first year struggles.  This is where Dante, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark, and Frank Tchuisi truly excelled, as every time they suffered some sort of setback, they persevered and overcame the hardships. 

I wasn’t able to attend the banquet (back home for more interviewing! Woo-hoo!) but thanks to VUHoops, we have an account of the evening’s awards.

• Reggie Redding won the Paul Arizin Award for ‘Most Improved Player.’
• Corey Stokes won the Alexander Severance Award for ‘hard work and dedication in the classroom and demonstrating a commitment to reaching his full potential.’
• Frank Tchuisi won the Jake Nevin Award for ’selflessness and providing an outstanding example to his teammates.’
• Dante Cunningham and Scottie Reynolds were co-winners of the Most Outstanding Player Award.
• Dwayne Anderson and Shane Clark were co-winners of the Villanova Basketball Award.

…Definitely agree on the award for Redding…the Stokes award is great and hopefully keeps his confidence growing…I think we are all hoping that he can step up and fill Anderson’s role next year, and he did show massive improvement on defense and with his rebounding…

…Naturally, Anderson and Clark get the ‘Villanova Basketball’ award…those guys were definitely the glue, and we are really going to miss them next year, whether you want to believe it or not…

In addition to the Big 5 awards announced in a previous post, the Wildcats will add a few more.  It should be noted first though, that The Most Outstanding Player Award (Robert V. Geasey Award) for the Big 5 this year goes to St. Joe’s Ahmad Nivins.  As mentioned in the article in the Philadelphia Daily News, by Dick Jerardi, this is not an MVP award or an award based on team accomplishments, rather it is an award based on highest number of votes for most outstanding player in the Big 5.  Also on the Big 5 First Team with Nivins is Dante Cunningham, Dionte Christmas (Temple), Scottie Reynolds, and Rodney Green (La Salle).   The 6 players on the Big 5 Second Team are Corey Fisher, Reggie Redding, Dwayne Anderson, Tasheed Carr (St. Joe’s), Ryan Brooks (Temple), and Lavoy Allen (Temple).  These awards will be given out on Monday at the Herb Good Basketball Club Banquet.

My initial reaction to this was “what about Dante for most outstanding player.”  After a few seconds, I quickly remembered that Villanova basketball is not about superstars or just one guy.  I can guarantee that Dante would gladly take a Final Four run over a personal award any day.  It’s not about personal glory for Villanova basketball, and I think that shows day in and day out with this program.  Congrats to all though on well-deserved achievements.

Game recap and box score if you missed the game.

Sometimes, you just have to tip your hat and admit that the other team is just better. Some people will look at this game and be upset and get mad, but in reality North Carolina is a great program, with great players, and a phenomenal coach. Villanova is getting better in all those categories every day, but last night the Tar Heels were just better.

Be proud. Stand tall.

Ty Lawson completely lived up to the hype surrounding him. His 22 points and 8 assists felt like a lot more, and he was a nuisance to ‘Nova all evening. Wayne Ellington seemingly could not miss a shot, and finished 5-7 from downtown. His game was a harsh reminder of what the Philly product could have meant for Villanova.

Danny Green made the shots when he was left open, and Tyler Hansbrough got to the line often enough to finish with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

I could dissect this game on Villanova’s end and tell you who played bad and who played well, but it really came down to the fact that once again in the Tournament, ‘Nova should poorly from the outside, and they did not play defense and did not rebound well. The latter two especially have been instrumental in their tournament run and their season as a whole. It failed them last night and the Heels took full advantage of it.

Scottie Reynolds had a team-high 17 points, but it was on an awful 6-18 shooting, including a porous 3-11 from behind the arc. I’m not a Reynolds basher at all, but when it’s not your night shooting the ball, you need to find other ways to help the team win. There have been nights this season where Reynolds has done just that, but not in this game.

His backcourt mate Corey Fisher did a great job getting into the lane, but the ball wouldn’t fall for him. And on more than one occasion the refs blatantly refused to call a foul, even as Fisher was getting mugged. His 5-19 effort looks bad on paper, but I liked his initiative on offense. Sometimes the ball doesn’t drop.

Reggie Redding seemed to be the only Wildcat to find some consistent offense, including from the outside, yet he only played 29 minutes and was never in foul trouble. If he is the team’s smartest player (I believe that) and one of their best playmakers (I also support that), Jay Wright’s reluctance to play him more was certainly a head-scratcher.

Dante Cunningham started off well, but North Carolina did a good job taking him out of the game. Dwayne Anderson’s shots wouldn’t fall if the hoop was a foot wider. Again, just that kind of night.

But let’s not forget what this team did. How many of you expected a Final Four appearance at the beginning of the year? Probably just the team did, and they met their goals.

As a fellow senior with the 4 guys on the team, I was crushed last night after the loss. But I don’t want to sulk about the loss. This team was amazing, and I couldn’t be more proud of them. Dante Cunningham has turned himself into a possible 1st round draft pick. Shane Clark fought through an injury-riddled career to become one of my favorite players. Dwayne Anderson might be the best story this school will ever have. And Frank Tchuisi never stopped giving all he could for his team and his school.

So don’t feel bad and cry over this loss. This team accomplished so much more, and they deserve to be celebrated. I’m as proud to be a Villanova fan as I ever have. These guys have continued to raise the bar for the program, and leave as the best senior class Villanova has ever had. Congrats boys!

Before, we showed you the ‘heart and soul’ of North Carolina. Down in ACC country, they refer to that man as ‘Pyscho T’ for some reason, even though Tyler was crying because Gerald Henderson was mean to him.

Well, this is our heart and soul. He doesn’t have any nicknames that try and puff up his reputation. He doesn’t cry. And most importantly, he doesn’t take shit from anyone. And really, you could say that about anyone on Villanova. Because our players don’t feel entitled to anyone. They don’t whine to the refs. They get in your face, put a scowl on, and put a whooping on you.

But this man especially, is why we have the attitude on our team that we do. He doesn’t accept losing, and he doesn’t let anyone push him around. And that rubs off on every other player around him.

Let’s just say I’m really happy that we have #22.

Senior Sports Illustrated writer Tim Layden’s newest piece covers the bruising nature of college basketball. The article, which is going to appear in the newest issue of Sports Illustrated which hits newsstands today, features all four Final Four teams, with a heavy emphasis on Villanova.

“Villanova, the Tar Heels’ semifinal opponent, turns the concept inside out. Its most punishing athletes are its guards: Reynolds, Redding (6′5″, 205 pounds), sophomore Corey Fisher (6′1″, 185) and swingman Dwayne Anderson (6′6″, 215), who will guard every opposing position. It was Reynolds who crushed UCLA senior Darren Collison with a hard foul early in their second-round matchup, setting the game’s agenda. On the day before the East Regional final, Jamie Dixon watched film of Villanova, observing how the Wildcats guards repeatedly attacked overmatched Duke in transition and in the half-court. “Villanova doesn’t run a lot of offensive sets,” says Dixon, clicking through possessions. “They like to get their guards in one-on-one situations and take you that way. They’re experienced and they’re strong.”

The article also talks about the protective padding that is becoming popular in basketball, which some experts say is more padding than football players wear.

…This is a great article by Layden, and is one of the huge stories of this weekend…what teams are the most physical?…Layden believes all 4 are equally physical, but let’s be honest here…North Carolina is clearly the least physical of the four, and by a wide margin at that…that could be a huge advantage for ‘Nova…

I rewatched the win over Pittsburgh for the first time tonight, and I can’t tell you how enjoyable it was. Not only to see the game from a different angle, but you just pick up on so much more than when you are there. At the game, I was an out of control lunatic screaming and jumping and cheering. I couldn’t analyze what was happening at all. Now I finally can. Here are some more thoughts.

• With 12 minutes left in the 1st half, Shane Clark had outscored Pitt 9-8. I cannot overstate how huge he was early in the game. His three triples deserved a Puuurrreee call from Gus Johnson. None of them touched the rim.
• With just over 8 minutes left in the 1st half, Sam Young scored to get Pitt within 5. Jay Wright immediately called timeout. Great job there to stop things before Pitt made a huge run.
• We did not shoot well at all, and still put 78 points on Pitt, and won. I’m very, very impressed by that.
• We stopped attacking the rim near the end of the first half, and that is why we were losing at the half.
• Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery did a phenomenal job calling this game, although I thought the last play could have been better called.
• At the game, I thought Sam Young killed us. After watching him play, he destroyed us. We harrassed him, double teamed him, poked him in the eye, stepped on his toes, everything. He was just that good.
• I will not miss Levance Fields, Sam Young, and possibly even DeJuan Blair at all. Good luck to them, and good riddance. I hated playing them. They are freaking good.
• Corey Stokes made one three, but it was a big one.
• Dwayne Anderson was ice cold all night, and then came up huuuuuuuuge down the stretch.
• The last play will be played for years and years. I’ll never forget that moment. It was pure heroics by Reggie Redding, Dante Cunningham and most of all Scottie Reynolds.
• I love this team.

(Note: This is more than likely going to be the longest thing I have ever written on here. So if need be, print this one out and take it to “the office” or a place where you can sit back, relax, and relive the memories.)

As I drove back to Villanova this morning, I was listening to Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno on WFAN. Benigno repeatedly used the phrase “one of the all-time great games” to describe Villanova’s monumental win over Pittsburgh to send the team to the Final Four. Every time he said that, all I could think of was that this was one of the all-time great weekends. If you were lucky enough to be there, it was special. And even if you weren’t, and you were at one of the various alumni functions, or just on your couch, you’ll remember it for the rest of your life.

My weekend started on Thursday morning when I left Villanova, picked up Liz at Newark Airport and proceeded up to Boston. We got into town around 4:30, picked up our tickets at 5:30. and headed over to The Greatest Bar, where ‘Nova alums gathered. Not knowing we needed to register for this event, we weren’t allowed in, and instead headed next door to DJ’s and grabbed a few drinks. A few hours later, we got into The Greatest Bar, and that is where the night really began.

We began to meet up with friends, whether they were current students, recent graduates, our friend’s fathers, and alums we’d never met. It was out of control. Everyone was buzzing about the game and the atmosphere was flat-out incredible.

With about 20 minutes to game time we headed over to The Garden and found out seats, which were about 5 rows from the court behind the basket. We had been talking about this all night, but the Thursday night crowd felt like it was 80-20 in ‘Nova’s favor. The fans were everywhere. We ourselves had a great section of Villanova fans, and Boston fans in general who just wanted to see us knock the snot out of Duke.

The crowd, including an amazing student section in the upper tank, was out of control all game. It felt like we were at home, but better. Villanova home crowds rarely get that wild, much less when we’re on the road. But ‘Nova Nation came out in droves and took over Boston all weekend.

Anderson loved the beatdown of Duke (AP/Winslow Towson)

Despite our proclamations all week that we were going to kill Duke, I have to admit the nerves set in as the opening tip was thrown into the air. But a monster dunk by Dante Cunningham set the tone for the night — we were not going to lose. Our defense swarmed the Dukies all night. They looked like they had never seen anything like that. At one point a Celtics fan behind me remarked, “They don’t just look scared. They are legitimately afraid to do anything.” And it was true.

Duke, led by fearless Jon Scheyer couldn’t muster the courage to take the ball into the lane. Maybe they had seen our dismantling of UCLA and feared for their lives, but I’ve never seen a team look like a deer in headlights like the Blue Devils. Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler, two players who were lauded all week, were taken completely out of the game. With about 10 minutes left, I yelled out, “It’s over!” to the delight of everyone around me except for Liz, who slapped me and was convinced I had jinxed us.

But it didn’t matter, that game was in the bag. With each play, the crowd got louder. We could feel it. When it was over, we went wild. About two rows in front of us, our friends Ted, Thomas, Keith and Brian had been going ballistic all game. I posted it before, but as Brian continually belted out,”There’s something special about this team!” you could begin to feel the people in the arena really starting to believe it.

At Hurricane O’Reilly’s after the game, it was a party. We were living the dream. But in the back of our minds we knew a greater challenge awaited us. We weren’t going to get a soft scared team on Saturday night. We were going into the trenches for a war.

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When Saturday morning rolled around, even more people had come up to Boston. For whatever reason, be it work or other obligations, nearly everyone knew some other person or group who was making their way up for what was going to be an epic night.

We were wiser this time around, opting to register for the alumni pre-game reception. There was such a big turnout on Thursday that the Boston Alumni had to rent out a 2nd bar to host everyone. We made it to Hurricane O’Reilly’s at about 3:45, and were greeted with 100 people standing outside ready to start the festivities.

What occurred in that bar was nothing short of spectacular. Alumni of all ages, as well as current students, and even future Wildcats began to party like we had already won. People offered toasts, cheers, drinks, etc. It was a great afternoon with great people (most of whom I didn’t even know). But the fact that we were all ‘Nova fans brought us all together.

Finally, it was time for the game. I had been saying all morning that I just wanted it to start. I couldn’t wait. And now, it was here. Liz and I made our way down to our seats, and then realized that the pro-Nova section we had on Thursday was completely dominated by the Pitt fans. Damn. No matter, because we’re here and we’re going to make the best of it.

I know that everyone who reads this blog saw the game, so I’m going to skip to the last 4 minutes. This game was a war. That’s really all that needs to be said about the first 36 minutes.

With just under 4 minutes left, and ‘Nova and Pitt trading baskets and stops, Pittsburgh made a mini-surge and built a 4 point lead. The Pitt fans exploded. The ‘Nova fans were stunned. Could this really be the end?

Pitt brought the ball up the court with a 4 point lead. And then the crowd noise rose. Jermaine Dixon had nowhere to go. And then boom! Dwayne Anderson is taking off in the other direction with the ball, and he gets hacked, and STILL manages to lay it in! The Garden was going bonkers. My ears hurt from the noise, and even as I tried to yell as loud as I could, I couldn’t hear myself. It was insanity.

Then another turnover (this time by Sam Young)! Reggie Redding finds a slashing Corey Fisher for the layup! We have the lead back! I’m shaking a random Bostonian next to me, and he is shaking me back.

Pitt scores again, but it’s short lived. Anderson drains a 3 from the top of the key. The building is shaking. Fans from both teams are on their feet and losing their minds. Just 90 seconds left. I’m praying for the clock to move faster, but it won’t. Young jacks up a 3. Missed, but Levance Fields snags the board and dishes it to DeJuan Blair. Blair turns it over! Now the place is really rocking. We can feel it. We’re going to do it.

Corey Fisher steps to the line with under a minute to go. He had a rough first half, but now it’s his time. He calmly drains both free throws. We’re up by 4, and we can feel. And just like that, we’re quickly shut up as Sam Young drills a 3 with Shane Clark draped all over him. I’m upset, scared, angry and impressed all at the same time. What is going on?

Pitt fouls Fisher. He drains both shots again. Does this kid have ice water running through the veins or what? Now we’re up just 3. Villanova isn’t giving up another 3 again. They are pressing at the top of the key. Fields launches a 3 but it’s no good! I’m now about 4 rows from my actual seat just jumping around and going nuts.

The team celebrates the win( AP/Winslow Towson)

Reggie Redding steps to the line. A Pitt fan realizes ‘Nova is perfect from the stripe. “They’re due to miss” he yells out. And he’s right. Redding’s first attempt rattles in and out. It’s okay, just make the next one and make this a two possession game. Redding puts it through.

No 3’s, no 3’s. We’re all screaming. Villanova overplays Fields, who finds a wide open Blair for a layup. Now I’m nervous again. With 10 seconds left, there is plenty of time.

After a timeout, Redding is inbounding the ball. He looks and looks. Nobody is open. Cunningham is streaking down the court. Reggie decides he’s Peyton Manning and launches a home run pass. It’s overthrown, and Pitt is rushing back the other way. Fisher tries to take a charge, but is called for the block. Fields to the line. That kid is a warrior. Before he even steps up I know that both are going in.

With 5 seconds left, ‘Nova Nation is stunned. Are we really going to overtime? Redding with the ball again. He’s looking far down court! Please don’t heave it deep again, Reg. He finds Cunningham, who hands it off to a streaking Scottie Reynolds! This is the Scottie Reynolds who never saw a big-time shot he didn’t like.

He’s in the open court! He’s crashing into the lane and getting hacked by Pitt players. 3 seconds. 2 seconds. He’s starts to rise and gets met by Gilbert Brown.

The ball is at the rim with 1 second left, and it falls through. Don’t ask me what happened next, because I don’t remember. All I know is that I had a random 10 year old boy hoisted over my head. His father didn’t mind at all, and was even jumping up and down next to me.

There was one final heart attack as Levance Fields decided he was going to hoist a 70-footer and miss by 1 foot, but we did it. We’re going to the Final Four!

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The team was rushing the court. Players, coaches and fans embraced. Magic was in the air. The cutting of the nets was something I’d never seen, and it was incredibly special. Nearly all the fans stuck around to witness this piece of history, but the night was young.

We headed back to The Westin at the Waterfront, which just so happened to be the official hotel of Villanova’s trip to Boston. Hundreds of fans gathered in the lobby. Drinks flowed everywhere. You could tell this party was going to go on all night.

After about 45 minutes, and countless cheers whenever the TV’s showed Reynolds’ last shot, a police motorcade approached the hotel. Fans streaked to the front doors. Slowly, chants of “Let’s Go Nova” poured out. And finally, the team entered to cheers even louder than the ones at the game.

Chatting with Rollie was one of the highlights of my trip (AP/Winslow Towson)

Players hugged fans, and fans cried. This felt more like war heroes returning from the battlefield than a basketball team returning from the hardwood, and I guess in some ways, it was.

Jay Wright stood up and thanked everyone for all the support. Dwayne Anderson said it was a night he’d never forget. And finally Dante Cunningham reminded everyone that we had not 1, but 2 more games left to win.

That brought the house down, and then ‘Nova Nation partied all night.

Congrats to everyone everywhere, this was one weekend that we’ll never forget.

Some interesting news today that Scottie Reynolds almost didn’t play vs. American last Thursday. Reynolds suffered an injury last Tuesday, and then aggravated it again on Wednesday. According to Reynolds, he was ready to sit out.

“I didn’t tell anyone, but the night before I really didn’t think I was going to be able to go,” Reynolds said. “I banged it during a drill last Tuesday in practice, then banged it again Wednesday and it swelled up again. You know your body. I didn’t think I was going to be able to play.”

Not really a fan of the whole “I kept it a secret” part, but what’s done is done. Scottie is right in that he knows his body better than anyone, so the final decision should be his.

Anyways, this raises an interesting point. Clearly, Reynolds wasn’t himself last week. He scored just 19 points in 2 games and looked slow and uncomfortable. Well, we now know why.

I was asked today if I was worried about Scottie heading into the Duke matchup, and to be honest I was. I’ve had this feeling that he’s banged up, because he’s a quiet kid and he’s not going to make a big deal out of an injury. He’s just going to play through it. So yeah, I was worried that he was hurt and that his game would suffer.

But now that I know he’s healthy, I’m feeling a lot better about Thursday’s game. Let’s face it — Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson and Corey Fisher have been phenomenal (throw Reggie Redding in there too) — but Scottie Reynolds is one of the stars of this team. When he’s clicking, the team does a lot better.

We’re going to need him to play well against Duke. That doesn’t mean we need 40 points, but we can’t have him hurt and not looking to score. Think Scottie in the 2nd game against Marquette. Everything he touched turned to gold. We want that Scottie.

I’ll have a post up later about my feelings on the game, but let’s just say that this news put a smile on my face.

This afternoon, a group of students gathered in front of The Pavilion to cheer the team on as they loaded onto their buses and headed for Boston. As part of the promotion, a raffle was held and 35 students were selected and sold tickets to the Sweet Sixteen and Elight Eight games this weekend.

As for the raffle, the IBBW guys cleaned up, snaring some tickets for their trip to Boston. Good for us.

As for the sendoff itself, I’ve got to say that I’m a little disappointed in the students. We aren’t the biggest school in the world, but I’d be surprised if there was even 250 total people there. Disappointing is really the only word I can use to describe it. This team is our pride and joy, and the students (especially the seniors) should have been out in full force.

I understand that people have class and such, but you won’t convince me that the overwhelming majority of the campus had night class.

As for the actual sendoff, it was fun. The team slowly came out in groups of 2 or 3, got some nice cheers from the students on hand and had what felt like 10 TV crews filming the entire thing.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Dante Cunningham, Shane Clark, Frank Tchuisi, Dwayne Anderson and Scottie Reynolds emerged to enormous cheers and instead of heading for the bus like the rest of the team, made a beeline straight for the students and made their way through the crowd and started high fiving everyone and cheering with the rest of us. It was special.

They then headed onto the bus, but after a few minutes Dante re-emerged to give a speech to the students. His essential message was that he really appreciated all the support, let us know that Jay Wright had some meetings and had left early, and then told us that he’d see us in Boston and we were all going to win together. I liked that.

Dante definitely gets it. It’s funny cause you see those guys come out and they are like rock stars. They could play the arrogant athlete and leave their headphones on and act too cool, but they came over and got rowdy with the students, and they understand that we live and die by the team. He’s giving his speech and he’s got this sheepish grin on his face like he can’t contain his excitement. Too funny. But I respect the hell out of the guy (as well as the rest of the team) because when they step on the court it’s all business, and when they lose you can tell their night is ruined.

I’ve got a good feeling about this weekend. I don’t want to jinx anything but it definitely feels like the stars are alining. Go Cats!