I Bleed Blue and White

Mike Sheridan’s latest ‘Nova Notebook focuses on Jay Wright and the lack of defense that was exhibited by the Wildcats in their win over Kutztown last Thursday. According to Wright, the graduation of Shane Clark, Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham, along with the suspension of Reggie Redding, is a huge part of what went wrong on opening night.

“That’s the sign of a young team,” said Wright. “A young team looks at the scoreboard and it only has to change your intensity a little bit for there to be a drop off. You have to give (Kutztown) credit – they made shots and they pushed the ball at us. It’s just the little things with young guys. You score and they’re jogging back remembering their score and Kutztown was pushing it right at us. We need to learn that lesson.”

Wright believes that the team will improve as the year goes on however. Scottie Reynolds shared that sentiment, and believes it is up to the veteran players to show the younger guys what playing Villanova basketball is all about.

“We have to continue to stay to our principles and stay with what Coach (Wright) preaches,” said the senior guard, who’ll enter the regular season with 1,620 career points. “We can’t just get lackadaisical. We have to stay focused and that’s going to take time. We have to just keep pounding, keep pounding and never let up. When you let up a team can get hot like that – just look at the score.

“We, as upperclassmen, have to preach what Coach is saying. We have to do it ourselves and let the younger guys watch that happening on the floor so that when they come in, they can pick up where we left off.”

Wright also talks about the debuts of Mouphtaou Yarou and Taylor King in the article.

..As always, great job by Sheridan…

The latest ‘Nova Notebook by Mike Sheridan talks with Isaiah Armwood, the final freshman to be featured in the series. While he’s the last to be interviewed, Armwood may be the most ready to play Villanova Basketball judging by his comments to Sheridan.

“I just want to play defense, rebound and run the floor,” he says. “Whatever Coach (Jay) Wright, asks me to do, I’m going to do.”

Those are things that will surely get you onto the floor fast under Jay Wright, something that Dante Cunningham and Will Sheridan both managed to accomplish in their freshman years. Armwood comes into a team loaded with talent, but a team lacking a proven threat in the frontcourt. His offensive skills and athletic ability could transform him into a player to be reckoned with early on in his career, and comparison have already been drawn to Cunningham.

…I was fortunate enought os ee Armwood play on TV last year…his jumper is still a little raw (especially compared to the stroke that Cunningham last year) but the energy and athleticism really does compare to Dante in his freshman year…

…extended minutes will be very hard to come by this season but with a thin and unproven frontcourt, anybody who is willing to do the dirty work will see the court…and I’m hoping Isaiah is serious about his willingness to play that style of ball because he’s got a load of talent…

The latest ‘Nova Notebook by Mike Sheridan talks with freshman Dominic Cheek. Cheek tells the story of how baseball was his game growing up, until one day he decided to shoot some hoops on a local court, and a chance meeting changed his life.

Cheek is ready for action.

“I just started playing around on the court one day,” recalls the 6-6 Cheek. “There was a guy there, a police officer, named Officer Wyatt. He asked me if I played for an AAU team. I told him that I didn’t – I hadn’t even really heard about AAU ball. The next day he had me come to the gym and started working with me.”

From there, Cheek became a member of the Jersey City Heat, and then found himself under the tutelage of legendary coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony’s.

“When I got to St. Anthony’s, I really didn’t know too much about basketball,” says Cheek. “But when I did get to St. Anthony’s Coach Hurley taught me how to play the game. He also taught me the history of St. Anthony’s – how we had great players like his sons, Danny and Bobby, and so many others. We played against great teams at St. Anthony’s and it made me a better player and a better person.”

Cheek credits fellow classmate Maalik Wayns with showing him how great Villanova is, and since arriving, he’s as happy ever with the decision.

…Another great article from Sheridan…I’m beginning to really look forward to Friday’s and these articles…keep it up Mike…

In the latest ‘Nova Notebook Mike Sheridan talks with Mouphtaou Yarou, who is Villanova’s most talked about freshman big man since Jason Fraser. Yarou, originally from Benin in West Africa, is about to make his 3rd change in schools in 3 years, but it is not something the big guy has shied away from.

Graduate Assistant and former ‘Nova player Frank Tchuisi has been instrumental in helping Yarou adapt to life at Villanova.

“You are going to go through times when you are homesick and miss your family,” Tchuisi says. “At those times, you learn to rely on your teammates, your coaches and your friends at Villanova. They become your family here. I think he appreciates that.”

“We are like brothers,” Yarou says simply.

The article also talks about Yarou’s first love (soccer), and the academics that his family has always stressed, and how Villanova fits in perfectly with his goals.

…Another must read…these are just a great way to get to know the new players…excellent job Mike…

In the latest ‘Nova Notebook Mike Sheridan talks with freshman Maalik Wayns who is quickly acclimating himself to life at Villanova. It’s been a long time coming for Wayns, who committed to Jay Wright and staff during his sophomore year of high school. Wayns is well known all across Philadelphia, and his competitive streak has already been likened to former ‘Nova star Kyle Lowry.

Wayns is locked and loaded for the season.

“Even in individual (drills), I want to win all the time,” says Wayns. “I could have 30 points, 40 points in a game but if I don’t win it doesn’t mean anything. That’s another reason I came to Villanova – to be a part of a winning team.”

Wayns, who roomed with Scottie Reynolds during summer workouts, is excited to get things started for real in November. Even with a crowded backcourt this year, expect Wayns to make contributions early on because of his attitude and defensive skill-set.

As always, excellent work by Mike Sheridan.

…Wayns is probably my favorite freshman because of his attitude…he just oozes ‘Nova pride to me…plus the reputation that he comes to us with is very similar to what we got with Lowry (minus the temper issues)…I have no doubt that this kid will take a lot of pressure off Scottie and Fisher in the point guard role this year…he’s that good…

There are going to be many noticeable differences between last year’s Final Four team and the 2009-2010 Villanova Wildcats.  One of the main things I continue to think about is the change in leadership.  Of course, there’s the captains, Scottie Reynolds and Reggie Redding, who know what it takes to win night in and night out.  I have no doubt they will be good leaders, but Redding can’t play until mid-December, so who knows how that will affect his ability to lead the team?  He’s already set a bad example for the younger players, with his suspension stemming from possession of marijuana charges.  Scottie can lead, but he doesn’t seem like the most vocal.  As a result, his leadership comes from the plays he makes, physically showing his teammates how to do certain things.  Nothing wrong with that, but we can’t underestimate how important the leadership of the 4 seniors from last year’s team. 

In essence, I truly believe someone needs to step into the spotlight and contribute to guiding this team.  Personally, I think this someone should be Antonio Pena.  The big guy has lots of potential, which we’ve seen at times, but more consistency from Pena will be crucial.  He’s been in big games, gone up against the best players in the country, but now it’s time for him to take over.  There are no returning big men on this team (who have seen meaningful action), except for Antonio.

As a result, he needs to guide forwards Taylor King, Maurice Sutton, and freshman Mouphtaou Yarou.  They haven’t experienced Big East basketball like Pena has, which means someone needs to teach them.  The coaches can give it a shot, but it becomes much more surreal when it comes from a player who has been through it.  The natural leaders are going to be Reynolds and Redding, both guards, but the team needs at least one more leader, preferably a big guy.  I know the recent ‘Nova Notebook’ by Mike Sheridan focuses on Big ‘Tone playing a bigger role this year, but there’s a difference between saying it and actually doing it.  If he does it, his ability and guidance of the younger players could be a key cog in Villanova’s success this year.

Do you think Pena needs to step up this year?