I Bleed Blue and White

Disclaimer: I was not able to attend or view/listen to this game. All of what follows are opinions of various people that I talked, texted, or followed on Twitter. This is more of a general recap.

From the sound of things, it appears that Villanova fans got a mix of good and bad last night in watching the team defeat Kutztown 110-84 at The Wachovia Center. I’m going to run down a list of what I heard from last night:

The Good:

• Scottie Reynolds – Looked exactly how you thought he would, and maybe even better. Looks leaner and quicker and primed for a real All-American campaign. Had 27 points and 4 assists in 29 minutes of action.
• Corey Fisher – Looks even stronger than last year. His body continues to be redefined from the kid who showed up out of shape as a freshman. Hit a few nice mid-range jumpers after he pulled up in the lane. 18 points and 5 assists for Fisher-Price.
• Corey Stokes – Really aggressive on defense, improved ball skills which allowed him to take his man to the goal and/or pull up and knock down a jumper. Still a lights out shooter.
• Team Shooting – 60% from the field and 63% from downtown. Quite frankly, as one person put it – “we can shoot the f*ckin ball real good.”
• Taylor King – 4-4 from beyond the arc. Played with a lot of passion. Really lost a lot of weight and looks to be in much better shape, although he is definitely a tweener. Looked better defending the post than he did defending out on the arc. From all signs though, he won’t be a defensive liability like some thought and looks like he can help defend inside.
• Antonio Peña – Really improved offensive game. Hit a few nice baby hooks and even knocked down some mid-range jumpers. He isn’t Dante Cunningham (yet), but from all accounts he was one of the stronger players on the court.
• Maalik Wayns - More than one person said he was by far the most impressive of the freshman. Knocked down a 3 for his first career basket and was in the face of people all night. Played with a lot of heart. Him, Reynolds and Fisher sound like they are going to terrorize teams. Sounds like he’ll be a fan favorite.
• Mouphtaou Yarou – Picked up a lot of soft fouls, but was aggressive on offense, which is good to hear. Can’t have him shying away.

The Bad:

• Defense – Apparently, there was very little of it. We expected to have a dropoff with the personnel we lost, but apparently Jay Wright was going absolutely wild at a few points during the game. Not good. One person tweeted “we play defense like a mid-level ACC team.” Ouch.

The Puzzling:

• Dominic Cheek – Only 14 minutes of action for the true frosh. Heard he has the skills and the desire, but lacks the strength. Still, thought he would get more action with Redding out. King appears to be ahead of him by a good amount. This doesn’t look good for my predictions on him.
• Maurice Sutton – Just 4 minutes of playing time for the big man. For a team that has an unknown frontcourt, you’d figure he’d get a little more run in an exhibition game. Oh well. Think we all need to temper our expectations on him this year.

At the end of the day, the team did what they were supposed to do. They blew out Kutztown, who never really had a chance. The defense is a huge concern to me personally, because that is what the backbone of Villanova teams usually is. But you’ve got the offense. From all accounts it could be one of the best in the country if they can get consistent production out of the frontcourt.

I don’t care if it is Kutztown and the game doesn’t really count. I want to win by 50. I want Corey Stokes and Taylor King jacking up (and sinking) 3’s from just over mid-court. I want alley-oops.  I want Mouphtaou Yarou to shatter a backboard. I want Jay’s best suit. I want people diving for loose balls. I want Rollie Massimino to trip a ref.

And I’m going to celebrate the win like I would any other. I’m pumped.

Note: Working on a different sort of prediction thread. It’ll be up by tomorrow.

Via ZagsBlog, Jay Wright took some time to speak about the scheme he plans to run this upcoming season while at the Garden State Coaches Clinic, and from what he’s said, the team might inspire some memories of teh 2005-2006 team that put Villanova back in the national spotlight.

“When Reggie Redding comes back [from suspension], that gives us an option of really having four experienced guards on the floor,” Wright said at the Garden State Coaches Clinic.

“If our bigs are good enough, Antonio Pena and Mouph [Yarou] and Maurice Sutton, if they can play with those four [older guards], it would be nice,” Wright said. “I think we have some good options with [Duke transfer] Taylor King and Isaiah Armwood [in the frontcourt].

Wright indicated that his optimal 4-out-1-in offense would comprise of Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, Redding and Corey Stokes. Even with that much talent on the court, the depth of the bench is startling to think about.

…I just played out that scenario in my mind…awesome…I loved watching the 4 guard offense (though it has its disadvantages) in 2005 with Foye, Ray, Lowry and Nardi…but I think this year, where we lack a proven frontcourt, it could be absolute hell for opponents in spurts…

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…

Take notice, Villanova freshmen. Josh Hewitt of FoxSports doesn’t think that highly of you, listing none of you in his list for the Top 20 impact freshman for the coming season.

Not to disrespect anybody on the list (I sure as heck never got a scholarship to play a sport), but I fail to see how anyone from a consensus Top 3 recruiting class isn’t going to have an impact on a Top 5 team. Especially when there is a lot of PT to be had.

Dominic Cheek, Isaiah Armwood, Maalik Wayns and Mouphtaou Yarou: you now have some added motivation. Prove ‘em wrong.

Pico from The East Coast Bias reached out to a bunch of the Big East bloggers and asked us to answer a bunch of questions for a roundtable he’s hosting. This is the first series of questions he has with another set coming in October.

When Pico posts all the responses on his blog I’ll make sure to link to it, but for how here are my answers.

Q: What’s new with your team since the end of last season?

IBBW: Villanova lost the most successful senior class in it’s history, but replaced it with a consensus Top-5 recruiting class (you’ll hear the names Dominic Cheek and Mouphtaou Yarou a lot early on). Oh yeah, and our senior leader Reggie Redding was suspended for the fall semester for possession of marijuana. He’ll be back for the Big East though, so I think we can hold the fort until then.

Q: Cash or Clunker: Name the teams that you think will be the top 3 squads next season in the Big East (the Cash)… and the bottom 3 (Clunkers). Bonus: which team’s finish in the league is most difficult to predict?

IBBW: The Cash – Villanova, West Virginia and UConn will be the Top-3 this season. I don’t think anybody will really gripe with that. The league is deeper this year, but it lost a little at the top.

The Clunkers – Rutgers, St. John’s and DePaul. In my opinion you could give a couple others a look here, but I like their coaching situation a lot better than these three.

Bonus – I’ll admit I have no idea what South Florida is going to do. Their home court advantage was stellar last year, and they have some guys who can really play, and I like their coach too. They are either ready to make some noise or you will forget they are in the league.

Q: The Big East enters the season without a lot of players who have carryover buzz from last season – Luke Harangody and perhaps Scottie Reynolds are the names a casual fan might be most familiar with. Which players will step up and be the “face of the league”?

IBBW: As much as it pains me to admit it, Greg Monroe is probably going to have a monster year and be considered the best big man in the conference. He was in the spotlight last year and it looked to be too much for him. Now that he’s off the radar a bit, he’s going to make people realize he’s here again. And as a homer pick, Corey Fisher. We’re already talking about him possibly leaving for the draft after this season. He’s going to be up there with the best guards in the country.

Q: Before practice starts, who would you say is the most pivotal player on your team? Who is your candidate for breakout player in the Big East (and please state how the player will be better than last year)?

IBBW: The most pivotal player for Villanova is Antonio Peña. We lost 3 very good frontcourt players, and it is now Peña’s time to step up. I think he’s ready to do it, and so does Jay Wright. That inspires a lot of confidence. Villanova has the guards to beat most teams but if they are thinking Final 4 again they are going to need some consistent play inside.

I have a feeling you’re going to hear Gus Gilchrist’s name a lot this season. As he goes, South Florida will go. The sophomore year is when you see the lights go on for a lot of players, and Gilchrist was already good. He’s going to stamp his name on the 1st or 2nd team this year after he takes the rest of the team under his wing and becomes a true leader.

IBBW: I was the most anti-Twitter blogger you could find at it’s outset. But then after watching it on SportsCenter every morning, I realized it was here to stay. It’s a great way to get updates from people and news outlets you are interested in without having to click refresh every 10 minutes. I’m welcomed Twitter on IBBW and I’ve found that I’ve been able to reach a bigger group of people.

IBBW: Looking forward to football and avoiding watching the Mets. College and the pros. Villanova is an FCS program but we’re a Top-5 team this year, so it’s very exciting. And I’m going to have to give a shout out to the New York Football Giants. We’re winning it all again this year.

Q: The summer is slow; so when Pitino’s “mistake” is made public, or when Calipari’s former team is penalized, or when someone poses a way for the Big East Conference to pick up new football members, the story tends to stick around a little longer than it would during the season. What college basketball story are you tired of this offseason?

IBBW: All of them, although I thoroughly enjoyed Rick Pitino’s out-of-the-blue press conference where he talked about anything and everything but himself. But it is the world we live in. Everyone has an opinion and a forum to voice it. I’m just ready to get back to some good ‘ol fashioned hoops.

Special thanks to Pico for setting this up. Be on the lookout for his full report on the roundtable in the coming weeks.

Jason King, a writer for Yahoo! Sports, posted his Big East preseason power rankings today.  From my point of view, nothing really too shocking with this list.  Villanova comes in at #1, as King states:

“Most would consider the Wildcats the favorite to win the league title and advance to the Final Four for the second year in a row and just the fourth time in school history.  The decision of point guard Scottie Reynolds to withdraw from the NBA draft was huge for Villanova, which returns its top six perimeter players (although standout Reggie Redding will be ineligible until the spring semester).  The biggest question mark is in the paint, where Duke transfer Taylor King and touted freshman Mouphtaou Yarou will have to make up for the loss of leading scorer Dante Cunningham.”

Enjoy the weekend.

ESPN continues their Summer ShootAround series with a look at the Big East. The article, which contains many aspects concerning Villanova, is a great read, so I highly suggest taking the time to sort through it as it really gives you a good feel of what to expect as the conference turns over a new leaf. Below are the Villanova highlights.

Jay Bilas on Villanova, who he ranks as the best team in the conference:

“The Wildcats are a bit younger, but very talented at every position. Jay Wright has guards that he encourages to make plays, and Villanova is versatile enough to attack mismatches on offense and switch every screen on defense. Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes form one of the nation’s strongest backcourts, and all can get into the lane and to the free-throw line. Freshmen Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns can play right away. But making up for Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson will be a challenge.”

Dana O’Neil on Mouphtaou Yarou, who she believes is 1 of 10 key players in the conference:

“How far the Wildcats go may depend heavily on how quickly the rookie big man succeeds. Jay Wright always has been a guard’s coach, and Villanova has no shortage of backcourt talent again this year. But it is not a coincidence that when the Wildcats finally found a talented inside man — Dante Cunningham — they went to the Final Four. If Yarou, with the help of fellow freshman Isaiah Armwood, can make up for Cunningham’s loss, Nova might be busy on the final weekend of the season again.”

John Stovall on Mouphtaou Yarou and Dominic Cheek, both a part of 10 freshman to watch this season:

Yarou – “He’s big, strong and has solid skills. ‘Mouph’ should definitely have an immediate impact. He’s physically ready to play and skilled enough to have his presence felt right away in the Big East.”

Cheek – “He’s talented enough to be an all-conference player. He has to improve his motor, but once that happens he’ll be heading to the next level. Look for Villanova’s two other recruits — Maalik Wayns and Isaiah Armwood — to make an immediate impact as well.

Dana O’Neil on Villanova vs. Maryland, 1 of 10 non-conference games to watch:

“Two of the most exciting guards in the nation, Greivis Vasquez an Scottie Reynolds, square off in the nation’s capital. The Terps, who return just about everybody, are good enough to give Big East favorite Villanova a run for its money.”

Dana O’Neil on a potential Villanova/Georgia Tech matchup in Puerto Rico:

“This is a big if, because the Yellow Jackets would need to knock off A-10 favorite Dayton in the first round (and Nova has to beat always-pesky George Mason), but this semifinal matchup would feature some of the best freshmen in the country: Mouphtaou Yarou, Isaiah Armwood, Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek for Villanova; Derrick Favors and Mfon Udofia for Georgia Tech. Mix in the fact that Tech coach Paul Hewitt, like Jay Wright, is a Rollie Massimino disciple and you have the stuff for a high-level game in November.”

And finally, ESPN’s ‘quick take’ on Villanova:

“Jay Wright is at the point where he is reloading, not rebuilding. The Wildcats bring one of the top recruiting classes in the country, headlined by Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns, to go with the nucleus from the Final Four team. Senior guard Reggie Redding, arrested for marijuana possession, will be ineligible until mid-December. But with plenty of depth at the guard position, Villanova ought to survive without him.”

…The last part about reloading instead of rebuilding has really been a theme around Villanova’s program lately…I love it…I say it everyday but I really wish the start of the season was closer…

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?

When Brian first texted me yesterday with the news that Reggie Redding had been suspended for the fall semester, I had a few different reactions. My initial words were, “Damn, that’s going to hurt.” And it surely will. Redding was a very big reason why we went to the Final Four. He took his defensive prowess and added a rapidly improving offensive game, and opened up a new chapter in his Villanova career. So yes, missing a senior leader while the team tries to navigate it’s way through the OOC schedule will hurt.

But there are a couple of silver linings in this mess, with the first being increased playing time for Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns. Taking Redding out of the backcourt mix for 10-12 games allows the freshman guards to get more of a ‘trial by fire.’ In the short run, it may cost us a couple games as the two young guys go through growing pains, but in the grand scheme of things it will help prepare them for the daunting Big East schedule, and the NCAA Tournament.

In Cheek’s case, he’s already got a little bit of Redding in him. He’s got great length to match up with some of the bigger guards (although the strength probably isn’t there yet) and like Redding, he loves to play defense. He’s got a nice shot from the outside and if you remember the McDonald’s Game, loves to get inside and hit the boards (another ‘Villanova Basketball’ staple.)

Wayns doesn’t play the same position as Redding, but again his minutes will increase because there is one less guy in the rotation. And like Cheek, he’s got the makeup to succeed early because he’s a hard worker who is a classic pass-first point guard.

So while it may not be all good initially, let’s just say I’m very excited to see more of Cheek and Wayns than I am scared to throw them in there because of Redding’s suspension.

Finally, that brings us to Corey Stokes. Stokes was billed with a lethal shot coming in, and hasn’t let anyone down in that department (and actually showed improvement last year). But after a somewhat mixed freshman campaign, he took a major step forward last season as he showed us an increased desire to play top-end defense, as well as an improving offensive game that began to include the dribble-drive and the mid-range jumper.

Stokes has the most to gain in Redding’s absence, because if he was on the fence for a starting spot before the suspension, he’s absolutely in there now. Just for argument’s sake, this is what I believe our starting lineup will be on opening night:

Corey Fisher — Scottie Reynolds — Corey Stokes — Antonio Pena — Mouphtaou Yarou

You can argue that Stokes may have even started at the expense of either Pena or Yarou while Redding was still in the picture, but I believe he would have been the 1st man off the bench.

So now, it is Corey’s time to shine. I don’t want to say he has to fill Reggie’s shoes, because while they play the same position, they have different strength’s and weaknesses. I’d rather see Stokes take charge in his own way. And not only that, but he is an upperclassman now. He’s a leader on this team. That’s a role we haven’t seen him in yet, so how will he respond to that challenge?

Color me very excited for the early portion of the season. I’ve decided that I’m just not going to dwell on what could be if Redding was playing, and rather view him as a mid-season acquisition, much like the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee. Because if this team struggles early, there is some hope on the horizon. But if they gel early and are looking strong, Redding’s return for one last senior hurrah is icing on the cake.