I Bleed Blue and White

I need to start off this post with some horrific news, as this is certainly much more important than anything I have ever blogged about.  Early Saturday morning, my friend and fellow May ‘09 graduate, Eddie Didonato, was shot six times after an altercation outside of a bar in Philadelphia.  Without getting into too many specifics, Eddie is at Jefferson University Hospital in Philly in the intensive care unit trying to recover from this unimaginable act.  Doctors remain optimistic that he will survive this battle, and in an amazing show of will, Eddie has been able to squeeze some of his closest friends’ hands.  Please keep Eddie and his family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Obviously, the rest of this post means basically nothing compared to the news above, but please feel free to read on.  I knew yesterday was going to be an intense day for myself, with Villanova-Georgetown at noon, Jets-Chargers at 4:30, and the season premiere of 24 at 9:00.  In terms of these 3 things, it couldn’t have gone much better.  A lot of alums were back for the Cats game at the Wachovia Center, even though the weather was less than stellar.  Below are a few of my thoughts on the hoops game yesterday.

-I thought Villanova looked real good in the first half, especially with the intensity of their press and trapping the Hoyas in certain situations.  Leading by double digits at halftime doesn’t hurt, but I received a text from one of my buddies at half.  It read, “what is your ibbw halftime analysis?”  To which I responded, “looking good, but gtown will make a run.”

-The Hoyas came out of the intermission pissed off and determined to make it a game.  Greg Monroe really took over, and the Cats did not shoot the ball particularly well.  The double digit lead dissipated to about 5, and there was still roughly 13 minutes left.

-When Georgetown tied it up with 4+ minutes left, I really thought the Cats were in trouble, because nobody could stop Monroe and Nova was ice cold.  In the end, though, did you really expect Scottie Reynolds to let the Cats lose?  It’s becoming like clock-work that when Villanova needs a big play, Scottie will be there to produce. 

-Four quick additional observations: 1. Wachovia Center was packed but not all that loud in my opinion…2. Our depth is unreal, as every player on the roster logged some minutes except Russell Wooten…3. Greg Monroe = lottery pick…4. What has happened to Corey Stokes this season?

Some links below to wrap up this Big East showdown:

-Villanova-Georgetown Box Score

-AP Recap 

-Postgame Quotes

-Scottie Named Big East and Big Five Player of the Week

-Nova Notebook: The Foye-Reynolds Relationship

-Jan. 18th Updated College Basketball Rankings

-ESPN Contributor Dana O’Neil on Scottie’s Maturation On and Off the Court

Again, please take a moment to pray for Eddie Didonato, a member of the Villanova community.  Thank you.

Thought I’d update anyone that’s interested in the status of the ‘Nova players in the NBA.

• After a strong 3 game start Randy Foye, and the Wizards for that matter, have cooled off considerably.  In his last 5 games Foye has only 4 assists.  He’s had point totals of 7, 6, 16, and 16.  He sprained his ankle against the Heat Tuesday night and did not return.  The Wizards have lost all 5.
• Kyle Lowry remains a player off the bench for the surprisingly strong Rockets considering their situation.  He gets about 25 minutes a game, and playing an efficient game as a back seat option to Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry.  In his last 4 he’s averaged 8 pts, 5 asts, and 3 rebs.  He also had 4 blocks against the Thunder.
• Dante Cunningham, as you know if you’ve seen the recent posts, got his first NBA game time action.  He scored 6 pts in 6 minutes against the Timberwolves on 3-4 shooting.  No other box stats.
• Tim Thomas is still in Limbo.

Courtesy of RFC and his VillanovaBasketball YouTube channel, here are some Randy Foye highlights from the Washington Wizards’ opening night win over the Dallas Mavericks.

It occurred to me today that I’m quickly tiring of waiting for Villanova hoops. I’ve already bought my tickets, and I’d pay good money to be able to see a game this weekend. Seriously. No disrespect to the football team — you’re having a great year, and I’ve actually become a huge fan the past 2 years, but I need me some basketball.

Luckily, the Villanova chapter of the NBA got things underway this week with their preseason starting up. That, and more Villanova athletes continue to bring home the hardware during the fall season. I guess times aren’t so rough.

• Kyle Lowry didn’t start for Houston, but he ended up playing more minutes than Aaron Brooks and filled the stat sheet. Keep it up Kyle.
• Dante Cunningham was a DNP (Coaches’ Decision) in the Blazers opening game. But he did having a little dunk contest at their Fan Fest. In the words of the Blazers’ columnist “he can fly.”
• Randy Foye came off the bench to score 14 points in his Wizards debut. He, like Lowry, is a stat-sheet filler.
• Gary Parrish of CBSSports ranks ‘Nova 6th in his final pre-season poll. Fair.
• Get ready for “Hoops Mania presented by Advance Staging Productions.” Wow, I think I just threw up a little.
• The Women’s Cross Country won the Bill Dellinger Invitational to start their season. And afterward, they moved up to #2 in the country. Way to go girls!
• Megan Goelz was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll for the third consecutive week. Kudos.
• Elysse Studzinski was also named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll in volleyball.

The fans love Randy in China.

Randy Foye is currently on a trip to China with the Washington Wizards, and he just posted some pictures of the trip on his Facebook Page. Make sure you go there and check them out. And if you have Facebook, wish him well!

And don’t forget about Randy Foye’s charity foundation!

So here’s the way I see the schedule falling for the Wildcats this year.  We’ll see how ‘Nova handles the traditionally difficult Big East schedule with lofty preseason expectations.  While we may have dealt with them my freshman year, the team was littered with experienced stars (Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Curtis Sumpter, Kyle Lowry).  This year’s team may ultimately have more talent, but we are replacing Shane, Dwayne, and ‘Te.  The non-conference schedule will be key in gaining experience.  If the freshies can get comfortable in the system we’ll hit fewer roadbumps in the Big East schedule.

So here’s a list of the games and my keys to the season:

NOVEMBER
5 (Thursday) KUTZTOWN (exh. at WC)     Win
13 (Friday) FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON    Win
16 (Monday) PENN+   Win
19 (Thursday) vs. George Mason  Win
20 (Friday) vs. Dayton or Georgia Tech   Win (Dayton)  Loss (GT)
22 (Sunday) vs. TBD    (if we get here – Win)
28 (Saturday) LA SALLE+   Win

DECEMBER
2 (Wednesday) DREXEL   Win
6 (Sunday) vs. Maryland   Win (home state university and future grad school, but my heart’s with NOVA)
9 (Wednesday) at Saint Joseph’s+  WIN (may kill myself if we lose this one)
13 (Sunday) at Temple+  Win
19 (Saturday) at Fordham  Win
23 (Tuesday) DELAWARE   Win

JANUARY
2 (Saturday) at Marquette* - Win
6 (Wednesday) DEPAUL* -   Win
9 (Saturday) MARQUETTE* –   Loss
11 (Monday) at Louisville*  –  Win
17 (Sunday) GEORGETOWN* –   Loss
20 (Wednesday) at Rutgers* – Loss
23 (Saturday) at St. John’s* –  Win
27 (Wednesday) NOTRE DAME* –   Win

FEBRUARY
2 (Tuesday) SETON HALL* –  Win
6 (Saturday) at Georgetown* – Loss
8 (Monday) at West Virginia* –   Loss
13 (Saturday) PROVIDENCE* –   Win
15 (Monday) CONNECTICUT* -   Win
21 (Sunday) at Pittsburgh* –  Win
24 (Wednesday) USF* –   Win
27 (Saturday) at Syracuse* - Win

MARCH
2 (Tuesday) at Cincinnati* –  Win
6 (Saturday) WEST VIRGINIA* –  Win

Final Record  26-6 (#1 Big East)

First thing that strikes me about my picks, is I flip-flopped the home court advantage with Marquette winning there and losing at home.  I feel like we typically struggle against them at home but do well there. We struggle at the RAC and in Morgantown so with more experienced teams there I have  us losing. Georgetown will be our main competition, and UConn will again be up there, but I don’t see us losing at home. Louisville and Pittsburgh lost All-Big East performers Earl Clark and Terrance Williams, and Levance Fields, Sam Young, and DeJuan Blair.  While most of the teams that were good last year have lost a bunch of players, I think 6 losses seems about right with a couple of let down games.

I’ll be back in a week to look more in-depth into some teams, players, and games.

V for Villanova, V for Victory.

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.

And make sure you check out Charles’ recap of the event!

Enjoy!

While at the recent get-together for basketball alums and friends, Randy Foye sat down with Mike Sheridan for the latest ‘Nova Notebook. In the interview Foye talked a lot about life after Villanova. But there is one bond that still remains strong with Randy.

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

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

Jay Wright and Brett Gunning

Mike Nardi