I Bleed Blue and White

Some more Jayvaughn Pinkston coverage for you today as Adam Zagoria wrote a really nice column about the newest member of ‘Nova Nation. In case you missed it last night, the 6′6″ Brooklyn native committed to Jay Wright and becomes the 3rd member of the Wildcats’ 2010 recruiting class.

Credit: NY Daily News

In the article, several experts have glowing reviews of Pinkston’s game, even going as far to compare him to a former NBA great:

“He’s a Jamal Mashburn clone,” said New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski. “He has very soft hands. He has very good skill with the ball. He can handle the ball on the perimeter. He’s not going to guard a perimeter player right now. He can pass the ball, can get to the basket, he can shoot 3’s. He has a strong body where he can post and score inside. He’s a really skilled player who has a mature understanding of the game. He’s got to learn to bring it every single night, which hasn’t always been the case in the past. He’s as good as we have in the metropolitan area.”

Pinkston is very excited to be going James Bell and Markus Kennedy as the newest Wildcats.

“I’m very excited to be committing to Villanova,” Pinkston said. “It’s one of the top programs in the country. I want to play with and against the best players in the country and playing for Villanova will afford me that opportunity. I’m excited and thankful.”

“I just think that there were too many positives that he couldn’t turn down right now,” Kimani Young, Pinkston’s mentor, said. “He got a great place to go to. It’s just as good an opportunity for him as it is for Nova to get him.”

Villanova has one lone remaining target in guard Cory Joseph, who will wait until the spring to decide. Villanova is in Joseph’s final 5, but many believe that UConn currently leads for the standout guard.

…Pinkston will add some nice toughness and bulk to the team when he arrives…hopefully that outside game continues to develop, but he strikes me as exactly the kind of kid who will relish the roughness of the BIG EAST…very excited to have him on board…

Just a quick note, but JayVaughn Pinkston will NOT be attending Hoops Mania tonight. Adam Zagoria just tweeted that nugget, but says that Pinkston is still considering Villanova.

…Tough break…I think a lot of ‘Nova fans thought he could potentially commit after a visit tonight…but the plan for him has always been to hold out until the spring…

…For anyone thinking this has anything to do with Yacoubou’s commitment yesterday, the two have no bearing on each other as they play different positions…

For those who are wondering who WILL be attending tonight, VUHoops put together a list of who is confirmed. Obviously, that is an incredible list of talent.

2010s

• Markus Kennedy (verbal)
• James Bell (verbal)
• Cory Joseph

2011s

• Achraf Yacoubou (verbal)
• Mike Gilchrist
• Tony Wroten
• Desmond Hubert
• Juan’ya Green
• Tyrone Johnson
• Malcolm Gilbert (maybe)

2012s

• Amile Jefferson
• Savon Goodman
• Ryan Arciadano
• Kyle Anderson
• Tariq Carey
• Omar Calhoun (maybe)

It’s not everyday that an athlete is asked to autograph an actual seat from an arena.  But this is what Scottie Reynolds has signed for a few die-hard (to say the least) fans since the Final Four run.  Not sure how these fans actually pulled off stealing the TD Banknorth Garden seats after Scottie’s infamous shot, but kudos to those who did.  Adam Zagoria, creator of ZagsBlog, mentions this in his new article entitled, “Reynolds hopes to provide leadership.”  Zagoria touches base with Reynolds on numerous issues including his role as a leader this year, the incoming freshman, the overall talent of the team,  and of course the signing of those seats. 

I wasn’t even worried about signing.  I wanted to know how he did it and how he got away with it.  I’ve signed like two or three other seats.

As Chris mentioned in the previous post, the anticipation for the college hoops season cannot get any higher at this point.  I’ve been sorting through which games I am going to try to attend and can’t wait to watch this team throughout the season. 

Adam Zagoria updates us on the JayVaughn Pinkston recruitment, which has reached a crucial stage. Pinkston just had an in-home visit from Bobby Gonzalez and the Seton Hall staff last night, and according to Pinkston’s mother, the visit went well.

Pinkston is lining up visits to St. John’s Red Storm Tip-Off on October 22nd, as well as Villanova’s Hoops Mania the following day. Pinkston may also visit for Tennessee’s exhibition game against North Alabama on October 31st (don’t miss out of Halloween Jay!).

Kimani Young, Pinkston’s mentor, has previously stated that Pinkston will most likely sign with a school in the spring, but now, plans may be changing.

“It’s still up in the air whether he’s going to sign early or sign late,” Young said. “We have to talk. He’s just not 100 percent sure.”

…So, add another to the list for Hoops Mania…I’m hoping that Mike Gilchrist will also decide to make the short trip for the event…should be quite the spectacle coming off a Final Four season…

ZagsBlog is reporting that Michael Gilchrist will make the short trek from his South Jersey home to visit the Villanova campus this weekend. Head coach Kevin Boyle has confirmed that he is trying to visit ‘Nova, with some outside sources also confirming the trip will occur this coming weekend.

“It’s close to his house [in South Jersey] and he wants to get a feeling for how Villanova stands,” Boyle added.

Popular belief is that the Gilchrist sweepstakes will come down to Kentucky and Villanova, with John Calipari having the slight edge because of his connection to William Wesley, a.k.a. World Wide Wes.

…A good weekend for him to visit with the ‘Nova team hosting the first ever nationally televised football game in CAA history…should be a great atmosphere…students, if you see him, make it known you want him to stay close to home!…

Guard might be Jay Wright’s favorite word in the English language.  Zagsblog reported that Rivals’ #19 shooting guard, Achraf Yacoubou, will visit Villanova on October 23rd for Hoops Mania.  Currently, Yacoubou is a 6′4″ 200 lb. junior out of Long Island Lutheran.  Along with the Villanova visit, he will visit Kentucky on October 16th for their Big Blue Madness.  The other school on Yacoubou’s top three is UConn.  Is there a leader yet though?  According to Yacoubou, no.

They are all equal.  I don’t have a leading school just yet.

No, I do not believe that. Especially not after Jon Scheyer spent the majority of this beatdown complaining to the refs instead of doing anything of actual significance. But, at least one man believes that the aforementioned Dookie is better than Villanova’s own Corey Fisher. On to the links…

No word on if he was yelling 'rape!'

• Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News would be the man who inspired this post. Not to mention that he left Greivis Vasquez off the list completely. Sheesh.
• The Philadelphia Inquirer talks with Brian Lynch about his wife’s comeback to win the US Open.
• Jeff Goodman of FoxSports says Jay Wright is his choice for the top recruiter in college hoops. As Goodman points out, Wright probably does the most with the least to sell. Personally, bring home Mike Gilchrist and I’ll agree with Goodman.
• ZagsBlog reports that Memphis wants the SEC first, and the BIG EAST if that doesn’t work out. A Rutgers-to-Big 10 and Memphis-to-BIG EAST scenario is posed. Personally, I wouldn’t miss the them.
• The NCAA Tournament is returning to Philadelphia for the 1st and 2nd rounds in 2013. So you can officially mark 3 BIG EAST games down at The Wachovia Center instead of the usual 5 that year.
• Gary Parrish at CBSSports thinks the National Champion will have one of impact freshman. Considering we have at least 3 that look to play a big role, that bodes well for us.
• Villanova 2011 target Tony Wroten Jr. tore his ACL playing football, and will be out for the basketball season. We’ve still got love for you Tony. Get well soon.
• Curtis Sumpter will be playing for BCM Gravelines in France this year after playing for fellow French team Chorale de Roanne last season.

…In all honesty, I love seeing basketball becoming more popular throughout the world, and I love how both Sumpter and Ray are still playing professionally, and doing quite well…keep it up boys…

Adam Zagoria, creator of ZagsBlog, reported a few Big East occurrences today.  First, Daryl “Truck” Bryant, a very good sophomore from West Virginia, has been reinstated by head coach Bob Huggins.  Bryant was suspended this past July due to a traffic incident.  According to Huggins,

Darryl has done everything that has been asked of him on all fronts.  I believe he has earned the opportunity to be reinstated to our team.

No one should be surprised about this move.  We all know Huggins would get one of his top studs back before the season started. 

Second, Marquette has lost freshman Junior Cadougan to a torn ACL he suffered during conditioning drills.  This may not seem all that important, but for a team that lost a bunch of really good seniors, any significant injury definitely impacts the team in a negative way.

ZagsBlog is reporting that Villanova is one of 8 in-home visits that Cory Joseph has on the docket in the next few weeks. According to Zagoria, Jay Wright and staff will be in to see him sometime next week.

Joseph is a 2010 combo guard. Villanova’s 2010 class already has James Bell and Markus Kennedy in the fold.

…I like it, but I’m still kind of torn on what is happening with our recruiting…Joseph is a great, great player and as a guy who can play the point and the wing, he’s got a lot of value…so I guess if he wants to come, you celebrate…but how does that affect 2011, or even James Bell for that matter?…

…A lot of this depends on what happens with Corey Fisher I suppose…

…Oh the problems of a well-established program…

Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog just twittered that 2010 PG Cory Joseph will be making two visits this weekend. The first will be on Saturday to Villanova before making the trip up to UConn on Sunday.

Joseph, who plays for Findlay Prep in Nevada, is ranked the 7th best player in 2010 by Rivals, and is currently on the East Coast for the Boost Mobile event being held in New York City.

…Great to see he is stopping by for an unofficial while he’s out East…we’ve mentioned before that 2010 recruiting is likely closed up save any defections, but of course the door has to be left open in case there are any early NBA-entrants (i.e. Corey Fisher)…

…That would leave a hole in the backcourt, which is an area that somebody like Kyrie Irving or Cory Joseph could fill…so if Joseph is squeezing in a visit, his interest in ‘Nova has to be real…