2008-2009 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 7) VILLANOVA

October 19, 2008

There will not be much different this season from last when you tune in to check out Jay Wright’s Villanova Wildcat squad. ‘Nova returns their top seven scorers and their top nine players in terms of minutes per game from a squad that reached the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16. At one time last year, the Wildcats were virtually left for dead with a 3-6 conference record and they were coming off a 22-point blow out loss to rival St. Joseph’s (PA), ending their record-setting Big 5 win streak.

However, the Wildcats clawed back, got to 9-9 in the conference and beat Syracuse in a first round Big East Tournament match-up and were granted with a bid to the NCAA Tournament, which surprised some. Villanova took advantage of their opportunity as the young squad staged an incredible comeback to upend Clemson in the opening round and then beat upset-minded Siena in the second round. Eventual national champion Kansas ended the VU run in the Sweet 16.

Now, a veteran ‘Nova club will took for more in 2008-2009.

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Comings:

Not much to report here as Maurice Sutton, a 6-foot-11 center, is the only new recruit added to the roster. Sutton was a late period signing out of Upper Marlboro (MD) and Largo High School.

Duke transfer Taylor King is also on the roster, but due to NCAA transfer rules, King will be sitting out the 2008-2009 season.


Goings:

Similar as with the comings, the only player leaving the roster is Malcolm Grant, an offensively gifted guard whose up and down freshman season led him to look for a new home and he transferred to Miami over the summer. Power forward Andrew Ott left the program mid-year last season and moved on to Penn State.


Net Impact:

Villanova loses the instant offense that Grant supplied. It could be argued that Grant single-handily won their match-ups with LSU and the conference opener with Pittsburgh by showcasing his offensive firepower, scoring 40 points in 43 minutes in those two contests. A few weeks after his performance against Pitt, Grant scored 23 in just 18 minutes in a loss to Rutgers, but was hardly heard from again following that game, scoring just 24 points in the last 18 games of the season. So, in the end, his loss was made up for by others stepping up and should continue into 08-09. Sutton is not likely to see much action this year, but will add size to a squad that does not have a lot on the roster.


2008-2009 Backcourt Outlook:

Under Jay Wright, the Villanova program has become synonymous with top-quality guard play, and in today's game, your college basketball odds are enhanced with strong backcourt performers. That trend will definitely continue this coming season as the Wildcats will be led by junior guard Scotty Reynolds. In his sophomore season, Reynolds led VU in scoring (16 PPG), assists (3.2/game) and steals (1.5/game). Sometimes, Reynolds can be a little out of control, and his 3.1 turnovers a game (another team high) can attest to that. But, make no mistake about it, Reynolds is the straw that will stir ‘Nova’s attack this season and his 46 points in rounds one and two last year in the NCAA Tournament shows his importance. When they needed the big play, he was there to give his team a lift.

If your looking for players that could make the biggest steps forward, keying their team’s success, looking in the direction of Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher could be a wise move. Both came to Villanova last season with tremendously high expectations, but up and down freshman seasons have the duo being slightly overlooked this year. Fisher got off to a quick start offensively, but it seemed early on that he and Reynolds never seemed to have good games at the same time. Towards the end of the season, Fisher struggled with his health and it impacted his scoring ability, as he shot just 35% from the field on the year. Being healthier and with a year of experience under his belt, look for Fisher to show marked improvement on the court as a sophomore.

Stokes, on the other hand, started off slowly, getting very little meaningful time consistently until mid-February when he found his rhythm. Over the last 14 games of the season, Stokes averaged just over 12 points a game and hit for 20 in the NCAA Tournament win over Siena. Stokes ability to hit from beyond the arc is a perfect compliment to his prospective backcourt mates.

Solid junior Reggie Redding is a perfect complimentary piece in the backcourt and senior wing Dwayne Anderson also returns to add perimeter depth. Both players are quality team players that will bring a variety of skills to the mix to help their team earn wins by either rebounding, playing defense or scoring points when needed.


2008-2009 Frontcourt Outlook:

Once again, the biggest question surrounding the Wildcats will be the play of their frontcourt. This year’s unit is the same as last season’s, but a healthier group should bring improvement along with more experience. Still, there is not a difference maker, but good, solid basketball players that might be a little undersized for the Big East.

Senior Dante Cunningham usually puts in the work as the ‘Nova center, but he is a true power forward at 6-foot-8. In his junior season, Cunningham was a consistent performer, netting just over 10 points and a team high 6.4 rebounds a game. He also led the Wildcats with 31 blocked shots on the season, so, as you can tell, this is not an intimidating unit as far as Big East frontcourts go. How consistent was Cunningham? He averaged double figures on the season, only eclipsing 16 points one time, with 21 (including 13 made free throws) against Seton Hall.

Fellow senior Shane Clark returns as a forward in the Villanova game plan. Clark started off the season averaging 15 points and 7 rebounds over their first four games, but nagging injuries limited Clark’s effectiveness the rest of the way and in the middle of the Big East schedule he was seeing little time in terms of game action. He finished the regular season a bit stronger, but overall, his production did not reach expected levels.

One player looking for a big season is redshirt sophomore Antonio Pena, an athletic and tough 6-foot-8 forward. Pena worked his way into being a key contributor last season during the conference schedule and should be poised for more this season. The NYC native has some versatile forward scores, but in the Villanova scheme, he uses his NYC toughness to battle bigger players in the paint for the most part.

Rounding out the frontcourt is junior Casseim Drummond, seldom-used veteran Frank Tchuisi and the lone new face Maurice Sutton. Drummond is an interesting player because he has the size that most of the Wildcat roster lacks at 6-foot-10 and 275 pounds. Last season he figured into the game plan for Jay Wright regularly early on, but a stress fracture in his foot limited his play significantly as the season wore on. If Drummond can keep himself in shape and healthy he could be an important factor in the paint for Villanova this team and give them the element of size they have lacked in recent seasons.




2008-2009 Team Outlook:

This is a good Villanova team this season. They are solid all around and Jay Wright will have his team playing hard for him. They have some upside potential, especially among three sophomores with Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes and Antonio Pena. That trio might key their season and be the reasons why they could move up higher from this pre-season position.

With veteran Scotty Reynolds leading the way and senior Dante Cunningham anchoring the frontcourt, 'Nova has experience in key positions. This should be a consistent team that can get hot on occasion and put together some impressive runs offensively. Their frontcourt is still somewhat of a question mark, it is definitely solid, but as frontcourts go in the Big East, they will be under fire often against teams among the top half of the conference.

In the end, Villanova should be a team in the mix for top-25 consideration and on the correct side of the March Madness picture. If one of two of the sophomores make a giant leap forward this season, this could be a team that surprises a few more and makes a run at the upper quarter of the conference.




2008-2009 Big East Prediction: 10-8