Notes For MU/Villanova New Year's Jumpoff

by Zach Smart


In their final out-of-conference tune-up before the first Big East game of the season, Dominic James bailed out the Golden Eagles in heroic fashion.

The senior, hated on by cats who felt he should have never entertained NBA draft illusions, played like…well…a senior.

Let’s not forget, James has been the bulwark and mainstay of Marquette’s offense since he was a freshman. During his freshman year, James turned many heads in a competitive college basketball landscape.

The Big East was leaking with NBA talent that year, as guys like Rudy Gay (UConn), Marcus Williams (UConn), Hilton Armstrong (UConn), Kyle Lowry (Villanova), Randy Foye (Villanova), Quincy Douby (Rutgers), Solomon Jones (South Florida) and James’ then-teammate, super sniper Steve Novak, were all surefire draft picks.

James, the 5-foot-10 guard from Indiana, flexed his elder statesmen muscles and canned a game-winning three with a mere .4 ticks left against N.C. State. The Golden Eagles’ pulsating 68-65 triumph over N.C. State lifted them to 10-2 on the season, allowing them to creep back into the Top-25.

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The No. 25 Eagles sat in a zone early, one that Wolfpack freshman Brandon Costner seeped into early and often. Costner, a feast-or-famine junior forward, put on his best show of the season.

The 6-foot-9 behemoth dropped 24 points, hitting on nine of ten shot attempts and scoring 11 of the game’s first 15 points. He busted the 2-1-2 zone matchup that Marquette soon ditched, nailing treys at a 5-for-5 clip.

Marquette came roaring back from an early funk. They surged ahead, 23-20 with 7:23 to play in the first.

In the game that saw The Eagles struggled with Marquette’s length and springy athleticism (though MU was only outrebounded by a thin 25-23 margin), James, the team’s foundation who shoulders more Big East big game experience on this side of Jeff Adrien and Craig Austrie, had the final say. .

James scored 18 points and handed out six assists. The trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Lazar Heyward combined for 54 of the Golden Eagles’ 68 total points.

With Wesley Matthews, the local product who’s established himself as a go-to-guy (his numbers are up to 19.1 ppg after averaging 11 as a junior) leaving his game in parts unknown, the three computed for nearly 80 percent of MU’s offensive output.

The Wolfpack bench won the pine time battle by outscoring their opponents, 12-5.

Still, Marquette has arguably one of the top backcourts in the nation with the three-guard set of James, McNeal, and Matthews. With college basketball still a guard’s game, their college basketball odds are always strong.

Guard play, always a dictator of destiny in Big East basketball, will be a major factor in the Golden Eagles’ New Year’s day showdown with 11-1 Villanova.

Villanova no longer has the four-guard operation that drove teams crazy in 2006, but Corey Stokes, Corey Fisher, and junior guard Scottie Reynolds (14.5 points, 4.5 assists, 18.0 ppg in the last three games) will put the Marquette backcourt to the test.

While Marquette had trouble handling the length of N.C. State, it doesn’t get much easier against the Wildcats.

Not one single iota of easier, especially now that Dante Cunningham has started to flower.

The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 17.8 points and 7.8 boards got the better of heavy NBA prospect Damion James in an eyeball to eyeball matchup with heavy during the Jimmy V Classic.

Cunningham’s meteoric rise was kick-started with a 31-point, 11-board eruption in a win over Fordham back in November. His 23 and 12 night at Madison Square Garden upgraded him into a new zip code. A.J. Abrams lights-out shooting, however, was what really tamed the Wildcats.

With Dwayne Anderson back in the swing of things like clockwork, the ‘Cats seem to have augmented thier depth.

With Cunningham beginning to percolate (shooting a blistering 58 percent from the floor), MU will need some manpower as a stopgap measure up front.

Marquette’s Dwight Burke, who’s putting up meager numbers (2.3 points, 3.5 boards) and looked more lackadaisical than Ben Wallace on offense in last year’s Big East tournament, needs to get his game up.

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BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: VILLANOVA

December 12, 2008

Verbal Commitment Alert: Dominic Cheek, 6'5 (SG) of St. Anthony's in Jersey City (NJ)


Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: Scottie Reynolds (G), Reggie Redding (G)
Juniors: Corey Stokes (G), Corey Fisher (PG), Antonio Pena (F)
Sophomores: Maurice Sutton (C/BF)*, Taylor King (WF)**
Freshmen: Maalik Wayns (PG), Isaiah Armwood (F), Mouphtau Yarou (C/BF), Dominic Cheek (SG)
2010 Commitments: James Bell (SG)

* Maurice Sutton is expected to redshirt in the 2008-2009 season which would place him as part of the 2009-2010 freshmen if that holds true.

** Taylor King is sitting out the 2008-2009 season as a transfer. He will have three years of eligibiity beginning with the 2009-2010 season.

The recruiting saga of Dominic Cheek will officially come to a close this evening at 6 PM. However, one of the worst kept secrets has been let out of the bag publicly as ZagsBlog.com is reporting that Cheek is Headed to the Big East and will announce this evening for Villanova, multiple sources close to the situation have informed ZagsBlog.



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The cherry on top of the touted recruiting class assembled by Jay Wright that he coveted has been delivered as Dominic Cheek has chosen the Wildcats. He joins Maalik Wayns (PG), Isaiah Armwood (F) and Mouphtau Yarou (C/BF) in a recruiting class that moves, not only to the top of the Big East classes for 2009, but at or near the very top of all the classes nationally for the class.

Cheek was highly coveted by programs across the land and had narrowed his choices to the Wildcats, Kansas, Memphis, Rutgers and Pittsburgh. In the end, the two teams that had separated themselves from the rest were his ling-time leader Villanova and the defending national champs, Kansas. In the end, the long, developed relationship that Cheek and the 'Nova staff have won out over the rest.

Cheek is a dynamic scorer with great range and under-appreciated athleticism. He has the size (6'5) to get his shot off over the majority of perimeter players in the college game. Coming from the powerful St. Anthony's program, Cheek is no stranger to tough competition and big games. He will be a great addition for the Wildcats in the Big East and his ability to knock down the three-ball will play very well in the system of Jay Wright.

In addition to the relationship with the VU staff, Cheek had also become very close to fellow 2009 'Nova commitment Maalik Wayns. Cheek and Wayns were teammates this summer on the USA National 18-U team and have become quick friends. Wayns is a typical tough Philly-bred point guard that handles and distributes the ball with the best of the class. He is not afraid to venture into the paint and will hit tough shots when needed. Expect to see Wayns and Cheek develop tremendous chemistry on the court with Wayns finding Cheek often for scores.

With Big East rivals such as Georgetown and Pitt also trying to woo Mouphtau Yarou to their programs, Jay Wright was the winner of the sweepstakes for the 6-foot-10, 250 pound African import late this summer

Just prior to Yarou's commitment, the NBE Basketball Report was lucky enough to talk with Anthony Lewis, the head man of the Cecil Kirk AAU program, who coached Yarou on the AAU circuit to close out the AAU season. Unlike many African imports, Lewis tells us that Yarou is quite advanced in his skill set and is more polished than one would expect, particularly in the paint. He is very agile and can stick the face-up jumper. Above all, Yarou is a "high quality kid," according to Lewis.

The NBE Basketball Report also viewed Yarou late in the summer at the Reebok Summer Classic East and the Nike Main Event where he backed up Lewis' descriptions of his play. His excellent athletic ability makes him an excellent shot blocker and intimidating presence in the paint as well as a very good rebounder. He also showed solid moves inside as well as the ability to hit the 15-foot jumper and the ability to finish strong.

Anthony Lewis also informed the NBE Basketball Report that is it most likely going to be Montrose Christian this year for Yarou. Previous, he was attending Massanutten (VA) Military Academy during his short time in the United States (only been here for six months or so, according to Lewis).

Earlier this summer, Jay Wright took another step to completing a huge class of 2009 as when forward Isaiah Armwood, who plays at the aforementioned Montrose Christian, committed to 'Nova. Armwood has long been considered Villanova's to lose and he made the call for the Wildcats.

Armwood is a 6'8, 195 lb combo forward who is an intriguing prospect because he has length and athletic ability that few 6'8 players in the class can bring. His skill set seems to be ready to explode with the ability to go beyond the arc and take a big forward to the perimeter. Against a smaller forward, Armwood can take them inside. He has the potential to remind Wildcat fans of Curtis Sumpter with the inside/out match-up problems he can cause opponents.

Armwood averaged about 13 points and 10 rebounds last season for Montrose Christian and coach Stu Vetter. He missed much of the 2nd half of the season with a sprained MCL in his knee. Prior to entering the Big East, he will have to add some weight and strength to battle in the Big East.


While Jay Wright and Villanova were in the process of closing a blockbuster class in 2009, they got a head start in the class of 2010 with the early verbal commitment from James Bell. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard, who will attend Monteverde Academy in Florida this coming season, chose Villanova over Florida, Clemson, Miami and West Virginia, according to ZagsBlog.com.

Last year at the Arlington Country Day School, Bell averaged 13 points and 9 rebounds a contest and has performed on the AAU circuit with the strong Team Stat program out of the sunshine state that also recently produced USF guard Dominique Jones. Bell is a native of New Jersey, which, along with 'Nova's excellent graduation rate under Jay Wright, played a key role in his decision. Bell is an athletic guard on the wing.

Even with the loaded class of 2009 in the fold, the recent transfer of Casseim Drummond from the program has left Jay Wright with two scholarships to play with this spring. They also have two seniors on the 2009-2010 roster, and with the commitment of Bell, means three slots are also open for 2010 if they do not add anyone else for 2009. Expect Villanova to continue to be in the mix for more top players up and down the east coast. One thing is certain, Jay Wright has certainly increased the college basketball odds of his Wildcats breaking through and challenging for a Final Four in the near future with his recruiting efforts in the class of 2009. 'Nova fans will have a lot to cheer about very soon!

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VILLANOVA FALLS IN JIMMY V TEST

By Ray Floriani



NEW YORK CITY – A final look back at the Jimmy V Classic.

Score:

Texas 67
Villanova 58


For Villanova this was their first major test of the year. Actually, they faced Rhode Island in the Hoop Group Classic but didn’t get the challenge they expected. Texas provided the measurement . It would be harsh to say the Wildcats failed. Let’s say it was a learning experience.

For one, you can’t go 16 of 25 from the line against a marquee opponent and entertain thoughts of getting a victory as that percentage will lesser your NCAA basketball odds night in and night out.

Another factor was taking care, or not in this case, of the ball. Jay Wright’s club was guilty of 19 turnovers. Again, a problem facing opposition with this pedigree.
On a positive note was the play of Dante Cunningham. Texas posed a huge problem with three 6-10 players in the rotation. The Texas ‘bigs’ are collectively not the greatest skilled but they can bang and wear you down. Cunningham had another nice performance, battling inside and putting up a team high 23 points 12 boards. Dwayne Anderson added 9 boards in relief. The 6-6 senior swingman will have to step up and help inside on a regular basis once Big East play unfolds with a succession of physical challenges.

A.J. Abrams of Texas had a game high 26 points and registered a number of them in the stretch with the game in the balance. Abrams stepped up and hit a succession of big shots, usually on the perimeter, in the stretch. Nova trailed by four points midway through the second half. On several consecutive trips they simply could not get the contest to a one possession game. Thanks largely to Abrams’ clutch shooting.

The game boiled down to defense. Villanova was not able to dig in and get those key stops in the stretch. Chalk it up to game toughness which is something Wright admitted his team needed a little more of. Texas defended well all night long and got those stops.


The Tempo Free breakdown:

...........Score.........Possessions...........Efficiency

Texas........67..............68....................99
Villanova....58..............70....................83

* The Texas defense never rests

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